1. Change the direct speech to reported speech. The people are/were talking to you.
1 ‘You should read my news blog.’
Emma says …………………………………………… .
2 ‘I’ll be working at home tomorrow.’
My mum said …………………………………………… .
3 ‘I hate watching the news on TV.’
Anna says …………………………………………… .
4 ‘You haven’t been working hard enough.’
Ben complained …………………………………………… .
5 ‘I hadn’t expected the broadcast to be live.’
Ian explained …………………………………………… .
6 ‘I’d like to borrow your newspaper.’
Fred said …………………………………………… .
7 ‘I don’t want to go to the theatre.’
Amy has said …………………………………………… .
Answer
1 (that) I / we should read her newsblog
2 (that) she would be working at home the next / following day
3 (that) she hates watching the news on TV
4 (that) I / we hadn’t been working hard enough
5 that he hadn’t expected the broadcast to be live
6 (that) he would like to borrow my newspaper
7 (that) she doesn’t want to go to the theatre
2. Choose the correct answers.
1 Sam said / told her to leave.
2 ‘This article is really interesting,’ said / told Harry.
3 ‘I’m hungry,’ she said / told to her dad.
4 They said / told me he was a reporter.
5 Jake says / tells that he wants to study journalism.
Answer
1 told 2 said 3 said 4 told 5 says
3. Read the dialogue and complete Imogen’s report of the conversation.
Imogen What are you doing?
Ed I’m writing a letter to the newspaper.
Imogen What’s the letter about?
Ed It’s about crime rates in our town. There should be more police!
Imogen You should mention that recent bank robbery.
Ed I will, if I can find the name of the bank.
Imogen Have you looked online?
Ed I can’t. Somebody has stolen my laptop!
I asked Ed what 1…………………………… . He explained that 2…………………………… . I asked 3…………………………… , and Ed replied 4…………………………… . He said that 5…………………………… . I said 6…………………………… and Ed said 7…………………………… if 8…………………………… . I asked 9…………………………… . He said 10…………………………… because 11…………………………… !
Answer
1 he was doing
2 he was writing a letter to the newspaper
3 (him) what the letter was about
4 (that) it was about crime rates in our town
5 there should be more police
6 he should mention the recent bank robbery
7 he would
8 he could find the name of the bank
9 (him) if he had looked online
10 he couldn’t
11 someone had stolen his laptop
4. Listen to a woman carrying out a survey about newspapers. Report the questions.
1 She asked him if he read ……………………………………………… .
2 She asked him ……………………………………………… .
3 She asked him ……………………………………………… .
4 She asked him ……………………………………………… .
5 She asked him ……………………………………………… .
6 She asked him ……………………………………………… .
Answer
1 newspapers
2 how many papers he had bought in the previous week.
3 which his favourite newspaper was.
4 why he liked it.
5 how it could be made even better.
6 if he trusted newspaper journalists to tell the truth.
Transcript
Woman I’m carrying out a survey about newspapers. Do you have a spare minute to answer some questions?
Man Sure. Fire away.
Woman Do you read newspapers?
Man Yes, I read the newspaper every day.
Woman How many papers have you bought in the last week?
Man I’ve bought a paper every day.
Woman Which is your favourite newspaper?
Man I like The Times.
Woman Why do you like it?
Man There’s a good mix of serious news and human-interest stories.
Woman How could it be made even better?
Man There should be more sport.
Woman Finally, do you trust newspaper journalists to tell the truth?
Man Yes, I do. Most of the time.
5. Match the answers (a-f) with the questions in exercise 4.
a There should be more sport.
b I’ve bought a paper every day.
c Yes, I do. Most of the time.
d Yes, I read the newspaper every day.
e I like The Times.
f There’s a good mix of serious news and human-interest stories.
Answer
a 5 b 2 c 6 d 1 e 3 f 4
6. Now complete the woman’s report.
The man told her he read ………………………………… and that ………………………………… every day that week. He said ………………………………… The Times and that he liked it ………………………………… .
However, he told her ………………………………… . In answer to the final question, he said that ………………………………… .
Answer
(The man told her he read) the newspaper every day (and that) he had bought a paper (every day that week. He said) (that) he liked (The Times and that he liked it) because there was a good mix of serious news and human-interest stories. (However, he told her) (that) there should be more sport. (In answer to the final question, he said that) he trusted journalists to tell the truth most of the time.
Challenge!
Report a conversation that you had recently with a friend or a member of your family.
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
Related Posts
- English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Reported speech
- English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Unreal past and had better
- English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Emphasis
- English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Mixed conditionals
- English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Criticising past actions
- English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Relative clauses
