3.
‘The workers have been building the bridge since
The following changes take place in Reported
Speech.
am / is -----------was, are ------------------were
will ----------------------------------------------would
shall --------------------------------------------should
can ----------------------------------------------could
may ---------------------------------------------might
must *------------------------------------------- had to
mustn’t * ---------------------------------------mustn’t
must ** ------------------------------------------must
should -----------------------------------------should
ought to ----------------------------------------ought to
today -------------------------------------------that day
yesterday------------------------------------- the day before,
the previous day
tomorrow ---------------------------------- the following day
tonight-----------------------------------------that night
last week------------------------------------ the week before,
the previous week
next week ----------------------------------the following week She asked me to drive her to town.
now -----------------------------------------then
here ----------------------------------------there
this------------------------------------------ that / the
these--------------------------------------- those / the
ago-------------------------------------------before
* When must and mustn’t show obligation, they
become had to or remain the same in Reported
Speech.
** When must shows supposition, it remains the
same.
Note: The verb ‘come’ becomes ‘go’ in Reported
Speech.
‘Kathy will come to see us,’ Ernest said  Ernest said
that Kathy would go to see them.
2. Statements
1. ‘We live in a modern flat,’ they said.-> They said
(that) they lived in a modern flat.
2. ‘I’ll have taken the books back to the library by
tomorrow,’ he said.
->He said (that) he would have taken the books back
to the library by the following day.
last summer,’ the engineer said.
->The engineer said (that) the workers had been
building the bridge since the previous summer.
4. ‘We can go to the match next Sunday,’ Bill said to
his brother.
->Bill told his brother (that) they could go to the match
the following Sunday.
2. Commands
1. ‘Open the door,’ he said to me. 3. ‘Don’t open the
door,’ she said to me.
He told me to open the door. She told me not to open
the door.
2. ‘Close these windows,’ she said to him. 4. ‘Don’t
close these windows,’ she said to him.
She told him to close those/the windows. She told him
not to close those/the windows.
3. Requests
1. ‘Please open the door,’ he said to me.
He asked me to open the door.
2. ‘Close these windows, please,’ she said to him.
She asked him to close those/the windows.
3. ‘Will you drive me to town?’ she said to me.
4. ‘Don’t open the door, please,’ he said to me.
He asked me not to open the door.
5. Questions
1. ‘When did you arrive?’ I asked him.
I asked him when he had arrived.
2. ‘Why has she gone out?’ he asked us.
He asked us why she had gone out.
3. ‘How many cakes can I take?’ he asked her.
He asked her how many cakes he could take.
4. ‘Were they watching TV all day?’ she asked me.
She asked me if they had been watching TV all day.
5. ‘Do you like ice-skating?’ he asked us.
He asked us if we liked ice-skating.
6. ‘Must we work tomorrow?’ I asked her.
I asked her if we had to work the next day.
We can use other verbs to report what someone said.
These verbs are used in different ways.
A. Reporting Verb + infinitive
1. refuse (to do)
‘No, I won’t clean the car,’ he said.
He refused to clean the car.
2. agree (to do)
‘All right. I’ll make the dinner,’ she said.
She agreed to make the dinner.
3. offer (to do)
‘I’ll wash up today,’ she said.
She offered to wash up that day.
B. Reporting Verb + infinitive / that ...
1. promise (to do / that…)
‘I’ll pay you back next week,’ he said.
He promised to pay her back the following week.
He promised that he would pay her back the following
week.
2. threaten (to do / that…)
‘Give me your money or I’ll shoot you,’ he said.
He threatened to shoot her if she didn’t give him her
money.
He threatened that he would shoot her if she didn’t give
him her money.
3. claim (to do / that…)
‘I design modern flats,’ he said.
He claimed to design modern flats.
He claimed that he designed modern flats.
C. Reporting Verb (do / did / gerund / we should)
1. suggest (we do / doing / that… should do / did)
‘Why don’t we go to the cinema?’ he said.
He suggested we go to the cinema.
He suggested going to the cinema.
He suggested we (should) go / went to the cinema.
2. suggest (you do / you should do / did)
‘Why don’t you go to the cinema?’ he said to me.
He suggested I go to the cinema.
He suggested I should go / went to the cinema.
D. Reporting Verb (object + infinitive)
1. warn (you to do)
‘Be careful! You may fall,’ she said.
She warned me to be careful because I might fall.
2. invite (you to do)
‘Do you want to come to my party?’ she said.
She invited us (
to go) to her party.
3. remind (you to do)
‘Don’t forget to pay the bill,’ he said.
He reminded her to pay the bill.
