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Year 10 English — Reporting a whole conversation

Report several turns of a conversation, keeping the tense shift, the pronouns and the reporting verbs consistent throughout.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.Sort each reported sentence by the kind of thing that was originally said.

    Groups: A statement · A question · A command or request

    • He asked whether the gate was locked.
    • He told us to lock the gate.
    • She said that she had finished.
    • He said that the gate was locked.
    • She asked when we had finished.
    • She begged him to finish quickly.

  2. 2.Priya asked me, "Where do you live?" How is that reported?

    • a) Priya asked that where I lived.
    • b) Priya asked where I lived.
    • c) Priya asked where do I live.
    • d) Priya asked where did I live.

  3. 3.Complete the reported sentence with two words: She said that she ____ the next day. (Her words were: "I will come tomorrow.")

  4. 4.Which reporting verb fits? The captain ____ the team that the match was cancelled.

    • a) talked
    • b) spoke
    • c) said
    • d) told

  5. 5.Ravi said, "I am waiting for the bus." How is that reported?

    • a) Ravi said that he is waiting for the bus.
    • b) Ravi said that I was waiting for the bus.
    • c) Ravi said that he waited for the bus.
    • d) Ravi said that he was waiting for the bus.

  6. 6.Complete with one word: She said, "I am tired." → She said that she ____ tired.

  7. 7.Put this reported conversation back into the order it must have happened.

    • The conductor asked him what the bag looked like.
    • Anil said that he had lost his bag on the bus.
    • The conductor told him to come back to the office the next morning.
    • Anil replied that it was blue and had his name on it.

  8. 8.Match each word of direct speech to what it becomes when the speech is reported.

    • today
    • tomorrow
    • yesterday
    • here
    • now
    • this
    • there
    • then
    • the day before
    • that
    • that day
    • the next day

Answer key — Year 10 English — Reporting a whole conversation

  1. 1. He said that the gate was locked. → A statement; He asked whether the gate was locked. → A question; He told us to lock the gate. → A command or request; She said that she had finished. → A statement; She asked when we had finished. → A question; She begged him to finish quickly. → A command or request
  2. 2. b) Priya asked where I lived.
  3. 3.
    • would come
    • would go
  4. 4. d) told
  5. 5. d) Ravi said that he was waiting for the bus.
  6. 6. was
  7. 7. 1. Anil said that he had lost his bag on the bus. 2. The conductor asked him what the bag looked like. 3. Anil replied that it was blue and had his name on it. 4. The conductor told him to come back to the office the next morning.
  8. 8. today → that day; tomorrow → the next day; yesterday → the day before; here → there; now → then; this → that