Reported statements: who said what? Reported speech exercises for statements
About this lesson
This B1 drill lesson gives reported speech exercises for statements: said or told, each tense one step back, and the pronouns and time words that change when you report later.
- Grammar
- Said (that) and told + person, backshift (is → was, will → would, can → could, have done and did → had done), new pronouns, the next day and there.
- Topic
- An office rumor: a team chat about a mysterious new team member from Italy, a message to a sister, the boss's email, the office newsletter and a chat with Lise, a coworker.
- Activities
- True or false, sorting, choices, gap-fills, tables, matching, drag-and-drop, word order, quizzes, memory games and a chat.
What's inside
Chapter 1The rule
Chapter 2Said or told?
- Choose the right verb: said or told?Choose the optionTry it
- Fill in the gaps: say or tell?Fill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: change the pronounsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: pronoun + verbDrag and dropUnlock
- Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
- Match what they said and the reported sentencesMatchUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
Chapter 3One step back
- Fill in the table: one step backFill in the tableTry it
- Choose the right form: what did they say?Choose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: one step backFill in the gapsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: what was the news?Drag and dropUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: direct and reported verbsMemory gameUnlock
- Find the mistake in the reported sentencesQuizUnlock
- Read Ilaria's post and fill in the gaps: one step backFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 4That day, the next day
- Match the direct and reported time wordsMatchTry it
- Fill in the gaps: time and place wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right words: when you report laterChoose the optionUnlock
- Mark true or false: is the reported sentence correct?True or falseUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: time and placeDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the right reported sentenceQuizUnlock
- Read Marigold's review and fill in the gaps: one step backFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: The new team member
- Read the team chatReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the chat again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read Henning's message to his sister and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Bernadette's email and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read the office newsletter and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Lise texts youChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose the right word: at the officeChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with say or tell: on vacationFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: report it one step backFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the table: what did they say a month later?Fill in the tableUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: what they saidUnjumbleUnlock
- Sort the verbs: what do they become one step back?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Match what Daniel said and the reported sentencesMatchUnlock
- Find the mistake in each sentenceQuizUnlock
- Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: report it laterFill in the gapsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: news from friendsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read about Grandma's phone call and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Read the news story and fill in the gaps: one step backFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Romilly's message and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: direct and reported wordsMemory gameUnlock
Grammar: reported statements with said and told
To report what someone said, use said, or told + a person, then their words with the tense one step back: “I'm tired.” → Ana said she was tired. When you report later, the pronouns and the time words shift too.
Reported statements: who said what?
Tell someone what another person said: said or told + their words, one tense back.
Said or told?
Say has no person after it (She said she was busy) or takes to + person (He said goodbye to us). Tell always needs a person: She told me she was busy. That is optional after both.
said / told + statement, one tense back
subjectsaid (that) · told + person (that)the statement, one tense back
“I'm tired.” → Ana said she was tired.
“I'll call you.” → Ben told me he would call me.
“We've finished.” → They said (that) they had finished.
Say or tell?
say: no person after it
- She said (that) she was busy.
- say something to someone: He said goodbye to us.
- Not: She said me…
tell + a person (me, us, Ana)
- She told me (that) she was busy.
- tell someone something: He told us the news.
- Not: He told that… · He told to me…
One tense back
The present simple becomes the past simple, am waiting becomes was waiting, am going to becomes was going to, will becomes would, can becomes could, and both have lost and saw become had lost, had seen.
| The tense | Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|---|
| present simple → past simple | “I work here.” | She said she worked there. |
| present continuous → past continuous | “I'm waiting.” | He said he was waiting. |
| am / is / are going to → was / were going to | “We're going to move.” | They said they were going to move. |
| present perfect → past perfect | “I've lost my keys.” | She said she had lost her keys. |
| past simple → past perfect | “I saw the movie.” | He said he had seen the movie. |
| will → would | “I'll help.” | She said she would help. |
| can → could | “I can't come.” | He said he couldn't come. |
Pronouns, time and place words
I and my become he, she, his or her, and you becomes I when the words were said to you. Reported later, today turns into that day, tomorrow into the next day, here into there.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| I · my · we · our | he / she · his / her · they · their |
| you · your (said to me) | I / me · my |
| today · tonight | that day · that night |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| next week · next month | the following week · the following month (or: the next week…) |
| last week · last year | the week before · the year before (or: the previous week…) |
| two days ago | two days before / two days earlier |
| now | then / at that time |
| here · this · these | there · that · those |
Still true? Keep the present
For a fact or something still true now, the present can stay: Mia said she lives in Boston. Once it's no longer true, step back: Ten years ago, Mia said she lived in Boston. Now she lives in Denver.
