English Grammar Tests » Test 13: Indirect speech
Test 13: Indirect speech
- The teacher promised ___ .
- A) that we can learn three English songs.
- B) if we learn three English songs.
- C) we would learn three English songs.
- D) whether we would learn three English songs.
- E) who will learn three English songs.
- Bill: “Have you seen any interesting comedy lately, Nancy?” Bill asked Nancy ___ .
- A) if he will see an interesting film
- B) if he saw an interesting comedy lately
- C) what comedy Nancy saw lately
- D) if she had seen any interesting comedy lately
- E) if she would see an interesting comedy
- Nick: “Did you see a bird in the tree?” Nick wonders ___ in the tree.
- A) if I saw a bird.
- B) that I saw a bird.
- C) if I had seen a bird.
- D) whether I see a bird.
- E) if I have seen a bird.
- Dick to Lucy: Have you received my telegram ? Dick asked if ___ .
- A) Lucy had received his telegram.
- B) Lucy has received his telegram
- C) Lucy would receive his telegram
- D) Lucy will receive his telegram
- E) Lucy received his telegram
- Ann: Write down my address. Ann asked me ___ .
- A) he wrote down my address
- B) to write down her address
- C) he had written her address
- D) she writes down her address
- E) she wrote down his address
- He said, “I’m very busy today.” He said ___ .
- A) he had been very busy that day
- B) he is very busy today
- C) he was very busy that day
- D) I’m very busy today
- E) I had been very busy that day
- Lena said, “Where have you been yesterday?” Lena asked ___ .
- A) where she had been the day before.
- B) where she had been yesterday.
- C) where she was the day before.
- D) where she could be the day before.
- E) where she hasn’t been before.
- He thought: “What am I going to do?” He thought ___ .
- A) what was he going to do
- B) what he was going to do
- C) what he is going to do
- D) it he was going to do
- E) what is he going to do
- Mother asked me ___ .
- A) why I have spent all the money
- B) that I had spent all the money
- C) if I had spent all the money
- D) when I spend all the money
- E) if I will spend all the money
- “Don’t play in the street!”
- A) My mother told me don’t play in the street.
- B) My mother said to play in the street.
- C) She asked me to play in the street.
- D) My mother told me not to play in the street.
- E) My mother said I should play in the street.
- Ann: “Is your sister good at English?” Ann asked me ___ .
- A) that my sister is good at English
- B) if my sister was good at English
- C) whether my sister is good at English
- D) my sister is good at English
- E)her sister was good at English
- Tom: “Don’t forget to bring my book, Ann”. Tom asked Ann: ___ .
- A) that she didn’t forget to bring his book
- B) that she doesn’t bring his book
- C) not to forget to bring his book
- D) not to forget to bring her book
- E) if she didn’t forget to bring the book
- Mother: “We are going to have supper”. Mother says ___ .
- A) they are going to have supper
- B) they were going to have supper
- C) that they would have supper
- D) they won’t have supper
- E) they haven’t had supper yet
- Jack said: “I was at home yesterday.” Jack said ___ .
- A) he was at home.
- B) Jack said he was at home the day before
- C) he will be at home.
- D) he had been at home a week ago.
- E) he had been at home the day before.
- “Do you go in for sports?”, he asked. He asked ___ .
- A) he went in for sports.
- B) if I went in for sports.
- C) if I’ll go in for sports.
- D) I should go in for sports.
- E) if I had gone in for sports.
- “Will Tom help me?” she said. She asked ___ .
- A) will Tom help her
- B) if Tom would help her
- C) whether he will help her
- D) whether would he help her
- E) that Tom would be helping her
- Peter said, “Alice, are you busy now?” Peter asked Alice ___ .
- A) she was busy.
- B) if she was busy then.
- C) she would be busy.
- D) if she wasn’t busy then.
- E) if she is busy.
- My sister said: “I hope we shall go on an excursion to the lake”. My sister said that ___ on an excursion to the lake”.
