Reported speech - 50 exercises - ESL worksheet by sandramaisa - Free Printable
Educational worksheet: Reported speech - 50 exercises - ESL worksheet by sandramaisa. Download and print for classroom or home learning activities.
JPG
735×1047
110 KB
Free · Personal Use
Quality Assured by Worksheets Library Team
Reviewed for educational accuracy and age-appropriateness
ID: #1973566
⭐
Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Reported speech - 50 exercises - ESL worksheet by sandramaisa
▼
Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Reported speech - 50 exercises - ESL worksheet by sandramaisa
The task in the image is to convert direct speech into reported (indirect) speech. Reported speech involves changing the tense and pronouns of the original statement to reflect that it is being reported rather than spoken directly. Below are the solutions for each statement, along with explanations.
---
- Reported Speech: Charlie said he wanted to show him something.
- Explanation:
- Change "I" to "he" (Charlie).
- Change "you" to "him" (the person being shown something).
- Change "want" to "wanted" (past tense).
---
- Reported Speech: Tom told Sarah that his friend had just been made president of the club.
- Explanation:
- Change "My" to "his" (Tom's).
- Keep the present perfect tense ("has been made") as past perfect ("had been made").
---
- Reported Speech: Susan said that from the window of her school she could see the church.
- Explanation:
- Change "my" to "her" (Susan's).
- Change "can" to "could" (past tense).
---
- Reported Speech: I asked John who had put salt in my coffee.
- Explanation:
- Retain "who" as it is an interrogative pronoun.
- Change "put" to "had put" (past perfect tense).
---
- Reported Speech: The teacher asked the students if they had done their homework.
- Explanation:
- Change "Have you" to "if they had."
- Change "done" to "had done" (past perfect tense).
---
- Reported Speech: Chris asked me where I would go after class.
- Explanation:
- Change "Where will you" to "where I would."
- Change "go" to "would go" (future-in-the-past tense).
---
- Reported Speech: Kate asked her classmate when the class began.
- Explanation:
- Retain "When did" as it is an interrogative phrase.
- No change needed since the tense is already in the past.
---
- Reported Speech: Jim told his brother to get out of the way.
- Explanation:
- Convert the imperative sentence into a reported form using "to + verb."
---
- Reported Speech: The teacher told me to take it to Elizabeth.
- Explanation:
- Convert the imperative sentence into a reported form using "to + verb."
---
- Reported Speech: The teacher told the students not to chew gum in class.
- Explanation:
- Convert the negative imperative sentence into a reported form using "not to + verb."
---
- Reported Speech: My grandmother told me not to argue with my parents.
- Explanation:
- Convert the negative imperative sentence into a reported form using "not to + verb."
---
- Reported Speech: The teacher said he had been preparing it before class.
- Explanation:
- Change "I" to "he" (The teacher).
- Change "was preparing" to "had been preparing" (past perfect continuous tense).
---
- Reported Speech: The teacher asked the students which question was the most difficult.
- Explanation:
- Retain "Which question is" as it is an interrogative phrase.
- Change "is" to "was" (past tense).
---
- Reported Speech: The students argued that no one could answer all the questions.
- Explanation:
- Change "can" to "could" (past tense).
---
- Reported Speech: The teacher asked Jack how he had come to English class that day.
- Explanation:
- Change "How did you" to "how he had."
- Change "come" to "had come" (past perfect tense).
---
- Reported Speech: Mrs. Smith said the old man had forgotten his hat.
- Explanation:
- Change "has forgotten" to "had forgotten" (past perfect tense).
---
- Reported Speech: The teacher said we should write with a pencil so it would be easier to correct our mistakes.
- Explanation:
- Change "Write" to "should write" (reported advice).
- Change "will be" to "would be" (future-in-the-past tense).
---
- Reported Speech: The teacher told the students not to make noise after they finished.
- Explanation:
- Convert the negative imperative sentence into a reported form using "not to + verb."
- Change "finish" to "finished" (past tense).
---
- Reported Speech: Christina told Rose that the new girl lived in Braga.
- Explanation:
- Change "lives" to "lived" (past tense).
---
- Reported Speech: Jim asked Beth how she came to class.
- Explanation:
- Change "How do you" to "how she."
- Change "come" to "came" (past tense).
---
- Reported Speech: The students said they were behaving quite well that day.
- Explanation:
- Change "We are" to "they were" (past tense).
