Reported Speech ESL Printable Worksheets and Exercises - Free Printable
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Step-by-step solution for: Reported Speech ESL Printable Worksheets and Exercises
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Reported Speech ESL Printable Worksheets and Exercises
Actually, you did not upload an image — what you’ve shared is a text-based description of an English grammar worksheet titled:
> “REPORTED SPEECH (INDIRECT SPEECH) EXERCISES”
This worksheet contains exercises for converting direct speech into reported (indirect) speech, along with verb tense changes and pronoun adjustments.
---
## ✔ GOAL OF THE WORKSHEET:
To practice transforming direct quotes (what someone said word-for-word) into reported speech (summarizing what was said, usually in past tense).
---
## 📝 HOW TO SOLVE IT — STEP-BY-STEP
When changing from direct to reported speech:
1. Tense backshift: Present → Past; Past → Past Perfect (usually)
- “I am happy.” → She said she was happy.
- “I went to school.” → He said he had gone to school.
2. Pronouns change based on speaker/listener:
- “I love you.” → She said she loved him.
3. Time expressions change:
- “today” → “that day”
- “now” → “then”
- “yesterday” → “the day before”
4. Reporting verbs: Use “said”, “told”, “explained”, etc., often followed by “that” (optional in informal English).
---
## 🧩 EXAMPLES FROM THE WORKSHEET
Let’s solve a few exercises from the worksheet to show how it’s done.
---
> She said: “I will buy a new pink dress for Julia’s wedding ceremony.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she would buy a new pink dress for Julia’s wedding ceremony.
*(“will” → “would”; “I” → “she”)*
---
> He said: “I am going to give a concert in a big city in England Friday.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> He said that he was going to give a concert in a big city in England on Friday.
*(“am going” → “was going”; “I” → “he”; “Friday” → “on Friday” if needed for clarity)*
---
> She said: “I get up early in the morning and have a breakfast with omelette and orange juice.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she got up early in the morning and had breakfast with omelette and orange juice.
*(Present simple → Past simple; “get” → “got”, “have” → “had”)*
---
> He said: “I don’t work anymore because I am a retired man.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> He said that he didn’t work anymore because he was a retired man.
*(“don’t” → “didn’t”; “am” → “was”)*
---
> She said: “I am very happy because my wife and I are going to have a baby soon.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she was very happy because she and her husband were going to have a baby soon.
*(“I am” → “she was”; “my wife and I are” → “she and her husband were”)*
---
> He said: “My little son usually goes out and plays with his friends in the playground.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> He said that his little son usually went out and played with his friends in the playground.
*(“goes” → “went”; “plays” → “played” — though “usually” can sometimes keep present tense if still true, but in formal reported speech, we backshift)*
---
> She said: “I don’t think I will drink coke because I know that it ruins my health.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she didn’t think she would drink coke because she knew that it ruined her health.
*(“don’t think” → “didn’t think”; “will drink” → “would drink”; “ruins” → “ruined”)*
---
> She said: “I will be very happy if my son wins sports car on his birthday.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she would be very happy if her son won a sports car on his birthday.
*(“will be” → “would be”; “wins” → “won” — conditional clause in reported speech often backshifts too)*
---
> She said: “I work at a fortune teller at a circus and travel around the world.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she worked at a fortune teller at a circus and traveled around the world.
*(Present simple → Past simple)*
---
> He said: “I am the sheriff of the town but I don’t know how I can catch those robbers.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> He said that he was the sheriff of the town but he didn’t know how he could catch those robbers.
*(“am” → “was”; “don’t know” → “didn’t know”; “can” → “could”)*
---
> She said: “I have to leave now because I have a lot of housework to do.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she had to leave then because she had a lot of housework to do.
*(“have to” → “had to”; “now” → “then”)*
---
> He said: “My daughter is going to fly to Florida for a business meeting.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> He said that his daughter was going to fly to Florida for a business meeting.
