reported speech practice - Free Printable
Educational worksheet: reported speech practice. Download and print for classroom or home learning activities.
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Step-by-step solution for: reported speech practice
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: reported speech practice
Certainly! Below is the solution to the "Reported Speech Practice (2)" worksheet, along with a brief explanation for each sentence. The goal of reported speech is to convey what someone said without using their exact words, adjusting tenses, pronouns, and time expressions accordingly.
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1. "I spoke to Mary two weeks ago," Charles said.
→ Charles said that he had spoken to Mary two weeks before.
2. "Be quiet and start the exam," I told them.
→ I told them to be quiet and to start the exam.
3. "I'm very tired after doing three exams today," she said.
→ She said that she was very tired after doing three exams that day.
4. "Could you tell us your name?" they asked.
→ They asked if we could tell them our name.
5. "Don't go out now or you'll be sorry," we ordered her.
→ We ordered her not to go out then or she would be sorry.
6. "I lost all my money last Saturday," he said.
→ He said that he had lost all his money the previous Saturday.
7. "Did Mary ask you about the party?" I asked.
→ I asked if Mary had asked me about the party.
8. "How much money do you need for that?" she asked.
→ She asked how much money I needed for that.
9. "Who was the girl wearing that beautiful dress?" he I asked.
→ He asked who the girl wearing that beautiful dress was.
10. "I don't have to eat that till tomorrow," she said.
→ She said that she didn’t have to eat that until the next day.
11. "I have just finished work," Mr. Jones said.
→ Mr. Jones said that he had just finished work.
12. "Mr. Harmsworth can't see you today," the secretary told him.
→ The secretary told him that Mr. Harmsworth couldn’t see him that day.
13. "I have never played tennis in this court," she said.
→ She said that she had never played tennis in that court.
14. "I'll wait for you," she told me.
→ She told me that she would wait for me.
15. "What does your new boyfriend look like?" she asked her sister.
→ She asked her sister what her new boyfriend looked like.
16. "I don't think your plan is good," he said.
→ He said that he didn’t think my plan was good.
17. "Will it rain tomorrow?" he asked.
→ He asked if it would rain the next day.
18. "I will go to see that play soon," he said.
→ He said that he would go to see that play soon.
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- Tense Backshift: When reporting past statements, present tenses become past (e.g., *am* → *was*, *have* → *had*, *will* → *would*).
- Pronoun Changes: Pronouns change based on context (e.g., *I* → *he/she*, *you* → *me*).
- Time Expressions: Words like *today*, *now*, *yesterday* are adjusted (e.g., *today* → *that day*, *now* → *then*, *tomorrow* → *the next day*).
- Commands & Requests: Use "tell/ask/order + object + to-infinitive".
- Example: *"Be quiet"* → *"told them to be quiet"*
- Questions: Indirect questions use "if/whether" or wh-words, and the word order becomes statement-like.
- Example: *"Could you...?"* → *"asked if I could..."*
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Let me know if you'd like this in printable format or with additional exercises!
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✔ Solutions:
1. "I spoke to Mary two weeks ago," Charles said.
→ Charles said that he had spoken to Mary two weeks before.
2. "Be quiet and start the exam," I told them.
→ I told them to be quiet and to start the exam.
3. "I'm very tired after doing three exams today," she said.
→ She said that she was very tired after doing three exams that day.
4. "Could you tell us your name?" they asked.
→ They asked if we could tell them our name.
5. "Don't go out now or you'll be sorry," we ordered her.
→ We ordered her not to go out then or she would be sorry.
6. "I lost all my money last Saturday," he said.
→ He said that he had lost all his money the previous Saturday.
7. "Did Mary ask you about the party?" I asked.
→ I asked if Mary had asked me about the party.
8. "How much money do you need for that?" she asked.
→ She asked how much money I needed for that.
9. "Who was the girl wearing that beautiful dress?" he I asked.
→ He asked who the girl wearing that beautiful dress was.
10. "I don't have to eat that till tomorrow," she said.
→ She said that she didn’t have to eat that until the next day.
11. "I have just finished work," Mr. Jones said.
→ Mr. Jones said that he had just finished work.
12. "Mr. Harmsworth can't see you today," the secretary told him.
→ The secretary told him that Mr. Harmsworth couldn’t see him that day.
13. "I have never played tennis in this court," she said.
→ She said that she had never played tennis in that court.
14. "I'll wait for you," she told me.
→ She told me that she would wait for me.
15. "What does your new boyfriend look like?" she asked her sister.
→ She asked her sister what her new boyfriend looked like.
16. "I don't think your plan is good," he said.
→ He said that he didn’t think my plan was good.
17. "Will it rain tomorrow?" he asked.
→ He asked if it would rain the next day.
18. "I will go to see that play soon," he said.
→ He said that he would go to see that play soon.
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🔍 Explanation of Key Rules Used:
- Tense Backshift: When reporting past statements, present tenses become past (e.g., *am* → *was*, *have* → *had*, *will* → *would*).
- Pronoun Changes: Pronouns change based on context (e.g., *I* → *he/she*, *you* → *me*).
- Time Expressions: Words like *today*, *now*, *yesterday* are adjusted (e.g., *today* → *that day*, *now* → *then*, *tomorrow* → *the next day*).
- Commands & Requests: Use "tell/ask/order + object + to-infinitive".
- Example: *"Be quiet"* → *"told them to be quiet"*
- Questions: Indirect questions use "if/whether" or wh-words, and the word order becomes statement-like.
- Example: *"Could you...?"* → *"asked if I could..."*
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Let me know if you'd like this in printable format or with additional exercises!
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of printable worksheet reported speech.
