Reported Speech – English Grammar Exercises for B1
Your motorbike broke down, and the repair shop gave you a $300 bill. You are now talking to your parents, trying to convince them to help you pay for it. To justify the high cost, you use reported speech to relay exactly what the expert mechanic told you about the severe damage to the vehicle. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “Mom, please listen. The mechanic inspected the engine and said that it ______ in a terrible condition.”
(A) has been
(B) was
(C) is
(D) be
2 “He showed me the bottom of the bike and explained that the oil ______ out of the engine block.”
(A) leaked
(B) is leaking
(C) had leaking
(D) was leaking
3 “I didn’t want to spend this much, but he told me that ______ brakes were completely ruined.”
(A) mine
(B) his
(C) my
(D) your
4 “He promised me that the motorbike ______ run perfectly again after this major repair.”
(A) will
(B) would to
(C) would
(D) should
5 “Dad, he stated firmly that I ______ replace the front tire immediately for my own safety.”
(A) must
(B) must to
(C) have to
(D) had to
6 “Before opening the engine, he asked me if I ______ an accident recently because the frame was bent.”
(A) had
(B) did I have
(C) had had
(D) have had
7 “Then, he looked at the dirty filters and asked me how often ______ the oil.”
(A) I changed
(B) did I change
(C) I change
(D) do I change
8 “Because the damage was so bad, he advised ______ it in the shop for at least three days.”
(A) that I leave
(B) me to leave
(C) me leaving
(D) I leave
9 “He also warned me ______ the engine again until he replaced the broken spark plugs.”
(A) don’t start
(B) to not starting
(C) didn’t start
(D) not to start
10 “He told me he couldn’t fix it right then, but he would start working on it ______.”
(A) tomorrow
(B) the next day
(C) the tomorrow
(D) yesterday
11 “He tested the electronics and said that the main battery ______ completely.”
(A) has died
(B) had dead
(C) had died
(D) died
12 “I know $300 is a lot of money, but the chief mechanic ______ that this was the only safe solution.”
(A) said me
(B) told me
(C) told to me
(D) asked
13 “He checked the warehouse and said he ______ get the original parts from the manufacturer.”
(A) could
(B) can
(C) could to
(D) is able to
14 “Before giving me the final quote, he asked me ______ to buy original parts or cheaper alternatives.”
(A) if I wanted
(B) did I want
(C) that I wanted
(D) if wanted I
15 “He explained that the high cost was because he had ordered the spare parts from Japan two days ______.”
(A) since
(B) ago
(C) previous
(D) before
16 “He pointed at a cracked metal piece and said that the main problem was ______.”
(A) there
(B) at there
(C) here
(D) this place
17 “He held up a burnt wire and explained that ______ specific part was causing the short circuit.”
(A) those
(B) that
(C) this
(D) these
18 “I didn’t understand the invoice at first, so I asked him why ______ so much money.”
(A) did it cost
(B) it cost
(C) it costs
(D) it had cost
19 “Dad, he didn’t just suggest a minor repair; he instructed ______ the whole braking system.”
(A) that I replaced
(B) I replace
(C) me replacing
(D) me to replace
20 “Despite the high price, he guaranteed that I ______ spending the money once I rode the bike.”
(A) would never regret
(B) never would to regret
(C) will never regret
(D) won’t never regret
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B)
- (B) was
- Why it is correct: The mechanic’s direct speech was “It is in a terrible condition.” In reported speech, the present simple “is” backshifts to the past simple “was”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (C) is (Common Mistake): Forgetting to backshift the tense.
- (D) be (Structural Error): Incorrect verb conjugation.
- (A) has been (Strong Distractor): Present perfect does not follow the standard backshifting rule from present simple.
2 (D)
- (D) was leaking
- Why it is correct: The direct speech (“The oil is leaking“) backshifts from Present Continuous to Past Continuous (“was leaking”).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) is leaking (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift the auxiliary verb.
- (C) had leaking (Structural Error): Grammatically invalid structure.
- (A) leaked (Strong Distractor): Past simple loses the ongoing, continuous nature of the leak that the mechanic was describing.