Still true? The present can stay
If it's still true now, or it's a fact, you can keep the present. Both are correct: Mia said she lives / lived in Boston (she still lives there). Our teacher said the earth is / was round. But if it isn't true anymore, go one step back: Ten years ago, Mia said she lived in Boston. Now she lives in Denver.
What doesn't change
Would, could, might and had + past participle stay as they are: “I might be late.” → He said he might be late. In everyday English the past simple often stays too: He said he saw it.
Small words, no change
That is optional: She said (that) she was busy. No change for would, could, might and had + past participle: “I might be late.” → He said he might be late. Past simple: in everyday English it often stays, too: He said he saw / had seen it. Both are correct.
Common mistakes
The usual errors are She said me she was tired, He told that he was sorry, and will for a promise that's over: Ana said she would call me, but she never did, not she will call me.
She said me she was tired.
She told me she was tired.
say + no person · tell + a person
He told that he was sorry.
He said that he was sorry.
tell needs a person: told me, told us
Ana said she will call me, but she never did.
Ana said she would call me, but she never did.
will → would
Tom said he has lost his keys, but then he found them.
Tom said he had lost his keys, but then he found them.
not true anymore: one tense back
Examples
- “I love this song.” → Mia said she loved that song.present simple → past simple
- “I'm working from home today.” → Tom told us he was working from home that day.present continuous → past continuous
- “We've never been to Rome.” → They said they had never been to Rome.present perfect → past perfect
- “I lost my phone yesterday.” → She said she had lost her phone the day before.past simple → past perfect
- “I'll see you tomorrow.” → He told me he would see me the next day.will → would
- “You can sit here.” → She told me I could sit there.can → could, you → I, here → there
More lessons on this grammar: Reported speech lessons and exercises
Try the reported speech exercises
Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.
What's in the lesson
- 42 auto-checked exercises
- 4 games
- 1 real-life document
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 picture
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- use said with no person and told with one: Lucy told me she was bored, not He said me that he was hungry
- move the verb one tense back: “I'm driving.” → She said she was driving. “I'll call you.” → Ben told me he would call me.
- change the pronouns to match the speaker: “I love my job,” said Kate. → Kate said she loved her job.
- change time and place words when you report later: tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the day before, here → there
- keep the present for what's still true: Mia said she lives in Denver, and she still does.
- Grammar:
- reported speech · say vs tell · tense backshift · time words in reported speech
- Topic:
- grammar practice · work · office life · gossip
Teaching tips
- Play office telephone: one student whispers a sentence (I'll bring cookies on Monday), the next reports it with said or told me, and the class checks the tenses at the end of the line.
- Retell the team chat from memory: after reading the messages, pairs close the text and report who said what: Declan said the new person was a chef.
- Report a classmate's weekend plans on Monday: on Friday pairs share plans with tomorrow and tonight; after the weekend they report them with the next day and that night.
Liked it?
Teach the whole lesson in edio
46 exercises in 6 chapters, ready to teach. edio is an online platform for language schools and teachers: ready-made interactive lessons, live classes, homework and student progress in one place.
Start a free trial
7 days, no credit card.
Open the lesson
Find it in the library of 621 ready lessons. Teach it as it is, or copy any chapter into your own lessons.
Teach it live or as homework
Students work in their own accounts, in sync with you during the lesson, and the practice exercises check themselves.
The whole course: English Grammar Practice · B1
English Grammar Practice · B1 has 28 drill lessons, one grammar point each: the present perfect continuous, narrative tenses, future forms, modals of deduction, the second conditional, the passive, relative clauses, reported speech, question tags and linkers. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words.See the course
- 1Present perfect continuous: how long have you been doing it?
- 2Present perfect simple or continuous: how many or how long?
- 3Past perfect: what had happened before?
- 4Narrative tenses: telling a great story
- 5Future forms: plans, promises and timetables
- 6Future time clauses: I'll call you when I land
- 7Used to, be used to, get used to: settling in
- 8Modal verbs: can, must, should or might?
- 9Could, was able to, managed to: did you make it?
- 10Modals of deduction: whose bag could it be?
- 11Second conditional: what would you do?
- 12Conditionals compared: real or imagined?
- 13Present and past passive: how is it made?
- 14Passive in other tenses: what's being done?
- 15Relative clauses: the person who, the place where
- 16Reported statements: who said what?
- 17Reported questions and commands: what did they ask you?
- 18Indirect questions: could you tell me where it is?
- 19Question tags: it's your first day, isn't it?
- 20Gerunds and infinitives: enjoy doing or decide to do?
- 21Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself?
- 22Although, however, despite: great view, tiny room
- 23So, such and because of: what a storm!
- 24Phrasal verbs: who's going to clean it up?
- 25All, both, either, neither, none: two or a whole group?
- 26-ed and -ing adjectives: bored or boring?
- 27Advanced comparatives: the more, the better
- 28Articles with place names: the Nile, but Lake Como