Vivian Constanta

LAB LESSON - REPORTED SPEECH

When we want to report someone’s words, we look at the verb in the sentence,
and we go one tense back:

Direct Speech Reported Speech

Present Simple Past Simple

“I play tennis”, she said She said she played tennis
Present Continuous Past Continuous
“I am playing tennis”, she said She said she was playing tennis
Past Simple Past Perfect
“I played tennis”, she said She said she had played tennis
Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
“I was playing tennis”, she said She said she had been playing tennis
Present Perfect Past Perfect
“I have played tennis”, she said She said she had played tennis
Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
“I have been playing tennis”, she said She said she had been playing tennis
Past Perfect Past Perfect
“I had played tennis”, she said She said she had played tennis
Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
“I had been playing tennis”, she said She said she had been playing tennis
Will Would
“I will play tennis”, she said She said she would play tennis
Can Could
“I can play tennis”, she said She said she could play tennis
Must Had to / must
“I must play tennis”, she said She said she had to / must play tennis
this/these that/those
here there
come go
today that day
now that moment
yesterday the day before/the previous day
tomorrow the day after/the following day

Note: say to someone: e.g. she said to me / she said (that)…

tell someone: e.g. she told me / she told me (that)…

Page 1 of 7
Vivian Constanta

Exercise 1: Choose the correct form of the verbs.

1. Mary "I love chocolate."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ chocolate."
a. loved
b. loves
c. loving

2. Mary: "I went skiing."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ skiing."
a. went
b. had gone
c. have gone

3. Mary: "I will eat steak for dinner."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ eat steak for dinner."
a. willing
b. will
c. would

4. Mary: "I have been to Sydney."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ to Sydney."
a. had been
b. has been
c. was being

5. Mary: "I have had three cars."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ three cars.
a. has
b. has had
c. had had

6. Mary: "I'm going to go to Long Beach."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ going to go to Long Beach."
a. is
b. was
c. went

Page 2 of 7
Vivian Constanta

7. Mary: "I don't like spinach."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ like spinach."
a. doesn't
b. don't
c. didn't

8. Mary: "I have never been to London."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ never been to London."
a. had
b. has
c. have

9. Mary: "I was swimming."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ swimming.
a. has been
b. had been
c. have been

10. Mary: "I had a cat."

Jill: Mary said (that) she had ___ a cat."
a. have
b. has
c. had

11. Mary: "I can't swim."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ swim."
a. can't
b. couldn't
c. can not

12. Mary: "I won't buy a new car."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ by a new car."
a. won't
b. will
c. wouldn't

13. Mary: "I have to do my laundry."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ to do her laundry."
a. had
b. has
c. have

Page 3 of 7
Vivian Constanta

Now go to the following site and check your answers.

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/tm-reported1.html

Reporting Questions / Requests / Commands

Exercise 2: Change the following sentences into reported speech.

1. Mr. Smith: "Are you a student?"

"What did Mr. Smith say?"
______________________________________________
2. Ms. Washington: "What is your name?"
"What did Ms. Washington say?"
______________________________________________
3. Teacher: "Stand up, please, Maurice!"
"What did the teacher say?"
_______________________________________________
4. Mr. Brown: "Don't speak now, Melissa!"
"What did Mr. Brown say?"
_______________________________________________
5. Miss Claymore: "One month ago, I warned you to study for that
test!"
"What did the Miss Claymore say?"
________________________________________________
6. Mr. Jones: "I will teach you how to do research on the Web."
"What did the Mr. Jones say?"
________________________________________________

Now go to the following link and check your answers.

http://24esl.org/q/h/9807/Im-reported.html

Exercise 3: Go to following link and do the exercise.

http://www.eslpartyland.com/quiz%20center/rptspeech1.htm

Page 4 of 7
Vivian Constanta

Exercise 4: Choose the best way to complete the sentences below.

1) Please tell me _____________ .

where is the bus stop
where the bus stop be
where stops the bus
where the bus stop is

2) I told him _____________ .

what the homework was
what was the homework
what was to be the homework
what is the homework

3) I think _____________ .
will be the plane on time
the plane will be on time
the plane to be on time
it will be on time the plane

4) I didn't know _____________ .

what he mean
what did he mean
what did he meant
what he meant

5) He said _____________ .
that the weather colder than usual
the weather be colder than usual
the weather was colder than usual
the weather it is colder than usual

6) I think _____________ .

Page 5 of 7
Vivian Constanta

today it is Wednesday
that is today Wednesday
today is Wednesday
today by Wednesday

7) He said _____________ .
that yesterday he gone downtown
he goes downtown yesterday
he go downtown yesterday
he went downtown yesterday

8) I believe _____________ .
him he is right
he is right
he be right
that he right

9) She said _____________ .

that she was hungry
she hungry
she be hungry
her was hungry

10) He told us _____________ .

that he enjoy the movie
he enjoyed the movie
he be enjoying the movie
that enjoyed the movie

Now check your answers at:

http://eslus.com/LESSONS/GRAMMAR/REPORTSP/Rs1.htm

Exercise 5: Go to the following link and do the quiz.

Page 6 of 7
Vivian Constanta

http://www.edu.ge.ch/cptic/prospective/projets/anglais/exercises/rep
orted2.htm

Page 7 of 7