Reported Speech – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are at a friend’s dinner party. The host asks you why a mutual friend hasn’t arrived yet. You are politely relaying the messages and excuses you received from those absent friends earlier today. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “I’m sorry, Sarah can’t make it to the party. She texted me and said that ______ a terrible headache.”
(A) I have
(B) she have
(C) she was having
(D) she had
2 “Mark sends his apologies. He told me earlier that ______ late at the office.”
(A) he was working
(B) he had worked
(C) he is working
(D) he were working
3 “Emma really wanted to join us, but she explained that she ______ a babysitter for her kids tonight.”
(A) couldn’t to find
(B) can’t find
(C) couldn’t find
(D) shouldn’t find
4 “John won’t be here for dinner. He promised that he ______ to stop by later for dessert, though.”
(A) would trying
(B) would try
(C) used to try
(D) will try
5 “Anna just called. She told me she ______ the last bus and has to take a taxi.”
(A) was missing
(B) has missed
(C) had miss
(D) had missed
6 “David was invited, right? He told me he wasn’t feeling well ______.”
(A) tonight
(B) that night
(C) the previous night
(D) this night
7 “Rachel is staying home. She ______ she had a high fever.”
(A) told to me
(B) asked me
(C) told me
(D) said me
8 “Tom feels terrible about missing the party. He said he ______ his university assignment before midnight.”
(A) had to finish
(B) must finish
(C) had to finished
(D) ought to finish
9 “Lisa won’t make it. She called from the highway and said ______ had broken down.”
(A) she car
(B) his car
(C) my car
(D) her car
10 “Kevin is absent because he mentioned that he ______ a terrible cold from his nephew.”
(A) has caught
(B) had catch
(C) had caught
(D) would catch
11 “The twins aren’t coming. They said they ______ to visit their grandparents this weekend.”
(A) went
(B) were going
(C) are going
(D) was going
12 “Paul isn’t here yet. He texted me to say he ______ arrive a bit late due to the heavy traffic.”
(A) might arrive
(B) may arrive
(C) should arrive
(D) might arrived
13 “Chloe felt embarrassed. She confessed that she ______ a birthday gift for you yet, so she didn’t want to show up.”
(A) doesn’t have
(B) hadn’t had
(C) didn’t had
(D) didn’t have
14 “My brother won’t be joining us. He ______ that he was absolutely exhausted from his business trip.”
(A) told
(B) say
(C) said
(D) explained me
15 “Greg told me he couldn’t stay out late because he had an early flight ______.”
(A) the tomorrow
(B) that day
(C) tomorrow
(D) the next day
16 “I invited Susan, but she apologized and said she couldn’t be ______ to celebrate with us.”
(A) there
(B) here
(C) anywhere
(D) at there
17 “Mike sends his regards. He told me he ______ out of town for a family wedding this weekend.”
(A) had been
(B) would be
(C) will be
(D) would been
18 “Jenny is staying home. She said her dog ______ really sick and needed to go to the vet.”
(A) is
(B) were
(C) has been
(D) was
19 “Peter isn’t coming. He apologized and said ______ afford the taxi fare to get across town.”
(A) he couldn’t
(B) I couldn’t
(C) he shouldn’t
(D) he didn’t could
20 “Nina didn’t show up. When I called her, she swore that she ______ about the party at all!”
(A) hasn’t known
(B) didn’t knew
(C) hadn’t known
(D) wouldn’t know
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 D
(D) she had
Why it is correct: In reported speech, the present simple (“I have”) backshifts to the past simple (“she had”), and the pronoun changes from “I” to “she”.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) I have (Common Mistake): The speaker forgot to change the pronoun and the tense.
- (B) she have (Structural Error): Incorrect subject-verb agreement.
- (C) she was having (Strong Distractor): Grammatically possible, but “have” (meaning possession/illness) is a stative verb and shouldn’t be used in the continuous tense here.
2 A
(A) he was working
Why it is correct: The present continuous (“I am working”) shifts back to the past continuous (“he was working”).
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (C) he is working (Common Mistake): Failed to backshift the tense.
- (D) he were working (Structural Error): Incorrect “to be” conjugation for the singular subject “he”.
