English Grammar Test: Reported Speech
- Reported Speech
- 15 questions
- 12 minutes
These questions turn direct speech into reported speech: statements, yes/no and wh-questions, commands, and verbs such as suggest, promise and apologize. Tip: a reported question uses normal statement word order and no question mark.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
At the end of yesterday's long hike, Anna said, "I'm tired." Today she feels fine again.
Anna said that she ____ tired.
Correct answer: B
Anna is not tired any more, so the present tense of her words moves back to the past: was. Is could only stay if the situation were still true now.
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Question 2
Last month my cousins said to me, "We will call you tomorrow."
They told me they ____ me the next day.
Correct answer: A
In reported speech will becomes would when the promise belongs to the past. Will call does not fit, because "the next day" is already over.
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Question 3
She ____ me that the meeting had been moved to Thursday.
Correct answer: D
Tell takes a person as a direct object: told me. Said and explained need to before the person (said to me, explained to me), and spoke cannot introduce a that-clause.
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Question 4
"Did you lock the door?" my mother asked.
My mother asked me ____ the door.
Correct answer: C
A reported yes/no question is introduced by if or whether and uses statement word order: if I had locked. That is used for statements, not questions.
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Question 5
"How long have you lived here?" the new neighbor asked me.
The new neighbor asked me how long I ____ there.
Correct answer: A
After the question word the subject comes before the verb, so there is no inversion: how long I had lived. The other options keep the question word order of a direct question.
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Question 6
"Don't touch the oven," the chef said to the children.
The chef told the children ____ the oven.
Correct answer: B
A negative command is reported with tell + person + not to + base verb: told the children not to touch. Don't touch is the direct form and cannot follow told the children.
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Question 7
Last week Tom said, "I saw Maria yesterday."
Tom said that he had seen Maria ____.
Correct answer: D
Tom spoke last week, so his "yesterday" is not our yesterday. It becomes the day before (or the previous day). The next day would point forward in time, not back.
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Question 8
In a café in Rome last summer, my sister said, "This is my favorite café." Now we are back home in Chicago.
My sister said that ____ café was her favorite.
Correct answer: C
We are no longer in the café, so this changes to that. These and those are plural and cannot go with the singular noun café.
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Question 9
"Can you help me?" Lisa asked Ben.
Which sentence reports Lisa's question correctly?
Correct answer: B
Ask takes the person directly (no to), the question is introduced by if, and the word order is subject + verb: if he could help her. Said Ben is wrong because say cannot take a person as a direct object.
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Question 10
"Let's take a taxi," Mark said.
Mark ____ taking a taxi.
Correct answer: D
Suggest can be followed directly by an -ing form: suggested taking a taxi. Told needs a person after it, and said and asked cannot be followed by an -ing form here.
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Question 11
"I'm sorry I broke your vase," Jenny said to her aunt.
Jenny apologized to her aunt ____ her vase.
Correct answer: A
The pattern is apologize (to someone) for + -ing form: for breaking. A preposition is followed by a gerund, so for break is wrong.
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Question 12
In 2019, Ken said, "I have never been to Japan." He finally went there in 2023.
In 2019, Ken said that he ____ to Japan.
Correct answer: C
The present perfect moves back to the past perfect: had never been. Has never been is not true any more, because Ken has now visited Japan.
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Question 13
"Are you coming to the party or not?" Sara asked me.
Sara wanted to know ____ I was coming to the party.
Correct answer: B
A reported yes/no question starts with whether (or if). That introduces statements, and what would need a missing object in the clause.
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Question 14
"What time does the next train leave?" a tourist asked us. That train left an hour ago.
The tourist asked us what time the next train ____.
Correct answer: C
The question is reported with statement word order and the tense moves back: what time the next train left. The forms with does or did it keep the direct question pattern.
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Question 15
"I'll pay you back on Friday," Sam said to me.
Sam promised ____ me back on Friday.
Correct answer: A
Promise is followed by a to-infinitive: promised to pay. It can also take a full that-clause (that he would pay), but that paid has no subject.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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