Reported Speech

Put the following text into the reported speech with the introducing verbs in the past
tense.

1.         My name is Arthur Tann. I was born in 1952 and educated at Wallingford Grammar
School, where I passed five O-levels. I left school in 1970 and went to work for an
insurance company. Then I came to live in Middleford and got a job at the library. I've
been there for about three years but I don't think I'll stay there much longer. At the
moment I'm living in Gladstone Avenue but I may leave soon. I want to do a
Management course but I can't do it until I've passed some A-levels.

Put the following sentences into reported speech, with the introducing verbs in the past
tense:

1.         It is cold in here. Is the window open?

2.         Do you think it will rain? It is very cloudy.

3.         I must write some letters now. What date is it?

4.         How do you like Maisie's new dress? I bought it for her at a sale.

5.         We are going for a country walk. Would you like to come too?

6.         What time is it? My watch has stopped.

7.         This is a most interesting book. Have you ever read it?

8.         What is the matter? You don't look very well.

9.         That looks difficult to do. Can I help you?

10.       Are you free tomorrow night? I would like you to come to my party.

Put into reported speech.

1.         Clean it yourself           .

2.         Wrap it up in a piece of paper  .

3.         Cut the corners off       .

4.         Fasten your safety belts    .

5.         Don't sit on my bed           .

6.         Wait there until I come   .

7.         Don't speak until you're spoken to        .

8.         Leave it on the piano   .

9.         Don't wipe your dirty fingers on my nice clean tablecloth.

10.       Don't try to be funny   .

11.       Brush it off when it gets dry           .

12.       Don't put your elbow on the table    .

13.       Look where you are going   .

14.       Mind the steps   .

15.       Get your hair cut .

16.       Go to bed and don't get up until you're called  .

17.       Eat up your dinner at once or I'll punish you     .

18.       Write your name clearly at the top and then take down these points as I call them out.

19.       Bring in the two accused men and take care they don't get away. (The judge...)

20.       Don't spend all your money on food and drink. Save some for the future.

Put the following sentences into reported speech, introducing them with a verb in the past
tense.

1.         I am ill___.

2.         I met him last year    .

3.         They will be here soon    .

4.         She has finished now    .

5.         I am living in London           .

6.         He is going to Berlin tomorrow      .

7.         I've just been to the butcher's         .

8.         I can come next week   .

9.         I don't know what he'll say           .

10.       They went away yesterday       .

11.       I would do the same myself if I were in your place   .

12.       I tried to ride a bicycle but I fell off three times   .

13.       I shall expect to see you next Wednesday    .

14.       These apples won't keep, they are too soft           .

15.       I haven't had enough time to finish what I intended to do. I can do some more later on
.

16.       I expect to hear some news tomorrow; I will tell you if I do so that you needn't worry                 
.

17.       You must leave the country at once.

18.       People mustn't fish in this river    .

19.       You must decide what you want to do       .

20.       You must do it all again before next week, although I must confess it's the first bad
repair you've done. You'll get a new job to do when you've finished it                                            
.

  

Put the following sentences into REPORTED SPEECH with the introducing verb in the
past tense. Vary the introducing verb.

1.         Are you enjoying yourself?         

2.         Did you see the King yesterday?      

3.         Does she always wear a hat?     

4.         Have you seen my new hat?     

5.         Do I look all right?   

6.         Are the grapes sour?   

7.         Is it time to go?     

8.         Will the taxi be here at eight o'clock?         

9.         Can you hear a noise? 

10.       Ought the light to be on?     

11.       Are my shoes cleaned yet?     

12.       Did the greengrocer have any fresh vegetables?     

13.       Does your car always make a nasty smell?  

14.       May I use your telephone?      

15.       Is it raining heavily?           

16.       Do you sleep in the afternoons?    

17.       Must the door be kept shut?   

18.       Was the train very full?     

19.       Have the children put away their toys?   

20.       Did Bill give you that ring?    

  

Put the following sentences into REPORTED SPEECH with the introducing verb in the
PAST tense.    

1. What a lovely house!   

2. Hello! What do you want?  

3. My goodness! You are slim!          

4. Haven't you ever been here before? (He was surprised...)     

5. What a dirty face you have! 

6. Oh! I've cut myself!            

7. Help me!     

8. The house is on fire!            

9. What have you done to your hair?        

10. What on earth has happened?      

 Reported Speech-ANSWER KEY

Put the following text into the reported speech with the introducing verbs in the past
tense. There are many possible answers; these are just a few.

