Reported Speech – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are getting ready to leave the house with your family. You just heard the local morning news on the radio regarding traffic, weather, and city events. You are now summarizing these announcements to your family members so they can prepare for the day. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “Mom, the radio host just announced that they ______ the main bridge for repairs.”
(A) are closing
(B) were closing
(C) had closing
(D) close
2 “The reporter said that there ______ a massive traffic jam on Highway 5 right now.”
(A) was
(B) is
(C) had been
(D) has been
3 “We should take a different route. The news mentioned that a truck ______ earlier this morning.”
(A) overturned
(B) was overturning
(C) had overturned
(D) has overturned
4 “Don’t forget about the street market! The announcer stated that the festival ______ the following day.”
(A) will start
(B) starts
(C) would started
(D) would start
5 “The police chief warned that all drivers ______ avoid the downtown area during the parade.”
(A) had to
(B) must
(C) must to
(D) ought to
6 “The city council explained that they ______ the potholes on our street yet.”
(A) didn’t fix
(B) haven’t fixed
(C) hadn’t fixed
(D) hadn’t fix
7 “I also checked the weather update. The weatherman said it would rain heavily ______.”
(A) tomorrow
(B) the next day
(C) the tomorrow
(D) yesterday
8 “The traffic officer on the radio advised all commuters ______ public transportation today.”
(A) taking
(B) that they taking
(C) take
(D) to take
9 “Dad, the news explicitly warned people ______ near the stadium because of the football match.”
(A) not to park
(B) don’t park
(C) didn’t park
(D) to not parking
10 “The broadcaster explained that we ______ for free at the shopping mall instead.”
(A) can park
(B) could park
(C) could to park
(D) could parked
11 “I wasn’t sure if our bus route was affected, so I called the hotline and asked if the road ______ open.”
(A) is
(B) was it
(C) be
(D) was
12 “While I was on the phone, I also asked them when ______.”
(A) the parade would finish
(B) would the parade finish
(C) the parade will finish
(D) will the parade finish
13 “The radio host said that there was no parking available ______ in the city center.”
(A) here
(B) this place
(C) there
(D) at there
14 “The journalist confirmed that the city ______ to build a new subway line next year.”
(A) is going
(B) was going
(C) went
(D) was going to
15 “He pointed out that ______ specific road closure would last for three months.”
(A) this
(B) these
(C) that
(D) those
16 “The news anchor ______ that all northbound trains were delayed by 30 minutes.”
(A) told
(B) said
(C) asked
(D) spoke
17 “The local radio presenter told ______ that the outdoor concert was officially canceled.”
(A) us
(B) to us
(C) we
(D) our
18 “The report stated that the police ______ traffic at the intersection since 6 AM.”
(A) have been directing
(B) directed
(C) had been directing
(D) are directing
19 “Apparently, the traffic is so bad because a water pipe had broken ______.”
(A) yesterday
(B) ago
(C) the tomorrow
(D) the day before
20 “Finally, the authorities warned that they ______ any cars blocking the emergency lanes.”
(A) will tow
(B) would tow
(C) towed
(D) would towed
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B)
- (B) were closing
- Why it is correct: The direct speech (“We are closing the bridge”) backshifts from Present Continuous to Past Continuous.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) are closing (Common Mistake): Forgetting to backshift the tense.
- (C) had closing (Structural Error): Grammatically invalid combination.
- (D) close (Strong Distractor): Present simple loses the continuous nature of the action happening right now on the news.
2 (A)
- (A) was
- Why it is correct: The direct speech (“There is a traffic jam”) backshifts from Present Simple to Past Simple (“was”).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) is (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift.
- (C) had been (Strong Distractor): Over-shifting to past perfect. This would mean the traffic jam ended before the news report, which contradicts the context.
- (D) has been (Structural Error): Present perfect is incorrect here.
