Reported Speech Exercises in English (All Levels)
Welcome to our complete collection of reported speech exercises for ESL learners. Also called indirect speech, reported speech is used to relay what someone said without quoting them word for word. You'll find free, interactive exercises covering mixed tenses, commands, and simple past statements — with a full grammar review including a tense backshift table.
All exercises are free and interactive, with instant answer checking. Levels range from B1 (Intermediate) to C1 (Advanced).
Quick Grammar Review: Reported Speech in English
What is reported speech?
When we report what someone said, we have two options. Direct speech quotes the exact words: She said, "I am tired." Reported (indirect) speech relays the meaning without quoting directly: She said (that) she was tired. When we shift from direct to reported speech, we typically change the verb tense, pronouns, and time/place expressions.
Tense backshift
When the reporting verb (e.g. said, told) is in the past, the verb in the reported clause usually shifts one tense back into the past. This is called tense backshift.
| Direct speech | Reported speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present | Simple past | "I work here." → He said he worked there. |
| Present continuous | Past continuous | "I am leaving." → She said she was leaving. |
| Simple past | Past perfect | "I saw him." → She said she had seen him. |
| Present perfect | Past perfect | "I have finished." → He said he had finished. |
| will | would | "I will call you." → She said she would call me. |
| can | could | "I can help." → He said he could help. |
| may | might | "It may rain." → She said it might rain. |
| must | had to / must | "You must leave." → He said I had to leave. |
Reporting commands and requests
To report commands and requests, we use tell/ask + object + infinitive. Negative commands use tell/ask + object + not + infinitive.
- "Sit down!" → He told me to sit down.
- "Please don't be late." → She asked us not to be late.
Changes to pronouns, time, and place expressions
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| I / we | he / she / they (depending on context) |
| my / our | his / her / their |
| now | then / at that moment |
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| here | there |
| this / these | that / those |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting tense backshift: ✗ She said she is tired. → ✓ She said she was tired.
- Not changing pronouns: ✗ He said "I will come" → He said I will come. → ✓ He said he would come.
- Using "say" instead of "tell" with an object: ✗ She said me to wait. → ✓ She told me to wait.
- Reporting commands with "said": ✗ He said me to leave. → ✓ He told me to leave.
Start with Reported Speech (Simple Past) 1 to get comfortable with the basic backshift pattern. Then move to the Mixed Tenses series for broader practice. The Commands exercise is a great standalone topic to tackle once you have the tense changes down.
All Reported Speech Exercises — Free & Interactive
(B) = Beginner (A1/A2) | (I) = Intermediate (B1/B2) | (A) = Advanced (C1/C2)
Reported Speech — Simple Past
These exercises focus on converting simple past direct speech statements into reported speech — the most fundamental backshift pattern.
Reported Speech — Mixed Tenses
These exercises cover reported speech across a range of tenses, requiring you to apply the correct backshift depending on the original verb form.
Reported Speech — Commands
Reporting commands uses a different structure from reporting statements: tell/ask + object + (not) + infinitive. These exercises focus specifically on that pattern.
Frequently Asked Questions About Reported Speech
- What is the difference between direct and reported speech?
- Direct speech quotes someone's exact words, typically inside quotation marks: She said, "I'm hungry." Reported (indirect) speech conveys the meaning without quoting word for word: She said she was hungry. In reported speech, verb tenses, pronouns, and time/place expressions usually change to reflect the shift in perspective and time.
- What is tense backshift in reported speech?
- Tense backshift is the change that occurs when converting direct speech to reported speech — verbs typically shift one tense further into the past. For example, simple present becomes simple past, simple past becomes past perfect, and will becomes would. Backshift happens because we are reporting something that was said at an earlier point in time.
- Do you always need tense backshift in reported speech?
- Not always. If the situation being reported is still true or current at the time of reporting, you can keep the original tense: She said (that) the Earth orbits the Sun. Backshift is also optional when reporting something very recently said or when the situation is clearly still relevant. However, for exam purposes, applying tense backshift consistently is the safest approach.
- What's the difference between "say" and "tell" in reported speech?
- Say is used without a personal object: She said (that) she was tired. Tell always requires a personal object — you tell someone something: She told me (that) she was tired. This is a very common source of errors: ✗ She said me she was tired. → ✓ She told me she was tired.
- How do you report questions in English?
- Reported questions use statement word order (not question word order) and do not use a question mark. For yes/no questions, use if or whether: "Are you coming?" → He asked if I was coming. For wh- questions, keep the question word and use statement order: "Where do you live?" → She asked where I lived.
- Is reported speech tested in English proficiency exams?
- Yes — reported speech is a core grammar topic in Cambridge B2 First (FCE), C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE Academic. It appears in sentence transformation tasks, gap fills, and writing assessments. Being comfortable with tense backshift, reporting verbs, and the changes to pronouns and time expressions is essential for B2 and above.
