Reported Speech – English Grammar Exercises for B1

1 (C)

• Key (C) was: The doctor’s direct speech was “Your blood pressure is normal.” In reported speech, the present simple “is” backshifts to the past simple “was”.
• Common Mistake (A) is: Forgetting to backshift the tense.
• Structural Error (B) be: Incorrect verb form.
• Strong Distractor (D) has been: Present perfect does not follow the standard backshifting rule from present simple.

2 (D)

• Key (D) there was: “There is” backshifts to “there was”.
• Common Mistake (A) there is: Failing to apply the backshift rule.
• Structural Error (C) it was: Changing the fixed phrase “there is/was” to “it is/was”, which changes the grammatical subject.
• Strong Distractor (B) was there: Uses question word order instead of statement word order.

3 (A)

• Key (A) to drink: To report a command or instruction (“Drink lots of water”), we use the structure: told + object + to + base verb.
• Common Mistake (B) drink: Using the direct imperative form without “to”.
• Structural Error (C) drinking: Using the gerund form instead of the infinitive.
• Strong Distractor (D) that I drink: While “told me that I should drink” is okay, “told me that I drink” is grammatically incorrect.

4 (B)

• Key (B) not to lift: To report a negative command (“Don’t lift”), we use: warned/told + object + not to + base verb.
• Common Mistake (A) don’t lift: Keeping the direct speech negative auxiliary.
• Structural Error (C) not lifting: Using a gerund instead of “to” infinitive.
• Strong Distractor (D) didn’t lift: Looks like a past tense backshift, but commands require the infinitive structure, not a past tense clause.

5 (C)

• Key (C) had to: The modal verb “must” (obligation) backshifts to “had to” in reported speech.
• Common Mistake (A) must: Failing to backshift the modal verb.
• Structural Error (B) must to: “Must” is never followed by “to”.
• Strong Distractor (D) have to: “Have to” is present tense; it fails to backshift to the past.

6 (D)

• Key (D) if I felt: To report a Yes/No question (“Do you feel any pain?”), we use if/whether + Subject + Verb (backshifted).
• Common Mistake (A) did I feel: Keeping the question word order (auxiliary verb before subject). Reported questions must be statements.
• Structural Error (C) if felt I: Completely incorrect word order.
• Strong Distractor (B) that I felt: You cannot use “that” to report a question; you must use “if” or “whether”.

7 (A)

• Key (A) I had had: The direct question was “How long have you had…?” (Present Perfect). This backshifts to Past Perfect (“had had”). Normal statement word order is required.
• Common Mistake (B) did I have: Uses question word order and wrong tense.
• Structural Error (D) had I had: Correct tense, but keeps the incorrect question word order.
• Strong Distractor (C) I have had: Word order is correct, but the speaker forgot to backshift the tense.

8 (B)

• Key (B) my: The doctor said “Your cholesterol.” When reporting it to your family, you must change “your” to “my” to fit your perspective.
• Common Mistake (A) your: Forgetting to change the pronoun. It sounds like you are telling your Mom that her cholesterol is high.
• Structural Error (D) mine: “Mine” is a possessive pronoun, not an adjective. It cannot be placed before the noun “cholesterol”.
• Strong Distractor (C) his: Wrong perspective.

9 (D)

• Key (D) would: The future auxiliary “will” backshifts to “would”.
• Common Mistake (A) will: Failing to backshift.
• Structural Error (C) would to: “Would” must be followed by a bare infinitive, not “to”.
• Strong Distractor (B) should: Changes the meaning from a future promise to advice.

10 (C)

• Key (C) me to eat: The verb “advise” follows the pattern: advise + object + to + base verb.
• Common Mistake (A) I eat: Missing the object and the “to” infinitive.
• Structural Error (D) to me to eat: You do not use “to” before the object of “advise”.
• Strong Distractor (B) me eating: Using the gerund instead of the infinitive.

11 (B)

• Key (B) the following day: Time expressions change in reported speech. “Tomorrow” becomes “the next day” or “the following day”.
• Common Mistake (A) tomorrow: Failing to change the time word. “Tomorrow” would mean the day after you are speaking to your parents, not the day after the doctor’s appointment.
• Structural Error (C) the tomorrow: Grammatically invalid phrase in English.
• Strong Distractor (D) yesterday: Shifts the time backward instead of forward.

12 (D)

• Key (D) was fighting: The Present Continuous (“is fighting”) backshifts to the Past Continuous (“was fighting”).
• Common Mistake (A) is fighting: Failing to backshift the tense.
• Structural Error (B) was fought: This is the passive voice, which changes the meaning completely (the body was attacked).
• Strong Distractor (C) fought: Past simple does not capture the ongoing nature of the infection that the continuous tense provides.

