GRAMMAR PRACTICE

I Turn the sentences below into reported speech

1.’I saw the film you recommended last night,’ she said to him.
She told him that she had seen the film he had recommended the night before / previous night.

2.’If I finish my work today, we’ll go out,’ her husband said to her.
Her husband told her that if he finished his work that day, they would go out.

3.’If I knew where he was, I would tell you,’ she said to me.
She told me that if she knew where he was, she would tell me. (No tense changes in type 2 conditional)

4.’What size shoes do you take?’ the sales assistant asked him.
He sales assistant asked him what size shoes he took. (Pay attention to the word order in a reported
question! SUBJECT + VERB, i.e. no auxiliary verbs DO, DOES, DID or inversion!)

5.’Did you seek professional help?’ they asked her.

They asked her if she had sought professional help.

6.’I can’t join you tonight,’ he said. (I spoke to him this morning and he said …)
I spoke to him this morning and he said that he can’t join us tonight. (Nothing changes here because this
is an example of up-to-date reporting, i.e. the reported situation isn’t over yet)

7.’I wish I had more free time,’ she said.

She said she wished she had more free time. (HAD remains the same because it is past subjunctive)

II Report the sentences below using an appropriate introductory verb other than say / tell / ask

1.’Why don’t you take up a sport, Janet?’ he said.

He SUGGESTED that Janet should take / take up a sport. (TAKE is present subjunctive)

2.’Yes, I gave away your plans,’ she said.

She ADMITTED (to) giving away / having given away our plans
She ADMITTED that she had given away our plans.

3.’No, I didn’t take those documents,’ she said.

She DENIED taking / having taken those documents.
She DENIED that she had taken those documents.

4.’You’ve caused a lot of pain to my family!’ she said to him.

She ACCUSED him OF causing / having caused a lot of pain to her family.

5.’You must apply for the teaching post, Bill,’ Janice said.
Janice INSISTED ON Bill applying for the teaching post.
Janice INSISTED that Bill should apply / apply for the teaching post.
6.’That’s how I managed to escape,’ he told me.
He EXPLAINED TO me how he had managed to escape.

7.’I’ll never forget our anniversary again!’ he said.

He PROMISED that he would never forget their anniversary again.
He PROMISED never to forget their anniversary again.

8.’No, I won’t tell you where I was last night,’ she said to him.
She REFUSED to tell him where she had been the night before / the previous night.

9.’I want the report to be written by the end of the week,’ the manager said.
The manager DEMANDED that the report should be written / that the report be written by the end of
the week. (BE WRITTEN is present subjunctive)

*Note the use of perfect gerund in sentences 2, 3 and 4 (having given away, having taken, having
caused) – it is used to emphasize the fact that the action it expresses happened before the action of the
introductory verb, but it is optional)

III Join the sentences below turning the second sentence in each pair into a relative clause

1.The woman is being interviewed by a police officer. Her handbag was stolen.
The woman WHOSE HANDBAG WAS STOLEN is being interviewed by a police officer.

2.Rosy is the friend. I went on holiday with her.

Rosy is the friend WITH WHOM I WENT ON HOLIDAY. (formal)
Rosy is the friend WHO I WENT ON HOLIDAY WITH. (more common)
Rosy is the friend I WENT ON HOLIDAY WITH. (most common – WHO is omitted)

3.Jack lives in Spain now. He was the best student of our generation.
Jack, WHO WAS THE BEST STUDENT OF OUR GENERATION, lives in Spain now. (Note the use of commas
– this is a non-defining clause since it gives additional information about Jack)

4.My next door neighbors never apologize. Their children make a lot of noise.
My next door neighbors, WHOSE CHILDREN MAKE A LOT OF NOISE, never apologize. (Non-defining
clause – we use commas)

5.The man’s wallet contained over £1,000. It was found by a schoolboy.

The man’s wallet, WHICH WAS FOUND BY A SCHOOLBOY, contained over £1,000. (Non-defining clause,
separated from the main clause by commas – we know what wallet, therefore, the relative clause
doesn’t define the wallet but rather gives extra information about it)

6.Ted planted lots of new rose bushes. Few of them survived the cold winter.
Ted planted lots of new rose bushes, FEW OF WHICH SURVIVED THE COLD WINTER. (Non-defining clause
– it gives extra information about a noun (rose bushes) which is clear enough, which is why we need to
use commas)
7.The supermarket has thirty employees. Most of them work part-time.
The supermarket has thirty employees, MOST OF WHOM WORK PART-TIME.

8.This is the car. He paid £5,000 for it.

This is the car FOR WHICH HE PAID £5,000.
This is a car WHICH HE PAID £5,000 FOR.
This is a car HE PAID £5,000 FOR. (See the explanation for sentence 2)

9.That is the man. I sold my car to him.

That is the man TO WHOM I SOLD MY CAR.
That is the man WHO I SOLD MY CAR TO.
That is the man I SOLD MY CAR TO. (See the explanation for sentence 2)

10.I watched the play until the end of the first act. At that point I felt I had seen enough.
I watched the play until the end of the first act, AT WHICH POINT I FELT I HAD SEEN ENOUGH. (Non-
defining clause – it gives extra information)