Direct And Indirect Speech Quiz: Test Your Skills
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The Direct and Indirect Speech Quiz is designed to test your understanding of how to properly convert direct speech into indirect speech and vice versa. In English grammar, mastering both forms is crucial for clear and effective communication. Direct speech involves quoting someone's exact words, while indirect speech involves paraphrasing what was said.
By the end, you will be more confident in identifying the correct usage of punctuation, pronouns, and verb tenses when changing from one form to another. If you are a student looking to improve your grammar skills or simply aiming to refine your language abilities, this Read morereported speech quiz offers an effective way to strengthen your knowledge of direct and indirect speech.
Direct And Indirect Speech Questions and Answers
- 1.
What would the indirect speech be: Maria said, "It's my car."?
- A.
Maria said that it is my car.
- B.
Maria said that it is her car.
- C.
Maria said that it was my car.
- D.
Maria said that it was her car.
Correct Answer
D. Maria said that it was her car.Explanation
The correct answer is, "Maria said that it was her car." In indirect speech, we change the pronouns and verb tenses to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. Since the speaker is referring to Maria in the third person, the pronoun "my" changes to "her." Additionally, the present tense "is" changes to the past tense "was" to reflect the change in time.Rate this question:
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- 2.
What would the indirect speech be: Martin said, "I work here every day."?
- A.
Martin said that he worked here yesterday.
- B.
Martin said that he worked there every day.
- C.
Martin said that he works here every day.
- D.
Martin said that he worked every day.
Correct Answer
B. Martin said that he worked there every day.Explanation
The correct answer is, "Martin said that he worked there every day." In indirect speech, we change the pronouns and tenses to reflect the perspective of the speaker. Since The speaker is referring to a place Martin is not currently in, "here" is changed to "there." Additionally, the present tense "work" is changed to past tense "worked" to match the context of the speaker’s statement being reported. The phrase "every day" remains unchanged as it is a time adverb that does not require any modification.Rate this question:
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- 3.
What would the indirect speech be: Monica said, "I have finished my homework."?
- A.
Monica said that she had finished her homework.
- B.
Monica said that she had finished my homework.
- C.
Monica said that she has finished her homework.
- D.
Monica said that she has finished my homework."
Correct Answer
A. Monica said that she had finished her homework.Explanation
In converting direct speech to indirect (or reported) speech, the tense usually shifts back one level to reflect the time elapsed from the original statement. Therefore, "I have finished" (present perfect tense) becomes "she had finished" (past perfect tense) in reported speech. Additionally, the pronoun changes from "I" to "she" to match the subject "Monica," and the verb "said" is followed by "that" to introduce the reported clause.Rate this question:
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- 4.
What would the indirect speech be: My daughter said to me, "I can sleep alone."?
- A.
My daughter said to me that I can sleep alone.
- B.
My daughter told me that she can sleep alone.
- C.
My daughter said to me that she would sleep alone.
- D.
My daughter told me that she could sleep alone.
Correct Answer
D. My daughter told me that she could sleep alone.Explanation
In indirect speech, we report what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. Instead, we use a reporting verb (in this case, "said") and adjust the statement to fit within the context of reporting. So, in the original direct speech, your daughter said, "I can sleep alone." When converting it to indirect speech, we report that she made this statement by saying, "My daughter said that she could sleep alone."Rate this question:
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- 5.
What would the indirect speech be: Leo said, "My friend may come tonight."?
- A.
Leo said that his friend might come tonight.
- B.
Leo said that his friend might come that night.
- C.
Leo said that his friend might go that night.
- D.
Leo said that his friend might go tonight.
Correct Answer
B. Leo said that his friend might come that night.Explanation
When converting direct speech to indirect speech, certain changes need to be made to pronouns, tenses, and time expressions. In this case:
The pronoun "my" changes to "his" to reflect the change in speaker.
The modal verb "may" changes to "might" to indicate a shift from direct to indirect speech.
The time expression "tonight" changes to "that night" to reflect the past context.
The other options are incorrect because they either do not make all the necessary changes or introduce inaccurate information.Rate this question:
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- 6.
What would the indirect speech be: Jullie said to me, "I have to win this game."?
- A.
Jullie told me that she must win this game.
- B.
Jullie told me that she had to win that game.
- C.
Jullie told me that she had to win this game.
- D.
Jullie told me that she must win that game.
Correct Answer
B. Jullie told me that she had to win that game.Explanation
In indirect speech, the tense of the verb often changes from present to past, and words like "this" and "these" shift to "that" and "those" to reflect the shift in perspective. In this case, "have to" becomes "had to," and "this game" becomes "that game." Therefore, the correct indirect speech is: "Jullie told me that she had to win that game."Rate this question:
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- 7.
What would the indirect speech be: He said, "I am a man."?
- A.
He said that he was a man.
