394 Reported speeches English ESL worksheets pdf & doc - Free Printable

To solve this problem, we need to change direct questions into reported (indirect) speech. Here are the main rules to follow:

1. Change the word order: In a question, the verb often comes before the subject (e.g., "Where are you?"). In reported speech, it goes back to normal statement order: Subject + Verb (e.g., "...where I was").
2. Remove helper verbs: We do not use "do," "does," or "did" in reported questions. Instead, we change the tense of the main verb.
3. Backshift the tense: Since the reporting verb is in the past ("asked"), we usually move the tense one step back into the past.
* Present Simple $\rightarrow$ Past Simple
* Present Continuous $\rightarrow$ Past Continuous
* Past Simple / Present Perfect $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect
* Will $\rightarrow$ Would
* Can $\rightarrow$ Could
4. Yes/No Questions: If the question starts with a verb (like "Do you...", "Are you...", "Did you..."), we must add "if" or "whether" after "asked."
5. Pronouns: Change pronouns to match the perspective (e.g., "you" becomes "I" or "he/she" depending on who is speaking).

Let's go through each sentence step by step.

1. "Where do you live?", she asked me.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Present Simple ("do live") $\rightarrow$ Past Simple ("lived").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "I".
* Order: "Where I lived".
* Result: She asked me where I lived.

2. "What do the children sing?", I asked Tom.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Present Simple ("do sing") $\rightarrow$ Past Simple ("sang").
* Order: "what the children sang".
* Result: I asked Tom what the children sang.

3. "What did they build?", I asked Paul.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Past Simple ("did build") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had built").
* Order: "what they had built".
* Result: I asked Paul what they had built.

4. "Who did you meet?", Tim asked me.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Past Simple ("did meet") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had met").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "I".
* Order: "who I had met".
* Result: Tim asked me who I had met.

5. "When do you return?", she asked me.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Present Simple ("do return") $\rightarrow$ Past Simple ("returned").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "I".
* Order: "when I returned".
* Result: She asked me when I returned.

6. "How will they find that house?", Tom asked.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Future ("will find") $\rightarrow$ Conditional ("would find").
* Order: "how they would find that house".
* Result: Tom asked how they would find that house.

7. "What time does it start?", I asked Ben.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Present Simple ("does start") $\rightarrow$ Past Simple ("started").
* Order: "what time it started".
* Result: I asked Ben what time it started.

8. "What time are you leaving?", I asked Tom.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Present Continuous ("are leaving") $\rightarrow$ Past Continuous ("was leaving").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "he" (since Tom is male).
* Order: "what time he was leaving".
* Result: I asked Tom what time he was leaving.

9. "What has she bought?", I asked Tom.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Present Perfect ("has bought") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had bought").
* Order: "what she had bought".
* Result: I asked Tom what she had bought.

10. "What have you seen?", she asked me.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Present Perfect ("have seen") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had seen").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "I".
* Order: "what I had seen".
* Result: She asked me what I had seen.

11. "What have you done?", she asked me.
* Type: Wh- question.
* Tense: Present Perfect ("have done") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had done").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "I".
* Order: "what I had done".
* Result: She asked me what I had done.

12. "Do you speak English?", he asked me.
* Type: Yes/No question (starts with "Do"). Needs "if".
* Tense: Present Simple ("speak") $\rightarrow$ Past Simple ("spoke").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "I".
* Result: He asked me if I spoke English.

13. "Does she like chocolate?", she asked Tom.
* Type: Yes/No question (starts with "Does"). Needs "if".
* Tense: Present Simple ("likes") $\rightarrow$ Past Simple ("liked").
* Result: She asked Tom if she liked chocolate.

14. "Did you lock the door?", he asked me.
* Type: Yes/No question (starts with "Did"). Needs "if".
* Tense: Past Simple ("locked") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had locked").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "I".
* Result: He asked me if I had locked the door.

15. "Did you buy much cheese?", he asked me.
* Type: Yes/No question. Needs "if".
* Tense: Past Simple ("bought") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had bought").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "I".
* Result: He asked me if I had bought much cheese.

16. "Did you see the film last night?", I asked him.
* Type: Yes/No question. Needs "if".
* Tense: Past Simple ("saw") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had seen").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "he".
* Time expression: "last night" $\rightarrow$ "the previous night" or "the night before".
* Result: I asked him if he had seen the film the night before.

17. "Will you come by taxi?", he asked me.
* Type: Yes/No question. Needs "if".
* Tense: Future ("will come") $\rightarrow$ Conditional ("would come").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "I".
* Result: He asked me if I would come by taxi.

18. "Will she keep her money at home?", I asked Tom.
* Type: Yes/No question. Needs "if".
* Tense: Future ("will keep") $\rightarrow$ Conditional ("would keep").
* Result: I asked Tom if she would keep her money at home.

19. "Is he coming today?", I asked.
* Type: Yes/No question. Needs "if".
* Tense: Present Continuous ("is coming") $\rightarrow$ Past Continuous ("was coming").
* Time expression: "today" $\rightarrow$ "that day".
* Result: I asked if he was coming that day.

20. "Has he come today?", I asked.
* Type: Yes/No question. Needs "if".
* Tense: Present Perfect ("has come") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had come").
* Time expression: "today" $\rightarrow$ "that day".
* Result: I asked if he had come that day.

21. "Have you forgotten the address?", she asked me.
* Type: Yes/No question. Needs "if".
* Tense: Present Perfect ("have forgotten") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had forgotten").
* Pronoun: "you" $\rightarrow$ "I".
* Result: She asked me if I had forgotten the address.

22. "Was my sister a tourist?", I asked.
* Type: Yes/No question. Needs "if".
* Tense: Past Simple ("was") $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect ("had been").
* Result: I asked if my sister had been a tourist.

Final Answer:
1. She asked me where I lived.
2. I asked Tom what the children sang.
3. I asked Paul what they had built.
4. Tim asked me who I had met.
5. She asked me when I returned.
6. Tom asked how they would find that house.
7. I asked Ben what time it started.
8. I asked Tom what time he was leaving.
9. I asked Tom what she had bought.
10. She asked me what I had seen.
11. She asked me what I had done.
12. He asked me if I spoke English.
13. She asked Tom if she liked chocolate.
14. He asked me if I had locked the door.
15. He asked me if I had bought much cheese.
16. I asked him if he had seen the film the night before.
17. He asked me if I would come by taxi.
18. I asked Tom if she would keep her money at home.
19. I asked if he was coming that day.
20. I asked if he had come that day.
21. She asked me if I had forgotten the address.
22. I asked if my sister had been a tourist.