Below is a comprehensive list of 200 exercises on direct and indirect speech drawn from various tenses, along with their answers. This will include present, past, and future tenses, as well as continuous and perfect forms.
Exercises on Direct and Indirect Speech
Present Tense
- Direct: He says, “I am tired.”
Indirect: He says that he is tired. - Direct: She says, “I love reading books.”
Indirect: She says that she loves reading books. - Direct: They say, “We are going to the concert.”
Indirect: They say that they are going to the concert. - Direct: John asks, “Do you want some coffee?”
Indirect: John asks if I want some coffee. - Direct: The teacher tells us, “Work hard to succeed.”
Indirect: The teacher tells us to work hard to succeed. - Direct: He says, “The sun rises in the east.”
Indirect: He says that the sun rises in the east. - Direct: She states, “I am happy with my results.”
Indirect: She states that she is happy with her results. - Direct: They say, “We enjoy playing soccer.”
Indirect: They say that they enjoy playing soccer. - Direct: Mark asks, “Are you coming today?”
Indirect: Mark asks if I am coming today. - Direct: The manager says, “This is our best product.”
Indirect: The manager says that this is their best product.
Past Tense
- Direct: He said, “I saw the movie yesterday.”
Indirect: He said that he had seen the movie the day before. - Direct: She said, “I finished my homework.”
Indirect: She said that she had finished her homework. - Direct: They said, “We visited our grandparents last week.”
Indirect: They said that they had visited their grandparents the previous week. - Direct: Jack asked, “Did you enjoy the game?”
Indirect: Jack asked if I had enjoyed the game. - Direct: The manager stated, “I approved the proposal.”
Indirect: The manager stated that he had approved the proposal. - Direct: He said, “I was tired after work.”
Indirect: He said that he had been tired after work. - Direct: She said, “I was cooking dinner.”
Indirect: She said that she had been cooking dinner. - Direct: They asked, “Were you there?”
Indirect: They asked if I had been there. - Direct: Mark said, “I met him last week.”
Indirect: Mark said that he had met him the previous week. - Direct: The teacher said, “You failed the test.”
Indirect: The teacher said that I had failed the test.
Future Tense
- Direct: He will say, “I will meet you at 3 PM.”
Indirect: He will say that he will meet me at 3 PM. - Direct: She will say, “I am going to start a new job.”
Indirect: She will say that she is going to start a new job. - Direct: They will say, “We will travel to Europe next summer.”
Indirect: They will say that they will travel to Europe the following summer. - Direct: Tom will ask, “Will you join us for dinner?”
Indirect: Tom will ask if I will join them for dinner. - Direct: The coach will tell us, “We will practice tomorrow.”
Indirect: The coach will tell us that we will practice the next day. - Direct: He will say, “I will call you later.”
Indirect: He will say that he will call me later. - Direct: She will tell me, “I will help you.”
Indirect: She will tell me that she will help me. - Direct: They will say, “We are going to the beach.”
Indirect: They will say that they are going to the beach. - Direct: Jack will say, “I will finish my report.”
Indirect: Jack will say that he will finish his report. - Direct: The director will say, “The show will start at 8 PM.”
Indirect: The director will say that the show will start at 8 PM.
Present Continuous Tense
- Direct: He is saying, “I am watching a movie.”
Indirect: He is saying that he is watching a movie. - Direct: She is saying, “I am studying for my exams.”
Indirect: She is saying that she is studying for her exams. - Direct: They are saying, “We are enjoying the weather.”
Indirect: They are saying that they are enjoying the weather. - Direct: Jack is asking, “Are you coming to the party?”
Indirect: Jack is asking if I am coming to the party. - Direct: The boss is telling us, “You are doing a great job.”
Indirect: The boss is telling us that we are doing a great job. - Direct: He is saying, “I am learning Spanish.”
Indirect: He is saying that he is learning Spanish. - Direct: She is saying, “I am exercising every day.”
Indirect: She is saying that she is exercising every day. - Direct: They are saying, “We are planning a vacation.”
Indirect: They are saying that they are planning a vacation. - Direct: Tom is asking, “Is she coming too?”
Indirect: Tom is asking if she is coming too. - Direct: The teacher is saying, “You are all responsible for your grades.”
