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Reported Speech Quiz 1 (30 MCQs)

This multiple-choice question set evaluates the skill of transforming direct speech into reported speech, including various tenses, pronoun changes, and reporting questions accurately. It covers essential concepts such as tense transformation, pronoun usage, and grammatical accuracy in academic writing.

Quiz Instructions

Select an option to see the correct answer instantly.

1. Direct Speech:Ana is having fun at six flags.Reported Speech: .....

Explanations: The correct answer is D) She said she was having fun at six flags. This option accurately reflects the reported speech form for a statement that Ana made in the past, using the past continuous tense to indicate an ongoing action. The use of "was having" correctly conveys the past continuous tense.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect as it uses the simple past tense and omits the context of the reported speech.
Option B: Incorrect because it is direct speech, not reported speech.
Option C: Incorrect for similar reasons to Option A; it uses present continuous in reported speech which should be past continuous.
Option D: Correct as it accurately reports Ana's statement using the appropriate tense for a past action.

2. Which of these is usually required with reported YES/NO questions?

Explanations: Reported YES/NO questions typically begin with "whether" or a form of "if." The correct answer is A) If, as it aligns with the structure used in reported speech for yes/no questions.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Correct. Reported YES/NO questions often start with "if" to maintain the interrogative nature of the original question.
Option B: Incorrect. "Do" is used in affirmative statements, not for reported yes/no questions.
Option C: Incorrect. "Why" is used to ask for reasons, not for forming yes/no questions.
Option D: Incorrect. At least one option (A) is correct.

3. Change direct speech into reported speechThe woman said: "When I was walking on the pavement, a strange man stopped to ask me the way to the nearest bank. "$\rightarrow$ .....

Explanations: The correct answer is D) The woman said that when she had been walking on the pavement, a strange man had stopped to ask her the way to the nearest bank. This option correctly changes direct speech into reported speech by using "said" and placing the reported speech in the past tense. Additionally, it maintains the correct subject-verb agreement ("asked her") and uses the perfect continuous tense "had been walking" to reflect the ongoing action at the time of the interruption.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect use of present perfect tense "has been walking," which does not match the reported speech context.
Option B: Incorrect use of first-person singular "me" instead of third-person singular "her."
Option C: Uses "wondered," which is incorrect for reporting a statement, not a question or an uncertain situation.
Option D: Correctly uses past perfect continuous tense and maintains subject-verb agreement.

4. The child said, "What a beautiful sight!" can be reported as ..... (delight / wonder / joy)

Explanations: The correct answer is Option A: "The child exclaimed with delight that it was a very beautiful sight." This option accurately conveys the reported speech while maintaining proper grammar and sentence structure. Option B uses 'joy' which, though similar to 'delight,' might imply a more general feeling rather than specifically noting the beauty of the sight. Option C uses 'wonder' which typically implies curiosity or amazement at something unusual or unexpected, not necessarily the appreciation for beauty. Option D has an unnecessary 'the' before 'sight.' Option E also includes this extra 'the,' making it grammatically incorrect.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Correct. Uses 'delight' to match the positive feeling expressed in the original statement and maintains proper grammar.
Option B: Incorrect. 'Joy' is too general for the specific context of beauty.
Option C: Incorrect. 'Wonder' implies curiosity, not necessarily appreciation for beauty.
Option D: Incorrect. Grammatically incorrect due to unnecessary 'the.'
Option E: Incorrect. Grammatically incorrect due to unnecessary 'the.'

5. She thanked me for my help. This can be the reported speech of .....

Explanations: The correct answer is Option A: "She said to me, 'Thanks for your help !'." This option accurately reflects the reported speech of the original statement where she thanked you (me) for my help. The pronoun "you" in the reported speech matches with "me" in the context.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Correct. Uses 'your' to refer back to the speaker.
Option B: Incorrect. Uses 'you', which refers to someone else, not the speaker.
Option C: Incorrect. Adds unnecessary words and changes the meaning slightly by using "I'd like to" before thanking.
Option D: Incorrect. Changes the sentence structure and adds "me", making it less direct than the original statement.

6. 'I can't go out to the cinema today, ' Karla said.

