Reported Speech Worksheet (B1)

It goes with the Reported Speech lesson plan but works on its own, in class or as homework.

Complete each sentence with said or told.

Example: She told me that she was tired.

1. He ________ that the shop was closed.
2. They ________ us the bus had already left.
3. My teacher ________ that we could leave early.
4. Nobody ________ me about the meeting.
5. The doctor ________ her to rest for a week.

Rewrite each sentence as reported speech. Change the tense, the pronouns and the time words.

Example: "I am busy today," she said. → She said that she was busy that day.

1. "We live in Colombo," they said. → ________________________
2. "I will call you tomorrow," he said. → ________________________
3. "I can't swim," she said. → ________________________
4. "I finished the book yesterday," he told me. → ________________________
5. "We are waiting outside," they told us. → ________________________

Rewrite each question as a reported question. Remember: no do, does or did, and no question word order.

Example: "Where do you live?" she asked. → She asked where I lived.

1. "What time does the film start?" he asked. → ________________________
2. "Have you seen my keys?" she asked. → ________________________
3. "Why did you leave early?" they asked. → ________________________
4. "Are you coming with us?" he asked. → ________________________
5. "Who wrote this?" the teacher asked. → ________________________

Each sentence has one mistake. Write it correctly.

Example: He said me that he was late. → He told me that he was late.

1. She asked where did I work. → ________________________
2. They told that the office was closed. → ________________________
3. He said he will help me tomorrow. → ________________________
4. She asked me do I like the food. → ________________________

Write five sentences reporting things people really said to you today or yesterday. Use said at least twice, told at least twice, and asked at least once.

• ________________________________________
• ________________________________________
• ________________________________________
• ________________________________________
• ________________________________________

• Timing: Tasks 1 to 4 take about 30 minutes; Task 5 about 10, or set it as homework.
• The one to watch: question word order in Task 3 (she asked where did I live). If most of the class does this, stop and put one pair of sentences on the board rather than correcting thirty scripts.
• Task 3, item 5 is worth showing to everyone: when the question word is the subject (who wrote this?), the word order was never inverted, so nothing moves.
• A fair point learners raise: She said she lives in Kandy is also correct if she still lives there. The backshifted form is never wrong, so teach it first and accept the other when a learner can explain why.
• Extension: learners write a short dialogue of six lines, swap with a partner, and report their partner's dialogue in a paragraph.