Master reported speech with our interactive ESL worksheet. Learn indirect speech rules, practice with 10+ exercises, and improve your English grammar skills. Perfect for intermediate learners
Reported Speech Mastery Worksheet
Introduction to Reported Speech
Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is used to communicate what someone else said without using their exact words. It’s an essential skill for English learners to master for both written and spoken communication. This worksheet provides comprehensive practice with various exercises to help you understand and apply reported speech rules effectively.
When converting direct speech to reported speech, several changes occur:
- Verb tenses typically move back one step (present → past)
- Pronouns and possessive adjectives change according to the new subject
- Time and place expressions often need adjustment
- Question forms become statement forms
- Imperatives become infinitives with “to”
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| “I love ice cream,” said Mary. | Mary said that she loved ice cream. |
| “We are going to the park,” they told us. | They told us that they were going to the park. |
| “Have you finished your homework?” she asked. | She asked if I had finished my homework. |
| Element | Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|---|
| Tenses | Present Simple | Past Simple |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous | |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect | |
| Time Expressions | today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before | |
| Modal Verbs | will | would |
| can | could |
Exercises
Exercise 1: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct reported speech version of this sentence: “I am reading a book,” Tom said.
Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks
Complete the reported speech version of this sentence: “We will visit Paris next month,” they said.
They said that visit Paris .
Exercise 3: Sentence Transformation
“Where did you put my keys?” she asked me.
Exercise 4: Matching
Match the direct speech with the correct reported speech version.
Exercise 5: Drag and Drop
Drag the words to complete the reported speech sentences.
Exercise 6: Correct the Mistakes
Each of these reported speech sentences has one mistake. Identify and correct it.
Exercise 7: Time Expression Changes
Rewrite these sentences changing the time expressions appropriately.
“I saw him yesterday,” she said.
Exercise 8: Mixed Transformation
Transform these sentences into reported speech. They include statements, questions and commands.
“Don’t touch that!” the teacher said to the students.
Exercise 9: Pronoun Changes
Rewrite these sentences changing the pronouns appropriately.
“You should do your homework,” my mother told me.
Exercise 10: Comprehensive Practice
Convert this short dialogue into reported speech:
“Are you coming to the cinema tonight?” asked Sarah.
“I can’t,” replied Mark. “I have to study for my exam tomorrow.”