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Sequence of Tenses in Indirect Speech: correct answers

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Understanding the principle of the sequence of tenses in direct and indirect speech must not be a great challenge!

However, the devil is in the details, exceptions and rules variations, not to mention indirect sentences with modal verbs and the usage of adverbs of time and place, which in turn must be changed in a special way.

HardB2 | Upper IntermediateB2Verb tenseIndirect speech

Correct answers

Question 1

Select correct answer.
Chris said: "I was eating at a restaurant when the waiter spilled hot soup on me."
Chris said that he _________________________ at a restaurant when the waiter __________________________ hot soup on him.

The speaker wants to emphasize the specific time the two actions happen, so in the indirect speech, the two tenses do not change to report this specific time.

Question 2

Select correct answer.
Jake asked Anna: "Could you bring an umbrella to the football game as it might rain tomorrow?"
Jake asked Anna if she _________________________ bring an umbrella to the football game as it _________________________ rain the following day.

Jane asked Anna if she could bring an umbrella to the football game as it might rain the following day.

In the indirect speech, the modal verb could does not change.

Jane asked Anna if she could bring an umbrella to the football game as it might rain the following day.

In the indirect speech, the modal verb might does not change.

Question 3

Select correct answer.
Katy told me: "If I were Taylor Swift, I would hold a concert on the moon."
Katy told me that if she _________________________ Taylor Swift, she __________________________ a concert on the moon.

Had been is correct for the first clause because in indirect speech, the past simple is changed into past perfect. Would have hold is correct for the second clause because in indirect speech with a conditional sentence type 2, we use would + have + past participle verb.

Question 4

Select correct answer.
The reporter said: "The athlete had been running for 2 hours before he passed out."
The reporter said that the athlete ___________________________ for 2 hours before he _________________________ out.

In an indirect speech sentence, the past perfect progressive tense does not change. The action pass out is completed, so it does not change into past perfect but remains the past simple.

Question 5

Select correct answer.

My grandfather said: "I got married in 1990 and had children in 1991."

My grandfather said that he got married in 1990 and had children in 1991.

My grandfather said that he got married in 1990 and had children in 1991.

The time 1990 is specific in the past, so the tense does not change.

My grandfather said that he got married in 1990 and had children in 1991.

The time 1991 is a specific time in the past, so the tense in does not change in the indirect speech sentence.

Question 6

The doctor told Sarah: "You must stop eating peanuts, or you will have a bad allergic reaction."

Report the doctor's warning using past forms.

The doctor told Sarah that she had to stop eating peanuts, or she would have a bad allergic reaction.

The doctor told Sarah that she had to stop eating peanuts, or she would have a bad allergic reaction.

In reported speech, must often becomes had to, and will becomes would. When the warning is still true, must and will can also stay the same, but here we report it with past forms.

Has to and have to are present forms, and must to and will to are not correct English. Won't and wouldn't change the meaning: the doctor said she would have a reaction.

Question 7

Select correct answer.
At 9 a.m, Larry's secretary said: "I am so mad this morning! I cannot work in the company anymore!"
At 9 a.m, Larry's secretary said that she is so mad _________________________ morning, and she could not work in the company anymore.

In the first clause, this morning is still true at the moment of speaking at 9 am., so the present simple tense and this morning stays the same in the indirect speech sentence.

Question 8

Select correct answer.
The teacher said: "New Delhi is the capital of India nowadays and Calcutta was the India's capital before 1911."
The teacher said that New Delhi _________________________ the capital of India nowadays and Calcutta _________________________ India's capital before 1911.

The teacher said that New Delhi is the capital of India nowadays and Calcutta was India's capital before 1911.

New Delhi being the capital of India is a fact, so there is no need to change its tense.

The teacher said that New Delhi is the capital of India nowadays and Calcutta was India's capital before 1911.

India's capital city was Calcutta is a historical fact, so the past simple tense does not change in the indirect speech sentence.

Question 9

Sophie said: "I always do the laundry, and my husband always waters the plants in the morning."
Report what Sophie said. Her family routine has not changed.
Sophie said that she always _________________________ the laundry and her husband always _________________________ the plants in the morning.

Sophie said that she always does the laundry and her husband always waters the plants in the morning.

When the reported situation is still true (a routine that hasn't changed), we can keep the present simple in reported speech. The subjects are third person singular (she, her husband), so the verbs need -s: does, waters.

Did and watered would also be correct here: after said, you can shift the tense back even when the situation is still true.

Question 10

This morning, the weatherman said: "There will be a snowstorm next week."
Report what he said. The snowstorm is still in the future.
This morning, the weatherman said that there _________________________ a snowstorm next week.

This morning, the weatherman said that there will be a snowstorm next week.

The forecast is still about the future, so we can keep will in reported speech. We also keep next week, because the week hasn't come yet.

Would be is also possible after said. Has been is about the past, there is being a snowstorm is not correct English, and would have been is about something that didn't happen in the past.

Question 11

Select correct answer.
Bill said: "After I had finished writing my first book, I sold the rights to the publisher a year later."
Bill said that after he ___________________________ writing his first book, he _________________________ the rights to the publisher a year later.