3 (C)
- (C) my
- Why it is correct: The mechanic said, “Your brakes are ruined.” When reporting this to your parents, you must change “your” to “my” to fit your perspective.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (D) your (Common Mistake): Forgetting to change the pronoun. It sounds like you are telling your parents that their brakes are ruined.
- (A) mine (Structural Error): “Mine” is a possessive pronoun, not an adjective. It cannot be placed directly before the noun “brakes”.
- (B) his (Strong Distractor): Wrong perspective.
4 (C)
- (C) would
- Why it is correct: The future auxiliary “will” (from “It will run perfectly”) backshifts to “would”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) will (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift.
- (B) would to (Structural Error): “Would” must be followed by a bare infinitive, never “to”.
- (D) should (Strong Distractor): Changes the meaning from a promise (“will”) to an expectation or advice (“should”).
5 (D)
- (D) had to
- Why it is correct: The modal verb “must” (expressing strong obligation) backshifts to “had to” in reported speech.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) must (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift the modal verb.
- (B) must to (Structural Error): “Must” is never followed by “to”.
- (C) have to (Strong Distractor): “Have to” is present tense; it fails to backshift to the past.
6 (C)
- (C) had had
- Why it is correct: The direct question was “Did you have an accident?” (Past Simple). This backshifts to Past Perfect (“had had”). Normal statement word order is required.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) did I have (Common Mistake): Uses question word order and fails to backshift the tense.
- (A) had (Strong Distractor): This is just past simple, which means the speaker forgot to backshift from past simple to past perfect.
- (D) have had (Structural Error): Present perfect is incorrect in this backshifted context.
7 (A)
- (A) I changed
- Why it is correct: When reporting a Wh- question (“How often do you change…?”), keep the Wh- word, use statement word order (Subject + Verb), and backshift the tense (Present Simple -> Past Simple).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) did I change (Common Mistake): Keeping the question word order and the auxiliary “did”.
- (C) I change (Strong Distractor): Statement word order is correct, but failed to backshift.
- (D) do I change (Structural Error): Question word order and no backshift.
8 (B)
- (B) me to leave
- Why it is correct: The verb “advise” follows the pattern: advise + object + to + base verb.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (D) I leave (Common Mistake): Missing the object and the “to” infinitive.
- (C) me leaving (Structural Error): Using the gerund instead of the infinitive.
- (A) that I leave (Strong Distractor): While “advised that I should leave” is possible in some formal English, “advised me to leave” is the standard B1 target structure here.
9 (D)
- (D) not to start
- Why it is correct: To report a negative command (“Don’t start”), use: warned + object + not to + base verb.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) don’t start (Common Mistake): Keeping the direct negative auxiliary.
- (B) to not starting (Structural Error): Wrong word order and wrong verb form (gerund).
- (C) didn’t start (Strong Distractor): Looks like a past tense backshift, but commands require the infinitive structure, not a clause.
10 (B)
- (B) the next day
- Why it is correct: Time expressions change in reported speech. “Tomorrow” becomes “the next day” or “the following day”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) tomorrow (Common Mistake): Failing to change the time word. “Tomorrow” would mean the day after you speak to your parents, not the day after you spoke to the mechanic.
- (C) the tomorrow (Structural Error): Grammatically invalid phrase.
- (D) yesterday (Strong Distractor): Shifts the time backward instead of forward.
11 (C)
- (C) had died
- Why it is correct: The Present Perfect (“The battery has died”) backshifts to the Past Perfect (“had died”).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) has died (Common Mistake): Forgetting to backshift the tense.
- (B) had dead (Structural Error): “Dead” is an adjective. The past perfect needs the past participle verb (“died”).
- (D) died (Strong Distractor): Past Simple lacks the proper backshift rule from Present Perfect.
12 (B)
- (B) told me
- Why it is correct: The reporting verb “tell” must be followed directly by an object pronoun (“me”).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) said me (Common Mistake): “Said” cannot be followed directly by an object without “to” (e.g., “said to me”).
- (C) told to me (Structural Error): We do not use “to” after “tell”.
- (D) asked (Strong Distractor): The mechanic is making a statement, not asking a question.
13 (A)
- (A) could
- Why it is correct: The modal verb “can” backshifts to “could”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) can (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift.
