1. Complete 1-5 with the tenses below. Then complete 6-9 with the correct verb forms.
past continuous past perfect past perfect
past perfect past simple
|
Direct speech |
Reported speech |
|
1) present simple 2) present continuous 3) past simple 4) present perfect 5) past perfect 6) can /can’t 7) will /won’t 8) might 9) should |
____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ |
Show answers
1) past simple 2) past continuous 3) past perfect
4) past perfect 5) past perfect 6) could / couldn’t
7) would / wouldn’t 8) might 9) should
2. Circle the correct words.
Last weekend
1) John said he ____ ill.
a is b was
2) Maisie said that she ____ buy a new phone.
a would b will
3) Nathan said he ____ looking forward to summer.
a is b was
4) Harry said that Kay ____ gone to Italy.
a has b had
5) Emma told me that she ____ find her phone.
a couldn’t b can’t
6) Pete told me he ____ go to the party.
a had to b might have
Show answers
1) b 2) a 3) b 4) b 5) a 6) a
3. How do these references to time and place change in reported speech?
|
Direct speech |
Reported speech |
|
1) today 2) a week ago 3) yesterday 4) last year 5) tomorrow 6) next month 7) here |
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ |
Show answers
1) that day 2) a week earlier 3) the day before
4) the year before 5) the next day
6) the following month 7) there
4. Complete the text with said or told.
Dan 1) _____. Bev that he had bought her a new phone. She looked at it and 2) _____. him that it was too big. He 3) _____. her that they were all that big nowadays. She 4) _____. she wanted him to change it. He 5) _____. that he couldn’t change it and 6) _____. her that it had cost a lot of money. She 7) _____. she didn’t care and 8) _____. him she wouldn’t use it.
Show answers
1) told 2) told 3) told 4) said 5) said 6) told
7) said 8) told
5. Rewrite the sentences as reported speech. If necessary, change the pronouns, possessive adjectives and references to time and place.
1) John to Sue: ‘I left a message for you yesterday.’
John told ________.
2) Mark: ‘I’ll top up phone this evening.’
________.
3) Jenny to Dave: ‘I can’t hear you.’
________.
4) Ann: ‘I’ve checked balance three times this week.’
________.
5) Jo to Si: ‘You should turn off data roaming.’
________.
6) Kate: ‘I had already texted Harry at the weekend.’
________.
7) Fran to Fred: ‘I called Tom two days ago.’
________.
Show answers
1) John told Sue (that) he had left a message for her the day before.
2) Mark said (that) he would top up his phone that evening.
3) Jenny told Dave (that) she couldn’t hear him.
4) Ann said (that) she had checked her balance three times that week.
5) Jo told Si (that) he should turn off data roaming.
6) Kate said (that) she had already texted Harry the weekend before.
7) Fran told Fred (that) she had called Tom two days earlier.
6. Read the reported conversation between two identical twins. Write the direct speech below.
Imo was walking down the road when she slipped and fell. Her twin sister Zoe phoned just afterwards. Zoe told Imo that she has fallen over a few moments before. Imo told her that was an amazing coincidence because she had just done the same! Zoe said her leg was hurting so much that she couldn’t walk. Imo told Zoe that her own leg was OK and that she could easily walk home. But Imo told Zoe that if she couldn’t walk, she should call an ambulance. Zoe said that wouldn’t be necessary and that she could phone their parents.
1) Zoe: ________
2) Imo: ________
Because ________
3) Zoe: ________
4) Imo: ________
5) Imo: But ________
6) Zoe: ________
Show answers
1) I fell over a few moments ago.
2) That’s an amazing coincidence; I’ve just done the same.
3) leg’s hurting so much that I can’t walk.
4) leg is OK and I can easily walk home.
5) if you can’t walk, you should call an ambulance.
6) That won’t be necessary. I can phone our parents.
7. Complete the reported speech.
1) ‘I think battery has run out.’
Andy said __________________
2) ‘We don’t want to go home now.’
We said __________________
3) ‘Beth texted me an hour ago.’
Julia told us __________________
4) ‘I can’t hear what you’re saying.’
brother said __________________
5) ‘I won’t be going to school tomorrow.’
Peter said __________________
6) ‘I didn’t have time to call you.’
dad said __________________
7) ‘I was angry because you’d forgotten birthday.’
She told him __________________
8) ‘I’d like to get a new phone.’
Sue told her parents __________________
Show answers
1) (that) he thought (that) his battery had run out
2) (that) we didn’t want to go home then/at that moment
3) (that) Beth had texted her an hour earlier
4) (that) he couldn’t hear what I was saying
5) (that) he wouldn’t be going to school the following day
6) (that) he hadn’t had time to call me
7) (that) she’d been angry because he had forgotten her birthday.
8) (that) she would like to get a new phone.
8. Complete the reported speech with said or told.
1) I ______________ you I’d be late.
2) She ______________ it didn’t matter.
3) They ______________ us they were moving abroad.
4) He ______________ to me he wasn’t sure.
5) We ______________ we were very sorry.
6) You ______________ me we didn’t have an exam.
Show answers
1) told 2) said 3) told 4) said 5) said 6) told
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