- B.
He said that he were a man.
- C.
He said that I am a man.
- D.
He said that I was a man.
Correct Answer
B. He said that he were a man.Explanation
To correctly form the indirect speech of "He said, 'I am a man'," we need to make two key changes. First, we shift the tense of the verb "am" to "was" because the reporting verb "said" is in the past tense. Second, we change the pronoun "I" to "he" to reflect that we are reporting someone else's statement. This gives us the final indirect speech form: "He said that he was a man."Rate this question:
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- 8.
What would the indirect speech be: Mary said, "I am coming here."?
- A.
Mary said that she was coming there.
- B.
Mary said that she is coming there.
- C.
Mary insists that she had been coming there.
- D.
Mary says that she had come here.
Correct Answer
A. Mary said that she was coming there.Explanation
In indirect speech, Mary stated that she was coming to that location. This transformation involves changing the pronouns and verb tense to match the perspective of the reporting speaker while retaining the meaning of the original statement.Rate this question:
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- 9.
What would the indirect speech be: My brother said, "I went to school yesterday."?
- A.
My brother said that he had gone to school today.
- B.
My brother said that he had gone to school the day after.
- C.
My brother said that he had gone to school the previous day.
- D.
My brother said that he had gone to school the next day.
Correct Answer
C. My brother said that he had gone to school the previous day.Explanation
In indirect speech, we report what someone said without directly quoting them. This involves changes in tense, pronouns, and time expressions. The verb "went" shifts to "had gone" (past perfect), "I" becomes "he," and "yesterday" changes to "the previous day" to maintain consistency with the past tense reporting verb "said."Rate this question:
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- 10.
What would the indirect speech be: Mathew said, "I will go to school next year."?
- A.
Mathew said that he would go to school the year before.
- B.
Mathew said that he would go to school the following year.
- C.
Mathew said that he would come to school the year before.
- D.
Mathew said that he would come to school the year after.
Correct Answer
B. Mathew said that he would go to school the following year.Explanation
In transforming direct to indirect speech, Matthew's statement "I will go to school next year" becomes "Matthew said that he would go to school the following year." This conversion involves adjusting the tense and pronoun to reflect the reporting perspective while maintaining the essence of the original message.Rate this question:
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- 11.
She said, "I am going to the market now." Change this sentence to indirect speech.
- A.
She said that she was going to the market then.
- B.
She said that she is going to the market now.
- C.
She said she was going to the market now.
- D.
She says she is going to the market then.
Correct Answer
A. She said that she was going to the market then.Explanation
When we report someone's words without directly quoting them, we make a few changes. The verb tense shifts back in time, so "am going" becomes "was going." Pronouns also change to reflect who is speaking, so "I" becomes "she." And since it's not happening "now" anymore, we change that to "then." This keeps the meaning the same but shows it's a report of what was said.Rate this question:
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- 12.
He asked, "Where is the library?" Change this to indirect speech.
- A.
He asked where is the library.
- B.
He asked where the library was.
- C.
He asked where was the library.
- D.
He is asking where the library is.
Correct Answer
B. He asked where the library was.Explanation
Indirect questions are tricky! We change the word order so it's not like a question anymore. Instead of "Where is the library?" it becomes "where the library was." We also change the verb tense to the past ("was") to show that the question was asked in the past.Rate this question:
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- 13.
"Don't touch that!" she exclaimed. Choose the correct indirect speech version.
- A.
She exclaimed not to touch that.
- B.
She exclaimed that don't touch that.
- C.
She exclaimed to not touch that.
- D.
She exclaimed don't touch that.
Correct Answer
A. She exclaimed not to touch that.Explanation
When we report commands or requests, we use the infinitive form of the verb, like "to touch." And to make it negative, we put "not" before the infinitive. So, "Don't touch that!" becomes "She exclaimed not to touch that."Rate this question:
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- 14.
Which of these is NOT a reporting verb?
- A.
Exclaim
- B.
Request
- C.
Because
- D.
Suggest
Correct Answer
C. BecauseExplanation
Reporting verbs are the words we use to show that someone said something. They're like "said," "asked," "told," "explained," and so on. "Because" is different – it explains why something happens, not that someone said it.Rate this question:
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- 15.
"I will be there tomorrow," he promised. Change to indirect speech.
- A.
He promised that he will be there tomorrow.
- B.
He promised that he would be there the next day.
- C.
He promised to be there tomorrow.
- D.
He promised that he would be there tomorrow.
Correct Answer
B. He promised that he would be there the next day.Explanation
When we tell someone about a promise made in the past, we change "will" to "would." This shows the promise was made earlier. Also, instead of "tomorrow," we use "the next day" because it's not "tomorrow" from when we're speaking.Rate this question:
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Jan 16, 2025Quiz Edited by
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May 13, 2015Quiz Created by
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