Explanations: Option D is correct because it accurately reflects the reported speech of Karla, maintaining the past tense and the exact wording from her statement. The use of "could not" correctly conveys the inability expressed in the original sentence, while "that day" specifies the time frame.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect. "Can't" is present tense, which doesn’t match Karla's past tense statement.
Option B: Incorrect. "Can't" is present tense and doesn’t match the past tense of reported speech.
Option C: Incorrect. "Couldn't" should be used for reported speech to maintain past tense, not "can't."
Option D: Correct. Uses "could not," which is appropriate for reported speech in the past and matches Karla's statement.

7. Your brother says: "I love you"

Explanations: The correct answer is D) He said he loved me. In reported speech, the pronoun "you" in direct speech becomes "me" when referring to the speaker. The verb tense also changes from present to past perfect.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect because it uses "me" instead of "you".
Option B: Incorrect as it uses "you" twice, once for the reported speech and once for the speaker.
Option C: Incorrect due to using "loved you" in past perfect tense without changing "you" to "me".
Option D: Correct as it uses "loved me" with proper pronoun change and correct verb tense.

8. "It's been raining since this afternoon." Change to indirect speech.

Explanations: The correct answer is A) He said that it's been raining since that afternoon. In reported speech, the present perfect continuous tense "has/have been doing" changes to the simple past tense "was/were doing." Additionally, the time expression "since this afternoon" becomes "since that afternoon" in indirect speech.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Correct. It accurately reflects the change from direct to indirect speech.
Option B: Incorrect. This option uses the simple past tense and does not reflect the continuous nature of the rain.
Option C: Incorrect. This is a direct quote, not an indirect one.
Option D: Incorrect. There is a correct answer among the options provided.

9. How we report this sentence: "I've swallowed my chewing gum."

Explanations: The correct answer is C) He said he had swalloed his chewing gum. In reported speech, the past perfect tense (had + past participle) is used to report a completed action in the past that happened before another past event. Here, "swallowed" changes to "swallowed" and then to "swalloed" for consistency with the original sentence.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect. "He said" is correct but "he had swalloed" should be "he swallowed."
Option B: Incorrect. "He say" is wrong; it should be "He said." Also, "had swalloed" should be "swallowed."
Option C: Correct. Uses the correct past perfect tense and maintains consistency with the original sentence.
Option D: Incorrect. "He said" is correct but "he have swalloed" should be "he swallowed."

10. "Can you swim? "

Explanations: Option C is correct because it accurately reflects the reported speech form of the question "Can you swim?" The verb "asked" is followed by a subordinate clause beginning with "if," and the modal verb "could" is used to maintain the past tense context.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect. This option uses "asked me if I'd swim," which changes the meaning from a simple question about ability to one about willingness or intention.
Option B: Incorrect. This option uses "asked me to swim," which is an imperative form and does not match the reported speech structure of the original question.
Option C: Correct. This accurately represents the reported speech form: "He asked if I could swim."
Option D: Incorrect. Option A, B, and C are all valid in their own context but only C correctly reports the original question.

11. Direct speech:I buy many candies.Reported speech: .....

Explanations: The correct answer is C) She said she bought many candies. In reported speech, the direct statement "I buy many candies" is transformed to reflect that the speaker (She in this case) is reporting what someone else said. The verb tense changes from present simple ("buy") to past simple ("bought") to indicate a completed action in the past.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect as "had" implies possession rather than an action of buying.
Option B: Incorrect as "ate" is about consumption, not purchase.
Option C: Correct for the reasons explained above.
Option D: Incorrect spelling of "bought." The correct form is "bought," not "buyed."

12. "Don't play here."

Explanations: The correct answer is B) The guard told the boys not to play there. In reported speech, we change direct speech into indirect speech by altering the verb tense and sometimes the pronouns. Here, "Don't play here." becomes "told the boys not to play there." The negative form remains unchanged in this case.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect as it uses "asked" which is not appropriate for reported speech of a negative imperative.
Option B: Correct, accurately reflects the transformation from direct to indirect speech.
Option C: Incorrect as it uses "asked" and does not change "here" to "there."
Option D: Incorrect as option B is correct.