- (B) he had worked (Strong Distractor): This is the past perfect. It would mean he finished working before he called, but the context means he was in the middle of working.
3 C
(C) couldn’t find
Why it is correct: The modal verb “can” backshifts to “could” in reported speech.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) can’t find (Common Mistake): No backshift applied.
- (A) couldn’t to find (Structural Error): Modal verbs (except ‘ought to’) are followed by a bare infinitive, not “to + verb”.
- (D) shouldn’t find (Strong Distractor): Grammatically correct, but changes the meaning to giving advice rather than expressing inability.
4 B
(B) would try
Why it is correct: The future auxiliary “will” backshifts to “would”.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (D) will try (Common Mistake): Forgetting to backshift “will”.
- (A) would trying (Structural Error): “Would” must be followed by a bare infinitive, not a gerund/V-ing.
- (C) used to try (Strong Distractor): Changes the meaning to a past habit instead of a future promise from the past perspective.
5 D
(D) had missed
Why it is correct: The past simple (“I missed”) backshifts to the past perfect (“had missed”) in reported speech.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) has missed (Common Mistake): Using present perfect instead of past perfect.
- (C) had miss (Structural Error): The past perfect requires the past participle (“missed”), not the base verb.
- (A) was missing (Strong Distractor): Past continuous changes the meaning to an interrupted action, not a completed one.
6 B
(B) that night
Why it is correct: Time expressions must shift. “Tonight” becomes “that night” when reporting speech.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) tonight (Common Mistake): Failing to change the time word.
- (C) this night (Structural Error): “This night” is an unnatural direct translation of “tonight”; the correct shift is “that night”.
- (D) the previous night (Strong Distractor): This means “last night”. He is missing the party happening now, so “previous night” makes no sense contextually.
7 C
(C) told me
Why it is correct: The reporting verb “tell” must be followed by a direct object (me, him, us).
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (D) said me (Common Mistake): “Say” cannot be followed directly by an object pronoun without “to”.
- (A) told to me (Structural Error): We do not use “to” after “tell”.
- (B) asked me (Strong Distractor): “Asked” is for reported questions, not statements.
8 A
(A) had to finish
Why it is correct: The modal “must” backshifts to “had to” in reported speech.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) must finish (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift. While occasionally acceptable in informal speech, B1 grammar strictly requires “had to”.
- (C) had to finished (Structural Error): “To” must be followed by a base verb, not a past tense verb.
- (D) ought to finish (Strong Distractor): Changes the meaning from an obligation/necessity to a mild recommendation.
9 D
(D) her car
Why it is correct: The possessive adjective “my” changes to “her” to match the speaker (Lisa).
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (C) my car (Common Mistake): Forgetting to change the perspective from the original speaker to the reporter.
- (A) she car (Structural Error): Using a subject pronoun instead of a possessive adjective.
- (B) his car (Strong Distractor): Wrong gender. Lisa is a female name.
10 C
(C) had caught
Why it is correct: The present perfect (“I have caught”) backshifts to the past perfect (“he had caught”).
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) has caught (Common Mistake): Forgetting to backshift the tense.
- (B) had catch (Structural Error): Requires the past participle (“caught”), not the base verb.
- (D) would catch (Strong Distractor): This means a future hypothetical action, which doesn’t fit the context of him already being sick.
11 B
(B) were going
Why it is correct: The present continuous form for future plans (“we are going”) shifts to past continuous (“they were going”).
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (C) are going (Common Mistake): No tense backshift.
- (D) was going (Structural Error): “They” requires the plural verb “were”, not “was”.
- (A) went (Strong Distractor): Changes the meaning from a planned future event to a completed past action.
12 A
(A) might arrive
Why it is correct: The modal “may” backshifts to “might”.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) may arrive (Common Mistake): Forgetting to shift the modal verb.
- (D) might arrived (Structural Error): Modals must be followed by the base form of the verb.
- (C) should arrive (Strong Distractor): Changes the nuance from a possibility (may/might) to an expectation (should).
13 D
(D) didn’t have
Why it is correct: The negative present simple (“don’t have”) shifts to the negative past simple (“didn’t have”).
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) doesn’t have (Common Mistake): Forgetting to backshift the tense.
