Reported speech: share what someone said worksheet
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How this practice helps you
- Print the questions without the answers beside them.
- Use the explained key to review your choices.
- Continue the same topic online when you are ready.
Name: ____________________ Date: ____________________
“I am busy,” Maya said. Later: Maya said ___ busy.
I was / she was / she is being
My answer: ________________________________________
“We have finished,” they said. Later: They said they ___ finished.
had / have been / were
My answer: ________________________________________
He told ___ that the room was ready.
me / to me / for me
My answer: ________________________________________
She said ___ that she needed help.
me / to me / for me
My answer: ________________________________________
“I can help,” Sam said. Later: Sam said he ___ help.
could / must / should
My answer: ________________________________________
Yesterday she said, “I am tired.” Report it with past backshift.
She said she is tiring. / She said she was tired. / She said I am tired.
My answer: ________________________________________
He said to me, “I will call you.” Report it with backshift.
He told me he would call me. / He told me he will called me. / He said me he would call you.
My answer: ________________________________________
Report “Where do you live?” as a question she asked me.
She asked me where did I live. / She asked me where I did lived. / She asked me where I lived.
My answer: ________________________________________
Report the instruction “Close the door.”
He said me to close the door. / He told me to close the door. / He told me close the door.
My answer: ________________________________________
Report “Don’t touch it.”
She told us not to touch it. / She told us to not touched it. / She said us not touch it.
My answer: ________________________________________
Answer key & explanations
- she was — The pronoun changes to she; was fits the past reporting viewpoint.
- had — Present perfect commonly backshifts to past perfect.
- me — Tell takes a direct person object: told me.
- to me — Say uses to before the listener: said to me.
- could — Can commonly becomes could when reported from a past viewpoint.
- She said she was tired. — Am backshifts to was, and I changes to she when reporting her words.
- He told me he would call me. — Will backshifts to would; tell takes an object, and pronouns change with the speaker and listener.
- She asked me where I lived. — Reported questions use statement word order and do not keep the question auxiliary did.
- He told me to close the door. — Report an instruction with told plus an object and a to-infinitive.
- She told us not to touch it. — The standard negative reported instruction uses told plus object plus not to and the base verb.
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Check the answer key, then practise the next related topic.
Next worksheet: Phrasal verbs for study & everyday life →Want more reported speech: share what someone said practice?
The online topic pack has 40 exercises across four sets, including sentence work and original writing. This printable covers the ten-question warm-up.
Open all four practice sets →Skills to work on in this practice
- Report statements and questions
- Track changes in time and reference
- Keep reported question word order clear