Indirect: The teacher is saying that we are all responsible for our grades.
Past Continuous Tense
- Direct: He was saying, “I was sleeping when you called.”
Indirect: He was saying that he had been sleeping when I called. - Direct: She was saying, “I was waiting for the bus.”
Indirect: She was saying that she had been waiting for the bus. - Direct: They were saying, “We were eating dinner at 7 PM.”
Indirect: They were saying that they had been eating dinner at 7 PM. - Direct: Tom was asking, “Were you working last night?”
Indirect: Tom was asking if I had been working the previous night. - Direct: The librarian was telling us, “You were making too much noise.”
Indirect: The librarian was telling us that we had been making too much noise. - Direct: He was saying, “I was studying late.”
Indirect: He was saying that he had been studying late. - Direct: She was asking, “Was it raining?”
Indirect: She was asking if it had been raining. - Direct: They were saying, “We were playing soccer.”
Indirect: They were saying that they had been playing soccer. - Direct: Jack was saying, “I was just leaving.”
Indirect: Jack was saying that he had been just leaving. - Direct: The chef was saying, “I was trying a new recipe.”
Indirect: The chef was saying that he had been trying a new recipe.
Future Continuous Tense
- Direct: He will be saying, “I will be studying at this time tomorrow.”
Indirect: He will be saying that he will be studying at that time the next day. - Direct: She will be saying, “I will be traveling to Paris next week.”
Indirect: She will be saying that she will be traveling to Paris the following week. - Direct: They will be saying, “We will be camping over the weekend.”
Indirect: They will be saying that they will be camping over the weekend. - Direct: Tom will be asking, “Will you be attending the meeting?”
Indirect: Tom will be asking if I will be attending the meeting. - Direct: The director will be telling us, “You will be performing on stage.”
Indirect: The director will be telling us that we will be performing on stage. - Direct: He will be saying, “I will be working on the project.”
Indirect: He will be saying that he will be working on the project. - Direct: She will be saying, “I will be completing the task.”
Indirect: She will be saying that she will be completing the task. - Direct: They will be saying, “We will be meeting at noon.”
Indirect: They will be saying that they will be meeting at noon. - Direct: Jack will be saying, “I will be joining you.”
Indirect: Jack will be saying that he will be joining us. - Direct: The boss will be saying, “You will be evaluated soon.”
Indirect: The boss will be saying that we will be evaluated soon.
Present Perfect Tense
- Direct: He has said, “I have finished my project.”
Indirect: He has said that he has finished his project. - Direct: She has said, “I have read that book.”
Indirect: She has said that she has read that book. - Direct: They have said, “We have completed our tasks.”
Indirect: They have said that they have completed their tasks. - Direct: Tom has asked, “Have you seen my keys?”
Indirect: Tom has asked if I have seen his keys. - Direct: The teacher has told us, “You have all done well.”
Indirect: The teacher has told us that we have all done well. - Direct: He has mentioned, “I have been to Italy.”
Indirect: He has mentioned that he has been to Italy. - Direct: She has explained, “I have solved the problem.”
Indirect: She has explained that she has solved the problem. - Direct: They have claimed, “We have won the match.”
Indirect: They have claimed that they have won the match. - Direct: Jack has asked, “Have you finished your work?”
Indirect: Jack has asked if I have finished my work. - Direct: The manager has advised, “You have to be careful.”
Indirect: The manager has advised that I have to be careful.
Past Perfect Tense
- Direct: He had said, “I had already eaten before you arrived.”
Indirect: He had said that he had already eaten before I arrived. - Direct: She had said, “I had finished my work before noon.”
Indirect: She had said that she had finished her work before noon. - Direct: They had said, “We had lived there for five years.”
Indirect: They had said that they had lived there for five years. - Direct: Jack had asked, “Had you heard the news before?”
Indirect: Jack had asked if I had heard the news before. - Direct: The manager had told us, “You had completed your assignments.”
Indirect: The manager had told us that we had completed our assignments. - Direct: He had mentioned, “I had never seen such a thing.”
Indirect: He had mentioned that he had never seen such a thing. - Direct: She had explained, “I had attended that conference.”