4. advise (you to do)
‘You should apply for the job,’ they said.
They advised me to apply for the job.
5. ask (you to do)
‘Please help me,’ he said. ->He asked her to help him.
E. Reporting Verb (+ gerund) + preposition +
gerund / that ...
1. deny (doing / that he…)
‘I didn’t steal the money,’ he said.
He denied stealing the money.
He denied that he had stolen the money.
2. admit ([to] doing / that he…)
‘I took the wallet,’ she said.
She admitted (to) taking the wallet.
She admitted that she had taken the wallet.
3. apologise (for doing)
‘I’m sorry I hit you,’ he said.
He apologised for hitting her.
4. insist (on doing)
‘No, I’ll pay for the meal’, she said.
She insisted on paying for the meal.
F. Reporting Verb (+ object + preposition + gerund)
1. congratulate (you on doing)
‘Congratulations! You’ve passed the exam,’ he said.
He congratulated me on passing the exam.
2. accuse (you of doing)
‘You broke the glass,’ she said.
She accused me of breaking the glass.
3. blame (you for doing)
‘It’s your own fault. You lost the purse,’ he said.
He blamed her for losing the purse.
4. thank (you for doing)
‘Thank you for helping us,’ they said.
They thanked us for helping them.
 b. Dad suggested that Deborah did her homework
then.
A.Choose the correct reporting verb. Then c. Dad suggested that Deborah should do her
write the sentences in Reported homework then.
Speech. C. Choose the correct reporting verb. Then
claim / promise / offer / threaten / agree /
complete the sentences in the Reported
refuse
Speech.
1 ‘I’ll keep your secret,’ Jill said to Pam. promise
warn / advise / remind / invite / ask
a.Jill.........................................................................
1 ‘You ought to study harder,’ Miss Jones said to
...................... Pam’s secret.
Richard.
b.Jill.........................................................................
MissJones...................................................harder.
...................... Pam’s secret.
2 ‘Turn on the TV please,’ said mum.
2 ‘OK, dad. I’ll dig the garden for you,’ said Ken.
Mum ................ me
Ken..........................................................................
........................................................ the TV.
..................... for his dad.
3 ‘Would you like to go to the theatre tomorrow
3 ‘I’ll call the police if you don’t leave,’ he said to
night?’ he said.
her.
He..................us............................................ night.
a.He.............................................................. leave.
4 ‘Don’t trust that salesman. He’s dishonest and
b.He............................................................leave.
he’ll trick you,’ said dad to Jim.
4 ‘No, I won’t help you with your homework,’ said
Dad .............. Jim not ........................................
David.
because he was dishonest and he would trick him.
David.......................................................................
5 ‘Don’t forget to call up your grandad,’ she said.
........................ her with her homework.
She......................me...............................................
5 ‘I work for a big international company,’ she
................... my grandad.
said.
a.She..................................................... company. D. Write the sentences in Reported Speech,
b.She.......................................................company. using suitable reporting verbs and
6 ‘I’ll carry your suitcases,’ he said to her. prepositions where necessary.
He............................................................................ 1 ‘It’s your own fault. You dropped the vase,’ said
................... to carry her suitcases. Carol to Bill.
B. Tick the correct answer(s) each time. Carol........................................................................
................................................. the vase.
(Sometimes more than one answer is
2 ‘Yes, I broke the window,’ said Stelios.
correct).
a.Stelios..................................................................
1 ‘Why don’t you go by bus tomorrow?’ said Colin
................................................ the window.
to me.
b.Stelios..................................................................
a. Colin suggested going by bus the following day.
................................................ the window.
b. Colin suggested that I should go by bus the
3 ‘No, it’s my turn. I’ll mow the lawn today,’ said
following day.
Jason.
c. Colin suggested that I went by bus the following
Jason.......................................................................
day.
................................................. the lawn that day.
2 ‘Why don’t we buy Lyn a CD for her birthday?’
4 ‘You saved my baby. Thank you,’ she said to the
said May to me.
doctor.
a. May suggested buying Lyn a CD for her
She..........................................................................
birthday.
.................................................. her baby.
b. May suggested that we should buy Lyn a CD for
5 ‘It wasn’t me. I didn’t wake up the children,’ he
her birthday.
said.
c. May suggested that we bought Lyn a CD for her
a.He.........................................................................
birthday.
................................................. the children.
3 ‘Let’s go to the cinema together,’ I said to her.
b.He.........................................................................
a. I suggested that we went to the cinema
................................................ the children
together.
6 ‘Well done! You won the match!’ said the coach.
b. I suggested going to the cinema together.