---
- Reported Speech: The boss asked Joseph why he wasn't working.
- Explanation:
- Change "Why aren't you" to "why he wasn't."
- Retain the negative form.
---
- Reported Speech: Sarah said not to make any noise.
- Explanation:
- Convert the negative imperative sentence into a reported form using "not to + verb."
---
\boxed{
\begin{aligned}
1. & \text{Charlie said he wanted to show him something.} \\
2. & \text{Tom told Sarah that his friend had just been made president of the club.} \\
3. & \text{Susan said that from the window of her school she could see the church.} \\
4. & \text{I asked John who had put salt in my coffee.} \\
5. & \text{The teacher asked the students if they had done their homework.} \\
6. & \text{Chris asked me where I would go after class.} \\
7. & \text{Kate asked her classmate when the class began.} \\
8. & \text{Jim told his brother to get out of the way.} \\
9. & \text{The teacher told me to take it to Elizabeth.} \\
10. & \text{The teacher told the students not to chew gum in class.} \\
11. & \text{My grandmother told me not to argue with my parents.} \\
12. & \text{The teacher said he had been preparing it before class.} \\
13. & \text{The teacher asked the students which question was the most difficult.} \\
14. & \text{The students argued that no one could answer all the questions.} \\
15. & \text{The teacher asked Jack how he had come to English class that day.} \\
16. & \text{Mrs. Smith said the old man had forgotten his hat.} \\
17. & \text{The teacher said we should write with a pencil so it would be easier to correct our mistakes.} \\
18. & \text{The teacher told the students not to make noise after they finished.} \\
19. & \text{Christina told Rose that the new girl lived in Braga.} \\
20. & \text{Jim asked Beth how she came to class.} \\
21. & \text{The students said they were behaving quite well that day.} \\
22. & \text{The boss asked Joseph why he wasn't working.} \\
23. & \text{Sarah said not to make any noise.} \\
\end{aligned}
}
---
1. I want to show you something. – Charlie said
- Reported Speech: Charlie said he wanted to show him something.
- Explanation:
- Change "I" to "he" (Charlie).
- Change "you" to "him" (the person being shown something).
- Change "want" to "wanted" (past tense).
---
2. My friend has just been made president of the club. – Tom told Sarah.
- Reported Speech: Tom told Sarah that his friend had just been made president of the club.
- Explanation:
- Change "My" to "his" (Tom's).
- Keep the present perfect tense ("has been made") as past perfect ("had been made").
---
3. From the window of my school I can see the church. – Susan said.
- Reported Speech: Susan said that from the window of her school she could see the church.
- Explanation:
- Change "my" to "her" (Susan's).
- Change "can" to "could" (past tense).
---
4. Who put salt in my coffee? – I asked John.
- Reported Speech: I asked John who had put salt in my coffee.
- Explanation:
- Retain "who" as it is an interrogative pronoun.
- Change "put" to "had put" (past perfect tense).
---
5. Have you done your homework? – The teacher asked the students.
- Reported Speech: The teacher asked the students if they had done their homework.
- Explanation:
- Change "Have you" to "if they had."
- Change "done" to "had done" (past perfect tense).
---
6. Where will you go after class? – Chris asked me.
- Reported Speech: Chris asked me where I would go after class.
- Explanation:
- Change "Where will you" to "where I would."
- Change "go" to "would go" (future-in-the-past tense).
---
7. When did the class begin? – Kate asked her classmate.
- Reported Speech: Kate asked her classmate when the class began.
- Explanation:
- Retain "When did" as it is an interrogative phrase.
- No change needed since the tense is already in the past.
---
8. Get out of the way! – Jim told his brother.
- Reported Speech: Jim told his brother to get out of the way.
- Explanation:
- Convert the imperative sentence into a reported form using "to + verb."
---
9. Take this to Elizabeth! – The teacher told me.
- Reported Speech: The teacher told me to take it to Elizabeth.
- Explanation:
- Convert the imperative sentence into a reported form using "to + verb."
---
10. Don't chew gum in class! – The teacher told the students.
- Reported Speech: The teacher told the students not to chew gum in class.
- Explanation:
- Convert the negative imperative sentence into a reported form using "not to + verb."
---
11. Don't argue with your parents! – My grandmother told me.
- Reported Speech: My grandmother told me not to argue with my parents.
- Explanation:
- Convert the negative imperative sentence into a reported form using "not to + verb."