13. Change the sentence to REPORTED SPEECH.Jimmy said to his wife, "I lost the watch"

Explanations: The correct answer is C) Jimmy said he had lost the watch. In reported speech, we use the past tense for present facts and the past perfect for completed actions in the past before another past action. Here, "lost" (simple past) changes to "had lost" (past perfect) as it happened before the act of saying.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect. Uses present tense "has lost," which is not appropriate for reported speech about a past event.
Option B: Incorrect. Uses past tense "had" but incorrectly with "her" instead of "his wife."
Option C: Correct. Uses "had lost" to indicate the action was completed before another past action (saying).
Option D: Incorrect. There is a correct option.

14. "You haven't written the essay." The teacher thought that .....

Explanations: The correct answer is B) The teacher thought that I hadn't written the essay. In reported speech, the subject "you" in direct speech becomes "I" in reported speech. The sentence "You haven't written the essay" changes to "The teacher thought that I hadn't written the essay."

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect because it uses "we," which is not appropriate for reported speech.
Option B: Correct as explained above.
Option C: Incorrect because it introduces the principal, who was not mentioned in the original statement.
Option D: Incorrect because "thinks" is used instead of the past tense "thought," which is required for reported speech about a past event.

15. We will come earlier.

Explanations: The sentence "We will come earlier" is reported speech, where the future tense has been changed to past tense. The correct form would be "They promised to come earlier," indicating a prior agreement or commitment. This aligns with option B.

Option Analysis:

Option A: They remember to come earlier - Incorrect as it implies an ongoing habit, not a promise.
Option B: They promised to come earlier - Correct for reported speech of a future event in the past tense.
Option C: They wanrned to come earlier - Incorrect spelling and does not fit grammatically or contextually.
Option D: None of above - Incorrect as option B is correct.

16. 'Oh, hi, Ethan! I'm just leaving, unfortunately.'$\rightarrow$ When I got there I saw him, but he said he .....

Explanations: The sentence "I'm just leaving, unfortunately." is in the present continuous tense and indicates an action that is happening now. When reporting what someone said using reported speech, we typically change the tense to reflect when the action was taking place relative to the time of speaking. In this case, since the speaker saw Ethan at a specific moment (when he got there), it makes sense to use the past continuous tense "was just leaving" to indicate that the action of leaving was in progress at the time of seeing him.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect. Present continuous doesn't fit the context of reporting a past event.
Option B: Correct. Past continuous is appropriate for reported speech about an action in progress at a specific time in the past.
Option C: Incorrect. Past simple would imply Ethan had already left, which contradicts "just leaving."
Option D: Incorrect. There is a correct answer among the options provided.

17. "When will this exercise end? "

Explanations: Option B is correct because it accurately reflects the reported speech structure, where "that" is used to introduce the indirect question. The use of "would end" indicates a future tense in the past context of reported speech.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect as no demonstrative pronoun is needed here.
Option B: Correct for using "that" and "would end" to report an indirect question about a future event in the past tense context.
Option C: Incorrect as it uses "if," which changes the sentence structure from asking when something will happen to asking whether something will happen.
Option D: Incorrect for using present tense "will end" instead of future-in-past "would end."

18. Complete the reported sentence:

Explanations: The correct answer is B) Went. In reported speech, when the original sentence uses a past tense verb like "go," it must be changed to its past participle form "went" in the reported version. This follows the rule that simple past tense verbs are typically converted into their past participle forms in indirect speech.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect; "Gone" is not the correct form for reporting a past action.
Option B: Correct; "Went" is the proper past participle of "go" in reported speech.
Option C: Incorrect; "Go" is used in direct speech, not reported speech.
Option D: Incorrect; all other options are correct according to English grammar rules for reported speech.

19. Ben asked: "Where did you find the book? "Ben asked me .....

Explanations: Option C is correct because in reported speech, the past tense verb "found" needs to be changed to its past perfect form "had found" when reporting a completed action that happened before another past event. This follows the rule of changing simple past tense verbs to past perfect in indirect questions.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect; uses "had" but not needed as it's already implied.
Option B: Correct form, but Option C is the standard reported speech format.
Option C: Correct; uses past perfect tense to indicate a completed action before another in the past.
Option D: Incorrect; "finded" is not a correct verb form in English.
Option E: Incorrect; lacks auxiliary verb "had".

20. Aziz asked ..... I lived far from Aktau

Explanations: The correct answer is D) If. In reported speech, we often use "if" to introduce the condition or situation that someone else said. The original sentence "I lived far from Aktau" can be reported as "Aziz asked if I lived far from Aktau," where "if" is used to indicate a question about a past fact.