The coach .......................... them
c. I suggested that we should go to the cinema
...................................................... the match.
together.
7 ‘I’m sorry I’m late,’ she said.
4 ‘How about doing your homework now,’ said dad
She................................................................ late.
to Deborah.
8 ‘You’re the one who stole my watch, Ken’ she
a. Dad suggested doing her homework then.
said.
She..........................Ken......................................... She .......................................... me to lend her fifty
............................................... her watch. euros.
10 “Thanks for putting us up,” we said.
We .................................... her .....................
E. Write the sentences in reported Speech putting us up.
using the following reporting verbs: 11 “Well done! You’ve won a gold medal,” the
refuse / agree / offer instructor said.
1 “OK. I’ll give you a lift to the party,” he said. The instructor .................................... her
................................................................................ ..................... winning a gold medal.
.......................................................................... 12 “Why don’t you make up your mind to work
2 “I’ll help you write the composition tonight,” she harder?” dad said to me.
said. Dad .......................................... I should make up
................................................................................ my mind to work harder.
.......................................................................... 13 ‘‘I’ll make all the arrangements,’’ the secretary
3 “No, I won’t wear that awful suit,” he said. said.
................................................................................ Thesecretary...........................................................
.......................................................................... all the arrangements.
F. Write the sentences in Reported Speech in 14 ‘‘I didn’t leave all the lights on,’’ Bernard said.
Bernard .................................................... on.
two ways using the following
15 ‘‘No, I won’t do the shopping today,’’ said
reporting verbs: claim / threaten / promise
Linda.
1 “I’m a member of the school’s drama club,” she
Linda .........................................................that day.
said.
16 ‘‘All right. I’ll book the table at the restaurant,’’
................................................................................
said John.
..........................................................................
John .......................................................................
2 “Turn down that music or I’ll call the police,” he
at the restaurant.
said.
................................................................................ H. Write the sentences in Reported Speech.
.......................................................................... 1 “You’ve finished all your homework so you can
3 “I’ll get better marks next term,” she said. go out and play,” mum said to
................................................................................ Debbie.
.......................................................................... ................................................................................
G. Write the correct reporting verb and ................................................................................
2 “I can’t open this tin because I haven’t got a tin-
prepositions where necessary.
opener,” he said.
1 “Let’s go out tonight,” said Pat.
................................................................................
Pat .......................................... going out that
................................................................................
night.
3 “Don’t put all this shopping in your basket,” the
2 “I’m sorry I told you a lie,” he said.
shop assistant said to her.
He .......................................... telling her a lie.
................................................................................
3 “No. I’ll take you there in my car,” he said.
...............................................................................
He .......................................... taking her there in
4 “Will you be coming to see us at Easter?”
his car.
Gordon asked us.
4 “Yes, I gave away your secret,” she said.
................................................................................
She .......................................... giving away our
...............................................................................
secret.
5 “The pupils must finish these books before the
5 “It’s your fault. You dropped the crystal vase,”
end of the term,” the Headteacher
said Jane.
said to the teachers.
Jane .................................... Bill .................
................................................................................
dropping the crystal vase.
...............................................................................
6 “You ought to go on a diet,” said mum.
6 “Did you look both ways before crossing the
Mum .......................................... Ann to go on a
road?” granny asked the children.
diet.
................................................................................
7 “Don’t forget to call me,” said Jim.
................................................................................
Jim .......................................... me to call him.
8 “Be careful. The water is deep here,” said dad. I. Complete the second sentence using 2-5
Dad .......................................... me to be careful words including the word given.
because the water was deep there. 1 “Do you want to take up a new hobby?” my
9 “Please lend me fifty euros,” she said. friend asked me. (I)
My friend asked me
……………………………………………take up a new
hobby.
2 “Your new bicycle may arrive tomorrow,Tommy,”
dad said. (the)
Dad told Tommy his new bicycle
………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………….… day.
3 “Please buy some paper for the copier today,”
Mr. Worth said to Helen. (to)
Mr. Worth
………………………………………………………………………
…………………….. some paper for the copier that
day.
4 “It may snow next weekend, but only in the
north,” said Bill. (the)
Bill said that it …………………….. , but only in the
north.
5 “Some tourists arrived ten minutes ago, so
they’ll need rooms,” the receptionist said. (had)
The receptionist said that some tourists
………………………………………………………………………
…..………….…………….. , so they would need
rooms.
6 “My television broke down last week,” said Colin
to his friend. (broken)
Colin told his friend that his television
………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………..
week.
7 ‘‘Does this rule apply to us?’’ said the students
to the teacher.
The students asked the teacher
………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………….. to them.
