8/12/2020 Upper-intermediate grammar exercise: reported speech – Speakspeak

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Reported speech
Upper-intermedi
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grammar exercis
order in reported
English grammar practice exercise, upper-intermediate.
sentences
In this exercise you will practise reported speech. Structures of rep
speech

Exercise instructions Upper-intermedi

grammar exercis
Rewrite the following using reported speech: second and third
conditionals
  Upper-intermedi
grammar exercis
check  |  reset  |  answers
present tense to
1 Martin said, "I am ill." tense
     Martin said that ill. Upper-intermedi
Correct answer: he was grammar exercis
perfect simple
2 Martin said, "I've just bought a house." Upper-intermedi
     Martin said that a house. exercises
Correct answer: he'd just bought Upper-intermedi
grammar exercis
3 Martin said, "I'm going on holiday tomorrow."
phrasal verbs wit
     Martin said that he on holiday the next day.
Intermediate gra
Correct answer: was going exercise: past sim
4 Martin said, "I can call her." Upper-intermedi
     Martin said that he her. grammar exercis
prepositions ex.
Correct answer: could call

5 Martin said, "John doesn't have time tomorrow."

     Martin said that John time the next day.
Correct answer: didn't have

6 Martin said, "It'll be tough."

     Martin said that it tough, but it wasn't.
Correct answer: would be

7 Martin said, "I've been looking for you."

     Martin told me that he for me.
Correct answer: had been looking

8 Martin said, "I won't be there."

     Martin said he there, but he was.
Correct answer: wouldn't be

check  |  reset  |  answers

Structure of reported speech

direct speech It’s better to wait.

reported speech She said that it was better to wait.

direct speech I’ve (I have) never been to Spain.

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8/12/2020 Upper-intermediate grammar exercise: reported speech – Speakspeak
reported speech He said that he had never been to Spain.

Reported speech – common mistakes

Common mistakes Correct version Why?

She said me that she She told me that she After tell we mention the
wasn't able to do it. wasn't able to do it. listener. After say we don't
mention the listener.

She told me that she is
looking for her handbag.
He told me he hasn't seen
her before.
She told me she will see
him later.
She told me that she was
looking for her handbag.
He told me he hadn't
seen her before.
She told me she would
see him later.
If the reporting verb (in
this case tell) is in the past
tense, we usually change
the tense of the verb
which follows:
I am ⇒ I was
I can ⇒ I could
have been ⇒ had been
was ⇒ had been
will ⇒ would
can ⇒ could

I told him don't go there. I told him not to go there. When we report a
command or warning, we
use (not) + to + in nitive.

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1 Comment

Anonymous - November 3, 2020, 6:18 am Reply

Good exercise.

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