1.         My name is Arthur Tan. I was born in 1952 and educated at Wallingford Grammar
School, where I passed five O-levels. I left school in 1970 and went to work for an
insurance company. Then I came to live in Middle ford and got a job at the library. I've
been there for about three years but I don't think I'll stay there much longer. At the
moment I'm living in Gladstone Avenue but I may leave soon. I want to do a
Management course but I can't do it until I've passed some A-levels.

  The speaker introduced himself as Arthur Tan and described how he was born in 1952 and was
educated at Wallingford Grammar School, where he passed five O-levels. He related how he
left school in 1970 and went to work for an insurance company. After that, he decided to live in
Middle ford and get a job at the library. He admitted that he had been there for about three years
but did not think he would stay there much longer. He described how he currently lives in
Gladstone Avenue but that he may leave soon. He related his desire to do a Management course
but explained that he couldn’t do it until he passed some A-levels.

Put the following sentences into reported speech, with the introducing verbs in the past
tense: There are many possible answers; these are just a few

1.         It is cold in here. Is the window open? She suggested that it was cold because the
window might be open. / She questioned if the window was open because it was cold
inside. / She wondered if the window was open since it was cold inside.

2.         Do you think it will rain? It is very cloudy. He wondered if it would rain since it was so
cloudy.

3.         I must write some letters now. What date is it? He asked for the date so that he could
write some letters.

4.         How do you like Maisie's new dress? I bought it for her at a sale. She explained that she
bought Maisie’s dress on sale. / She sought his opinion of Maisie’s new dress, which she
bought for her on sale.

5.         We are going for a country walk. Would you like to come too? He invited her on a
country walk. / He explained that they were going for a country walk and invited her to
come too.

6.         What time is it? My watch has stopped. He asked for the time since his watch had
stopped. / He wondered what time it was because his watch had stopped.
7.         This is a most interesting book. Have you ever read it? He described how interesting the
book was and asked if she had read it.

8.         What is the matter? You don't look very well. He noticed that she didn’t look very well
and asked her if there was something wrong.

9.         That looks difficult to do. Can I help you? He recognized the difficulty of her task and
offered his help. / He believed the task looked difficult, so he offered his help.

10.       Are you free tomorrow night? I would like you to come to my party. She asked if he was
free the next night so that he could come to her party. / She invited him to her party as
long as he was free the next night.

Put into reported speech. There are many possible answers; these are just a few

1.         Clean it yourself           . He ordered her to clean it herself.

2.         Wrap it up in a piece of paper___. He asked her to wrap it up in a piece of paper.

3.         Cut the corners off       . He requested that the corners be cut off. / He asked her to cut
the corners off.

4.         Fasten your safety belts    . He directed them to fasten their safety belts.

5.         Don't sit on my bed           . She yelled at him not to sit on her bed. / She forbade him to
sit on her bed.

6.         Wait there until I come   . She ordered them to wait there until she came.

7.         Don't speak until you're spoken to        . He demanded they not speak until they were
spoken to. / He suggested they not speak until they were spoken to.

8.         Leave it on the piano   . He asked her to leave it on the piano.

9.         Don't wipe your dirty fingers on my nice clean tablecloth. She yelled at him not to wipe
his dirty fingers on her nice clean tablecloth.

10.       Don't try to be funny   . He ordered him not to try to be funny.

11.       Brush it off when it gets dry           . She directed them to brush it off when it gets dry.

12.       Don't put your elbow on the table    . She instructed them not to put their elbows on the
table.
13.       Look where you are going   . He yelled at her to look where she was going. / He
demanded (that) she look where she was going.

14.       Mind the steps   . He warned her to mind the steps. / He advised her to mind the steps.

15.       Get your hair cut . He suggested she get her hair cut. / She told him to get his hair cut.

16.       Go to bed and don't get up until you're called  . She ordered him to go to bed and not get
up until he was called.

17.       Eat up your dinner at once or I'll punish you     . He threatened to punish her if she didn’t
eat up her dinner at once. / He demanded (that) she eat up her dinner at once or he would
punish her.

18.       Write your name clearly at the top and then take down these points as I call them out.
She instructed them to write their names clearly at the top and then take down the points
as she called them out.

19.       Bring in the two accused men and take care they don't get away. (The judge...) ordered
that they bring in the two accused men and that they take care they don’t get away.

20.       Don't spend all your money on food and drink. Save some for the future. He advised her
not to spend all her money on food and drink but rather to save some for the future.

