Worksheet - Reported Speech

Exercise 1. Convert the sentences from direct speech into reported speech. Pay attention to the change of tenses, pronouns, and time/place markers.

1. The manager said, “I am working on the report now.”

2. The client said, “We need the delivery today.”

3. The technician said, “I fixed the machine yesterday.”

4. The supervisor said, “You will get the instructions tomorrow.”

5. The student said, “I have finished the project this week.”

Exercise 2. Transform the direct questions into reported (indirect) questions. Remember: in reported questions, the word order is direct (subject + verb), general questions are introduced with if or whether, and special questions keep their question word (where, what, why, etc.).

1. “Do you have the invoice?” the accountant asked.

2. “Did you check the safety rules yesterday?” the inspector asked.

3. “Where is the spare part?” the mechanic asked.

4. “Why didn’t you confirm the order?” the manager asked.

5. “Can you finish this by Friday?” the team lead asked.

Exercise 3. Rephrase requests and orders into indirect speech using ask/tell/advise + to‑infinitive. To negate, use not to.

1. “Please send the file to me.” → She asked …

2. “Don’t touch the equipment until we finish the test.” → The engineer told …

3. “You should double‑check the measurements.” → The supervisor advised …

4. “Sign the document immediately.” → The director told …

5. “Don’t forget to log out of the system.” → The IT specialist reminded …

Exercise 4. Rewrite it into indirect speech.

1. The instructor says, “Safety rules are mandatory for everyone.”

2. She says, “I can’t work on weekends.”

3. The professor says, “Water boils at 100 °C.”

4. He says, “The deadline is next Monday.”

5. The guide explains, “This museum opened in 1985.” (Исторический факт)

Exercise 5. Imagine that you are taking minutes of a meeting. Repeat the statements of the participants in indirect speech. Use constructions said that…, asked if…, advised to… etc.

1. Manager: “We must finish the testing phase this week.”

2. Engineer: “I found a problem with the wiring yesterday.”

3. QA specialist: “Did you run the stress test?”

4. Team lead: “Don’t release the update without approval.”

5. Client: “We will need a detailed report tomorrow.”

Exercise 6. There is one mistake in each sentence. Find it.

1. He said me that he was busy.

2. She asked where do I live.

3. They said that they will come later. (said — в прошлом)

4. The teacher told to us to open the books.

5. He asked if I have the documents. (asked — в прошлом)