Reported Speech - English Grammar Exercises

Reported speech is how we relay what someone else said without using their exact words. It’s an essential tool for telling stories, reporting news, and sharing information! Instead of saying "He said, ‘I am happy’", we say "He said that he was happy."

In this module, you will learn how to shift tenses and pronouns correctly. You’ll practice with 25 interactive exercises that cover daily conversations, helping you become a confident storyteller and communicator.

The "Backshift" Principle

When reporting something said in the past, we usually move the tense one step "back" into the past. Pronouns also change to match the speaker's perspective. For example, "my car" becomes "his car".

Tricky Cases

Watch out for common mistakes when using Reported Speech. Pay close attention to subject-verb agreement and how different contexts can change the correct form. Some patterns might seem similar but have important differences.

Remember that context matters. The same sentence structure might work differently depending on whether you're talking about the past, present, or future, or whether you're making a statement or asking a question.

What You'll Practice

The 25 exercises give you sentences where Reported Speech needs to be used correctly. You'll practice:

• Identifying the correct form based on the subject and context
• Understanding when to use different variations
• Recognizing common errors and how to fix them
• Applying the rules in various sentence structures
• Building confidence through repeated practice