Reported speech Correct the mistakes

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Reported speech: exercise 3 - correct the mistakes

Find and correct the mistakes in the reported speech.

"I am not going to tolerate this any more," said Sarah. Sarah said she was not going to tolerate this any more. Sarah said she was not going to tolerate that any more.

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Direct and indirect speech exercises and grammar rules.

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  • B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech

Daisy has just had an interview for a summer job. 

Instructions

As you watch the video, look at the examples of reported speech. They are in  red  in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, reported speech correctly.

Sophie:  Mmm, it’s so nice to be chilling out at home after all that running around.

Ollie: Oh, yeah, travelling to glamorous places for a living must be such a drag!

Ollie: Mum, you can be so childish sometimes. Hey, I wonder how Daisy’s getting on in her job interview.

Sophie: Oh, yes, she said she was having it at four o’clock, so it’ll have finished by now. That’ll be her ... yes. Hi, love. How did it go?

Daisy: Well, good I think, but I don’t really know. They said they’d phone later and let me know.

Sophie: What kind of thing did they ask you?

Daisy: They asked if I had any experience with people, so I told them about helping at the school fair and visiting old people at the home, that sort of stuff. But I think they meant work experience.

Sophie: I’m sure what you said was impressive. They can’t expect you to have had much work experience at your age.

Daisy:  And then they asked me what acting I had done, so I told them that I’d had a main part in the school play, and I showed them a bit of the video, so that was cool.

Sophie:  Great!

Daisy: Oh, and they also asked if I spoke any foreign languages.

Sophie: Languages?

Daisy: Yeah, because I might have to talk to tourists, you know.

Sophie: Oh, right, of course.

Daisy: So that was it really. They showed me the costume I’ll be wearing if I get the job. Sending it over ...

Ollie: Hey, sis, I heard that Brad Pitt started out as a giant chicken too! This could be your big break!

Daisy: Ha, ha, very funny.

Sophie: Take no notice, darling. I’m sure you’ll be a marvellous chicken.

We use reported speech when we want to tell someone what someone said. We usually use a reporting verb (e.g. say, tell, ask, etc.) and then change the tense of what was actually said in direct speech.

So, direct speech is what someone actually says? Like 'I want to know about reported speech'?

Yes, and you report it with a reporting verb.

He said he wanted to know about reported speech.

I said, I want and you changed it to he wanted .

Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could ; will changes to would ; etc.

She said she was having the interview at four o’clock. (Direct speech: ' I’m having the interview at four o’clock.') They said they’d phone later and let me know. (Direct speech: ' We’ll phone later and let you know.')

OK, in that last example, you changed you to me too.

Yes, apart from changing the tense of the verb, you also have to think about changing other things, like pronouns and adverbs of time and place.

'We went yesterday.'  > She said they had been the day before. 'I’ll come tomorrow.' >  He said he’d come the next day.

I see, but what if you’re reporting something on the same day, like 'We went yesterday'?

Well, then you would leave the time reference as 'yesterday'. You have to use your common sense. For example, if someone is saying something which is true now or always, you wouldn’t change the tense.

'Dogs can’t eat chocolate.' > She said that dogs can’t eat chocolate. 'My hair grows really slowly.' >  He told me that his hair grows really slowly.

What about reporting questions?

We often use ask + if/whether , then change the tenses as with statements. In reported questions we don’t use question forms after the reporting verb.

'Do you have any experience working with people?' They asked if I had any experience working with people. 'What acting have you done?' They asked me what acting I had done .

Is there anything else I need to know about reported speech?

One thing that sometimes causes problems is imperative sentences.

You mean like 'Sit down, please' or 'Don’t go!'?

Exactly. Sentences that start with a verb in direct speech need a to + infinitive in reported speech.

She told him to be good. (Direct speech: 'Be good!') He told them not to forget. (Direct speech: 'Please don’t forget.')

OK. Can I also say 'He asked me to sit down'?

Yes. You could say 'He told me to …' or 'He asked me to …' depending on how it was said.

OK, I see. Are there any more reporting verbs?

Yes, there are lots of other reporting verbs like promise , remind , warn , advise , recommend , encourage which you can choose, depending on the situation. But say , tell and ask are the most common.

Great. I understand! My teacher said reported speech was difficult.

And I told you not to worry!

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A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Using Reported Speech in English

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way to convey what someone said without using their exact words. It is used in conversation, journalism, fiction, and more. In English, we use reported speech to talk about what someone said or thought in the past. In this comprehensive guide, we will cover the basics of reported speech, including tense changes, using reporting verbs, converting direct speech to reported speech, and handling time expressions. We will also discuss common mistakes students make while using reported speech in English.

