Reported Speech Exercises

Master Reported Speech: Exercises and Tips for English Learners

Introduction

Reported speech is an essential part of English grammar that allows us to relay what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. Whether you’re narrating a conversation or sharing what you heard, mastering reported speech is crucial for clear and effective communication.

In this post, we’ll break down the rules of reported speech and offer reported speech exercises to help you practice and perfect this important skill. By the end, you’ll feel more confident transforming direct speech into reported speech, with practical examples and tips along the way.

What is Reported Speech?

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, involves recounting what someone has said without using their exact words. Unlike direct speech, where the speaker’s words are quoted directly, reported speech involves changes in tense, pronouns, and time expressions to match the new context.

Example of Direct Speech:

• She said, “I am going to the market.”

Example of Reported Speech:

• She said she was going to the market.

As you can see, the sentence structure changes, and certain words adapt to fit the reported speech format. Practicing with reported speech exercises helps you understand these changes and use them correctly in real-life conversations.

Key Rules of Reported Speech

Before diving into the exercises, let’s first review some key rules that will guide you when converting direct speech into reported speech. Understanding these rules will help you tackle even the trickiest of reported speech exercises.

1. Tense Changes

When transforming direct speech into reported speech, the tense usually shifts back one level into the past. The following guide shows how tense changes work:

• Present Simple → Past Simple:
• Direct: He says, “I like pizza.”
• Reported: He said he liked pizza.
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous:
• Direct: She says, “I am studying.”
• Reported: She said she was studying.
• Past Simple → Past Perfect:
• Direct: They said, “We visited Paris.”
• Reported: They said they had visited Paris.
• Future → Would:
• Direct: John said, “I will call you tomorrow.”
• Reported: John said he would call me the next day.

2. Pronoun Changes

Pronouns in reported speech change to match the subject of the new sentence:

• Direct: “I am happy,” she said.
• Reported: She said she was happy.

Here, the pronoun “I” changes to “she,” and the verb changes from present to past.

3. Time and Place Changes

Certain time expressions in direct speech need to be altered in reported speech:

• Today → That day
• Yesterday → The day before
• Tomorrow → The next day
• Here → There

Example:

• Direct: He said, “I will come here tomorrow.”
• Reported: He said he would come there the next day.

Now that you’re familiar with these rules, let’s move on to some reported speech exercises that will help reinforce these concepts.

Reported Speech Exercises

Exercise 1: Basic Sentence Transformation

In this exercise, you’ll practice converting simple sentences from direct to reported speech. Follow the rules above to make the changes.

Exercise:

1. Direct: “I am going to the gym,” Tom said.
2. Direct: “She loves chocolate,” he told me.
3. Direct: “We visited the museum,” they said.
4. Direct: “I will finish my homework tonight,” Sarah said.

Answers:

1. Tom said he was going to the gym.
2. He told me she loved chocolate.
3. They said they had visited the museum.
4. Sarah said she would finish her homework that night.

Exercise 2: Tense Change Practice

This exercise focuses on changing the tense of direct speech into reported speech. Pay close attention to the tense shift in each sentence.

Exercise:

1. Direct: “I am writing a book,” he said.
2. Direct: “They are planning a trip,” she told me.
3. Direct: “We saw the movie last week,” they said.
4. Direct: “I will call you tomorrow,” she said.

Answers:

1. He said he was writing a book.
2. She told me they were planning a trip.
3. They said they had seen the movie the week before.
4. She said she would call me the next day.

Exercise 3: Pronoun and Adverb Change Practice

In this exercise, you’ll focus on changing pronouns and time/place adverbs when transforming sentences from direct to reported speech.

Exercise:

1. Direct: “I will meet you here tomorrow,” she said.
2. Direct: “We are happy today,” they said.
3. Direct: “I bought this yesterday,” he told me.
4. Direct: “You will see her there,” he said.

Answers:

1. She said she would meet me there the next day.
2. They said they were happy that day.
3. He told me he had bought that the day before.
4. He said I would see her there.

Exercise 4: Mixed Reported Speech Practice

In this final exercise, you will apply all the rules learned (tense, pronoun, and adverb changes) to various sentences.

Exercise:

1. Direct: “I am leaving now,” Mark said.
2. Direct: “We will start the meeting at 10 a.m.,” the manager announced.
3. Direct: “I saw Jane here yesterday,” he told me.
4. Direct: “They are preparing for the exam,” she said.

Answers:

1. Mark said he was leaving then.
2. The manager announced they would start the meeting at 10 a.m.
3. He told me he had seen Jane there the day before.
4. She said they were preparing for the exam.

Reported Questions Exercise

Reported questions follow a slightly different set of rules than regular reported speech. The main difference is that the sentence structure changes (no question mark, subject-verb inversion), and certain question words remain the same.

Example:

• Direct: “Where are you going?” she asked.
• Reported: She asked where I was going.

Exercise:

1. Direct: “What time is the meeting?” he asked.
2. Direct: “Do you like coffee?” she asked.
3. Direct: “Where did you buy that dress?” Sarah asked.

Answers:

1. He asked what time the meeting was.
2. She asked if I liked coffee.
3. Sarah asked where I had bought that dress.

Common Mistakes and Tips

Here are some common mistakes learners make when working with reported speech, along with tips to avoid them:

• Forgetting to Change Tense: Many learners forget that tense changes when switching from direct to reported speech. Always check the original tense and adjust accordingly.
• Pronoun Confusion: It can be tricky to decide which pronouns to use in reported speech. Re-read the sentence carefully and think about who is speaking and to whom.
• Not Adjusting Time Expressions: Words like “yesterday” and “tomorrow” must be changed when converting to reported speech, based on the context of when the statement is being reported.

Conclusion

Mastering reported speech is an important step in improving your overall English fluency. The more you practice with these reported speech exercises, the more natural it will feel to apply the rules. Be sure to revisit the key rules regularly and tackle a variety of exercises to strengthen your skills.

Remember, practice makes perfect—so keep transforming direct speech into reported speech in your everyday conversations and writing!

By focusing on these exercises and understanding the common rules, you’ll feel more confident and capable in mastering reported speech in no time.