13 (A)

• Key (A) told: The reporting verb “tell” must be followed directly by an object pronoun (“me”).
• Common Mistake (B) said: “Said” cannot be followed directly by an object (you must say “said to me”).
• Structural Error (C) spoke: You cannot “speak me that…”.
• Strong Distractor (D) explained: “Explain” requires “to” before the object (“explained to me”).

14 (B)

• Key (B) could: The modal verb “can” backshifts to “could”.
• Common Mistake (A) can: Failing to backshift.
• Structural Error (D) can be able to: Redundant and grammatically incorrect combination.
• Strong Distractor (C) was able: Needs the word “to” (was able to) to be grammatically correct.

15 (C)

• Key (C) had taken: The Past Simple (“what medicine did you take?”) backshifts to the Past Perfect (“what medicine I had taken”) in formal reported speech.
• Common Mistake (A) took: Failing to backshift from past simple to past perfect.
• Structural Error (D) have taken: Using Present Perfect instead of Past Perfect.
• Strong Distractor (B) was taking: Changes the meaning to an interrupted continuous action rather than a completed one before the visit.

16 (B)

• Key (B) seeing: The reporting verb “suggest” is followed directly by a gerund (V-ing) when there is no object pronoun.
• Common Mistake (A) to see: Many learners think “suggest” works like “want” or “tell” and use the infinitive, which is incorrect.
• Structural Error (C) me to see: You cannot use suggest + object + to infinitive.
• Strong Distractor (D) that seeing: You can say “suggested that I see”, but you cannot put “that” directly before a gerund.

17 (D)

• Key (D) said: The reporting verb “say” is used when there is no direct object pronoun following it.
• Common Mistake (A) told: “Told” requires an object (e.g., “told me that”).
• Structural Error (C) said me: You cannot put an object directly after “said” without “to”.
• Strong Distractor (B) asked: The doctor is making a statement, not asking a question.

18 (B)

• Key (B) I felt: When reporting a Wh- question (“Where do you feel the pain?”), keep the Wh- word and use statement word order (Subject + Verb) with a backshift.
• Common Mistake (A) did I feel: Keeping the original question word order instead of changing it to a statement.
• Structural Error (C) I did feel: Unnecessary use of the auxiliary “did” in an affirmative statement.
• Strong Distractor (D) felt I: Completely reversed word order.

19 (A)

• Key (A) had prescribed: The time marker “the day before” indicates the doctor’s action happened before the appointment. The Past Simple (“I prescribed yesterday”) backshifts to Past Perfect.
• Common Mistake (B) prescribed: Failing to backshift the tense.
• Structural Error (C) has prescribed: Present Perfect is incorrect here.
• Strong Distractor (D) would prescribe: This means a future action, which contradicts “the day before”.

20 (A)

• Key (A) to come: The verb “instruct” (like tell, advise, order) follows the pattern: instruct + object + to + base verb.
• Common Mistake (C) come: Using the bare infinitive instead of the “to” infinitive.
• Structural Error (B) coming: Using the gerund form.
• Strong Distractor (D) that I came: While “instructed that I should come” works in some formal contexts, “instructed that I came” uses the wrong tense and structure for a command.

When you return from the doctor and report their words to your family, you act as a “messenger.” Because the doctor’s words were spoken in the past, everything must take one step backward in time. This is called Backshifting.

1 The “Step Back in Time” Rule (Tense Shifts):

• Present Simple → Past Simple (“Your blood pressure is fine” → He said my blood pressure was fine).
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous (“Your body is fighting a virus” → He said my body was fighting a virus).
• Past Simple → Past Perfect (“I took a pill” → I told him I had taken a pill).

2 Modal Verb Shifts:

• Will → Would
• Can → Could
• Must → Had to

3 Reporting Medical Commands & Advice:

Doctors give a lot of orders. Do not use standard tense backshifting for commands. Use the To-Infinitive structure:

• Positive Command: told / advised / instructed + Object + to + Verb (He told me to drink water).
• Negative Command: warned / told + Object + not to + Verb (He warned me not to lift heavy things).

4 Shifting Perspectives (Pronouns):

You must change the pronouns to fit your perspective.

• “Your results” → “My results”
• “You need rest” → “I needed rest”

5 Say vs. Tell:

This is the most common mistake for English learners!

• Use Say without an object: He said that I was fine.
• Use Tell WITH an object: He told me that I was fine. (Never say “He said me”).

6 Reporting Questions:

When you report a question the doctor asked, it is no longer a question. It becomes a normal statement. You must use Subject + Verb word order.

• Direct: “Where does it hurt?”
• Reported: He asked me where it hurt. (NOT: where did it hurt).
• For Yes/No questions, add if or whether. (He asked me if I felt pain.)