Put the following sentences into reported speech, introducing them with a verb in the past
tense. There are many possible answers; these are just a few

1.         I am ill . He explained/complained that he was ill.

2.         I met him last year    . He explained that he met him last year.

3.         They will be here soon    . He assured her that they would be here soon.

4.         She has finished now    . He stated that she had finished.

5.         I am living in London           . She explained that she was living in London.

6.         He is going to Berlin tomorrow      . He informed us that he was going to Berlin

tomorrow.

7.         I've just been to the butcher's         . She explained that she had just been to the
butcher’s.

8.         I can come next week   . She suggested that she could come next week.
9.         I don't know what he'll say           . He complained/conceded that he didn’t know what
he’d say.

10.       They went away yesterday       . He acknowledged that they went away yesterday.

11.       I would do the same myself if I were in your place   . He agreed/conceded/admitted that
he would do the same himself if he were in their/his place.

12.       I tried to ride a bicycle but I fell off three times   . She described how she tried to ride a
bicycle but fell off three times.

13.       I shall expect to see you next Wednesday    . She confirmed that she expected to see him
next Wednesday.

14.       These apples won't keep, they are too soft           . He commented that the apples
wouldn’t keep because they were too soft.

15.       I haven't had enough time to finish what I intended to do. I can do some more later on.
He explained/complained that he didn’t have enough time to finish what he intended to
do, so he would do some more later.

16.       I expect to hear some news tomorrow; I will tell you if I do so that you needn't worry  .
He assured her that he expected to hear some news the next day and that he would tell her
if he did so that she wouldn’t worry.

17.       You must leave the country at once . He ordered her to leave the country at once.

18.       People mustn't fish in this river    . He explained that people mustn’t fish in this river.

19.       You must decide what you want to do       . He encouraged/demanded/suggested that she
decide what she wanted to do.

20.       You must do it all again before next week, although I must confess it's the first bad
repair you've done. You'll get a new job to do when you've finished it. He confessed that
it was the first bad repair he’d done and that he would have to do it all again before next
week; he’d get a new job to do when he finished it.

  

Put the following sentences into REPORTED SPEECH with the introducing verb in the
past tense. Vary the introducing verb. There are many possible answers; these are just a
few

1.         Are you enjoying yourself?          He asked her if she was enjoying herself.

2.         Did you see the King yesterday?       He wondered if she saw the king the day before.
3.         Does she always wear a hat?      He enquired if she always wore a hat.

4.         Have you seen my new hat?      He wondered if she had seen his new hat.

5.         Do I look all right?    He solicited her opinion on whether he looked all right.

6.         Are the grapes sour?    He pondered about whether the grapes were sour.

7.         Is it time to go?      He asked if it was time to go.

8.         Will the taxi be here at eight o'clock?          He enquired if the taxi would be there at
eight.

9.         Can you hear a noise?  He posed the question of whether they could hear a noise.

10.       Ought the light to be on?      He wondered if the light should be on.

11.       Are my shoes cleaned yet?      He asked if his shoes were cleaned yet.

12.       Did the greengrocer have any fresh vegetables?      He enquired if the greengrocer had
any fresh vegetables.

13.       Does your car always make a nasty smell?   He raised the question of whether his car
always made a nasty smell.

14.       May I use your telephone?       He requested to use the telephone.

15.       Is it raining heavily?            He wondered if it was raining heavily.

16.       Do you sleep in the afternoons?     He asked if she slept in the afternoons.

17.       Must the door be kept shut?    He enquired if it was necessary that the door be kept shut.

18.       Was the train very full?      He asked if the train was very full.

19.       Have the children put away their toys?    She posed the question of whether the children
had put away their toys.

20.       Did Bill give you that ring?     She asked if Bill gave her the ring.

  

Put the following sentences into REPORTED SPEECH with the introducing verb in the
PAST tense.     There are many possible answers; these are just a few

1. What a lovely house!    She exclaimed that the house was lovely.
2. Hello! What do you want?   He greeted her and asked her what she wanted.

3. My goodness! You are slim!           She commented on how slim she was.

4. Haven't you ever been here before? (He was surprised...)      He asked out of surprise if she
had ever been there before.

5. What a dirty face you have!  He complained about her dirty face.

6. Oh! I've cut myself!             She exclaimed painfully that she cut herself.

7. Help me!      He begged/yelled for help.

8. The house is on fire!             She screamed that the house was on fire.

9. What have you done to your hair?         Horrified, he asked what she had done to her hair.

10.What on earth has happened?       She asked accusingly what on earth had happened.