Reported Speech Quiz
20 multiple-choice questions on converting direct speech to reported speech, tense backshift, reporting verbs, and changes to pronouns and time expressions. B1–B2 level English grammar.
Reported Speech — FAQ
Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is the way we describe what someone else said without quoting their exact words. Instead of repeating the original words in quotation marks, we report them using a reporting verb like 'say', 'tell', or 'ask', and we usually shift the tense of the verb backwards in time. For example: Direct speech: She said, "I am tired." Reported speech: She said that she was tired.
Tense backshift is the process of moving verb tenses one step back into the past when converting direct speech to reported speech. The most common shifts are: present simple → past simple; present continuous → past continuous; past simple → past perfect; will → would. For example: "I work here" → He said he worked there. "I am waiting" → She said she was waiting. Backshift is typically required when the reporting verb is in the past tense.
Not always. Tense backshift is standard when the reporting verb (said, told, asked) is in a past tense and the original statement is no longer true or relevant. However, if the reported information is still true or is a general fact, the original tense can often be kept: He said the Earth is round. When the reporting verb is in the present tense (She says she is happy), no backshift is needed at all.
To report yes/no questions, use 'if' or 'whether' as a connector: "Are you ready?" → He asked if I was ready. To report Wh-questions, use the question word as the connector: "Where do you live?" → She asked where I lived. In both cases, the verb order changes to normal statement order (no inversion), and the tense shifts back: "Did you finish?" → He asked whether I had finished.
'Tell' must always be followed directly by a person (a personal object): She told me she was leaving. 'Say' is not followed directly by a person: She said she was leaving (or She said to me she was leaving). A useful test: if you can insert 'to someone' after the verb, use 'say'; if the person is already there without 'to', use 'tell'.
Time expressions typically change when the context shifts from direct to reported speech. Common changes: 'today' → that day; 'yesterday' → the day before / the previous day; 'tomorrow' → the next day / the following day; 'now' → then; 'last week' → the week before; 'next month' → the following month; 'here' → there; 'this' → that. These changes keep the meaning accurate when reporting happens at a different time from the original speech.
Reported requests and commands use a reporting verb (ask, tell, order, beg, warn) followed by an infinitive with 'to'. Positive commands: "Sit down!" → He told me to sit down. Negative commands: "Don't touch that!" → She told me not to touch that. Requests: "Please help me." → He asked me to help him. The original imperative is replaced by the infinitive.
Several modal verbs backshift in reported speech: 'will' → 'would'; 'can' → 'could'; 'may' → 'might'; 'shall' → 'should' (or 'would'). Some modals do not change because they are already in a remote form: 'would', 'could', 'might', 'should', 'ought to'. 'Must' can become 'had to' when expressing obligation. Example: "I can swim" → He said he could swim. "I will call" → She said she would call.
English has many reporting verbs that add nuance: admit, advise, agree, announce, apologise, boast, claim, complain, confirm, deny, explain, insist, offer, promise, refuse, remind, suggest, warn. Each carries a different meaning and follows different grammatical patterns. For example, 'suggest' takes a gerund or that-clause (She suggested going early), while 'remind' takes an object + infinitive (He reminded me to call back).
Yes. Pronouns often need to change to reflect the shift in speaker and listener. For example: "I am happy," said John → John said he was happy. "We will help you," they said → They said they would help me. First-person pronouns (I, me, my, we, our) typically shift according to who said the words; second-person pronouns (you, your) shift depending on the relationship between the original speaker and the person being reported to. Always check who is speaking and who is being addressed.