3 (C)
- (C) had overturned
- Why it is correct: The Past Simple (“A truck overturned“) backshifts to the Past Perfect (“had overturned”) to show it happened before the news broadcast.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) overturned (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift from Past Simple to Past Perfect.
- (B) was overturning (Structural Error): Past continuous changes the meaning to an interrupted action.
- (D) has overturned (Strong Distractor): Present perfect does not follow the standard backshifting rule in reported speech.
4 (D)
- (D) would start
- Why it is correct: The future auxiliary “will” (from “The festival will start“) backshifts to “would”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) will start (Common Mistake): Forgetting to backshift.
- (B) starts (Strong Distractor): While present simple can express future scheduled events, reported speech requires the backshift to past tense structures.
- (C) would started (Structural Error): “Would” must be followed by a bare infinitive, not a past tense verb.
5 (A)
- (A) had to
- Why it is correct: The modal verb “must” (expressing obligation/rules) backshifts to “had to” in reported speech.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) must (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift the modal verb.
- (C) must to (Structural Error): “Must” is never followed by “to”.
- (D) ought to (Strong Distractor): Changes the meaning from a strict police rule to a mild suggestion.
6 (C)
- (C) hadn’t fixed
- Why it is correct: The Present Perfect (“We haven’t fixed it”) backshifts to the Past Perfect (“they hadn’t fixed it”).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) haven’t fixed (Common Mistake): Forgetting to backshift the auxiliary verb.
- (D) hadn’t fix (Structural Error): Requires the past participle (“fixed”).
- (A) didn’t fix (Strong Distractor): Past Simple lacks the proper backshift rule from Present Perfect.
7 (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.
- (C) the tomorrow (Structural Error): Grammatically invalid phrase.
- (D) yesterday (Strong Distractor): Shifts the time backward instead of forward.
8 (D)
- (D) to take
- Why it is correct: The verb “advise” follows the pattern: advise + object + to + base verb.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (C) take (Common Mistake): Using the direct imperative form without “to”.
- (B) that they taking (Structural Error): Grammatically invalid.
- (A) taking (Strong Distractor): Some verbs take gerunds, but “advise someone” requires the “to-infinitive”.
9 (A)
- (A) not to park
- Why it is correct: To report a negative warning (“Do not park”), use: warned + object + not to + base verb.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) don’t park (Common Mistake): Keeping the direct negative imperative inside a reported sentence.
- (D) to not parking (Structural Error): Wrong word order and wrong verb form (gerund).
- (C) didn’t park (Strong Distractor): Looks like a past tense backshift, but warnings require the infinitive structure, not a clause.
10 (B)
- (B) could park
- Why it is correct: The modal verb “can” backshifts to “could”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) can park (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift.
- (C) could to park (Structural Error): Modals must be followed by a bare infinitive, never “to”.
- (D) could parked (Strong Distractor): Following a modal with a past tense verb is incorrect.
11 (D)
- (D) was
- Why it is correct: To report a Yes/No question (“Is the road open?”), use if/whether + Statement Word Order (Subject + Verb) + Backshifted Tense (“is” -> “was”).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) was it (Common Mistake): Kept the question word order (verb before subject).
- (C) be (Structural Error): Incorrect verb conjugation.
- (A) is (Strong Distractor): Statement word order is correct, but failed to backshift the tense.
12 (A)
- (A) the parade would finish
- Why it is correct: When reporting a Wh- question (“When will the parade finish?”), keep the Wh- word, use statement word order, and backshift the tense (will -> would).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) would the parade finish (Common Mistake): Keeping the original question word order.
- (D) will the parade finish (Structural Error): Question word order and incorrect tense shift.
- (C) the parade will finish (Strong Distractor): Statement word order is correct, but failed to backshift.
13 (C)
- (C) there
- Why it is correct: Place words change in reported speech. “Here” becomes “there”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) here (Common Mistake): Forgetting to shift the location word.
- (D) at there (Structural Error): The preposition “at” is not used before “there”.
