Reported speech interactive exercise for Intermediate - Free Printable
Educational worksheet: Reported speech interactive exercise for Intermediate. Download and print for classroom or home learning activities.
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Step-by-step solution for: Reported speech interactive exercise for Intermediate
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Reported speech interactive exercise for Intermediate
Let's solve each exercise step by step.
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In reported speech, we change direct statements into indirect ones. We usually:
- Change the tense back one step (present → past, past → past perfect, etc.)
- Adjust pronouns and time expressions
- Use reporting verbs like *said*, *told*, *asked*, etc.
- Remove quotation marks
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1. He was studying yesterday. She said
→ She said he had been studying the day before.
2. I will go to the party. He told me
→ He told me he would go to the party.
3. Mary can’t stand mean people. He said
→ He said Mary couldn't stand mean people.
4. I must call my sister tomorrow. He said
→ He said he had to call his sister the next day.
5. I don’t like coffee. She told me
→ She told me she didn’t like coffee.
6. Please, do me a favour. She asked
→ She asked me to do her a favour.
7. What shall I do about it? He asked
→ He asked what he should do about it.
8. I have forgotten his number. She said
→ She said she had forgotten his number.
9. May I sit here? She asked if
→ She asked if she could sit there.
10. I have been waiting for ages. She said
→ She said she had been waiting for ages.
11. Tim works in an office. He told me
→ He told me Tim worked in an office.
12. I have been to Paris twice. She said
→ She said she had been to Paris twice.
13. My husband is in Poland. She told me
→ She told me her husband was in Poland.
14. I won’t do the shopping tomorrow. He said
→ He said he wouldn’t do the shopping the next day.
15. Neil has already seen this film. She said
→ She said Neil had already seen that film.
16. Gloria is sitting in her room now. He said
→ He said Gloria was sitting in her room then.
17. I don’t go to parties. She told
→ She told (me) she didn’t go to parties.
18. I have been working in the garden. She said
→ She said she had been working in the garden.
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We need to choose the correct verb forms and tenses based on context.
> When I saw/seen Mary at the office this/that morning, she wasn't looking very well. In fact she had looked/looked a bit tired. I tell/asked her what the matter is/was with her but she wouldn't tell/say me. I wanted/had been wanting to know what was going on so I ask/asked Phil but he didn't/wasn't know, either. Two hours later, at about ten o'clock, we met/were meeting at the canteen to have a cup of coffee. But Mary didn't/wasn't order anything to drink. I knew she loved coffee so that was quite strange. When I asked her why she wasn't/didn't want anything to drink she said she didn't have/wasn't having her wallet. Her husband had been taking/had taken it. I said/asked her how she was coming/had come to work and she said that as she didn't have any money at all she come/came on foot. So that's why she is/was so tired! She lived in a nearby town which is/was ten kilometers away! No wonder why she is/was exhausted!
✔ Correct answers:
- saw (past simple – completed action)
- that (referring to a specific past morning)
- had looked (past perfect – she looked tired before the speaker saw her)
- asked (past tense – reported speech)
- was (past tense – matching "wasn't looking")
- tell (wouldn't tell = refusal)
- had been wanting (past perfect continuous – ongoing desire)
- asked (past tense)
- didn't (simple past – no knowledge)
- were meeting (past continuous – action in progress)
- didn't (simple past – refused to order)
- wasn't (past continuous – not wanting)
- didn't have (simple past – lack of wallet)
- had taken (past perfect – action before speaking)
- asked (past tense)
- was coming (past continuous – future from her perspective)
- came on (past simple – correct form)
- was (past tense – explanation of tiredness)
- was (past tense – location at that time)
- was (past tense – state at that time)
✔️ Final corrected version:
> When I saw Mary at the office that morning, she wasn't looking very well. In fact she had looked a bit tired. I asked her what the matter was with her but she wouldn't tell me. I had been wanting to know what was going on so I asked Phil but he didn't know, either. Two hours later, at about ten o'clock, we were meeting at the canteen to have a cup of coffee. But Mary didn't order anything to drink. I knew she loved coffee so that was quite strange. When I asked her why she wasn't want anything to drink she said she didn't have her wallet. Her husband had taken it. I asked her how she was coming to work and she said that as she didn't have any money at all she came on foot. So that's why she was so tired! She lived in a nearby town which was ten kilometers away! No wonder why she was exhausted!