- (C) didn’t had (Structural Error): “Didn’t” must be followed by the base verb (“have”), not the past tense (“had”).
- (B) hadn’t had (Strong Distractor): Over-backshifting. “Hadn’t had” is past perfect, which would mean she didn’t possess a gift before a past event, rather than expressing a general state.
14 C
(C) said
Why it is correct: The reporting verb “say” is used when there is no direct object pronoun following it.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) told (Common Mistake): “Told” requires an object (e.g., “told me that…”).
- (B) say (Structural Error): The reporting verb needs to be in the past tense (“said”) since the conversation already happened.
- (D) explained me (Strong Distractor): “Explain” requires “to” before an object (e.g., “explained to me”).
15 D
(D) the next day
Why it is correct: Time markers change in reported speech. “Tomorrow” becomes “the next day” or “the following day”.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (C) tomorrow (Common Mistake): Failing to change the time expression.
- (A) the tomorrow (Structural Error): Grammatically invalid phrase.
- (B) that day (Strong Distractor): “That day” is the reported version of “today”, not “tomorrow”.
16 A
(A) there
Why it is correct: Place markers change in reported speech. “Here” becomes “there”.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) here (Common Mistake): Forgetting to change the place marker.
- (D) at there (Structural Error): We do not use the preposition “at” before “there”.
- (C) anywhere (Strong Distractor): Changes the meaning entirely. She meant a specific location (the party), not literally anywhere in the world.
17 B
(B) would be
Why it is correct: “Will be” backshifts to “would be”.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (C) will be (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift the auxiliary verb.
- (D) would been (Structural Error): “Would” is followed by the base verb “be”, not the past participle “been”.
- (A) had been (Strong Distractor): “Had been” is the past perfect, which changes the meaning to something that happened long before the phone call, rather than a future plan.
18 D
(D) was
Why it is correct: The present simple “is” shifts to the past simple “was” for a singular subject (“dog”).
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) is (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift the verb.
- (B) were (Structural Error): “Dog” is singular, so “were” is grammatically incorrect.
- (C) has been (Strong Distractor): Present perfect continuous/simple, which doesn’t fit the strict backshifting rule from “is”.
19 A
(A) he couldn’t
Why it is correct: The pronoun changes from “I” to “he”, and “can’t” backshifts to “couldn’t”.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) I couldn’t (Common Mistake): The reporter forgot to change the pronoun from “I” to “he”.
- (D) he didn’t could (Structural Error): You cannot use “didn’t” to negate a modal verb like “could”.
- (C) he shouldn’t (Strong Distractor): Grammatically correct but wrong in meaning (advice vs. inability).
20 C
(C) hadn’t known
Why it is correct: The past simple (“didn’t know”) backshifts to the past perfect (“hadn’t known”) in formal reported speech.
Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) hasn’t known (Common Mistake): Using the present perfect instead of the past perfect.
- (B) didn’t knew (Structural Error): “Didn’t” must be followed by a base verb (“know”).
- (D) wouldn’t know (Strong Distractor): Means “will not know” in the past, completely changing the meaning from a lack of past knowledge.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When you relay a message that someone else said in the past, you must act like a translator of time and perspective. Because the original speech happened in the past, you must push the grammar one step back in time. This is called “Backshifting.”
1 The Tense Shift Rule:
- Present Simple → Past Simple (“I work” → He said he worked)
- Present Continuous → Past Continuous (“I am working” → He said he was working)
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect (“I have worked” → He said he had worked)
- Past Simple → Past Perfect (“I worked” → He said he had worked)
2 Modal Verb Shifts:
- Will → Would
- Can → Could
- May → Might
- Must → Had to
3 Pronoun Shifts:
Always change the pronouns to fit the perspective of the person telling the story.
- “I lost my keys” → She said she had lost her keys.
4 Time and Place Shifts:
Because you are not in the same time or place as the original speaker, these words must adapt:
- Here → There
- Today / Tonight → That day / That night
- Tomorrow → The next day / The following day
- Yesterday → The day before / The previous day
5 Say vs. Tell:
- Use Say without an object: She said that she was tired.
- Use Tell WITH an object: She told me that she was tired. (Never say: “She said me”).