What is Reported Speech?

Reported speech is a way of reporting what someone has said. It is also known as indirect speech because the speaker does not use the exact words of the original speaker.

Types of Reported Speech

Reported speech can be divided into four types:

a. Reported statements: These are sentences that report what someone said. For example: Direct speech: “I am going to the store.” Reported speech: She said she was going to the store.

b. Reported questions: These are sentences that report what someone asked. For example: Direct speech: “Are you going to the store?” Reported speech: She asked if I was going to the store.

c. Reported requests: These are sentences that report what someone asked for. For example: Direct speech: “Can you pass me the salt?” Reported speech: She asked if I could pass her the salt.

d. Reported orders: These are sentences that report what someone ordered. For example: Direct speech: “Bring me some water.” Reported speech: She ordered me to bring her some water.

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

In reported speech, we often change the tense of the verb from the original sentence. The following chart shows how tense changes work in reported speech:

Here are some examples:

Direct speech: “I am going to the store.” Reported speech: She said she was going to the store. (Present simple becomes past simple)

Direct speech: “I am studying English.” Reported speech: He said he was studying English. (Present continuous becomes past continuous)

Direct speech: “I have finished my homework.” Reported speech: She said she had finished her homework. (Present perfect becomes past perfect)

Direct speech: “He went to the store.” Reported speech: She said he had gone to the store. (Past simple becomes past perfect)

Direct speech: “I was watching TV.” Reported speech: She said she had been watching TV. (Past continuous becomes past perfect continuous)

Direct speech: “They had already left.” Reported speech: He said they had already left. (Past perfect remains past perfect)

Direct speech: “I will come tomorrow.” Reported speech: She said she would come the next day. (Future becomes conditional)

Reporting Verbs

In reported speech, we use reporting verbs such as said, told, asked, and ordered to introduce the reported speech. The choice of reporting verb depends on the type of speech being reported and the relationship between the original speaker and the reporter.

Direct speech: “I love chocolate.” Reported speech: She said she loved chocolate.

Direct speech: “What time is it?” Reported speech: He asked what time it was.

Direct speech: “Please close the door.” Reported speech: She told me to close the door.

Direct speech: “Don’t touch that!” Reported speech: He ordered me not to touch that.

Converting Direct Speech to Reported Speech

To convert direct speech to reported speech, follow these steps:

a. Identify the reporting verb: Identify the verb that introduces the reported speech. This could be said, told, asked, ordered, and so on. b. Identify the subject and verb: Identify the subject and verb of the reported speech. c. Change the tense: Change the tense of the verb in the reported speech according to the rules we discussed earlier. d. Change pronouns and adverbs: Change any pronouns or adverbs in the reported speech to reflect the new subject or time frame. e. Use appropriate punctuation: Use a comma before the reported speech and a full stop at the end of the reported speech.

Direct speech: “I love you,” he said. Reported speech: He said he loved me.

Direct speech: “What are you doing?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked what I was doing.

Direct speech: “Don’t forget to bring the book,” he reminded her. Reported speech: He reminded her not to forget to bring the book.

Direct speech: “I will call you later,” she promised. Reported speech: She promised she would call me later.

Time Expressions

When using reported speech, it is important to pay attention to time expressions, such as yesterday, last week, or tomorrow. These expressions indicate when the original speech was made and may need to be adjusted in the reported speech.

When the reported speech refers to something that is still true, we do not change the time expressions. For example: Direct speech: “I live in New York.” Reported speech: She said she lives in New York.

When the reported speech refers to something that is no longer true, we need to adjust the time expressions. For example: Direct speech: “I saw him yesterday.” Reported speech: She said she had seen him the day before.

When the reported speech refers to something that will happen in the future, we also need to adjust the time expressions. For example: Direct speech: “I will call you tomorrow.” Reported speech: She said she would call me the next day.

Common Mistakes

Here are some examples to illustrate common mistakes in using reported speech:

a. Forgetting to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech: Direct speech: “I am going to the party,” she said. Incorrect reported speech: She said she is going to the party. Correct reported speech: She said she was going to the party.

In this example, the student forgot to change the tense of the verb “am” to “was” in the reported speech. This mistake can lead to confusion about the timing of the events being reported.

b. Using the wrong reporting verb: Direct speech: “Can you help me?” he asked. Incorrect reported speech: He said he can help me. Correct reported speech: He asked if he could help me.