- (C) could to (Structural Error): Modals must be followed by a bare infinitive, never “to”.
- (D) is able to (Strong Distractor): Failed to backshift to the past (“was able to”).
14 (A)
- (A) if I wanted
- Why it is correct: To report a Yes/No question (“Do you want…?”), use “if” or “whether” + Statement Word Order + Backshifted Tense.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) did I want (Common Mistake): Kept the question word order and auxiliary “did”.
- (D) if wanted I (Structural Error): Completely incorrect word order.
- (C) that I wanted (Strong Distractor): You cannot use “that” to report a question.
15 (D)
- (D) before
- Why it is correct: Time markers representing the past shift in reported speech. “Ago” becomes “before” or “previously”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) ago (Common Mistake): Forgetting to shift the time marker.
- (C) previous (Structural Error): “Previous” is an adjective. You would need to say “the previous two days”.
- (A) since (Strong Distractor): Grammatically incorrect usage in this position.
16 (A)
- (A) there
- Why it is correct: Place words change in reported speech. “Here” becomes “there”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (C) here (Common Mistake): Forgetting to shift the location word.
- (B) at there (Structural Error): The preposition “at” is not used before “there”.
- (D) this place (Strong Distractor): Too informal and does not follow the standard shift.
17 (B)
- (B) that
- Why it is correct: Demonstrative pronouns shift in reported speech. “This” becomes “that”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (C) this (Common Mistake): Forgetting to shift the demonstrative word.
- (A) those (Structural Error): “Those” is plural, but “part” is singular.
- (D) these (Strong Distractor): Also plural and unshifted.
18 (B)
- (B) it cost
- Why it is correct: For an embedded/reported Wh- question (“Why does it cost so much?”), use the Wh- word, switch to statement word order (“it cost”), and backshift the verb (cost is the same in present and past simple, but the ‘s’ is dropped for past).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) did it cost (Common Mistake): Keeping the question word order and auxiliary “did”.
- (C) it costs (Strong Distractor): Word order is correct, but failed to backshift (kept the present tense ‘s’).
- (D) it had cost (Structural Error): Overshifting to past perfect is unnecessary unless the original question was “Why did it cost?”.
19 (D)
- (D) me to replace
- Why it is correct: The verb “instruct” follows the pattern: instruct + object + to + base verb.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) I replace (Common Mistake): Missing the object and the “to” infinitive.
- (C) me replacing (Structural Error): Using the gerund instead of the infinitive.
- (A) that I replaced (Strong Distractor): While “instructed that I should replace” works, “instructed that I replaced” uses the wrong tense structure for a command.
20 (A)
- (A) would never regret
- Why it is correct: The future intention “will never regret” backshifts to “would never regret”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (C) will never regret (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift the modal “will”.
- (B) never would to regret (Structural Error): Wrong word order and modals do not take “to”.
- (D) won’t never regret (Strong Distractor): Double negative, which is grammatically incorrect.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When you need to convince someone (like your parents) to agree with a difficult decision (like paying a $300 repair bill), quoting an expert is the best strategy. Reported Speech allows you to transfer the mechanic’s authority into your own argument.
Because the mechanic spoke in the past, you must apply the Backshifting rule to step his words backward in time.
1 The “Step Back in Time” Rule:
- Present Simple → Past Simple: “The battery is dead” → He said the battery was dead.
- Present Continuous → Past Continuous: “The oil is leaking” → He said the oil was leaking.
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect: “I have ordered the parts” → He said he had ordered the parts.
- Future (Will) → Would: “It will run perfectly” → He promised it would run perfectly.
2 Pronouns and Perspectives:
You must translate the expert’s words to fit your reality.
- Mechanic: “I need to fix your brakes.”
- You: “He told me he needed to fix my brakes.”
3 Reporting Professional Advice and Instructions:
Mechanics don’t just state facts; they tell you what to do. To report commands and advice, use the To-Infinitive structure:
- Positive Command: advised / instructed / told + Object + to + Verb (He advised me to leave the bike).
- Negative Command: warned / told + Object + not to + Verb (He warned me not to start the engine).
4 Shifting Time and Place:
- Here → There
- This → That
- Tomorrow → The next day
- Ago → Before