Self-correcting exercises

Exercise 1

Say if the following statements and questions refer to an opinion or to a wish.

NúmPreguntaResposta
1

What would you like to do?

2

I think we should invest more on research.

3

Do you like working in this company?

4

If only I could see it!

5

In my view, we can cut down the production by 5%.

6

Yes, I’d like that very much too.

7

Where do you want to go now?

8

I agree, but we should be careful.

Exercise 2

Choose the appropriate question tag to each of these statements.

NúmPreguntaResposta
1

That’s fantastic,

2

You don’t like this very much,

3

OK, we should go,

4

You’re happy here,

5

Your children work in a bank,

6

You feel better today,

7

You’ll come with us,

8

There isn’t anybody in the office,

Exercise 3

Say which statements about the reported speech are true (V) and which are false (F).

NúmPreguntaVF
1

We always write the reported speech in inverted commas (”…”).

2

The verb in the main clause (say, tell, etc.) is called ‘reporting verb’.

3

The conjunction that is used to introduce a reported statement.

4

Reported questions have the same syntactical structure as statements.

5

In reported wh-questions, we must introduce the reported question with if.

6

In reported commands, the verb in the reported clause is in the past simple tense.

7

We must often change the pronouns when reporting a sentence.

8

The demonstratives do not change in the reported speech.


Check the correct sentences by clicking on the button ‘Mostra’ below.

1. We always write the direct speech in inverted commas (”…”).
5. In reported wh-questions, we must introduce the reported question with the corresponding interrogative pronoun. If is used to introduce reported yes/no questions.
6. In reported commands, the verb in the reported clause is the infinitive form with to.
8. The demonstratives change in the reported speech: this changes to that and these changes to those.

Exercise 4

Report the following statements:

  1. Frank said: “We will renegotiate all the terms of our contract”.
  2. Mary told me: “I didn’t understand anything”.
  3. Bob explained: “I’m from Senegal”.
  4. Jenny complained: “I must start all over again!”

  1. Frank said that we/they would renegotiate all the terms of our/their contract.
  2. Mary told me that she had not understood anything.
  3. Bob explained that he was from Senegal.
  4. Jenny complained that she had to start all over again.

Note: the use of the pronouns we or they in 1 depends on the point of view. The use of we means that the speaker is included in the action. The use of they means: Frank and others, but not the speaker.

Exercise 5

Report the following questions:

  1. John asked me: “Why are you working so hard?”
  2. Laura asked John: “Did you attend Mr Hill’s speech yesterday?”
  3. Phillip asked us: “Have you ever been in the USA?”
  4. Norma asked me: “Who will come to London with you?”

  1. John asked me why I was working so hard.
  2. Laura asked John if he had attended Mr Hill’s speech yesterday/the day before.
  3. Phillip asked us if we had ever been in the USA.
  4. Norma asked me who would come to London with me.

Note: the adverbial of time in sentence 2 depends on the moment of reporting the question. We must say yesterday if we report it within the same day (so that the time reference is still valid). We must say the day before if we report the question one day, or more, afterwards (so that the reference yesterday is no longer valid).

Exercise 6

Report the following commands, suggestions and requests:

  1. Albert ordered me: “Do it again!”
  2. Martha asked me: “Could you speak louder so we can all hear what you’re saying?”
  3. Charles suggested: “What about having a break?”
  4. Sandra asked us: “Don’t stop until you finish!”

  1. Albert ordered me to do it again.
  2. Martha asked me… to speak louder so they could all hear what I was saying / …if I could speak louder so they could all hear what I was saying.
  3. Charles suggested… that we should have a break / …having a break.
  4. Sandra asked us not to stop until we finished.

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