---
12. I was preparing this before class. – The teacher said.
- Reported Speech: The teacher said he had been preparing it before class.
- Explanation:
- Change "I" to "he" (The teacher).
- Change "was preparing" to "had been preparing" (past perfect continuous tense).
---
13. Which question is the most difficult? – The teacher asked the students.
- Reported Speech: The teacher asked the students which question was the most difficult.
- Explanation:
- Retain "Which question is" as it is an interrogative phrase.
- Change "is" to "was" (past tense).
---
14. No one can answer all the questions! – The students argued.
- Reported Speech: The students argued that no one could answer all the questions.
- Explanation:
- Change "can" to "could" (past tense).
---
15. How did you come to English class today? – The teacher asked Jack.
- Reported Speech: The teacher asked Jack how he had come to English class that day.
- Explanation:
- Change "How did you" to "how he had."
- Change "come" to "had come" (past perfect tense).
---
16. The old man has forgotten his hat. – Mrs. Smith said.
- Reported Speech: Mrs. Smith said the old man had forgotten his hat.
- Explanation:
- Change "has forgotten" to "had forgotten" (past perfect tense).
---
17. Write with a pencil so it will be easier to correct your mistakes! – The teacher said.
- Reported Speech: The teacher said we should write with a pencil so it would be easier to correct our mistakes.
- Explanation:
- Change "Write" to "should write" (reported advice).
- Change "will be" to "would be" (future-in-the-past tense).
---
18. Don't make noise after you finish! – The teacher told the students.
- Reported Speech: The teacher told the students not to make noise after they finished.
- Explanation:
- Convert the negative imperative sentence into a reported form using "not to + verb."
- Change "finish" to "finished" (past tense).
---
19. The new girl lives in Braga. – Christina told Rose.
- Reported Speech: Christina told Rose that the new girl lived in Braga.
- Explanation:
- Change "lives" to "lived" (past tense).
---
20. How do you come to class? – Jim asked Beth.
- Reported Speech: Jim asked Beth how she came to class.
- Explanation:
- Change "How do you" to "how she."
- Change "come" to "came" (past tense).
---
21. We are behaving quite well today. – The students said.
- Reported Speech: The students said they were behaving quite well that day.
- Explanation:
- Change "We are" to "they were" (past tense).
---
22. Why aren't you working? – The boss asked Joseph.
- Reported Speech: The boss asked Joseph why he wasn't working.
- Explanation:
- Change "Why aren't you" to "why he wasn't."
- Retain the negative form.
---
23. Don't make any noise! – Sarah said.
- Reported Speech: Sarah said not to make any noise.
- Explanation:
- Convert the negative imperative sentence into a reported form using "not to + verb."
---
Final Answer:
\boxed{
\begin{aligned}
1. & \text{Charlie said he wanted to show him something.} \\
2. & \text{Tom told Sarah that his friend had just been made president of the club.} \\
3. & \text{Susan said that from the window of her school she could see the church.} \\
4. & \text{I asked John who had put salt in my coffee.} \\
5. & \text{The teacher asked the students if they had done their homework.} \\
6. & \text{Chris asked me where I would go after class.} \\
7. & \text{Kate asked her classmate when the class began.} \\
8. & \text{Jim told his brother to get out of the way.} \\
9. & \text{The teacher told me to take it to Elizabeth.} \\
10. & \text{The teacher told the students not to chew gum in class.} \\
11. & \text{My grandmother told me not to argue with my parents.} \\
12. & \text{The teacher said he had been preparing it before class.} \\
13. & \text{The teacher asked the students which question was the most difficult.} \\
14. & \text{The students argued that no one could answer all the questions.} \\
15. & \text{The teacher asked Jack how he had come to English class that day.} \\
16. & \text{Mrs. Smith said the old man had forgotten his hat.} \\
17. & \text{The teacher said we should write with a pencil so it would be easier to correct our mistakes.} \\
18. & \text{The teacher told the students not to make noise after they finished.} \\
19. & \text{Christina told Rose that the new girl lived in Braga.} \\
20. & \text{Jim asked Beth how she came to class.} \\
21. & \text{The students said they were behaving quite well that day.} \\
22. & \text{The boss asked Joseph why he wasn't working.} \\
23. & \text{Sarah said not to make any noise.} \\
\end{aligned}
}
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of printable worksheet reported speech.
