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Worksheets

DIRECT vs INDIRECT SPEECH

Total questions: 45

Worksheet time: 54mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

"It is too late to apologize," I said.

a)

I said it was too late to apologize.

b)

I said it has been too late to apologize.

c)

I said it is too late to apologize.

2.

"I have replied to them," claimed Peter.

a)

Peter claimed that he has replied to them.

b)

Peter claimed that he had replied to them.

c)

Peter claimed that he replies to them.

3.

"I met you yesterday," he told me.

a)

He told me he meets me the previous day.

b)

He told me he has met me the previous day.

c)

He told me he me had met me the previous day.

4.

"I may lend you some money," promised Bill.

a)

Bill promised he might lend me some money.

b)

Bill promised he may lend me some money.

c)

Bill promised he lends me some money.

5.

"I am calling my mum because of the boat trip," she said.

a)

She said she calls her Mum because of the boat trip.

b)

She said she has called her Mum because of the boat trip.

c)

She said she was calling her Mum because of the boat trip.

6.

Peter admitted that he had never met us.

a)

"I have never met you" admitted Peter.

b)

"I had never met you" admitted Peter.

c)

"I have never meet you" admitted Peter.

7.

Bob said that at one o'clock he had been doing nothing.

a)

"At one o'clock I am doing nothing," said Bob.R.

b)

"At one o'clock I was doing nothing," said Bob.R.

c)

"At one o'clock I were doing nothing," said Bob.R.

8.

He claimed that someone had screamed in the garden.

a)

"Someone screamed in the garden," he claimed.

b)

"Someone screams in the garden," he claimed.

c)

"Someone is screaming in the garden," he claimed.

9.

We called them that we were walking in the Central Park.

a)

"We have been walking in the Central Park," we called them.

b)

"We are walking in the Central Park," we called them.

c)

"We had been walking in the Central Park," we called them.

10.

They explained that they had closed down the previous year.

a)

"We close down last year," they explained.

b)

"We were closing down last year," they explained.

c)

"We closed down last year," they explained.

11.

"Where are you, Paul?" asked me my friend.

a)

My friend asked me where I have been.

b)

My friend asked me where I was.

c)

My friend asked me where I am.

12.

What do you do for a living?" she wondered.

a)

She wondered what I did for a living.

b)

She wondered what I do for a living.

c)

She wondered what I am doing for a living.

13.

"Where did you live before that?" they wanted to know.

a)

They wanted to know where I have lived before that.

b)

They wanted to know where I had lived before that.

c)

They wanted to know where I live before that.

14.

"Are you flying to New York soon?" he wanted to know.

a)

He wanted to know if I was flying to New York soon.

b)

He wanted to know if I had been flying to New York soon.

c)

He wanted to know if I am flying to New York soon.

15.

"Put the box here," he told me.

a)

He told me to put the box there.

b)

He told me can he put the box there.

c)

He told me if he can put the box there.

16.

"Do not hesitate for too long," he told me.

a)

He told me don't hesitate for too long.

b)

He told me not hesitate for too long.

c)

He told me not to hesitate for too long.

17.

"What will you choose?" they asked me after a while.

a)

After a while they asked me what will I choose.

b)

After a while they asked me what I will choose.

c)

After a while they asked me what I would choose.

18.

She'd better refuse this job," insisted my father.

a)

My father insisted that she has better refuse that job.

b)

My father insisted that she is better refuse that job.

c)

My father insisted that she had better refuse that job.

19.

"I invited Derek to dinner ........ ," Debbie told me this week.

a)

Debbie told me this week that she had invited Derek to dinner

the previous week.

b)

Debbie told me this week that she had invited Derek to dinner

the week before.

c)

Debbie told me this week that she had invited Derek to dinner

the week previously.

20.

"We used to take the same medicine," she thought.


She thought that ........... the same medicine.

a)

they used to take

b)

had used to take

c)

they use to take

21.

He has fallen in love with Julie," Sam told me about William.


Sam told me that he ......... in love with Julie.

a)

fell

b)

had fallen

c)

is falling

22.

"We will set off tomorrow," they said on Friday.