---
We shift time expressions from present/future to past when reporting.
1. Sally is leaving today.
→ He said Sally was leaving that day.
2. He visited London last week.
→ He said he had visited London the week before.
3. We had an argument last night.
→ He said they'd had an argument the night before.
4. I'm not eating now.
→ He said he wasn't eating then.
5. Jimmy is coming next week.
→ He said Jimmy was coming the following week.
6. I forgot my key yesterday.
→ He said he'd forgotten his key the day before.
7. I'll call you tomorrow.
→ He said he would call me the next day.
8. I don't live here anymore.
→ He said he didn't live there anymore.
9. I'm meeting Phil tonight.
→ She said she was meeting Phil that night.
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#### Exercise 1
1. She said he had been studying the day before.
2. He told me he would go to the party.
3. He said Mary couldn't stand mean people.
4. He said he had to call his sister the next day.
5. She told me she didn’t like coffee.
6. She asked me to do her a favour.
7. He asked what he should do about it.
8. She said she had forgotten his number.
9. She asked if she could sit there.
10. She said she had been waiting for ages.
11. He told me Tim worked in an office.
12. She said she had been to Paris twice.
13. She told me her husband was in Poland.
14. He said he wouldn’t do the shopping the next day.
15. She said Neil had already seen that film.
16. He said Gloria was sitting in her room then.
17. She told (me) she didn’t go to parties.
18. She said she had been working in the garden.
#### Exercise 2
Correct choices:
saw, that, had looked, asked, was, tell, had been wanting, asked, didn't, were meeting, didn't, wasn't, didn't have, had taken, asked, was coming, came on, was, was, was
#### Exercise 3
1. that day
2. the week before
3. the night before
4. then
5. the following week
6. the day before
7. the next day
8. there
9. that night
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Let me know if you’d like these formatted neatly for printing or classroom use!
---
EXERCISE 1: Rewrite the sentences in reported speech
In reported speech, we change direct statements into indirect ones. We usually:
- Change the tense back one step (present → past, past → past perfect, etc.)
- Adjust pronouns and time expressions
- Use reporting verbs like *said*, *told*, *asked*, etc.
- Remove quotation marks
---
1. He was studying yesterday. She said
→ She said he had been studying the day before.
2. I will go to the party. He told me
→ He told me he would go to the party.
3. Mary can’t stand mean people. He said
→ He said Mary couldn't stand mean people.
4. I must call my sister tomorrow. He said
→ He said he had to call his sister the next day.
5. I don’t like coffee. She told me
→ She told me she didn’t like coffee.
6. Please, do me a favour. She asked
→ She asked me to do her a favour.
7. What shall I do about it? He asked
→ He asked what he should do about it.
8. I have forgotten his number. She said
→ She said she had forgotten his number.
9. May I sit here? She asked if
→ She asked if she could sit there.
10. I have been waiting for ages. She said
→ She said she had been waiting for ages.
11. Tim works in an office. He told me
→ He told me Tim worked in an office.
12. I have been to Paris twice. She said
→ She said she had been to Paris twice.
13. My husband is in Poland. She told me
→ She told me her husband was in Poland.
14. I won’t do the shopping tomorrow. He said
→ He said he wouldn’t do the shopping the next day.
15. Neil has already seen this film. She said
→ She said Neil had already seen that film.
16. Gloria is sitting in her room now. He said
→ He said Gloria was sitting in her room then.
17. I don’t go to parties. She told
→ She told (me) she didn’t go to parties.
18. I have been working in the garden. She said
→ She said she had been working in the garden.
---
EXERCISE 2: Choose the correct option
We need to choose the correct verb forms and tenses based on context.