In this example, the student used the reporting verb “said” instead of “asked.” This mistake can change the meaning of the reported speech and make it unclear whether the speaker was making a statement or asking a question.

c. Forgetting to change pronouns or adverbs in the reported speech: Direct speech: “I will see you later,” she said to him. Incorrect reported speech: She said she would see me later. Correct reported speech: She said she would see him later.

In this example, the student forgot to change the pronoun “me” to “him” to reflect the new subject of the reported speech. This mistake can lead to confusion about who said what and to whom.

d. Misusing time expressions: Direct speech: “I saw him yesterday,” she said. Incorrect reported speech: She said she saw him today. Correct reported speech: She said she had seen him the day before.

In this example, the student misused the time expression “today” instead of “the day before,” which accurately reflects the past tense of “yesterday.” This mistake can create confusion about the timing of the events being reported.

Practice Questions:

1. Direct speech: “I am happy,” she said. Reported speech:

2. Direct speech: “Can you help me with my homework?” he asked. Reported speech:

3. Direct speech: “I have never been to Paris before,” she said. Reported speech:

4. Direct speech: “Don’t forget to buy bread,” he reminded her. Reported speech:

5. Direct speech: “I am going to the beach tomorrow,” she said. Reported speech:

6. Direct speech: “What are you doing?” he asked. Reported speech:

7. Direct speech: “I will study harder next time,” she promised. Reported speech:

8. Direct speech: “I am sorry I cannot come,” he said. Reported speech:

9. Direct speech: “I am cooking dinner,” she said. Reported speech:

10. Direct speech: “I will visit my parents next week,” he said. Reported speech:

11. Direct speech: “I love you,” she said. Reported speech:

12. Direct speech: “Don’t touch that!” he shouted. Reported speech:

13. Direct speech: “Have you finished the report?” she asked. Reported speech:

14. Direct speech: “I had a great time,” he said. Reported speech:

15. Direct speech: “I will be there at 8 o’clock,” she said. Reported speech:

16. Direct speech: “I can’t go to the party,” he said. Reported speech:

17. Direct speech: “I was watching TV,” she said. Reported speech:

18. Direct speech: “Will you help me with this?” he asked. Reported speech:

19. Direct speech: “I don’t like pizza,” she said. Reported speech:

20. Direct speech: “I have been working all day,” he said. Reported speech:

21. Direct speech: “Please come to my party,” she said. Reported speech:

22. Direct speech: “I am reading a book,” he said. Reported speech:

23. Direct speech: “I have never seen that before,” she said. Reported speech:

24. Direct speech: “I will call you later,” he said. Reported speech:

25. Direct speech: “I had a dream last night,” she said. Reported speech:

Practice Answers:

  • She said she was happy.
  • He asked if I could help him with his homework.
  • She said she had never been to Paris before.
  • He reminded her not to forget to buy bread.
  • She said she was going to the beach the next day.
  • He asked what I was doing.
  • She promised she would study harder next time.
  • He said he was sorry he could not come.
  • She said she was cooking dinner.
  • He said he would visit his parents the following week.
  • She said she loved him.
  • He ordered me not to touch that.
  • She asked if I had finished the report.
  • He said he had had a great time.
  • She said she would be there at 8 o’clock.
  • He said he couldn’t go to the party.
  • She said she had been watching TV.
  • He asked if I would help him with that.
  • She said she didn’t like pizza.
  • He said he had been working all day.
  • She asked me to come to her party.
  • He said he was reading a book.
  • She said she had never seen that before.
  • He said he would call me later.
  • She said she had had a dream the previous night.

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Reported Speech Exercises

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reported speech correct the mistakes

Here's a list of all the reported speech exercises on this site:

( Click here to read the explanations about reported speech )

Reported Statements:

  • Present Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
  • Present Continuous Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
  • Past Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
  • Present Perfect Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
  • Future Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
  • Mixed Tense Reported Statement Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
  • 'Say' and 'Tell' (quite easy) (in PDF here)

Reported Questions:

  • Present Simple Reported Yes/No Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
  • Present Simple Reported Wh Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
  • Mixed Tense Reported Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)

Reported Orders and Requests:

  • Reported Requests and Orders Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
  • Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 1 (difficult) (in PDF here)
  • Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 2 (difficult) (in PDF here)

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English Grammar Exercises for A2 – Reported speech (1)

  • English Grammar Exercises for A2

1. What did the people say? Rewrite the reported speech as direct speech.

1   She said that she wasn’t going out.

      ‘I’m not going out.’

2   He said that he wanted to go to bed.

     …………………………………………….