Indirect: She had explained that she had attended that conference. - Direct: They had confirmed, “We had secured the deal.”
Indirect: They had confirmed that they had secured the deal. - Direct: Jack had asked, “Had you finished the report?”
Indirect: Jack had asked if I had finished the report. - Direct: The teacher had noted, “You had not submitted your assignment.”
Indirect: The teacher had noted that I had not submitted my assignment.
Future Perfect Tense
- Direct: He will have said, “I will have graduated by next year.”
Indirect: He will have said that he will have graduated by the following year. - Direct: She will have said, “I will have completed the project.”
Indirect: She will have said that she will have completed the project. - Direct: They will have said, “We will have left by morning.”
Indirect: They will have said that they will have left
Future Perfect Tense (continued)
- Direct: Tom will have asked, “Will you have finished by then?”
Indirect: Tom will have asked if I will have finished by then. - Direct: The coach will have told us, “You will have improved by the end of the season.”
Indirect: The coach will have told us that we will have improved by the end of the season. - Direct: He will have said, “I will have saved enough money.”
Indirect: He will have said that he will have saved enough money. - Direct: She will have said, “I will have visited all the museums.”
Indirect: She will have said that she will have visited all the museums. - Direct: They will have stated, “We will have finished moving.”
Indirect: They will have stated that they will have finished moving. - Direct: Jack will have announced, “I will have completed the task by noon.”
Indirect: Jack will have announced that he will have completed the task by noon. - Direct: The director will have said, “The project will have been reviewed by then.”
Indirect: The director will have said that the project will have been reviewed by then. - Direct: She will have commented, “I will have baked a cake for the party.”
Indirect: She will have commented that she will have baked a cake for the party. - Direct: He will have stated, “I will have written my thesis by the deadline.”
Indirect: He will have stated that he will have written his thesis by the deadline. - Direct: They will have claimed, “We will have registered for the conference.”
Indirect: They will have claimed that they will have registered for the conference.
Mixed Tenses Exercises
- Direct: He says, “I want to play football.”
Indirect: He says that he wants to play football. - Direct: She asked, “Where is your brother?”
Indirect: She asked where my brother was. - Direct: They said, “We are planning a trip.”
Indirect: They said that they are planning a trip. - Direct: Jack tells, “This cake tastes delicious.”
Indirect: Jack tells that this cake tastes delicious. - Direct: The doctor said, “You should take this medicine.”
Indirect: The doctor said that I should take that medicine. - Direct: He will say, “I have just finished my homework.”
Indirect: He will say that he has just finished his homework. - Direct: She was saying, “I was outside when you called.”
Indirect: She was saying that she had been outside when I called. - Direct: They will be saying, “We will be moving next month.”
Indirect: They will be saying that they will be moving the following month. - Direct: Jack has said, “I will help you with that.”
Indirect: Jack has said that he will help me with that. - Direct: She had said, “I had hoped to travel this year.”
Indirect: She had said that she had hoped to travel that year. - Direct: They often say, “We love to dance.”
Indirect: They often say that they love to dance. - Direct: He asked, “What time does the meeting start?”
Indirect: He asked what time the meeting started. - Direct: She said, “I can do it.”
Indirect: She said that she could do it. - Direct: They will ask, “Are you coming to the party?”
Indirect: They will ask if I am coming to the party. - Direct: Jack said, “I was working when you called.”
Indirect: Jack said that he had been working when I called. - Direct: The teacher told us, “You must submit your work.”
Indirect: The teacher told us that we must submit our work. - Direct: He will say, “I will try my best.”
Indirect: He will say that he will try his best. - Direct: She is saying, “I am going for a walk.”
Indirect: She is saying that she is going for a walk. - Direct: They said, “We have seen this before.”
Indirect: They said that they had seen that before. - Direct: Jack will say, “I am finishing this soon.”
Indirect: Jack will say that he is finishing this soon. - Direct: She was saying, “I don’t feel well.”
Indirect: She was saying that she didn’t feel well. - Direct: They have said, “We are working on a new project.”
Indirect: They have said that they are working on a new project. - Direct: Tom will have said, “I will finish it tomorrow.”
Indirect: Tom will have said that he will finish it the next day. - Direct: She said, “I had a great time.”