> When I saw/seen Mary at the office this/that morning, she wasn't looking very well. In fact she had looked/looked a bit tired. I tell/asked her what the matter is/was with her but she wouldn't tell/say me. I wanted/had been wanting to know what was going on so I ask/asked Phil but he didn't/wasn't know, either. Two hours later, at about ten o'clock, we met/were meeting at the canteen to have a cup of coffee. But Mary didn't/wasn't order anything to drink. I knew she loved coffee so that was quite strange. When I asked her why she wasn't/didn't want anything to drink she said she didn't have/wasn't having her wallet. Her husband had been taking/had taken it. I said/asked her how she was coming/had come to work and she said that as she didn't have any money at all she come/came on foot. So that's why she is/was so tired! She lived in a nearby town which is/was ten kilometers away! No wonder why she is/was exhausted!
✔ Correct answers:
- saw (past simple – completed action)
- that (referring to a specific past morning)
- had looked (past perfect – she looked tired before the speaker saw her)
- asked (past tense – reported speech)
- was (past tense – matching "wasn't looking")
- tell (wouldn't tell = refusal)
- had been wanting (past perfect continuous – ongoing desire)
- asked (past tense)
- didn't (simple past – no knowledge)
- were meeting (past continuous – action in progress)
- didn't (simple past – refused to order)
- wasn't (past continuous – not wanting)
- didn't have (simple past – lack of wallet)
- had taken (past perfect – action before speaking)
- asked (past tense)
- was coming (past continuous – future from her perspective)
- came on (past simple – correct form)
- was (past tense – explanation of tiredness)
- was (past tense – location at that time)
- was (past tense – state at that time)
✔️ Final corrected version:
> When I saw Mary at the office that morning, she wasn't looking very well. In fact she had looked a bit tired. I asked her what the matter was with her but she wouldn't tell me. I had been wanting to know what was going on so I asked Phil but he didn't know, either. Two hours later, at about ten o'clock, we were meeting at the canteen to have a cup of coffee. But Mary didn't order anything to drink. I knew she loved coffee so that was quite strange. When I asked her why she wasn't want anything to drink she said she didn't have her wallet. Her husband had taken it. I asked her how she was coming to work and she said that as she didn't have any money at all she came on foot. So that's why she was so tired! She lived in a nearby town which was ten kilometers away! No wonder why she was exhausted!
---
EXERCISE 3: Change the time reference
We shift time expressions from present/future to past when reporting.
1. Sally is leaving today.
→ He said Sally was leaving that day.
2. He visited London last week.
→ He said he had visited London the week before.
3. We had an argument last night.
→ He said they'd had an argument the night before.
4. I'm not eating now.
→ He said he wasn't eating then.
5. Jimmy is coming next week.
→ He said Jimmy was coming the following week.
6. I forgot my key yesterday.
→ He said he'd forgotten his key the day before.
7. I'll call you tomorrow.
→ He said he would call me the next day.
8. I don't live here anymore.
→ He said he didn't live there anymore.
9. I'm meeting Phil tonight.
→ She said she was meeting Phil that night.
---
✔ Final Answers Summary:
#### Exercise 1
1. She said he had been studying the day before.
2. He told me he would go to the party.
3. He said Mary couldn't stand mean people.
4. He said he had to call his sister the next day.
5. She told me she didn’t like coffee.
6. She asked me to do her a favour.
7. He asked what he should do about it.
8. She said she had forgotten his number.
9. She asked if she could sit there.
10. She said she had been waiting for ages.
11. He told me Tim worked in an office.
12. She said she had been to Paris twice.
13. She told me her husband was in Poland.
14. He said he wouldn’t do the shopping the next day.
15. She said Neil had already seen that film.
16. He said Gloria was sitting in her room then.
17. She told (me) she didn’t go to parties.
18. She said she had been working in the garden.
#### Exercise 2
Correct choices:
saw, that, had looked, asked, was, tell, had been wanting, asked, didn't, were meeting, didn't, wasn't, didn't have, had taken, asked, was coming, came on, was, was, was
#### Exercise 3
1. that day
2. the week before
3. the night before
4. then
5. the following week
6. the day before
7. the next day
8. there
9. that night
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Let me know if you’d like these formatted neatly for printing or classroom use!
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of printable worksheet reported speech.
