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Reported Speech Exercises for Practice

The document contains exercises focused on converting direct speech into reported speech, involving various characters and scenarios. It includes prompts for completing sentences based on conversations and additional exercises to practice reported speech. The exercises aim to enhance understanding of speech reporting in English.

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18 views3 pages

Reported Speech Exercises for Practice

The document contains exercises focused on converting direct speech into reported speech, involving various characters and scenarios. It includes prompts for completing sentences based on conversations and additional exercises to practice reported speech. The exercises aim to enhance understanding of speech reporting in English.

Uploaded by

rima maden
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

unit

Exercises 47
You talked to some friends of yours (Paul, Tom, Anna etc.). Read what they said on the left (direct
speech). Later (the same day) you tell another friend what they said (reported speech). Complete
the sentences.
direct speech reported speech
you: Are you going to work today, Paul? Paul didn’t go to work today. He said
paul: No, I’m feeling ill. he- was -feeling ill.
Aik
Shall we walk to the station? I wanted to walk to the station, but
No, it’s too far. Let’s get a taxi. Tom said.................................................... fan

Have you been invited to the party? Anna has been invited to the party but she
Yes, but I don’t want to go. told me................................................. to go.

When are you going away, Dan? I asked Dan about his travel plans. He said
I’ll let you know next week. ....................................................... next week.

you: Do you ever see Rachel these days? I asked Ben about Rachel, but he told me
ben: I haven’t seen her for a while. ....................................................... fora while.

you: Where can I borrow a guitar? I needed to borrow a guitar and Kate said
------ kate: You can borrow mine.

you: How’s your job, Sue? I asked Sue about her job. She said
sue: I’m not enjoying it very much. ......................................................very much.

you: Do you still have your car? I asked James about his car. He told me
james: No, I sold it a few months ago. .......................................... a few monthsago.

you: What’s the name of the cafe we went to? I asked Sarah the name of the cafe we went
sarah: I don’t know. to but she said..............................................

How many students are there in your I asked Amy about her school and she told
class, Amy? me..................................................................
Twenty. ............................................................... class.

: Somebody says something to you which is not what you expected. Use your own ideas to complete
your answers.
.1 a: It’s quite a long way from the hotel to the city centre.
b: Is it? The man on the reception desk said.. .it..[Link].. only {Ive, .mmute5/....walk:........................................
. a: Sue is coming to the party tonight.
b: Is she? I saw her a few days ago and she said she....................................................................................
a: Sarah gets on fine with Paul.
b: Does she? Last week you said................................................................................................each other.
A: Joe knows lots of people.
b: That’s not what he told me. He said.............................................................................................. anyone.
a: Jane will be here next week.
b: Oh, really? When I spoke to her, she said........................................................................................ away.
a: I’m going out tonight.
b: Are you? I thought you said....................................................................................................... at home.
a: I speak French quite well.
b: Do you? But earlier you said................................................................................... any other languages.
a: I haven’t seen Ben recently.
b: That’s strange. He told me.............................................................. last weekend.

-» Additional exercise 25 jpage 316) 95


Unit
Exercises 48
Here are some things that Sarah said to you earlier:

(I’ve never been to the United States. J f I don’t have any brothers or sisters.?
V........... " ~'

(j can’t drive?) (j don’t like fish?) (?lane has a very well-paid job.?

is a friend of mine.

But later Sarah says something different to you. What do you say?

Dave works very hard.


Let’s have fish for dinner.
I’m going to buy a car.
Jane is always short of money.
My sister lives in Paris.
I think New York is a great place.
Let’s go out tomorrow evening.
I’ve never spoken to Jane.

Complete the sentences with say or (in the correct form). Use only one word each time.
1 Anna stud goodbye to me and left.
' ........................ us about your holiday. Did you have a nice time?
' Don’t just stand there! ........................... something!
• I wonder where Sue is. She............................ she would be here at 8 o’clock.
:■ Dan............................me that he was bored with his job.
The doctor............................that I should rest for at least a week.
? Gary couldn’t help me. He............................ me to ask Chris.
■■■: Gary couldn’t help me. He............................ to ask Chris.
v Don’t............................anybody whatl.............................. It's a secret just between us.
'Did Kate............................ you what happened?’ ‘[Link]’t............................ anything to me.’

The following sentences are direct speech:

Q Don’t wait for me if I’m late. Alind your own business.

(^Please slow down?) ?Can you open your bag, please?) ^Don’t worry, Sue?)

EE?^ E.
f Hurry up! j f Will you marry me? )
7^7--^ (Do you think you could give me a hand, Tom?

