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Indirect Speech Practice Exercises

The document provides examples for changing direct speech into reported or indirect speech. It includes examples of statements and questions and shows how to rewrite them in reported form by changing pronouns, adverbs of time, and other elements as needed in the new context. The examples cover a range of common reported speech structures and situations.

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Marcela Mar
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1K views7 pages

Indirect Speech Practice Exercises

The document provides examples for changing direct speech into reported or indirect speech. It includes examples of statements and questions and shows how to rewrite them in reported form by changing pronouns, adverbs of time, and other elements as needed in the new context. The examples cover a range of common reported speech structures and situations.

Uploaded by

Marcela Mar
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Reported Speech Practice
  • Reported Speech Questions Practice

Reported speech

Practice

Write these sentences in indirect speech.

1. 'I'm very tired,' she said.

She said she was very tired.

2. I'll see them soon, he said.

He said he would see them soon.

3. 'I'm going to the cinema, she said.

She said that she was going to the cinema

4. “I see the children quite often,' he said.

He said that he saw the children quite often

5. “I'm having a bath, she said.

She said that she was having a bath

6. I've already met their parents,' he said.

He said he had already met their parents.

7. 'I stayed in a hotel for a few weeks,' she said.


She said that she had stayed in a hotel for three weeks.

8. 'I must go home to make the dinner," he said.

He said that he had to go home to make dinner.

9. ‘I haven't been waiting long,' she said.

She said that she hadn´t been waiting long

10. I'm listening to the radio,' he said.

he said that he was listening to the radio

11. ‘I'll tell them the news on Saturday,' she said.

She said she would tell them the news on Saturday.

12. ‘I like swimming, dancing and playing tennis,' he said.

He said that he liked swimming

13. 'I can drive, she said.

she said she could drive

14. 'I walked home after the party,' he said.

He said that he had walked home after the party


15. ‘I'm going to be sick, she said.

She said that she was going to be sick

16. 'I must go out to post a letter,' he said.

He said that he had to go out to post a letter

17. 'I spoke to Jane last week,' she said.

She said that she had spoken to Jane the previous the week before

18. I'm trying to listen to the music,' he said.

He said that he was trying to listen to the music

19. l’ll phone the office from the airport, she said.

She said that she would phone the office from the airport.

20. ‘I can't speak any foreign languages, he said.

He said that he couldn't speak any foreign languages

Practice

Write these sentences in indirect speech, changing words where necessary.


1. ‘I'll see you tomorrow, she said.
She said she'd see me the next day.

2. I saw her today,' he said.


He said he'd seen her that day

3. ‘I don't like this film, she said.


She said that he didn´t like that film

4. She said, 'We went swimming today.'


She said that they had gone swimming that day.

5. ‘I'll see Mary on Sunday,' she said.


She said she had seen Mary on Sunday

6. ‘I met her about three months ago, he said.


He said that he had met her about three months before

7. ‘Pete and Sue are getting married tomorrow, she said.


She said that Pete and Sue were getting married the following the next day

8. ‘Stephen's bringing some records to the party tonight, he said.


he said Stephen would bring some records to the party tonight.

9. ‘I really like this furniture, she said.


She said She really liked that furniture
10. My parents are arriving tomorrow, she said.
She said that her parents were arriving the following the next day.

11. We visited her this morning, they said.


They said that they had visited her that morning

12. 'We'll see her next week, they said.


They said that they would see her the following week

13. 'They were here three months ago,' he said.


He said that they had been there three months before

14. I'm meeting them at four o'clock today, he said.


He said he was meeting them at four o´clock that day

15. I can see you tomorrow, she said.


She said that she could see me the following the next day.

Practice

Write these sentences as reported questions, using the words given. Change you to I, etc.
where necessary.

1. 'What's your name?' he asked. (wanted to know)

He wanted to know what my name was.


2. 'How old are you?' she said. (asked)
She asked how old I was.

3. ‘When does the train leave?' I asked. (asked)


I asked her when the train left

4. 'How are you?” he said. (asked)


He asked me how I was.

5. Who did you see at the meeting?' my mother said. (wanted to know)
My mother wanted to know who she had seen at the meeting.

6. “Why did you take my wallet?” he asked. (wanted to know)


He wanted to know why I had taken his wallet

7. 'How did you get to school?' she said. (asked)


She asked me how I had got to school

8. 'Where do you live? the boy asked. (wanted to know)

The boy wanted to know where i lived

9. Why wasn't Judy at the party?' she asked. (asked)


She asked me why Judy hadn´t been at the party
10. ‘Why didn't you telephone?' my father asked. (wanted to know)
My father wanted to know why I hadn´t telephoned.

