REPORTED SPEECH

(CÂU TƯỜNG THUẬT)

Exercise 1: Report the statements

0. ‘We’re worried about Peter,’ they said.
 They said (that) they were worried about Peter.
1. ‘I work in an office,’ Jane said.
 ........................................................................................................
2. The weather man said, ‘It’s going to rain.’
 ........................................................................................................
3. The motorists said, ‘We’re driving to a football match.’
 ........................................................................................................
4. ‘I’ve won the lottery!’ the old lady said.
 ........................................................................................................
5. ‘My friends don’t like visiting museums,’ Louise said.
 ........................................................................................................
6. The young boy said, ‘People will have holidays in space in the future.’
 ........................................................................................................
7. James said, ‘I broke my leg playing football.’
 ........................................................................................................
8. ‘We haven’t flown before,’ they said.
 ........................................................................................................

Exercise 2: Report the questions

0. ‘Are the banks open in the afternoon?’
 A couple asked me if / whether the banks were open in the afternoon.
1. ‘Do museums close on Sundays?’
 A young man asked me ................................................................................
2. ‘Are you waiting for a tourist bus?’
 A woman asked me ......................................................................................
3. ‘Did the waiter overcharge us?’
 Two friends asked me ..................................................................................
4. ‘Will a hotel be expensive?’
 A couple asked me .......................................................................................
5. ‘Has the flight from Bristol arrived?’
 A woman asked me ......................................................................................
6. ‘Is there a Bureau de Change nearby?’
 A man asked me ...........................................................................................
7. ‘Did you hear the platform number?’
 A man at the station asked me......................................................................
8. ‘Are we going to get a guided tour?’
 A woman outside the museum asked me .....................................................

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Exercise 3: Report the Wh-questions
Examples: * “What is the time?” he asked.
He asked me what the time was.
* “Where do you live?” he asked Mary.
He wanted to know where Mary lived.
Do the same:
1. He asked, “How long does it take you to have lunch?”
....................................................................................................
2. He asked me, “What are you doing at the weekend?”
....................................................................................................
3. She asked, “Why are you late, Tom?”
....................................................................................................
4. My mother asked me, “Where is your umbrella?”
....................................................................................................
5. The secretary asked the man, “Who do you want to see, sir?”
....................................................................................................
6. The students asked, “What time does the bell ring?”
....................................................................................................
7. He asked Tom, “What kind of films do you like watching?”
.....................................................................................................
8. The teacher asked the girl, “When do you have to be home?”
....................................................................................................
9. They always asked, “Why don’t you let my cat in?”
....................................................................................................
10. The passengers asked, “When did the last train leave?”
....................................................................................................

Exercise 4: Report the commands and requests

0. ‘Please open the window for me,’ the woman asked the young man.
The woman asked the young man to open the window for her.
1. The manager said to his assistant, ‘Don’t be late for the meeting.’
...........................................................................................................
2. ‘Bring us the bill, please,’ the couple asked the waiter.
...........................................................................................................
3. ‘Open your mouth wide,’ the dentist told me.
...........................................................................................................
4. ‘Please turn the music down,’ they asked their neighbour.
...........................................................................................................
5. ‘Call me from the airport,’ Peter said to Dee.
...........................................................................................................
6. I asked my classmate, ‘Please go the the supermarket for me.”
...........................................................................................................
7. The mother told her children, ‘Don’t talk to
strangers.’ ...........................................................................................................

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Exercise 5: Change to indirect speech
1. Bob says, “I want to play tennis this afternoon.”
....................................................................................................
2. John says, “I haven’t seen my grandmother for a long time.”
....................................................................................................
3. Cindy says to Alan, “Don’t come in with your dirty shoes.”
....................................................................................................
4. My father says, “Please, help me in the garden.”
....................................................................................................
5. “ Don’t wipe your dirty fingers on my clean table cloth.” says his mother.
....................................................................................................
6. “When does the bell ring?” asks John.
....................................................................................................
7. Sandy asks Danny, “Why didn’t you tell her the truth?”
....................................................................................................
8. “Did you post the letter?” asks Rachel.
....................................................................................................

Exercise 6: Report the statements

Laura wants to quit university and look for a job. Read what she said and how other people
responded.
0. ‘I want to leave university and find a job,’ said Laura.
Laura announced that she wanted to leave university and find a job.
1. ‘You should finish your degree first,’ said her tutor.
Her tutor advised ............................................................................................
2. ‘Please think carefully before you take such a big step,’ said her mother.
Her mother begged .........................................................................................
3. ‘You will never find a good job if you drop out,’ her father said.
Her father warned ...........................................................................................
4. ‘I’ll stop paying your rent if you leave university,’ he said.
He threatened .................................................................................................
5. ‘I’ll let you stay at my flat until you find a place to live,’ said her best friend.
Her best friend offered ....................................................................................
6. ‘I think you should ask your tutor for advice,’ said her sister.
Her sister suggested ........................................................................................
7. ‘I’ll buy you a car when you graduate,’ said her grandmother.
Her grandmother promised ............................................................................

Exercise 7: Some of these sentences are correct, and some have a word which should not be
there. If the sentence is correct, put a tick (/). If it is incorrect, cross the unnecessary word out of
the sentence and write it in the space.
 You promised you wouldn’t be late. /
 Susan thought ‘That I can’t understand what’s happening.” that

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 1. Do you know me what time the coach leaves? …………….
2. Robert wanted to know if did the price included breakfast. …………….
3. Anna insisted on showing us her photos. …………….
4. Someone asked us whether that we had eaten lunch. …………….
5. Nancy told me she had started the job the week before. …………….
6. Nigel said me he wanted to come with us. …………….
7. My friend said she did liked her new flat. …………….
8. Martin asked us for not to wake the baby. …………….

Exercise 8: Decide which word is correct

0. What did that man say to you?
a) at you b) for you c) to you d) you
1. I rang my friend in Australia yesterday, and she said it ................ raining there.
a) is b) should be c) to be d) was
2. The last time I saw Jonathan, he looked very relaxed. He explained that he’d been on holiday
the ................ week.
a) earlier b) following c) next d) previous
3. I wonder ................................ the tickers are on sale yet
a) what b) when c) where d) whether.
4. I told you ............................... switch off the computer, didn’t I?
a) don’t b) not c) not to d) to not
5. Someone ........................ me there’s been an accident on the motorway.
a) asked b) said c) spoke d) told
6. When I rang Tessa some time last week, she said she was busy ................ day.
a) that b) the c) then d) this
7. When he was at Oliver’s flat yesterday, Martin asked if he ................... use the phone.
a) can b) could c) may d) must
8. Judy ........................ going for a walk, but no one else wanted to.
a) admitted b) offered c) promised d) suggested