On Friday they said .......

a)

they should set off tomorrow

b)

they would set off the next day

c)

they will set off the next day

23.

"I caught a cold while I ........ at the bus stop," Daniel told us.


Daniel told us that he caught a cold while he ...........

at the bus stop.

a)

was waiting

b)

had been waiting

c)

is waiting

24.

"I am not going to tolerate this any more," said Sarah.

Sarah said she ......... to tolerate ...... any more.

a)

was not going ......... that

b)

is not going ........ this

c)

will not go........ those

25.

"I wish I was twenty years younger," said Linda.


Linda said she wished ....... twenty years younger.

a)

she is being

b)

she has been

c)

she had been

26.

"Where is Alex?" she asked me.


She asked me ......

a)

where Alex is.

b)

where was Alex.

c)

where Alex was.

27.

"You have always been my friend," said Joe.


Joe said ....... always his friend.

a)

I am

b)

I was

c)

I had always been

28.

She told us we had better accept it as soon as possible.


"You ........ it as soon as possible," she told us.

a)

are having better accept

b)

have better accept

c)

had better accept

29.

He claimed that someone had screamed in the garden.


"Someone ......... in the garden," he claimed.

a)

screamed

b)

screams

c)

has screamed

30.

I replied that I had been trying to mend it since the morning.


"I ........... to mend it since the morning," I replied.

a)

have been trying

b)

have tried

c)

am trying

31.

They explained that they had closed down the previous year.


"We ....... down last year," they explained.Right: closed

a)

close

b)

did close

c)

closed

32.

She said she worked in Ford headquarters in Europe.


I ...... in Ford headquarters in Europe.

a)

has worked

b)

have worked

c)

work

33.

Bob said that at one o'clock he had been doing nothing.


"At one o'clock I ...... nothing," said Bob.

a)

was doing

b)

am doing

c)

do

34.

Moira admitted that she would rather stay at home.


"I ......... at home," admitted Moira.

a)

rather stay

b)

would rather stay

c)

will rather stay

35.

"I cannot come to your birthday party," explained Mary.


Mary explained that ......... to my birthday party.

a)

she could not come

b)

she can not come

c)

she will not come

36.

"I may lend you some money," promised Bill.


Bill promised ...... some money.

a)

he lends me

b)

he will lend me

c)

he might lend me

37.

Ted said that he would tell Ann that he had seen me.

a)

Ted said “I’ll tell Ann I see you”

b)

Ted said “he would tell Ann I saw you”

c)

Ted said “I’ll tell Ann I saw you"

38.

Jason asked me if I was coming with him.

a)

Jason asked me, 'if you are coming with me?'

b)

Jason asked me, "were you coming with me?'

c)

Jason asked me, "are you coming with me?'

39.

Peter said he might bring someone with him to the party.

a)

Peter said, 'I may bring someone with me to the party.'

b)

Peter said, 'I bring someone with me to the party.'

c)

Peter said, 'I will bring someone with me to the party.'

40.

Mark asked me why I wanted to study Russian.

a)

Mark asked me, 'Why I want to study Russian?'

b)

Mark asked me, 'If I want to study Russian?'

c)

Mark asked me, 'Why do you want to study Russian?'

41.

He asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.

a)

He asked me if I have finished reading the newspaper.

b)

He asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.

c)

He asked me if I finished reading the newspaper.

42.

They said they had lived there for a long time.

a)

They said, 'We had lived here for a long time.'

b)

They said, 'We've lived here for a long time.'

c)

They said, 'We lived there for a long time.'

43.

Tom said he wanted to visit his friends that weekend.

a)

Tom said, 'I want to visit my friends this weekend.

b)

Tom said, 'I wanted to visit my friends that weekend.

c)

Tom said, 'I want to visit my friends that weekend.

44.

Jack said he must have been guilty.

a)

Jack said, 'He has been be guilty!'

b)

Jack said, 'He must be guilty!'

c)

Jack said, 'He is guilty!'

45.

Jerry said he was studying English a lot at that moment.

a)

Jerry said, 'I was studying English a lot at this moment.'

b)

Jerry said, 'I'm studying English a lot at this moment.'

c)

Jerry said, 'I have been studying English a lot at that moment.'