Reported Speech in the News

1. Convert: He said, 'I am happy.'

• He said that he is happy.

• He said, 'I was happy.'

• He said that he will be happy.

• He said that he was happy.

Answer explanation

The correct conversion changes the direct speech to reported speech. 'I am happy' becomes 'he was happy' to reflect the past tense of the reporting verb 'said'. Thus, the correct answer is: He said that he was happy.

2. Change to reported speech: She said, 'I will go to the store.'

• She said that she would go to the store.

• She said that she will go to the store.

• She said she would go to the shop.

• She said that she is going to the store.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'She said that she would go to the store.' because in reported speech, 'will' changes to 'would' to reflect the future tense in indirect speech.

3. Identify the reported speech: The teacher said that the test was on Friday.

• The test was on Thursday.

• The teacher said the test is on Friday.

• The teacher mentioned that the test would be on Friday.

• The test was on Friday.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'The test was on Friday.' as it directly reflects the reported speech without any changes. The other options either alter the day or change the tense, which does not accurately represent the original statement.

4. Convert: They said, 'We are playing soccer.'

• They said that they are playing soccer.

• They said that they were playing soccer.

• They said they were playing soccer.

• They said, 'We were playing soccer.'

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'They said that they were playing soccer.' because the original statement is in present continuous tense, which changes to past continuous when reported. 'Were' reflects this change.

5. What tense is used in reported speech for 'He says, 'I like ice cream.'?

• past continuous

• past simple

• future simple

• present simple

Answer explanation

In reported speech, the present simple 'says' changes to past simple. Therefore, 'I like ice cream' becomes 'he liked ice cream.' The correct tense used is past simple.

6. Change to reported speech: John said, 'I can swim.'

• John said that he could swim.

• John said that he swims.

• John said that he can swim.

• John said he could swim yesterday.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'John said that he could swim.' because in reported speech, 'can' changes to 'could' to reflect the past tense. The other options either maintain the present tense or add unnecessary details.

7. Identify the quote: The article states, 'The weather is nice today.'

• The weather is nice today.

• The sun is not shining.

• It is raining outside.

• The weather is terrible today.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'The weather is nice today.' as it directly matches the quote from the article. The other options contradict or do not reflect the stated condition of the weather.

8. Convert: She said, 'I am studying for my exam.'

• She said that she is studying for her exam.

• She said that she was studying for her exam.

• She said that she was studying for the test.

• She said, 'I study for my exam.'

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'She said that she was studying for her exam.' because the original statement is in the present continuous tense, which changes to past continuous when reported.

9. What is the reported speech of: 'I eat breakfast at 7 AM.'?

• He/She said that he/she eats breakfast at 7 AM.

• He/She said that he/she ate breakfast at 7 AM.

• He/She said that he/she will eat breakfast at 7 AM.

• He/She said that he/she had breakfast at 7 AM.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'He/She said that he/she ate breakfast at 7 AM.' because the original statement is in the present tense, and in reported speech, it changes to the past tense to indicate that the action has already occurred.

10. Change to reported speech: He said, 'I was watching TV.'

• He said that he was watching TV.

• He said that he had been watching TV.

• He said that he had watched TV.

• He said that he is watching TV.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'He said that he had been watching TV.' because the original past continuous tense 'was watching' changes to past perfect continuous in reported speech.