Reported Speech – Free Exercise

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Exercises

Write the following sentences in indirect speech.
Pay attention to backshift and the changes to pronouns, time, and place.

Example:
He said, “I will call tomorrow.”
→ He said that he would call the following day.
  1. Two weeks ago, he said, “I visited this museum last week.”
    → Two weeks ago, he said that  .I → he
    simple past → past perfect
    this → that
    last …→ the … before
  2. She claimed, “I am the best for this job.”
    → She claimed that  .I → she
    simple present→ simple past
    this→ that
  3. Last year, the minister said, “The crisis will be overcome next year.”
    → Last year, the minister said that  .will → would
    next …→ the following …
  4. My riding teacher said, “Nobody has ever fallen off a horse here.”
    → My riding teacher said that  .present perfect → past perfect
    here→ there
  5. Last month, the boss explained, “None of my co-workers has to work overtime now.”
    → Last month, the boss explained that  .my → his/her
    simple present→ simple past
    now→ then

Rewrite the question sentences in indirect speech.

Example:
He asked, “Can you speak French?”
→ He asked me if I could speak French.
  1. She asked, “What did he say?”
    → She asked  .The subject comes directly after the question word.
    simple past → past perfect
  2. He asked her, “Do you want to dance?”
    → He asked her  .The subject comes directly after whether/if
    you → she
    simple present → simple past
  3. I asked him, “How old are you?”
    → I asked him  .The subject comes directly after the question word + the corresponding adjective (how old)
    you→ he
    simple present → simple past
  4. The tourists asked me, “Can you show us the way?”
    → The tourists asked me  .The subject comes directly after whether/if
    you→ I
    us→ them
  5. The shop assistant asked the woman, “Which jacket have you already tried on?”
    → The shop assistant asked the woman  .The subject comes directly after the question word
    you→ she
    present perfect → past perfect

Rewrite the demands/requests in indirect speech.

Example:
The teacher said, “Please remember the exam on Monday.”
→ The teacher asked the students to remember the exam on Monday.
  1. The passenger said, “Stop the car.”
    → The passenger asked the taxi driver  .to + same wording as in direct speech
  2. The mother told her son, “Don’t be so loud.”
    → The mother told her son  .not to + same wording as in direct speech, but remove don’t
  3. The policeman told us, “Please keep moving.”
    → The policeman told us  .to + same wording as in direct speech (please can be left off)
  4. She told me, “Don’t worry.”
    → She told me  .not to + same wording as in direct speech, but remove don’t
  5. The zookeeper told the children, “Don’t feed the animals.”
    → The zookeeper told the children  .not to + same wording as in direct speech, but remove don’t