- A) she hopes we will go
- B) she didn’t hope that we shall go
- C) she hoped they would go
- D) she hoped we were going
- E) she hoped we can go
- Jim and Julia have been in the restaurant for an hour and they have not been served yet. Julia is angry. “You said ___ a good place’’
- A) it is
- B) it has been
- C) it will be
- D) it was
- E) it can’t be
- “Did you work at a factory 3 years ago?” she asked her friend. She asked her friend if she ___ .
- A) worked at a factory 3 years ago.
- B) had worked at a factory 3 years before.
- C) really worked at a factory 3 years before.
- D) work at a factory.
- E) worked at a factory for 3 years.
- She said she ___ her friend for ages.
- A) didn’t
- B) hadn’t seen
- C) hasn’t seen
- D) doesn’t see
- E) saw
- He asked her “Did anybody call this morning?” He asked her ___ .
- A) if anybody called this morning
- B) if somebody had called that morning
- C) if somebody called that morning
- D) who called that morning
- E) had called anybody that morning
- Teacher: “Tom, read the story, please”. Teacher asked Tom ___ .
- A) to read the story
- B) read the story
- C) that he reads it
- D) whether he reads the story
- E) it he read the story
- He said “I met him in 1950”. He said ___ .
- A) I met him in 1950
- B) he had been met by him in 1950
- C) he used to meet him in 1950
- D) he had met him in 1950
- E) he was meeting him in 1950
- Jane asked Bob: “What did you buy yesterday?” Jane asked Bob what ___ .
- A) he would buy the next day
- B) he bought yesterday
- C) he had bought the day before
- D) he has just bought
- E) his friend had already bought
- He said, “I do not want to see this film”. He said that ___ .
- A) he did not want to see that film.
- B) he doesn’t want to see a film.
- C) he didn’t want to see this film.
- D) he wanted to see that film.
- E) not to see that film.
- He says “What do the pupils study?” He asks ___ .
- A) what do the pupils study.
- B) what the pupils study.
- C) what the pupils studied.
- D) what the pupils have studied study.
- E) whether the pupils study something.
- My mother told me ___ .
- A) did not go there.
- B) that I can go there.
- C) not to go there.
- D) not going there.
- E) let not go there.
- The director wondered ___ .
- A) if I know English.
- B) If I knew English.
- C) he knows English.
- D) how I know English.
- E) who has known English.
- Mary says “I clean my room every day.” Mary says that ___ .
- A) I clean her room every day.
- B) she cleans my room every day.
- C) she cleaned her room every day.
- D) she cleans her room every day.
- E) her room was cleaned every day.
- - “Have you seen my daughter?” a woman is asking her neighbor. A woman is asking her neighbor ___ her daughter.
- A) has she seen
- B) have I seen
- C) if she has seen
- D) if they have seen
- E) have you seen
- He ___ me if I ___ a taxi yesterday.
- A) will ask / takes
- B) ask / take
- C) is asking / shall take
- D) asked / had taken
- E) will ask / take
- She asked in surprise ___ .
- A) if he had really read all the books
- B) if this is what her mother buys her
- C) if the cafe is still open
- D) whether I have already read his article
- E) did she caused much trouble
- The doctor asked his nurse ___ .
- A) when is she going to give the medicine to the
- B) if she would come in time the following day
- C) if the patient prepared for the operation
- D) if the tests are ready for applicants
- E) when the patient feels asleep tell me
- They ___ us that they ___ from their families for more than a year.
- A) tell / were not hearing
- B) would be told / hear
- C) had told / don’t hear
- D) told / had not heard
- E) told / will be hearing
- Teachers always tell their pupils ___ .
- A) not to cross street when the traffic light is red
- B) doesn’t cross the road on red traffic light
- C) don’t ask many questions if they are not
- D) when they come to the lesson
- E) they helped their parents
- I wondered ___ .