Option Analysis:

Option A: And - This conjunction does not fit the context of reporting a statement or question.
Option B: When - This word typically introduces a time clause, which is not suitable for reporting a place-related fact.
Option C: As - This preposition does not introduce questions in reported speech.
Option D: If - Correctly introduces the reported question about living far from Aktau.
Option E: What - While "what" can be used to report a question, it is less common and "if" sounds more natural in this context.

21. "I saw you at the station." Kim told me .....

Explanations: The correct answer is A) Kim told me she had seen me at the station. This option correctly uses the past perfect tense "had seen" to indicate an action completed before another past event, which fits with the context of reporting a past observation.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Correct. Uses past perfect tense indicating an action before another past event.
Option B: Incorrect. Uses present continuous "was seeing" which does not fit reported speech context of a completed past observation.
Option C: Incorrect. Uses simple past "tells" instead of past tense "told".
Option D: Incorrect. Uses simple past "saw" without the necessary past perfect "had seen" to indicate a completed action before another past event.

22. Mario: "I'm going to play tomorrow"Mario said he ..... the next day.

Explanations: Reported speech involves changing direct speech to indirect speech, where the tense is adjusted according to when the action was planned or intended relative to the time of speaking. In this case, Mario said he "was going to play" tomorrow, which means his plan for playing was in the future from his perspective at that moment. The correct form in reported speech would be "Mario said he was going to play."

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect as it uses present continuous tense.
Option B: Correct, using past continuous to report a future plan from the speaker's perspective at that moment.
Option C: Incorrect as it uses simple past tense, which would indicate an action completed in the past.
Option D: Incorrect as it uses present continuous tense, which does not match the reported future plan context.

23. Change direct speech into reported speech "I'II do the washing-up later" .She told me .....

Explanations: The correct answer is D) She would do the washing-up later. When changing direct speech to reported speech, we need to change the tense and pronoun appropriately. The original sentence "I'll do the washing-up later" uses a future simple contraction ("I'II"). In reported speech, this changes to "would," which is the past tense of "will." Additionally, the subject "I" becomes "she."

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect. Uses present tense instead of past tense.
Option B: Incorrect. Adds unnecessary word "the following."
Option C: Incorrect. Subject is wrong; should be "she" not "I."
Option D: Correct. Uses proper past tense and subject.

24. Read the conversations. Then complete Maria's diary entry with the things they said.

Explanations: The correct answer is A) Played. When reporting what someone said, we use the past tense to report a past action. Maria's diary entry should reflect that her friend said they "played" in the past, hence "Played."

Option Analysis:

Option A: Correct. Reported speech uses the past tense for past actions.
Option B: Incorrect. Uses present tense which is not appropriate for reported past actions.
Option C: Incorrect. Uses present participle form, which is not suitable for reporting a completed action in the past.
Option D: Incorrect. Uses third-person singular form of the verb, which does not fit the context of reported speech about Maria's friend.

25. Correct sentence in Reported speech

Explanations: Option C is correct because it accurately represents the reported speech structure, where the question "is there anything to eat" is correctly transformed into a reported form as "asked Sarah if there was anything to eat." The auxiliary verb "was" is used with the past participle "to eat," and the pronoun "there" is omitted in the reported speech.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect. The sentence should be "My aunt asked me where I bought my dress." The word order for reported questions starts with the auxiliary verb or "do/does" followed by the subject.
Option B: Incorrect. The sentence should be "Father told his son not to take that newspaper away." In reported speech, negative commands are transformed using "not" before the base form of the verb.
Option D: Incorrect. The sentence should be "The police officer stopped us and asked us where we were going." The word order for reported questions starts with the auxiliary verb or "do/does" followed by the subject, and "are going" is changed to "were going."
Option E: Incorrect. The sentence should be "Sue said that she would take the bus." In reported speech, future tense in direct speech becomes past future tense (would + base form of verb).

26. She knew they ..... and active part in sports competitions.

Explanations: The correct answer is D) Had taken. This option indicates a completed action before another past event, which fits the context of reported speech where one event (taking an active part in sports competitions) occurred prior to knowing something else.

