Year 8 English — Direct and indirect speech

Turn a spoken statement into reported speech, shifting the tense, the pronoun and the time words.

Name: ________________________

1.Sort each line by whether it gives the exact spoken words or reports them.
Groups: Direct speech · Reported speech
- They said that they had finished.
- "We have finished," they said.
- Asha said, "I am busy."
- Ravi said that he liked mangoes.
- Asha said that she was busy.
- "I like mangoes," said Ravi.
2.Report this: Ravi said, "I am tired."
- a) Ravi said he am tired.
- b) Ravi said that I was tired.
- c) Ravi said that he is tired.
- d) Ravi said that he was tired.
3.Report this: "We are leaving now," they said.
- a) They said that they were leaving then.
- b) They said that they are leaving now.
- c) They said that they were leaving now.
- d) They said that we were leaving then.
4.In reported speech, "yesterday" usually becomes ____. Write three words.
5.Report this: She said, "I will call you tomorrow."
- a) She said she will call me tomorrow.
- b) She said she would call me the next day.
- c) She said I would call you tomorrow.
- d) She said she would called me the next day.
6.In reported speech, "am" usually becomes ____.
7.In reported speech, "will" usually becomes ____.
8.In reported speech, "today" usually becomes ____. Write two words.

Answer key — Year 8 English — Direct and indirect speech

1. Asha said, "I am busy." → Direct speech; Asha said that she was busy. → Reported speech; "We have finished," they said. → Direct speech; They said that they had finished. → Reported speech; "I like mangoes," said Ravi. → Direct speech; Ravi said that he liked mangoes. → Reported speech
2. d) Ravi said that he was tired.
3. a) They said that they were leaving then.
4.
- the previous day
- the day before
5. b) She said she would call me the next day.
6. was
7. would
8. that day