English Grammar Exercises

Direct And Indirect Speech

Change the following direct speech to indirect speech.

• "I've never been to Thailand," Yusri told me.
• "Don’t lend any more books to Harry until he returns the one you lent him last week," I warned Sean.
• "I don't believe you," Ray said to Nolan.
• "Why haven't you done the home work I set you last Wednesday?" the teacher asked Rina angrily.
• "I gave Margo your message this morning," Randall told his Form teacher.
• "Turn and march to the end of the field," the Sargent commanded the regiment in a hoarse voice.
• "I had done my homework before I went out to play," Don told his mother.
• "Have you read this book?” the librarian asked Hillary.
• "What is the problem?” the policeman asked.
• "I have not seen a more emotionally harrowing movie than this one," said my friend as we were leaving the movie theatre.
• "That was a very cryptic message that you sent to me," Dev complained to me.

Answer Scheme

• Yusri told me that he had never been to Thailand.
• I warned Sean not to lend any more books to Harry until he returned the one he had lent him the previous week.
• Ray told Nolan that he did not believe him.
• The teacher asked Rina angrily why she had n0ot done the homework she had set her the previous Wednesday.
• Randall told his Form teacher that he had given Margo her message that morning.
• The Sargent commanded the regiment in a hoarse voice to turn and march to the end of the field.
• Don told his mother that he had had done his homework before he went out to play.
• The librarian asked Hillary if she had read the book.
• The policeman asked what the problem was.
• As we were leaving the movie theatre, my friend said that he had not seen a more emotionally harrowing movie than that one.
• Dev complained to me that that had been a very cryptic message that I had sent to him.

Change the following indirect speech to direct speech.

• Harry asked Margo whether she had taken the dogs for a walk that day.
• May asked Ron if he could help her a little with the homework.
• The mathematics teacher asked the class to draw the circles and triangles very carefully using the relevant instruments.
• The students exclaimed what a wonderful day it was when the teacher told them the news that they were going to the circus.
• Garry told his sister that perhaps it was not a good idea to invite his friends to their house the following week because their mother was sick.
• The tailor asked Gary when he wanted his trousers.
• The red-haired boy kept on asking his mother to play with him instead of looking at her mobile phone.
• Betty told the teacher that she had not minded being called mean or ugly by the bullies of that class.
• The Physical Education teacher told Vicky to be resilient in the face of repeated defeats.
• Our Geography teacher told us that day that we could not draw the map that way.

Answer Scheme

• “Have you taken the dogs on a walk today?” Harry asked Margo.
• “Can you help me a little with the homework?” May asked Ron.
• “Please draw the circles and triangles very carefully using the relevant instruments,” the mathematics teacher told the class.
• “What a wonderful day! We are going to the circus,” the students said when the teacher told them the news.
• “Perhaps it is not a good idea to invite my friends to our house next week because mother is sick,” Garry told his sister.
• “When do you want your trousers?” the tailor asked Gary.
• “Please play with me instead of looking at your mobile phone,” the red-haired boy kept on asking his mother.
• “I did not mind being called mean or ugly by the bullies of this class,” Betty told the teacher.
• “Be resilient in the face of repeated defeats,” the Physical Education teacher told Vicky.
• “You cannot draw the map this way,” our Geography teacher told us today.