Indirect: She said that she had had a great time. - Direct: He says, “I need a break.”
Indirect: He says that he needs a break. - Direct: They asked, “What do you want to eat?”
Indirect: They asked what I wanted to eat. - Direct: Jack told me, “You are doing well.”
Indirect: Jack told me that I was doing well.
More Mixed Tenses Exercises
- Direct: He says, “I will help you tomorrow.”
Indirect: He says that he will help me the next day. - Direct: She told us, “I have completed the assignment.”
Indirect: She told us that she had completed the assignment. - Direct: They said, “We are studying together.”
Indirect: They said that they were studying together. - Direct: Jack asked, “Have you seen my phone?”
Indirect: Jack asked if I had seen his phone. - Direct: The manager said, “The deadline is next week.”
Indirect: The manager said that the deadline was the following week. - Direct: He was saying, “I want to go home.”
Indirect: He was saying that he wanted to go home. - Direct: She is asking, “Can you help me?”
Indirect: She is asking if I can help her. - Direct: They will be saying, “We are excited for the trip.”
Indirect: They will be saying that they are excited for the trip. - Direct: Jack has said, “I have already eaten.”
Indirect: Jack has said that he has already eaten. - Direct: The teacher had told us, “You should study more.”
Indirect: The teacher had told us that we should study more. - Direct: He will have said, “I will complete the project.”
Indirect: He will have said that he will complete the project. - Direct: She said, “I had never been there before.”
Indirect: She said that she had never been there before. - Direct: They said, “We were waiting for you.”
Indirect: They said that they had been waiting for me. - Direct: Jack asked, “Did you enjoy the concert?”
Indirect: Jack asked if I had enjoyed the concert. - Direct: The manager will say, “You must finish this by Friday.”
Indirect: The manager will say that I must finish it by Friday. - Direct: He says, “I can ride a bike.”
Indirect: He says that he can ride a bike. - Direct: She has asked, “What time does the shop open?”
Indirect: She has asked what time the shop opens. - Direct: They will ask, “Are you joining us for dinner?”
Indirect: They will ask if I am joining them for dinner. - Direct: Jack said, “I was studying all night.”
Indirect: Jack said that he had been studying all night. - Direct: The doctor said, “You need to rest.”
Indirect: The doctor said that I needed to rest.
Continuing More Mixed Exercises
- Direct: He says, “I will call you later.”
Indirect: He says that he will call me later. - Direct: She asked, “Where have you been?”
Indirect: She asked where I had been. - Direct: They stated, “We are going to the movie.”
Indirect: They stated that they were going to the movie. - Direct: Jack told me, “I just arrived.”
Indirect: Jack told me that he had just arrived. - Direct: The teacher said, “You must complete your homework.”
Indirect: The teacher said that I must complete my homework. - Direct: He will say, “I have a meeting today.”
Indirect: He will say that he has a meeting that day. - Direct: She is saying, “I am reading a great book.”
Indirect: She is saying that she is reading a great book. - Direct: They have told, “We have finished on time.”
Indirect: They have told that they have finished on time. - Direct: Jack said, “I heard a strange noise.”
Indirect: Jack said that he had heard a strange noise. - Direct: The chef told us, “You can taste the soup.”
Indirect: The chef told us that we could taste the soup. - Direct: He said, “I am planning to travel next month.”
Indirect: He said that he was planning to travel the following month. - Direct: She asked, “Did you see my bag?”
Indirect: She asked if I had seen her bag. - Direct: They said, “We are enjoying our vacation.”
Indirect: They said that they were enjoying their vacation. - Direct: Tom has said, “I will help you tomorrow.”
Indirect: Tom has said that he will help me the next day. - Direct: The manager has told us, “You need to be on time.”
Indirect: The manager has told us that we need to be on time. - Direct: He will be saying, “I will be traveling next week.”
Indirect: He will be saying that he will be traveling the following week. - Direct: She said, “I am feeling sick.”
Indirect: She said that she was feeling sick. - Direct: They will have said, “We will arrive by noon.”
Indirect: They will have said that they will arrive by noon. - Direct: Jack will say, “I can finish this work.”
Indirect: Jack will say that he can finish that work. - Direct: The teacher asked, “Did you study for the test?”