11. Why are you so late?' the teacher asked. (demanded to know)
The teacher demanded to know why I was so late

12. Why didn't the police report the crime?' the judge asked. (inquired)

The judge inquired why I had not reported the crime.

Common questions

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Affirmative statements in reported speech involve changing verb tenses, pronouns, and time expressions to reflect the change in perspective and context. Questions, on the other hand, require changing the syntax from a question format to a statement format, besides making similar adjustments in tense, pronouns, and time cues. While affirmative statements use simple reporting verbs like 'said', questions often require verbs like 'asked' or 'inquired' .

In reported speech, modal verbs should be transformed based on contextual cues such as the time of reporting and the degree of certainty or obligation expressed in the original speech. For instance, 'will' often changes to 'would', and 'can' to 'could'. The context, such as the relationship between speakers or the intention behind the original statement, helps determine the appropriate transformation .

Complexities in transitioning expressions of future intentions into indirect speech include ensuring the intention remains clear despite the change in temporal context. This often involves converting 'will' to 'would', as in changing 'I'll see Mary on Sunday' to 'She said she would see Mary on Sunday'. Additionally, time expressions related to future events must be adjusted to fit the reporter's perspective, ensuring accurate and logical temporal progression .

Transforming 'Pete and Sue are getting married tomorrow' into indirect speech involves changing the future-oriented time expression 'tomorrow' to 'the following day', altering the verb tense from present continuous 'are getting' to past continuous 'were getting', and ensuring the sentence remains a coherent narrative from the reporter's perspective: 'She said that Pete and Sue were getting married the following day' .

When modifying pronouns for indirect speech, it is crucial to consider the perspective of both the original speaker and the person reporting. Pronouns should be adjusted to accurately reflect the change in perspective; for example, 'I' might change to 'he' or 'she' depending on who is reporting. Understanding the relationship between the speakers can guide correct pronoun use (e.g., 'you' can change to 'I' in 'she said she would see me').

Questions in direct speech require a shift from interrogative to declarative sentence structures when converted to indirect speech. This involves removing question word order, using statement form (subject before the verb), and often inserting an introductory clause like 'asked' or 'wanted to know'. For example, 'What's your name?' becomes 'He wanted to know what my name was'. Adjustments ensure the question appears as a reported statement .

When converting direct speech to indirect speech, the primary changes include altering pronouns according to perspective, changing verb tenses if necessary (usually shifting back a tense), and converting time expressions reflecting a shift in the point of time (e.g., 'today' becomes 'that day', 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day').

The shift in verb tense from direct to indirect speech reflects the temporal context by indicating that the event was previously reported or told at a different point in time. This typically involves backshifting, where present simple becomes past simple, present continuous shifts to past continuous, and so on. For instance, 'I am going' changes to 'she said she was going' .

Time expressions in reported speech are transformed to align with the change in context and perspective. This involves modifying expressions to reflect their relevance at the time of reporting, such as changing 'today' to 'that day', 'tomorrow' to 'the following day', and 'yesterday' to 'the day before'. These transformations help maintain temporal coherence from the perspective of the reporter's current moment .

Indirect speech plays a crucial role in communication by allowing speakers to relay information accurately while accommodating differences in speaker perspectives and contexts. It ensures that statements remain relevant in time and accurate in terms of subjective details like pronouns. By transforming direct quotes into a more generalized narrative form, indirect speech helps maintain clarity and coherence in communication across different settings and time frames .

Reported speech Practice Write these sentences in indirect speech. 1. 'I'm very tired,' she said. She said she was very tired
She said that she had stayed in a hotel for three weeks. 8. 'I must go home to make the dinner," he said. He said that he ha
15. ‘I'm going to be sick, she said. She said that she was going to be sick 16. 'I must go out to post a letter,' he said. He
1. ‘I'll see you tomorrow, she said. She said she'd see me the next day. 2. I saw her today,' he said. He said he'd seen her
10. My parents are arriving tomorrow, she said. She said that her parents were arriving the following the next day. 11. We v
2. 'How old are you?' she said. (asked) She asked how old I was. 3. ‘When does the train leave?' I asked. (asked) I asked her
10. ‘Why didn't you telephone?' my father asked. (wanted to know) My father wanted to know why I hadn´t telephoned. 11. Why a

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