Option Analysis:

Option A: "Take" is in the simple present tense and does not indicate a completed action.
Option B: "Are taking" is in the present continuous tense, indicating an ongoing action which doesn't fit the context of knowing something that has already happened.
Option C: "Taken" is the past participle and alone does not indicate a completed action before another event.
Option D: "Had taken" correctly indicates a completed action prior to another past event, fitting the context of reported speech.
Option E: "Will take" is in the future tense and does not fit the context of knowing something that has already happened.

27. Change direct speech into reported speechHelen said, " I'm watching the late night show." $\rightarrow$ Helen said ..... the late night show.

Explanations: Reported speech changes direct speech into indirect speech, where the reported verb is in past tense and the pronoun may change to match the subject of the reporting clause. In this case, "I'm watching" becomes "She was watching," as Helen is the subject being reported by herself.

Option Analysis:

Option A: They were watching - Incorrect; it uses plural pronouns and tense.
Option B: She was watching - Correct; matches the reported speech rules.
Option C: You watched - Incorrect; "you" is not appropriate for reporting Helen's statement.
Option D: Helen is watching - Incorrect; present tense does not match reported speech.

28. The girl said, 'How beautiful the rainbow is!' (delight / happiness / pleasure / joy / excitement)

Explanations: The correct answer is C) The girl exclaimed with delight that the rainbow was very beautiful. "Delight" in this context best captures the positive emotion expressed by the girl upon seeing the rainbow, as it conveys a sense of joy and pleasure. "Exclaimed" indicates an expression of strong feeling or surprise.

Option Analysis:

Option A: "Pleasure" is too formal and less commonly used in such exclamations.
Option B: "Excitement" might be appropriate for a more energetic reaction, but "delight" better fits the context of beauty appreciation.
Option C: Correct. "Delight" accurately conveys the positive emotion expressed in the original statement.
Option D: "Happiness" is too general and less specific to the immediate reaction to seeing a rainbow.
Option E: "Joy" could work, but "delight" is more precise for this scenario.

29. 'I love this restaurant!' said Chloe.$\rightarrow$ Chloe said she loved ..... restaurant!

Explanations: Reported speech changes direct speech into indirect speech, where the reported verb (said) is used to introduce the reported statement. In this case, "I love this restaurant!" becomes "Chloe said she loved that restaurant!". The demonstrative adjective "this" in direct speech is changed to "that" in reported speech.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Incorrect because "This" refers to the specific restaurant mentioned, which remains unchanged in reported speech.
Option B: Correct because "That" is used to refer back to a previously mentioned noun or concept in indirect speech.
Option C: Incorrect as "There" does not fit grammatically or contextually here.
Option D: Not applicable since Option B is correct.

30. Report this sentences correctlythere was and accident outside the supermarket

Explanations: The correct answer is A) He said there has been an accident outside the supermarket. This option correctly uses the present perfect tense in reported speech, which is appropriate for a past event that has relevance to the present. The use of "has been" accurately reflects that the speaker is reporting on something that occurred and its impact or connection to current circumstances.

Option Analysis:

Option A: Correctly uses present perfect tense, indicating a past event with present relevance.
Option B: Incorrect use of plural "were" with singular "accident"; also incorrect tense for reported speech.
Option C: Uses past perfect tense ("had been"), which is not appropriate for reporting a recent past event in the present context.
Option D: Incorrect, as Option A is correct.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is reported speech?

Reported speech is a way of expressing what someone has said by using your own words. It involves reporting the content of a direct quote without using the exact same words as the original speaker.

How does reported speech differ from direct speech?

Direct speech uses quotation marks and includes the exact words of the speaker, while reported speech paraphrases or summarizes what was said without using quotation marks. Reported speech also typically changes verb tenses and sometimes pronouns to fit the context.

Why is it important to learn about reported speech?

Understanding reported speech is crucial for effective communication in writing, as it allows you to accurately convey information from others without directly quoting them. This skill enhances your ability to write coherently and avoid plagiarism.

Can reported speech be used in both written and spoken contexts?

Yes, reported speech is commonly used in both written and spoken contexts. It helps maintain a flow of conversation or writing by summarizing what someone has said without interrupting the narrative with direct quotes.

What are some common challenges when using reported speech?

One challenge is correctly transforming verb tenses and pronouns. For example, changing "I" to "he/she," past tense verbs to past perfect or simple past, and so on. Properly handling these changes ensures the reported speech sounds natural and accurate.

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