Reported Speech Exercise 1

This is an exercise to see if you can transform direct speech into indirect speech. Pay attention to the tense of the reporting verb and if the subject changes.

If the reporting verb is in the present simple, there is no backshift. If the reporting verb is in the past simple, you usually need backshift so you need to change the verbs in the sentence. If the reporting verb is in the past simple but the information is still true, there is no backshift.

Below you have sentences in direct speech and you need to rewrite them in indirect speech.

  • John: “What have you done?”
  • My father: “I found a cosy little restaurant.”
  • Monica: “I want to be a millionaire.”
  • Journalist: “What happened to your face?”
  • The teacher: “Monday is the most important day of the week.”
  • Donald Trump: “I have won the election.”
  • My friend: “Give that man some money.”
  • Messi: “I am the richest football player alive.”
  • My boss: “Have you done the work I asked you to do?”
  • James Cameron: “Titanic and Avatar are my masterpieces.”
You can find the exercise below:

Reported Speech Exercise 1

Complete the following sentences by rewriting them in reported speech. Pay attention to the tense of the reporting verb!
1.
John asked .
2.
My father says .
3.
Monica told me .
4.
The journalist asked him .
5.
The teacher said .
6.
Donald Trump says .
7.
My friend told me .
8.
Messi says .
9.
My boss asked me .
10.
James Cameron said .

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