- A) if the train had come on time
- B) had the train come on time
- C) whether the train comes on time
- D) if the train will come on time
- E) when the train is due to come
- She promised her friends she ___ and ___ them the next day.
- A) had come / had seen
- B) will come / see
- C) would come / see
- D) comes / sees
- E) came / saw
- “You must do what you are told”. She said ___ .
- A) that must do what I was told
- B) what have to do what I was told
- C) what had to do what I was told
- D) that she must do what she was told
- E) she had to do what she was told
- The sergeant said that nothing ___ from the two boys since they ___ at the Victoria Station.
- A) was heard / saw
- B) will be heard / were seen
- C) had been heard / were seen
- D) had heard / saw
- E) would have heard / were seen
- Nick whispered: “I know that the boys were angry with me”. Nick whispered that ___ .
- A) he knows that the boys were angry with me
- B) he knew that the boys were angry with him
- C) he knows that the boys were angry with him
- D) I know that the boys were angry with me
- E) he knew that the boys had been angry with him
- Alice is told: “Clean your teeth twice a day!” Alice is told ___
- A) clean her teeth twice a day
- B) if she cleans her teeth twice a day
- C) clean your teeth twice a day
- D) to clean her teeth twice a day
- E) cleaned her teeth twice a day
- I am always asked ___ .
- A) why am I late
- B) are you late
- C) is he absent
- D) why was I present
- E) if I am on duty
- Julia continued, “You said ___ good service.”
- A) you knew the owner and always got
- B) you know the owner and have got
- C) you know the owner and get
- D) you know the owner and will get
- E) you know the owner and are going to get
- Julia continued, “You said ___ .”
- A) you have been here before
- B) you were here yesterday
- C) you will be here tomorrow
- D) you are here now
- E) you had been here before
- He wanted to know ___ .
- A) whether she knows him
- B) if she knew him
- C) that she knew him
- D) what she knew him
- E) did she know him
- “When will you be there, Tom?” asked Dan. Dan asked Tom ___ .
- A) when you will be there
- B) when he will be there
- C) when he would be there
- D) when his friend would be there
- E) when you would be there
- He said to me: “I’ll come as soon as I can”. He told me that ___ .
- A) he came as soon as he would be able
- B) he would come as soon as I could
- C) he comes as soon as he can
- D) he would come as soon as he could
- E) I would come as soon as I could
- He has just said, “I want to speak to you”. He has just said ___ .
- A) he wants to speak to me
- B) he wanted to speak to me
- C) I want to speak to her
- D) he had wanted to speak to me
- E) he will want to speak to me
- Mother told me “Don’t stay out long’’. Mother told me ___ .
- A) did not stay out long
- B) not to stay out long
- C) that I mustn’t stay out long
- D) I shouldn’t stay out long
- E) stay out long
- “Where did they spend the vacation?” Tom said ___ .
- A) they came back.
- B) they had spent it at the seaside.
- C) they were young.
- D) they left for an hour.
- E) they have spent it at home.
- The secretary said to the visitor: “ When did you graduate from the University?” The secretary asked the visitor ___ .
- A) when he graduates from the University.
- B) when did he graduate from the University.
- C) when he had graduated from the University.
- D) when did she graduate from the University.
- E) he graduated from the University.
- What will you do if Jack is out when you come? She asked me ___ .
- A) what would I do if Jack was out when I came
- B) what I will do if Jack is out when I come
- C) what I would do if Jack was out when I came
- D) what Jack would do if I was out when he came
- E) what I will do if Jack was out when I came
- Jane said, “I shall help you.” Jane said ___ .
- A) she helped us
- B) she will help him
- C) she helps us
- D) she would help us
- E) she had helped us
- The manager wondered ___ .
- A) if the customers’ answer can be positive
- B) if the visitors are coming
- C) whether the letters are being posted
- D) if the paper has been typed
- E) if the secretary had come
- I ___ I ___ her back.