3   They said they were arriving at six o’clock.

4   She said that she didn’t like cheese.

5   He said he had been to Italy in 2009.

6   She said that she was reading a good book.

7   They said they had received a lot of good advice.

8   He said that he wasn’t going to do washing-up.

     …………………………………………….

2    ‘I want to go to bed.’

3   ‘We’re arriving at six o’clock.’

4   ‘I don’t like cheese.’

5    ‘I went to Italy in 2009.’

6    ‘I’m reading a good book.’

7    ‘We received a lot of cards at Christmas.’

8    ‘I’m not going to do the washing-up.’

2. Complete the reported speech.

1   ‘Somebody stole my wallet,’ said James.

      James said somebody had stolen his wallet.

2   ‘The suspect is at the police station,’ said Alex.

      Alex said that the suspect …………………………… at the police station.

3   ‘The police are appealing for witnesses,’ said the reporter.

       The reporter said the police …………………………… for witnesses.

4   ‘I’m going to search the house,’ said the officer.

       The officer said she …………………………… the house.

5   ‘The police launched an investigation into the muggings,’ said George.

      George said that the police …………………………… an investigation into the muggings.

6   ‘In London the police make hundreds of arrests every day,’ said the TV announcer.

       The TV announcer said the police …………………………… hundreds of arrests every day.

7   ‘I think arson is worse than burglary,’ said Jane.

      Jane said she …………………………… that arson …………………………… worse than burglary.

2 was    3 were appealing    4 was going to search

5 had launched    6 make    7 thought, was

3. Rewrite the direct speech as reported speech. You may have to change pronouns and references to time or place.

1   ‘We arrested the culprits last Tuesday,’ said the police inspector.

       The police inspector said that they had arrested the culprits the Tuesday before .

2   ‘Somebody broke into our house last night,’ said Mike.

     …………………………………………………………

3   ‘People sometimes sell drugs outside my school,’ said Kate.

4   ‘We are going to study the CCTV footage today,’ said the police officer.

5   ‘Jack stole a camera from a shop yesterday,’ said Fred.

6   ‘The police are looking for the thief who stole my car,’ said Sam.

     …………………………………………………………

2   Mike said that somebody had broken into their house the night before / last night.

3   Kate said that people sometimes sold drugs outside her school.

4   The police officer said that they were going to study the CCTV footage that day.

5    Fred said that John had stolen a camera from a shop the day before.

6    Sam said that the police were looking for the thief who had stolen his car.

4. Read the police officer’s radio report. Then rewrite it as reported speech below.

Police officer: The suspects are outside the bank … They arrived two minutes ago … They’re getting out of their car … I recognise one of them … He robbed a bank in London four years ago … They look nervous … One of them is carrying a large black bag … They are going into the bank … I’m going to follow them.

1   The police officer said that the suspects were outside the bank .

2   She said      …………………………………………………………

3   She said      …………………………………………………………

4   She said      …………………………………………………………

5   She said      …………………………………………………………

6   She said      …………………………………………………………

7   She said      …………………………………………………………

8   She said      …………………………………………………………

9   She said      …………………………………………………………

2 … that they had arrived two minutes ago.

3 … that they were getting out of their car.

4 … that she recognised one of them.

5 … that he had robbed a bank in London four years before / ago.

6 … that they looked nervous.

7 … that one of them was carrying a large black bag.

8 … that they were going into the bank.

9 … that she was going to follow them.

5. Correct the mistakes in the reported speech.

1   ‘I’m not saying any more,’ she told us.

      She said us she wasn’t saying any more. ✗

     ……………………………………………………………

2   ‘You took my phone,’ the man said to me.

     The man said to me that I had taken my phone. ✗

3   ‘Everyone knows Jim,’ the woman said.

      The woman said that everyone had known Jim. ✗

4   ‘These are the boys who broke in last night,’ the man told the officer.

      The man told the officer that those were the boys who had broken in last night. ✗

     ……………………………………………………………

5   ‘I am keeping you here until you answer my questions,’ the detective told her.

      The detective told her that he is keeping her there until she answered his questions. ✗

6   ‘I don’t believe a word you tell me,’ the officer said to her.

      The officer said that he didn’t believe a word she told her. ✗

1   said – told us

2   my – his

4    last night – the night before

5   is keeping – was keeping

6   her – him

Related Posts

  • English Grammar Exercises for A2 – Reported speech
  • English Grammar Exercises for A2 – Reported speech (2)
  • WORDPOWER: age – English Grammar Exercises for A2
  • WORDPOWER: preposition + noun – English Grammar Exercises for A2
  • WORDPOWER: Multi-word verbs with on – English Grammar Exercises for A2
  • WORDPOWER: Multi-word verbs with put – English Grammar Exercises for A2

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Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): reported speech

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English grammar practice exercise, upper-intermediate.