8 ‘‘I’ll punish you if you do that again,’’ said his
mother.
His mother
…………………………………..…………………………………
…………………………………………………… he did that
again.
9 ‘‘Will your friends contact us by phone?’’ Claire
asked Jim.
Claire asked Jim
………………………………………………………………………
……………………………….…….. them by phone.
10 ‘‘When did you realise that the money had
been stolen?’’ the police officer asked me.
The police officer asked me
………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………… the money
had been stolen.
J. Write the sentences in the Reported
Speech using the correct reporting
verbs:
claim / warn / insist / refuse / congratulate /
suggest / offer / blame
1 “Why don’t we go on a camping holiday this
year?” I said.
................................................................................
................................................................................
2 “Be careful! You may lose your money from that
pocket,” dad said to me.
................................................................................
................................................................................
3 “It’s your fault. You crashed the car,” Keith said
to Molly.
................................................................................
................................................................................
4 “Well done! You’ve won the gold,” her trainer
said to her.
................................................................................
................................................................................
5 “I’ll buy everything for the meal tonight,” said
Shirley.
................................................................................
................................................................................
6 “No, I won’t do your homework for you,” he said
to her.
................................................................................
................................................................................
7 “I’m a good accountant,” he said.
................................................................................
................................................................................
8 “No. I’ll help you paint the bedrooms,” said Steve
to Alison.
................................................................................
...............................................................................
K. Underline the correct answer.
1 He denied / refused that he had broken the
table.
2 They remembered / reminded us to get up
early the next day.
3 Their parents admitted / agreed to let them go
on holiday alone.
4 She accused me that I had spoiled / of
spoiling her new bike.
Lesson 21
A. 1. a. promised to keep / b. promised
that she would keep
2. agreed to dig the garden
3. a. threatened to call the police
if she didn’t / b. threatened
that he would call the police if
she didn’t
4. refused to help
5. a. claimed to work for a big
international / b. claimed that she
worked for a big international
6. offered
B. 1: b. √, c. √
2. a. √, b. √, c. √
3. a. √, b. √, c. √
4: b. √, c. √
C. 1. advise / advised Richard to
study
2. ask / asked….to turn on
3. invite / invited….to the
theatre the following
4. warn / warned….to trust that
(or the) salesman
5. remind / reminded….to call up
D. 1. blamed Bill for dropping
2. a. admitted (to) breaking the
window / b. admitted that he
had broken
3. insisted on mowing
4. thanked the doctor for saving
5. a. denied waking up / b.
denied that he had woken up
6. congratulated….on winning
7. apologised for being
8. accused….of stealing
E. 1. He agreed to give her a lift to
the party.
2. She offered to help him write
the composition that night.
3. He refused to wear that (or
the) awful suit.
F. 1. She claimed to be a member
of the school’s drama club. /
She claimed that she was
a member of the school’s
drama club.
2. He threatened to call the
police if she didn’t turn down
the music. / He threatened
that he would call the police
if she didn’t turn down the
music.
3. She promised to get better
marks the following term. /
She promised that she
would get better marks the
following term.
G. 1. suggested, 2. apologised for,
3. insisted on, 4. admitted (to),
5. blamed….for, 6. advised,
7. reminded, 8. warned, 9. asked,
10. thanked….for, 11. congratulated
….on, 12. suggested
Revision Lessons 20 – 21
A. 1. Mum told Debbie that she had
finished all her homework so
she could go out and play.
2. He said that he couldn’t open
that / the tin because he
didn’t have a tin-opener.
3. The shop assistant told
her not to put all that / the
shopping in her basket.
4. Gordon asked us if we would
be going to see them at Easter.
5. The Headteacher told the
teachers that the pupils had
to finish those / the books
before the end of the term.
6. Granny asked the children if
they had looked both ways
before crossing the road.
B. 1. if I wanted to
2. might arrive the following
3. asked Helen to buy
4. might snow the following weekend
5. had arrived ten minutes before
Answers Level 5 Page 31
6. had broken down the previous
C. 1. I suggested going on a
camping holiday that year.
2. Dad warned me to be careful
because I might lose my
money from that pocket.
3. Keith blamed Molly for
crashing the car.
4. Her trainer congratulated her
on winning the gold.

5. Shirley offered to buy everything

for the meal that night.
6. He refused to do her homework
for her.
7. He claimed to be / that he
was a good accountant.
8. Steve insisted on helping
Alison paint the bedrooms.
D. 1. denied, 2. reminded, 3. agreed,
4. of spoiling
E. 1. h, 2. g, 3. e, 4. c, 5. a, 6. d,
7. b, 8. f