8.
5 Grammar
Exercise 1
1. I spoke to my teacher yesterday.
2. They are interviewing new candidates today.
3. She was carrying a heavy bag.
4. I have never been to Japan.
5. They had already sold the tickets.
Exercise 2
1. She told me she was busy.
2. He said he liked chocolate.
3. I told her to call me later.
Exercise 3
1. He didn’t finish his homework.
2. She wasn’t at school yesterday.
3. They were very tired.
4. We were in a hurry.
5. I could hear a strange noise.
6. They weren’t ready for the test.
Exercise 4
1b. He had ridden a horse before.
2a. She hadn’t eaten breakfast.
2b. She loved her new job.
3a. They had lost their way.
3b. They had been there before.
Exercise 5
1. I have seen a virus before.
2. I have confidence in my abilities.
3. I am not giving up.
4. I felt really nervous.
5. Few of us have suffered like that.
6. We haven’t lost hope.
Exercise 6
1. They were destroying her school’s reputation.
2. She hadn’t taken the bus that day.
3. He didn’t want to go there.
4. There had been an accident in their neighborhood.
5. His father had been at the meeting.
6. They were feeling upset.
Unit 47 – Reported Speech
47.1
You talked to some friends of yours (Paul, Tom, Anna, etc.). Read what they said (direct speech). Later you tell
another friend what they said (reported speech).
1. Paul didn’t go to work today. He said he was feeling ill.
2. I wanted to walk to the station, but Tom said (that) it was too far.
3. Anna has been invited to the party but she told me (that) she didn’t want to go.
4. I asked Dan about his travel plans. He said (that) he would let me know next week.
5. I asked Ben about Rachel, but he told me (that) he hadn’t seen her for a while.
6. I needed to borrow a guitar and Kate said (that) I could borrow hers.
7. I asked Sue about her job. She said (that) she wasn’t enjoying it very much.
8. I asked James about his car. He told me (that) he sold it a few months ago (or he’d sold it / he had sold
it).
9. I asked Sarah the name of the café we went to, but she said (that) she didn’t know.
10. I asked Amy about her school and she told me (that) there were twenty students in her class.
47.2
Somebody says something to you which is not what you expected. Use your own ideas to complete your
answers.
1. It’s quite a long way from the hotel to the city centre.
→ Is it? The man on the reception desk said it was only five minutes’ walk.
2. Sue is coming to the party tonight.
→ Is she? I saw her a few days ago and she said she wasn’t coming / was going somewhere else /
couldn’t come.
3. Sarah gets on fine with Paul.
→ Does she? Last week you said they didn’t like each other / they didn’t get on with each other / they
couldn’t stand each other.
4. Joe knows lots of people.
→ That’s not what he told me. He said he didn’t know anyone.
5. Jane will be here next week.
→ Oh, really? When I spoke to her, she said she would be away / she was going away.
6. I’m going out tonight.
→ Are you? I thought you said you were staying at home.
7. I speak French quite well.
→ Do you? But earlier you said you couldn’t speak / you didn’t speak any other languages.
8. I haven’t seen Ben recently.
→ That’s strange. He told me he’d seen you / he saw you last weekend.
9. Sarah You
1. Dave works very hard. But you said he was lazy.
2. Let’s have fish for dinner. But you said you didn’t like fish.
3. I’m going to buy a car. But you said you couldn’t drive.
4. Jane is always short of money. But you said she had a very well-paid job.
5. My sister lives in Paris. But you said you didn’t have any brothers or sisters.
6. I think New York is a great place. But you said you’d / you had never been to the United States.
7. Let’s go out tomorrow evening. But you said you were working tomorrow evening.
8. I’ve never spoken to Jane. But you said she was a friend of yours.
48.2
Complete the sentences with say or tell (in the correct form). Use only one word each time.
1. Anna said goodbye to me and left.
2. Tell us about your holiday. Did you have a nice time?
3. Don’t just stand there! Say something!
4. I wonder where Sue is. She said she would be here at 8 o’clock.
5. Dan told me that he was bored with his job.
6. The doctor said that I should rest for at least a week.
7. Gary couldn’t help me. He told me to ask Chris.
8. Gary couldn’t help me. He said to ask Chris.
9. Don’t tell anybody what I said. It’s a secret just between us.
10. “Did Kate tell you what happened?” “No, she didn’t say anything to me.”
48.3
The following sentences are direct speech.
Now choose one of these to complete each of the sentences below. Use reported speech.
1. Will was taking a long time to get ready, so I told him to hurry up.
2. Sarah was driving too fast, so I asked her to slow down.
3. Sue was nervous about the situation. I told her not to worry.
4. I couldn’t move the piano alone, so I asked Tom to give me a hand (or … to help me).
5. The security guard looked at me suspiciously and asked/told me to open my bag.
6. The man started asking me personal questions, so I told him to mind his own business.
7. Carl was in love with Maria, so he asked her to marry him.
8. I didn’t want to delay Helen, so I told her not to wait (for me) if I was late.