- (B) this place (Strong Distractor): Too informal and does not follow the standard shift.
14 (B)
- (B) was going
- Why it is correct: The “be going to” structure backshifts from Present Continuous (“is going to”) to Past Continuous (“was going to”).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) is going (Common Mistake): Forgetting to backshift the auxiliary verb “is”.
- (C) went (Strong Distractor): Changes the meaning from a future intention to a completed past trip.
- (D) was going to (Structural Error): The option leaves the sentence as “was going to to build” which creates a double “to”.
15 (C)
- (C) that
- Why it is correct: Demonstrative pronouns shift in reported speech. “This” becomes “that”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) this (Common Mistake): Forgetting to shift the demonstrative word.
- (B) these (Structural Error): “These” is plural, but “road closure” is singular.
- (D) those (Strong Distractor): Also plural and unshifted.
16 (B)
- (B) 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 a direct object (e.g., “told us that”).
- (C) asked (Strong Distractor): The anchor is making a statement, not asking a question.
- (D) spoke (Structural Error): You cannot “speak that…”.
17 (A)
- (A) us
- Why it is correct: The reporting verb “tell” must be followed directly by an object pronoun (“us”).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (B) to us (Common Mistake): We do not use “to” after “tell” in this context.
- (C) we (Structural Error): “We” is a subject pronoun, but an object pronoun is needed here.
- (D) our (Strong Distractor): “Our” is a possessive adjective, not an object pronoun.
18 (C)
- (C) had been directing
- Why it is correct: The Present Perfect Continuous (“have been directing”) backshifts to the Past Perfect Continuous (“had been directing”).
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) have been directing (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift the tense.
- (D) are directing (Structural Error): Present continuous cannot be used with “since 6 AM”.
- (B) directed (Strong Distractor): Past Simple loses the ongoing, continuous nature of the action.
19 (D)
- (D) the day before
- Why it is correct: Time markers representing the past shift in reported speech. “Yesterday” becomes “the day before” or “the previous day”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) yesterday (Common Mistake): Forgetting to shift the time marker.
- (C) the tomorrow (Structural Error): Grammatically invalid and wrong direction in time.
- (B) ago (Strong Distractor): “Ago” shifts to “before”, but it cannot replace “yesterday” on its own.
20 (B)
- (B) would tow
- Why it is correct: The future warning (“We will tow“) backshifts to “would tow”.
- Analysis of Incorrect Options:
- (A) will tow (Common Mistake): Failing to backshift the modal “will”.
- (D) would towed (Structural Error): “Would” must be followed by a bare infinitive, not a past tense verb.
- (C) towed (Strong Distractor): Changes the meaning from a future warning to a completed past action.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When you listen to the radio or TV news and repeat the facts to someone else, you act as a messenger. Because the broadcast happened in the past, everything the reporter said must take one step backward in time. This is called Backshifting.
1 The “Step Back in Time” Rule (Backshifting Tenses):
- Present Simple → Past Simple: “The road is closed” → The news said the road was closed.
- Present Continuous → Past Continuous: “It is raining” → The reporter said it was raining.
- Past Simple → Past Perfect: “A car crashed” → They said a car had crashed.
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect: “The police have arrived” → They announced the police had arrived.
2 Modal Verb Shifts (Focus on Rules & Future Events):
- Will → Would (Future events, e.g., “The festival would start”).
- Can → Could (Ability/Options).
- Must → Had to (Rules/Obligations, e.g., “Drivers had to take a detour”).
3 Reporting Warnings & Advice:
The news often tells people what to do to stay safe. Use the To-Infinitive structure:
- Positive: advised / warned + Object + to + Verb (They advised us to stay home).
- Negative: advised / warned + Object + not to + Verb (They warned drivers not to park there).
4 Shifting Time and Place:
- Here → There
- This → That
- Tomorrow → The next day / The following day
- Yesterday → The day before