In this exercise you will practise reported speech.

Exercise instructions

Rewrite the following using reported speech:

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Anonymous - November 3, 2020, 6:18 am Reply

Good exercise.

Anonymous - November 20, 2022, 6:26 pm Reply

Great excercise

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casdoij - April 23, 2024, 11:25 am Reply

Yesss!!! Very GReAT!!11!11!! 11/10

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ihsdhf - April 23, 2024, 11:34 am Reply

Very honestly 100% good exercise.

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The Reported Speech

Mastering Reported Speech

Table of Contents

What is reported speech, direct speech vs reported speech, different types of reported speech, a. reporting statements, 1- pronouns, 3. modal verbs, 4- place, demonstratives, and time expressions, b. reporting questions, c. reporting requests/commands, d. other transformations, main clauses connected with and/but, punctuation rules of the reported speech, can we omit that in the reported speech, list of reporting verbs.

IMAGES

  1. REPORTED SPEECH: English ESL worksheets pdf & doc

    reported speech correct the mistakes

  2. Reported Speech

    reported speech correct the mistakes

  3. Reported Speech: English ESL worksheets pdf & doc

    reported speech correct the mistakes

  4. Can you spot the #mistakes in English reported speech in these

    reported speech correct the mistakes

  5. Reported Speech

    reported speech correct the mistakes

  6. Indirect speech

    reported speech correct the mistakes

VIDEO

  1. Reported Speech Rules #englishgrammar #cbse #english #reportedspeech #reels #viralvideo #viralshorts

  2. Reported speech in Exclamatory sentence

  3. Reported speech Part 3 yes / no questions and wh questions

  4. Reported speech| Narration| Direct| Indirect Speech| Dialogue| grammar| board ‎@ourenglishlanet

  5. Reported Speech Notes and practice questions.@EnglishAsaLifeskill

  6. Reported speech

COMMENTS

  1. Reported speech (correct the mistakes)

    Reported speech: exercise 3 - correct the mistakes Find and correct the mistakes in the reported speech. "I am not going to tolerate this any more," said Sarah.

  2. Reported Speech Error Correction B1+

    School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958) Main content: Reported speech (2013113)

  3. Reported Speech

    Time Expressions with Reported Speech Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change time expressions too. We don't always have to do this, however. It depends on when we heard the direct speech and when we say the reported speech. For example: It's Monday. Julie says "I'm leaving today".

  4. Reported speech

    Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could; will changes to would; etc. She said she was having the interview at four o'clock. (Direct speech: 'I'm having the interview at four o'clock.') They said they'd phone later and let me know.

  5. A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Using Reported Speech in English

    Here are some examples to illustrate common mistakes in using reported speech: a. Forgetting to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech: Direct speech: "I am going to the party," she said. Incorrect reported speech: She said she is going to the party. Correct reported speech: She said she was going to the party.

  6. Reported Speech Exercises

    Here's a list of all the reported speech exercises on this site: (Click here to read the explanations about reported speech) Reported Statements: Present Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here) Present Continuous Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here) Past Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in ...

  7. Reported speech

    This is an exercise for Upper Intermediate/FCE students. It is good for revision. The students must correct the grammar errors in the use of reported speech verbs, guess who is who in the family and work out the order of events. It tests the use of the verbs and the following prepositions and forms mainly. The student´s page is to be cut into 4 pieces for 4 people ( or pairs)

  8. English Grammar Exercises for A2

    Rewrite the direct speech as reported speech. You may have to change pronouns and references to time or place. 1 'We arrested the culprits last Tuesday,' said the police inspector. ... Correct the mistakes in the reported speech. 1 'I'm not saying any more,' she told us.

  9. Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): reported speech

    Reported speech - common mistakes: Common mistakes: Correct version: Why? She said me that she wasn't able to do it. She told me that she wasn't able to do it. After tell we mention the listener. After say we don't mention the listener. She told me that she is looking for her handbag. He told me he hasn't seen her before. She told me she will ...

  10. The Reported Speech

    Before explaining how to report a discourse, let us first distinguish between direct speech and reported speech. Direct speech vs reported speech. 1. We use direct speech to quote a speaker's exact words. We put their words within quotation marks. We add a reporting verb such as "he said" or "she asked" before or after the quote. Example: