Reported Speech Examples

---

Try the Subject Video Exercise

See the sentences below with direct and indirect speech forms, these are great references to understand the difference.

Also See:
Say vs Tell Exercises
Subjunctive That Clause

Reported Speech Examples 1

1. "Don't play with matches," his mother said.
1. His mother told him not to play with matches.

2. "I've forgotten to bring my lunch with me," he said.
2. He said that he'd forgotten to bring his lunch with him.

3. "Will you be home soon?" she asked her husband.
3. She asked her husband if he would be home soon.

4. "Go to bed!" father said to the children.
4. Father told the children to go to bed.

5. "I'll clean the car tomorrow," Tim said to his father.
5. Tim told his father that he would clean the car the following day.

6. "Where have you been?" Gary asked his wife.
6. Gary asked his wife where she had been.

7. "I've been working for the same company since 1960," he said to me.
7. He told me that he had been working for the same company since 1960.

8. "Do you know Garfield?" she asked me.
8. She asked me if I knew Garfield.

9. "How shall I tell Tom the bad news?" she said.
9. She asked how she should tell Tom the bad news.

10. "You must try my home-made wine," he said.
10. He said that I had to try his home-made wine.

11. "Can I go home now?" he asked her.
11. He asked her if he could go home then.

12. "May I call you by your first name?" he asked.
12. He asked if he might call me by my first name.

13. "She must try harder if she wants to succeed," he said.
13. He said that she had to try harder if she wanted to succeed.

14. "My father will be angry with me if he finds out," she said.
14. She said that her father would be angry with her if he found out.

15. "You had better speak to the manager," she said to him.
15. She told him that he had better speak to the manager.

16. "I may not be able to meet you at the airport," he said to her.
16. He told her that he might not be able to meet her at the airport. ↑▲▲▲▲▲▲▲↑