Now choose one of these to complete each of the sentences below. Use reported speech.
I Will was taking a longtime to get ready, so I told him to kiurru up .
■ Sarah was driving too fast, so I asked............................................................................................................
; Sue was nervous about the situation. I told................................................................................................ .
’ I couldn’t move the piano alone, so I.............................................................................................................
; The security guard looked at me suspiciously and.......................................................................................
s The man started asking me personal questions, so I....................................................................................
/ Carl was in love with Maria, so he...................................................................................................................
I didn’t want to delay Helen, so I....................................................................................................................

-* Additional exercise 25 (p isy ■; 16} 97


Complete the sentences using reported speech.

Paul has gone out. I don’t know


when he’ll be back.
Do you want to leave a message?
I’ll try again later. J
mu

A woman phoned at lunchtime yesterday and asked... i-f she coulzt sp&ak to I told
.......................................................................... and......................................................
.............................................................. I asked.............................................................
................................................ ,butshesaid.................................................................. later.
Butsheneverdid.

We have no record of a
reservation in your name.

We’re sorry, but


the hotel is full.

I went to London recently, but my visit didn’t begin well. I had reserved a hotel room, but
when I got to the hotel they told.........................................................................................
.................................... When I asked..................................................................................
they said „but
There was nothing I could do. I just had to look for somewhere else to stay.

are you visiting the country?


Imminr.- ion We’re on holiday.^)

Where will you be


staying d u ri ng you r visit?

After getting off the plane, we had to queue for an hour to get through immigration. Finally,
itwasourturn. The immigration officer asked us..................................................................
................................. , and we told.........................................................................................
Then he wanted to know....................................................................................................... and

He seemed satisfied with our answers, checked our passports and wished us a pleasantstay.

I’ll phone you from the


airport when I arrive. Don’t come to the
airport. I’ll take the bus.
SUE

a: What time is Sue arriving this afternoon?


B: About three. She said............................

a: Aren’t you going to meet her?


b: No, she said not.................... . She said
that.......................................

316

Common questions

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Changing the form of speech can reflect trust, power dynamics, and intimacy levels in relationships. For example, indirect reporting might be used to soften criticism or maintain harmony, while direct quotes could signify openness or confrontational stance, as noted in the variations of how interactions were described with Rachel and James .

Reported speech can alter the original message since it involves paraphrasing and the context can dictate different interpretations. Discrepancies may arise as seen when someone said Sue was coming to a party, which was contradicted when she was said to have other plans . This underscores the potential for miscommunication or altered intent when using reported speech.

Reported speech helps to convey what someone else has said without quoting them directly, allowing for summarization and interpretation. It is useful for relaying information, maintaining conversational flow, and clarifying details, as demonstrated when Paul said he was feeling ill, and the speaker reported this as him not going to work .

Errors in converting direct to reported speech regarding plans can lead to misunderstandings and logistical issues. For example, if Dan's statement about travel plans is reported inaccurately, it can result in friends being unprepared, missed connections, or altered expectations of availability .

Yes, transforming statements into questions can reveal nuances such as uncertainty or verification. For example, the transformation of "Sue is coming to the party tonight" into “Is she?” suggests a surprise or need to confirm conflicting information, thus revealing the interlocutor's curiosity or doubt about what was initially stated .

When converting direct to reported speech, the tense typically shifts back. Present simple turns into past simple, present perfect becomes past perfect, etc. For instance, "I am feeling ill" when reported becomes "He said he was feeling ill" . This temporal shift helps maintain grammatical consistency when embedding past dialogues into current narratives.

Reported speech may alter the perceived intention by filtering the speaker's emotions and emphasis through another person's perspective. Where direct quotes might capture the speaker's tone or urgency, reported speech relies on the reporter's interpretation, potentially neutralizing or reshaping the original intent, as seen when differing accounts of Sue's attendance at a party were given .

Context is crucial in discerning the truth and understanding the nuances in conversations with conflicting statements. For instance, if Sue earlier mentioned not attending a party but was later quoted as attending, the context such as changes in plans or misunderstandings becomes pivotal to comprehending the situation accurately .

The way invitations are reported can significantly impact decision-making, as it influences the receiver's perception of their importance or desirability. Anna's invitation was reported with her reluctance to attend, potentially affecting whether others might decide to join based on her expressed sentiment .

The reliability of reported speech is determined by the reporter's accuracy in recalling details, absence of bias, contextual understanding, and their relationship to the original speaker. Any deviation or error in these areas can lead to misinterpretation or misinformation, as evidenced when differences in Sue’s party attendance were reported .

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