English Grammar Exercises for B1 B2 – Indirect statements

A. Underline the correct option.

1    I thought it is / was easy.

2    John shouted that he wanted / has wanted some help.

3    There is a legend that King Arthur lives / lived here.

4    You said you were driving / had driven home when it happened.

5    Remember that forest fires are / were dangerous.

6    I had a strange feeling that I saw / had seen him before.

7    Mrs Jones told me she was working / had been working there for 25 years.

8    It’s a shame that Mozart died / had died so young.

9    Julie said she can’t / couldn’t play in the match last week.

10   Jake hoped he will / would be back the next day.

B. Write a dialogue using the underlined information in the text.

Martin called Carol and said (1) he had a problem. He told Carol that his friend (2) Dave wasn’t speaking to him because (3) they had had a big argument.

Carol thought (4) Martin needed to see Dave again. She knew that (5) Dave had been feeling terrible since their argument.

Martin replied that (6) he had tried to call Dave the day before; (7) he had just put the phone down. Martin was sure (8) that Dave wasn’t his friend any more.

Carol said (9) she couldn’t understand it. She advised Martin (10) to write Dave an email the next day.

Martin

1    I have a problem.

2   ……………………………………….

3    because ……………………………………….

Carol:

4    ……………………………………….

5    ……………………………………….

Martin:

6    ……………………………………….

7    but ……………………………………….

8    ……………………………………….

Carol:

9    ……………………………………….

10   ……………………………………….

C. Complete the sentences with indirect statements.

1    He said ……it had been a long night. ……

2    My sister dreamed ………………………………………. .

3    He thought ………………………………………. .

4    Dracula said ………………………………………. .

5    Tom wrote ………………………………………. .

6    She was confident ………………………………………. .

D. Complete each sentence b to make a direct or indirect statement like sentence a, using the word in brackets.

1    a   ‘Sam, it’s five o’clock.’ (told)

      b   Mary ……told Sam it was…… five o’clock.

2    a   ‘I’m reading a book.’ (said)

      b   She ………………………… a book.

3    a   ‘Liz has asked him.’ (thought)

      b   I ………………………… .

4    a   Andrea told Tim she would go the next day. (leave)

      b   ‘Tim, ………………………… .’

5    a   ‘What! Nobody knows!’ (strange)

      b   It was ………………………… .

6    a   Richard had the idea that everybody disliked him. (nobody)

      b   ‘I’m sure ………………………… .’

7    a   ‘You have to!’ (said)

      b   My boss ………………………… .

8    a   Brian told Maya that he had done it four weeks before. (month)

      b   ‘Maya, I ………………………… .’

E. Complete the text using the correct forms of the words in the box.

In 1770, Wolfgang von Kemplen visited the queen of Austria. He said that he 1……had brought…… her a very unusual present: a machine which could play chess. The queen didn’t believe that von Kemplen 2……………………… serious, but the machine really did play chess. She thought that someone 3……………………… inside the machine, but she opened it and found nothing.

The chess machine travelled all over the world. Von Kemplen understood that he 4……………………… a lot of money from his machine and he was proud that it 5……………………… even very good players. Napoleon and Benjamin Franklin both played and lost! People believed that von Kemplen 6……………………… a real chess machine and they hoped he 7……………………… another one. Newspapers wrote that technology 8……………………… the laws of nature.

But there was someone inside the machine. People didn’t know that all the time a little man 9……………………… for the machine. The secret was discovered but the machine was still popular. Finally, the machine went to a museum in America. In 1854, there was a fire in the museum and the machine was destroyed. One man thought that he 10……………………… the machine shouting for help in the fire. Today the museum has a working model of the original machine.

F. Complete the sentences with indirect statements.

1    My friend didn’t buy me a birthday card.

      I thought ……that she had forgotten about my birthday / she was angry with me…… .

2    A stranger stopped me and asked me for ten euros.

      I said ……………………………………………………. .

3    They are planning to open a new shopping centre near where I live.

      I don’t like the idea ……………………………………………………. .

4    No one knows if there is life on other planets.

      I think ……………………………………………………. .

5    The film we saw last night was all right.

      My opinion was ……………………………………………………. .

6    I found an interesting blog about strange pets.

      I went on the blog and wrote ……………………………………………………. .

G. Write at least four things that you heard, thought, read or said recently.

1    I told my sister that I loved her new dress.

2    …………………………………………………….

3    …………………………………………………….

4    …………………………………………………….

5    …………………………………………………….

6    …………………………………………………….

H. Circle the correct option.

1    The newspapers wrote that Mr and Mrs Green …………… the truth.

      a not to tell

      b don’t tell

      c weren’t telling

2    Mr Green said that he …………… the story that his son was in the balloon.

      a had invented

      b invents

      c has invented

3    Journalists couldn’t believe that Kevin …………… at home all the time.

      a is     b was     c has been

4    Mrs Green said she …………… to write a book about the story one day.

      a has wanted

      b had been wanting

      c wants

5    They promised that this …………… again.

      a wasn’t happening

      b wouldn’t happen

      c may not happen