In this sentence, book writing and selling the rights to the publisher are completed actions, so the tenses of these actions remain the same in the indirect speech.

Question 12

The tour guide told Sam: "You may get lost in this forest, so you should ask me before going."
  1. The modal verb may is changed into might and should does not change in an indirect sentence.
  2. In the indirect speech sentence, the modal verb may should be changed into might.
  3. In the indirect speech sentence, the modal verb should does not change.
  4. In the indirect speech sentence, the modal verb may needs to be changed into might, and the modal verb should does not change.

Question 13

Change direct speech to reported in the following sentence.
Today, John told me: "I bought a lottery ticket yesterday and I will collect my prize tomorrow."
  1. "Yesterday" is still "yesterday" at the moment of speaking, so the past tense and the "yesterday" stays the same in the indirect sentence. "Tomorrow" is also still "tomorrow" at the moment of speaking so it does not change.
  2. "Tomorrow" is still "tomorrow" at the moment of speaking, so it stays the same in the indirect speech sentence.
  3. "Tomorrow" is still "tomorrow" at the moment of speaking so it does not change.
  4. "Yesterday" and "tomorrow" are still correct at the moment of speaking, so they do not change in indirect speech.

Question 14

Select correct answer.
The shopkeeper told me: "If you don't keep the receipt, I won't give you a refund."
The shopkeeper told me that if I _________________________ keep the receipt, he _________________________ give me a refund.

The shopkeeper told me that if I didn't keep the receipt, he wouldn't give me a refund.

In the indirect speech with the first type conditional sentence, the "If" clause is changed into past simple tense.

The shopkeeper told me that if I didn't keep the receipt, he wouldn't give me a refund.

In the indirect speech with the first type conditional sentence, "will" in the future simple is changed into "would".

Question 15

This morning, John told Michelle: "I like you, and our dinner is at eight tonight."

It is still the same day, and both things are still true. Report what John said.

This morning, John told Michelle that he likes her and that their dinner is at eight tonight.

This morning, John told Michelle that he likes her and that their dinner is at eight tonight.

Both things are still true when we report them (it's the same day, and dinner hasn't happened yet), so we can keep the present simple: likes, is. Moving them back (liked, was) would also be correct.

Like and are don't agree with the singular subjects (he, their dinner). Liking and being need a helping verb, and had liked refers to a time before he spoke.

Question 16

My mother said to me: "Plants grow in soil, so you should put the tree in the garden."
Select ALL the correct ways to report what she said.

The correct answers are My mother told me that plants grow in soil, so I should put the tree in the garden and My mother told me that plants grew in soil, so I should put the tree in the garden.

A general truth can keep the present simple in reported speech (plants grow). Moving it back (plants grew) is also correct, though less common. Should doesn't change.

Would grow changes the meaning: it sounds like a possibility, not a fact. Should to put is wrong: should is followed by the base verb (should put).

Question 17

Select the correct answers.

Piper said: "I had graduated from university a year before I decided to become a singer in 2002."

Piper said that she had graduated from university a year before she decided to become a singer in 2002.

Piper said that she had graduated from university a year before she decided to become a singer in 2002.

The past perfect (had graduated) in direct speech stays the past perfect in reported speech. Has graduated and have graduated (present perfect) can't be used with a finished past time like a year before 2002.

Her decision happened at a specific time in the past (2002), so the past simple decided stays the same. Has decided doesn't fit a finished past time, and had been decided is passive.

Had been graduating and was deciding are continuous forms, but graduating and deciding are single, completed events.

Question 18

Last summer, Tom said to Maria: "You can borrow my laptop while I'm in Spain, but you ought to back up your files."
Report what Tom said.
Tom told Maria that she _________________________ borrow his laptop while he was in Spain, but that she _________________________ back up her files.

Tom told Maria that she could borrow his laptop while he was in Spain, but that she ought to back up her files.

In reported speech after a past reporting verb (told), can usually moves back to could. Here the permission was only for last summer, so can is not right.

Ought to does not change in reported speech. In a sentence like this, ought needs to, and should never takes to.

Could have and ought to have need a past participle (could have borrowed), so they can't go before borrow or back up.

Question 19

Leo said: "If I had known that the yogurt was expired, I wouldn't have eaten it."
  1. In the indirect speech of conditional sentence type 3, the structure in the main clause should remain the same. The past simple part the yogurt was expired should be changed into past perfect.
  2. The conditional sentence type 3 remains the same in the reported speech.
  3. In the indirect speech of conditional sentences type 3, the past perfect tense in the If clause and the would + have + past participle structure remain the same.

Question 20

John said: "I wish I were taller so the girls would like me."
  1. In an indirect speech sentence, the clause after wish does not change the tense.
  2. In an indirect speech sentence, the clause after wish does not change its tense and form.
  3. In an indirect speech sentence with wish, the clause after wish does not change the tense. The modal verb will needs to be changed into would in this 2 type conditional sentence.
  4. The wish structures do not change in the indirect speech.
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