Fill in the blanks.
1. ‘I like oranges,’ she said. She said that she …………………….. oranges.
The simple present is also possible here because she still likes oranges.
2. ‘I am working on a new project,’ he said. He said that he ………………………. on a new project.
Present continuous in the direct speech becomes past continuous in the indirect speech.
3. ‘We have been waiting for you,’ she said. She said that they ……………………………. for me.
Present perfect continuous tense in the direct speech becomes past perfect continuous in the indirect speech.
4. ‘I have passed the test,’ she said. She said that …………………… had passed the test.
5. ‘I sent the money yesterday,’ he said. He said that he ………………………… the money the previous day.
Simple past in the direct speech becomes past perfect in the indirect speech.
6. ‘John was waiting for you,’ he told me. He told me that John ……………………… for me.
Generally speaking, past continuous in the direct speech becomes past perfect continuous in the indirect speech. However, it is also possible to retain the past continuous here.
7. ‘My father will come tomorrow,’ he said. He said that his father ………………………. the following day.
Will in the direct speech becomes would in the indirect speech.
8. ‘I am not going to do it,’ he says. He says that he …………………………….. to do it.
When the main verb is in the present tense, the verb in the direct speech does not change in the indirect speech.
9. ‘They haven’t arrived yet,’ he said. He ………………….. that they hadn’t arrived yet.
10. ‘What are you doing in my room?’ she asked. She asked what ……………………….. in her room.
In a reported question, the auxiliary verb goes after the subject.
11. ‘Do you know her?’ he asked me. He asked me …………………….. I knew her.
Please select 2 correct answers
We use if or whether to report a question.
12. ‘This is not what we expected,’ they said. They said that that was not what ………………………
Answers
- ‘I like oranges,’ she said. She said that she liked oranges.
- ‘I am working on a new project,’ he said. He said that he was working on a new project.
- ‘We have been waiting for you,’ she said. She said that they had been waiting for me.
- ‘I have passed the test,’ she said. She said that she had passed the test.
- ‘I sent the money yesterday,’ he said. He said that he had sent the money the previous day.
- ‘John was waiting for you,’ he told me. He told me that John had been waiting for me.
- ‘My father will come tomorrow,’ he said. He said that his father would come the following day.
- ‘I am not going to do it,’ he says. He says that he is not going to do it.
- ‘They haven’t arrived yet,’ he said. He complained that they hadn’t arrived yet.
- ‘What are you doing in my room?’ she asked. She asked what I was doing in her room.
- ‘Do you know her?’ he asked me. He asked me if / whether I knew her.
- ‘This is not what we expected,’ they said. They said that that was not what they had expected.
