Reported Speech Rules and Examples

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Questions and Answers

What is the correct indirect speech of 'I get up every morning at seven o'clock'?

He said he got up every morning at seven o'clock

He said he gets up every morning at seven o'clock (correct)

He said he will get up every morning at seven o'clock

What is the correct indirect speech of 'I want to visit my friends this weekend'?

He said he is going to visit his friends that weekend

He said he will visit his friends that weekend

He said he wanted to visit his friends that weekend (correct)

He said he wants to visit his friends that weekend

What is the correct indirect speech of 'When are we going to leave'?

She asked me when she was going to leave

She asked me when we were going to leave (correct)

She asked me when are we going to leave

She asked me when I was going to leave

What is the correct indirect speech of 'We've lived here for a long time'?

They said they had lived here for a long time Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct indirect speech of 'I may bring someone with me to the party'?

He said he might bring someone with him to the party Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct indirect speech of 'He must be guilty'?

He said he must have been guilty Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct indirect speech of 'Have you finished reading the newspaper'?

He asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct indirect speech of 'I will help you'?

You said you would help me Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct conversion of a sentence into Reported Speech?

Change the verb tense and pronoun Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following sentences is in Reported Speech?

She said that she was going to the store. Signup and view all the answers

What do you do to convert a sentence from Direct Speech to Reported Speech?

Change both the verb tense and the pronoun Signup and view all the answers

Which sentence is in Direct Speech?

She said, 'I am going to the store.' Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of using Reported Speech?

To convey the meaning of the speaker's words Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Reported Speech?

Using quotation marks Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the verb tense when converting from Direct Speech to Reported Speech?

It changes to a different verb tense Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between Direct Speech and Reported Speech?

The use of quotation marks Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Reported Speech Rules

Direct speech to indirect speech
- Change verb tenses (present → past, past → past perfect, etc.)
- Change pronouns (I → he/she, you → he/she, etc.)
- Change time and place expressions (today → that day, here → there, etc.)

Examples of Reported Speech

"I get up every morning at seven o'clock" → He said he got up every morning at seven o'clock.
"I want to visit my friends this weekend" → Tom said he wanted to visit his friends that weekend.
"When are we going to leave?" → She asked me when we were going to leave.
"We've lived here for a long time" → They said they had lived there for a long time.
"I may bring someone with me to the party" → Peter said he might bring someone with him to the party.
"He must be guilty!" → Jack said he must have been guilty.
"Have you finished reading the newspaper?" → He asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.
"I will help you!" → You said you would help me.
"I'm studying English a lot at the moment" → Jerry said he was studying English a lot at that moment.
"How long have you lived here?" → She asked her how long she had lived there.
"I can come tonight" → Susan told me she could come that night.
"I've worked here since I left my last job" → She told me that she had worked there since she had left her last job.
"Why do you want to study Russian?" → Mark asked me why I wanted to study Russian.
"I must get going. Otherwise, I'm going to be late" → He told me he had to get going. Otherwise, he was going to be late.
"I really wish I had bought that new car" → She told me she really wished she had bought that new car.

Practice Exercises

"I travel to exotic places" → Tom said he travels to exotic places.
"I am going to the store" → Susan said that she was going to the store.
"I owned a flower shop" → Linda told me that she had owned a flower shop.

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Description

Learn about the rules of converting direct speech to indirect speech, including changing verb tenses, pronouns, and time and place expressions, with examples to illustrate the concepts.