Reported Speech in English: Rules, Examples and Practice Exercises

Reported Speech: Questions and Statements

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is used to tell someone what another person said without repeating their exact words. When we report questions and statements, the tenses usually move back one step and the pronouns and time expressions change.

Reported Questions

In reported questions, the word order changes to a statement form (subject + verb), and we do not use question marks.

1. "When was your mother robbed?" The officer to Sam.
   Answer: The officer asked Sam when his mother had been robbed.
2. "What colour is your new car?" Tom to Bo.
   Answer: Tom asked Bo what colour his new car was.
3. "Why can't we afford a bigger flat?" Tina to her mum.
   Answer: Tina asked her mum why they couldn't afford a bigger flat.
4. "How old are you?" The clerk to Sylvie.
   Answer: The clerk asked Sylvie how old she was.
5. "How did you try to cope with this problem?" The psychologist to Sylvie.
   Answer: The psychologist asked Sylvie how she had tried to cope with that problem.
6. "Where are you from?" Mike to Sam.
   Answer: Mike asked Sam where he was from.
7. "How many apples have you eaten today?" Mum to Paul.
   Answer: Mum asked Paul how many apples he had eaten that day.
8. "When did you lose my telephone number, Doug?" Peggy to Doug.
   Answer: Peggy asked Doug when he had lost her telephone number.

Yes/No Questions and Wh- Questions in Context

1. "Do you live in the country, Peter?" He asked.
   Answer: He asked me if Peter lived in the country.
2. "What is he doing now?" The coach asked.
   Answer: The coach asked me what he was doing then.
3. "Do I have to sweep the floor now?" Sarah asked.
   Answer: Sarah asked if she had to sweep the floor then.
4. "Where do you live?" She asked me.
   Answer: He asked me where I lived.

Reported Statements

In reported statements, we usually shift the tense back one step (present simple becomes past simple, present continuous becomes past continuous, past simple becomes past perfect, etc.). We also change time and place expressions such as tomorrow → the following day, now → then, yesterday → the day before and ago → before.

1. "I received a parcel this morning, but I haven't opened it yet," Tom said.
   Answer: Tom said that he had received a parcel that morning, but he hadn't opened it yet.
2. "Our teacher will go to Leipzig tomorrow," Emily said.
   Answer: Emily said that their teacher would go to Leipzig the following day.
3. "I'm preparing a cake for you now," John said.
   Answer: John said that he was preparing a cake for me then.
4. "My brother-in-law flew to Dallas last year," he said.
   Answer: He said that his brother-in-law had flown to Dallas the previous year.
5. "Tim went to the stadium an hour ago and he is going to be late," Mary said.
   Answer: Mary said that Tim had gone to the stadium an hour before and he was going to be late.
6. "We will do our best in the exam tomorrow," the students said.
   Answer: The students said that they would do their best in the exam the next day.
7. "I left my books here yesterday," David said.
   Answer: David said that he had left his books there the day before.
8. "The phone bill must also be paid this month," her husband said.
   Answer: Her husband said that the phone bill had to be paid that month too.

Key Vocabulary: Housing, the City and Common Expressions

Housing and Neighbourhoods

• Property: propiedad
• Luxury: lujo
• Suburbs: suburbios
• Overpriced: demasiado caro / sobrevalorado
• Packed: abarrotado / lleno
• Neighbourhood: barrio
• High-rise: rascacielos
• Built-up: urbanizado / muy edificado
• Outskirts: afueras
• Hectic: agitado / caótico
• Abandoned: abandonado
• Housing: vivienda
• Litter: basura
• Slums: barrios marginales

Verbs and Adjectives

• Gained: ganado / obtenido
• Tempted: tentado
• Clashed with: chocar con / enfrentarse a
• Along with: junto con
• Firm: firme / sólido
• Worth: valor / valer
• Have a say: tener voz / opinar

Common Noun Collocations

• Reasons for: razones para
• Agreement to: acuerdo para
• Reaction to: reacción a
• Increase in: aumento de
• Break from: descanso de / ruptura con
• Room for: espacio para / margen para
• Effects on: efectos en
• Ban on: prohibición de
• Solution to: solución a
• Need for: necesidad de

Phrasal Verbs with "Run" and "Put"

• Run an errand: hacer un recado
• Run out of time: quedarse sin tiempo
• Run smoothly: funcionar sin problemas
• Run a programme: ejecutar un programa
• Put a stop to: poner fin a
• Put an emphasis on: poner énfasis en
• Put in charge: poner a cargo de