*(“is going” → “was going”; “my” → “his”)*
---
## 🎯 BONUS: The Center Section — Verb Tense Chart
The middle column gives you a helpful reference:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---------------|------------------|
| AM/IS/ARE → WAS/WERE |
| HAVE/HAS → HAD |
| CAN → COULD |
| WILL → WOULD |
| DOES/DID → DID |
Also includes:
- FEEL → FELT
- LOOK → LOOKED
- ETC.
Use this as a cheat sheet!
---
## ✍️ Final Tip:
Always ask yourself:
> “Who is speaking? Who are they talking to? What time is it referring to?”
Then adjust:
- Tense
- Pronouns
- Time words
---
## ✔ ANSWER KEY (for selected items):
Here’s a quick summary of correct answers for the first 12 exercises:
1. She said that she would buy a new pink dress for Julia’s wedding ceremony.
2. He said that he was going to give a concert in a big city in England on Friday.
3. She said that she got up early in the morning and had breakfast with omelette and orange juice.
4. He said that he didn’t work anymore because he was a retired man.
5. She said that she was very happy because she and her husband were going to have a baby soon.
6. He said that his little son usually went out and played with his friends in the playground.
7. She said that she didn’t think she would drink coke because she knew that it ruined her health.
8. She said that she would be very happy if her son won a sports car on his birthday.
9. She said that she worked at a fortune teller at a circus and traveled around the world.
10. He said that he was the sheriff of the town but he didn’t know how he could catch those robbers.
11. She said that she had to leave then because she had a lot of housework to do.
12. He said that his daughter was going to fly to Florida for a business meeting.
---
## 💡 Want More Practice?
Try these:
- Change “I can swim” → He said he could swim.
- Change “We are leaving tomorrow” → They said they were leaving the next day.
- Change “She has finished her homework” → She said she had finished her homework.
---
✔ You’ve now mastered the core concept of reported speech! Keep practicing — it’s essential for writing and speaking naturally in English.
Let me know if you want help with the other exercises (like #13–15 or the rewrite section) — I’m happy to walk you through them too!
> “REPORTED SPEECH (INDIRECT SPEECH) EXERCISES”
This worksheet contains exercises for converting direct speech into reported (indirect) speech, along with verb tense changes and pronoun adjustments.
---
## ✔ GOAL OF THE WORKSHEET:
To practice transforming direct quotes (what someone said word-for-word) into reported speech (summarizing what was said, usually in past tense).
---
## 📝 HOW TO SOLVE IT — STEP-BY-STEP
🔹 Step 1: Understand the Rules of Reported Speech
When changing from direct to reported speech:
1. Tense backshift: Present → Past; Past → Past Perfect (usually)
- “I am happy.” → She said she was happy.
- “I went to school.” → He said he had gone to school.
2. Pronouns change based on speaker/listener:
- “I love you.” → She said she loved him.
3. Time expressions change:
- “today” → “that day”
- “now” → “then”
- “yesterday” → “the day before”
4. Reporting verbs: Use “said”, “told”, “explained”, etc., often followed by “that” (optional in informal English).
---
## 🧩 EXAMPLES FROM THE WORKSHEET
Let’s solve a few exercises from the worksheet to show how it’s done.
---
🔹 Exercise 1:
> She said: “I will buy a new pink dress for Julia’s wedding ceremony.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she would buy a new pink dress for Julia’s wedding ceremony.
*(“will” → “would”; “I” → “she”)*
---
🔹 Exercise 2:
> He said: “I am going to give a concert in a big city in England Friday.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> He said that he was going to give a concert in a big city in England on Friday.
*(“am going” → “was going”; “I” → “he”; “Friday” → “on Friday” if needed for clarity)*
---
🔹 Exercise 3:
> She said: “I get up early in the morning and have a breakfast with omelette and orange juice.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she got up early in the morning and had breakfast with omelette and orange juice.
*(Present simple → Past simple; “get” → “got”, “have” → “had”)*
---
🔹 Exercise 4:
> He said: “I don’t work anymore because I am a retired man.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> He said that he didn’t work anymore because he was a retired man.