Indirect: The teacher asked if I had studied for the test.
Final Set of Exercises
- Direct: He said, “I will write you a letter.”
Indirect: He said that he would write me a letter. - Direct: She said, “I had a great time at the party.”
Indirect: She said that she had had a great time at the party. - Direct: They were saying, “We are excited about the event.”
Indirect: They were saying that they were excited about the event. - Direct: Jack asked, “Can I borrow your book?”
Indirect: Jack asked if he could borrow my book. - Direct: The teacher told us, “You need to submit your essays.”
Indirect: The teacher told us that we needed to submit our essays. - Direct: He has said, “I have completed the analysis.”
Indirect: He has said that he has completed the analysis. - Direct: She will say, “I will be there soon.”
Indirect: She will say that she will be there soon. - Direct: They said, “We can help you if you need.”
Indirect: They said that they could help me if I needed it. - Direct: Tom said, “I saw him yesterday.”
Indirect: Tom said that he had seen him the day before
Final Mixed Tenses Exercises (continued)
- Direct: She asked, “When will you visit us?”
Indirect: She asked when I would visit them. - Direct: They have said, “We will join you later.”
Indirect: They have said that they would join me later. - Direct: Jack said, “I can help you with your homework.”
Indirect: Jack said that he could help me with my homework. - Direct: The manager told us, “You should start the project now.”
Indirect: The manager told us that we should start the project then. - Direct: He has mentioned, “I have seen that movie before.”
Indirect: He has mentioned that he has seen that movie before. - Direct: She will say, “I am going to the gym.”
Indirect: She will say that she is going to the gym. - Direct: They said, “We are watching a documentary.”
Indirect: They said that they were watching a documentary. - Direct: Tom asked, “Did you finish your project?”
Indirect: Tom asked if I had finished my project. - Direct: The teacher asked, “Have you completed your work?”
Indirect: The teacher asked if I had completed my work. - Direct: He said, “We will discuss this tomorrow.”
Indirect: He said that they would discuss that the next day. - Direct: She mentioned, “I called you yesterday.”
Indirect: She mentioned that she had called me the day before. - Direct: They have stated, “We are happy to help.”
Indirect: They have stated that they are happy to help. - Direct: Jack said, “I will need a new phone.”
Indirect: Jack said that he would need a new phone. - Direct: The manager said, “You can leave early today.”
Indirect: The manager said that I could leave early that day. - Direct: He asked, “What are you doing later?”
Indirect: He asked what I was doing later. - Direct: She told us, “You should try this dish.”
Indirect: She told us that we should try that dish. - Direct: They said, “We finished the project on time.”
Indirect: They said that they had finished the project on time. - Direct: Tom will say, “I am working on a new project.”
Indirect: Tom will say that he is working on a new project. - Direct: She asked, “Where did you go last weekend?”
Indirect: She asked where I had gone the previous weekend. - Direct: He said, “I can meet you at 5 PM.”
Indirect: He said that he could meet me at 5 PM. - Direct: The teacher asked, “Are you ready for the exam?”
Indirect: The teacher asked if I was ready for the exam. - Direct: They told me, “We are excited for the event.”
Indirect: They told me that they were excited for the event. - Direct: Jack said, “I saw her at the store.”
Indirect: Jack said that he had seen her at the store. - Direct: She mentioned, “I want to learn Spanish.”
Indirect: She mentioned that she wanted to learn Spanish. - Direct: He asked, “Will you join us for dinner?”
Indirect: He asked if I would join them for dinner. - Direct: They said, “We will go on vacation next month.”
Indirect: They said that they would go on vacation the following month. - Direct: Tom said, “I have finished reading the book.”
Indirect: Tom said that he had finished reading the book. - Direct: She asked, “Do you like this song?”
Indirect: She asked if I liked that song. - Direct: He announced, “I will be presenting next week.”
Indirect: He announced that he would be presenting the following week. - Direct: The teacher told us, “You must study for the test.”
Indirect: The teacher told us that we must study for the test. - Direct: She commented, “I enjoy hiking in the mountains.”
Indirect: She commented that she enjoyed hiking in the mountains.
Conclusion
This brings the total to 200 exercises on converting direct speech to indirect speech.
