IELTS Reported Speech Accuracy Exercises

Reported Speech

Rule Explanation

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) is used when incorporating another person’s words into your writing or speaking without using quotation marks. It involves transforming the original utterance into a subordinate clause, often introduced by "that" for statements. For example, direct speech: “I love travelling,” she said. Reported speech: She said that she loved travelling.

One of the key challenges is adjusting the verb tense: when the reporting verb is in the past, you typically move all tenses one step back (backshifting). However, if the reporting verb is in the present or the statement expresses a universal truth, the tense remains unchanged. Understanding this nuance helps avoid common tense errors.

Pronouns and adverbials of time and place must also change to match the reporter’s perspective. For example, “today” becomes “that day,” “here” becomes “there,” and first-person pronouns change to third-person as appropriate.

In IELTS preparation, using a rich variety of reporting verbs (e.g., suggested, reminded, warned, explained) enhances your lexical resource score. Different verbs also convey the speaker’s attitude or the nature of the statement, adding depth to your response.

Question forms and commands require special structures:

• Yes/No Questions: Use "if" or "whether" + subject + past verb (no auxiliary).
• Wh- Questions: Retain the question word + subject + past verb.
• Commands/Requests: Use reporting verb + object + to-infinitive.

Mastering these elements contributes to clearer, more sophisticated language, essential for a high IELTS band. Using correct Reported Speech in writing or speaking section could help you get a better band score.

Tense Backshifts

• Present Simple → Past Simple ("writes" → "wrote")
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous ("is reading" → "was reading")
• Past Simple → Past Perfect ("visited" → "had visited")
• Present Perfect → Past Perfect ("has seen" → "had seen")
• Future Simple (will) → Conditional (would)
• Modal Verbs: can → could, may → might, must → had to, shall → should

Pronoun & Time Changes

• "I" → "he"/"she"; "we" → "they"
• "today" → "that day"; "now" → "then"; "here" → "there"

No-Change Scenarios When the reporting verb is in the present or stating a universal truth, tenses may remain unchanged.

Common Mistakes

• Omitting tense backshifts
• Forgetting to change pronouns or time expressions
• Applying question structure incorrectly

Examples

• Correct: She said that she was going to the meeting.
  Explanation: "I am going" (present continuous) backshifts to "she was going" (past continuous).
• Correct: He asked if I had finished my homework.
  Explanation: "Have you finished?" (present perfect) becomes "had finished" (past perfect) and question form updates.
• Correct: They told us they would arrive by 6 pm.
  Explanation: "We will arrive" (future simple) changes to "they would arrive".

Additional Examples

• Correct: She asked where I had gone.
  Explanation: "Where did you go?" (past simple) becomes "had gone" (past perfect) with the wh- question structure.
• Correct: He reminded me to submit my essay by the next day.
  Explanation: Command "Submit your essay by tomorrow" becomes an infinitive and time reference shifts.
• Correct: He said that I could borrow his notes.
  Explanation: Modal "can" backshifts to "could" in reported speech.

Sample IELTS Excerpts

• Writing: The activist argued that they needed to reduce plastic waste.
  (Direct: "We need to reduce plastic waste.")
• Speaking: I told the interviewer that I had visited three countries during my gap year.
  (Direct: "I visited three countries during my gap year.")
• Universal Truths: The teacher said that water boils at 100°C.
  (Direct: "Water boils at 100°C.")

Practice Question

Convert the following direct speech into reported speech by choosing the correct option:

"I will bring the books," Sarah said.

A) will bring
B) would bring
C) was bringing
D) brought

Show Answer

Answer: B) would bring
Explanation: Future simple "will bring" backshifts to "would bring" when the reporting verb is in the past. Option A remains in the present tense, C uses past continuous without cause, and D alters the intended meaning.

Key Takeaways

• Backshift tenses and adjust pronouns & time expressions consistently.
• Vary reporting verbs and apply correct structures for questions & commands.
• Practice grammar correction examples with Lingo Copilot