*(“don’t” → “didn’t”; “am” → “was”)*
---
🔹 Exercise 5:
> She said: “I am very happy because my wife and I are going to have a baby soon.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she was very happy because she and her husband were going to have a baby soon.
*(“I am” → “she was”; “my wife and I are” → “she and her husband were”)*
---
🔹 Exercise 6:
> He said: “My little son usually goes out and plays with his friends in the playground.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> He said that his little son usually went out and played with his friends in the playground.
*(“goes” → “went”; “plays” → “played” — though “usually” can sometimes keep present tense if still true, but in formal reported speech, we backshift)*
---
🔹 Exercise 7:
> She said: “I don’t think I will drink coke because I know that it ruins my health.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she didn’t think she would drink coke because she knew that it ruined her health.
*(“don’t think” → “didn’t think”; “will drink” → “would drink”; “ruins” → “ruined”)*
---
🔹 Exercise 8:
> She said: “I will be very happy if my son wins sports car on his birthday.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she would be very happy if her son won a sports car on his birthday.
*(“will be” → “would be”; “wins” → “won” — conditional clause in reported speech often backshifts too)*
---
🔹 Exercise 9:
> She said: “I work at a fortune teller at a circus and travel around the world.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she worked at a fortune teller at a circus and traveled around the world.
*(Present simple → Past simple)*
---
🔹 Exercise 10:
> He said: “I am the sheriff of the town but I don’t know how I can catch those robbers.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> He said that he was the sheriff of the town but he didn’t know how he could catch those robbers.
*(“am” → “was”; “don’t know” → “didn’t know”; “can” → “could”)*
---
🔹 Exercise 11:
> She said: “I have to leave now because I have a lot of housework to do.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> She said that she had to leave then because she had a lot of housework to do.
*(“have to” → “had to”; “now” → “then”)*
---
🔹 Exercise 12:
> He said: “My daughter is going to fly to Florida for a business meeting.”
✔ Reported Speech:
> He said that his daughter was going to fly to Florida for a business meeting.
*(“is going” → “was going”; “my” → “his”)*
---
## 🎯 BONUS: The Center Section — Verb Tense Chart
The middle column gives you a helpful reference:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---------------|------------------|
| AM/IS/ARE → WAS/WERE |
| HAVE/HAS → HAD |
| CAN → COULD |
| WILL → WOULD |
| DOES/DID → DID |
Also includes:
- FEEL → FELT
- LOOK → LOOKED
- ETC.
Use this as a cheat sheet!
---
## ✍️ Final Tip:
Always ask yourself:
> “Who is speaking? Who are they talking to? What time is it referring to?”
Then adjust:
- Tense
- Pronouns
- Time words
---
## ✔ ANSWER KEY (for selected items):
Here’s a quick summary of correct answers for the first 12 exercises:
1. She said that she would buy a new pink dress for Julia’s wedding ceremony.
2. He said that he was going to give a concert in a big city in England on Friday.
3. She said that she got up early in the morning and had breakfast with omelette and orange juice.
4. He said that he didn’t work anymore because he was a retired man.
5. She said that she was very happy because she and her husband were going to have a baby soon.
6. He said that his little son usually went out and played with his friends in the playground.
7. She said that she didn’t think she would drink coke because she knew that it ruined her health.
8. She said that she would be very happy if her son won a sports car on his birthday.
9. She said that she worked at a fortune teller at a circus and traveled around the world.
10. He said that he was the sheriff of the town but he didn’t know how he could catch those robbers.
11. She said that she had to leave then because she had a lot of housework to do.
12. He said that his daughter was going to fly to Florida for a business meeting.
---
## 💡 Want More Practice?
Try these:
- Change “I can swim” → He said he could swim.
- Change “We are leaving tomorrow” → They said they were leaving the next day.
- Change “She has finished her homework” → She said she had finished her homework.
---
✔ You’ve now mastered the core concept of reported speech! Keep practicing — it’s essential for writing and speaking naturally in English.
Let me know if you want help with the other exercises (like #13–15 or the rewrite section) — I’m happy to walk you through them too!
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of printable worksheet reported speech.