- A) thought / would get
- B) thought / shall get
- C) think / had got
- D) thinks / am get ting
- E) doesn’t think / get
- The father wondered ___ .
- A) what mark his daughter gets
- B) where the mother is
- C) how his son does at school
- D) if his daughter had passed her exams
- E) whether everybody is at home
- The teacher asked her pupils ___ .
- A) where are their textbooks
- B) where their textbooks are
- C) where their textbooks were
- D) be quiet, please, listen to me
- E) why they open the text books
- I ___ my mother___ want to meet her new son-in-law for the first time in my presence.
- A) knows / will not
- B) had known / will not
- C) knew / would not
- D) know / had not
- E) shall know / did not
- The man said:” I have brought all my things “. The man said ___ .
- A) I have brought all his things.
- B) that he had brought all his things.
- C) he has brought all his things.
- D) they have brought all his things.
- E) that he brought all his things.
- “Don’t make so much noise, Michael,” said Ellen. Ellen told Michael ___ so much noise.
- A) to make
- B) not to make
- C) do make
- D) don’t make
- E) didn’t make
- A foreigner asked: “How do English people spend their Sundays?” A foreigner asked how ___ their Sundays.
- A) do English people spend
- B) did English people spend
- C) English people spent
- D) English people spend
- E) had English people spent
- The film director was asked ___ .
- A) if he likes to play on grass
- B) which airline he works for
- C) if he had ever won an Oscar
- D) that he took part in the concert
- E) why he is nervous before the match
- The police officer asked us ___ .
- A) are we going that way
- B) where we were going
- C) when did the tram stop
- D) if could we stop at the traffic light
- E) whether we speak English
- He said that ___ .
- A) his friend is learning English
- B) our classroom will be cleaned tomorrow
- C) they were going to the nearest post-office
- D) his car was stolen a few weeks ago
- E) there is nothing to do
- He said to her, “Don’t enter the room”. He ordered her ___ the room.
- A) not to enter
- B) to enter
- C) didn’t enter
- D) doesn’t enter
- E) do not enter
- “How far do I have to walk?” she asked me. She wanted to know how far ___ to walk.
- A) she had
- B) she has
- C) I have
- D) I had
- E) she will have
- She told him that she ___ to see him the following DAY.
- A) will come
- B) come
- C) came
- D) would come
- E) comes
- “Did you sleep well?” I asked him. I asked him if ___ well.
- A) he sleeps
- B) he slept
- C) he had slept
- D) you slept
- E) you did sleep
- “Were you at the Zoo last night?” asks Jane. Jane asks ___ at the Zoo last night.
- A) that I was
- B) if I was
- C) if I had been
- D) if I am
- E) whether was I
- “Whose birthday is it?” said Jane. Jane asked whose birthday ___ .
- A) it is
- B) it
- C) it was
- D) is it
- E) it had been
- “Where do you live?” the boy asked. The boy wanted to know where ___ .
- A) do I live
- B) did I live
- C) I live
- D) I lived
- E) I had lived
- “Where did you live?” my boss asked. My boss wanted to know where ___ .
- A) do I live
- B) did I live
- C) I live
- D) I had lived
- E) I lived
- “I spoke to Jane last week,” she said. She said ___ .
- A) I spoke to Jane last week.
- B) she had spoken to Jane last week.
- C) she had spoken to Jane a week before.
- D) I had spoken to Jane a week before.
- E) she spoke to Jane a week before.
- “Don’t wait for me, Ann,” said Tom. Tom told Ann ___ .
- A) to wait for him
- B) not to wait for him
- C) didn’t wait for him
- D) don’t wait for him
- E) if she waited for him
- The manager asks the secretary ___ .
- A) if Mr. Smith would be busy at little next day
- B) if Mr. Smith will be busy at 11 tomorrow
- C) if Mr. Smith had been busy at 11
- D) has Mr. Smith been busy by 11 today
- E) will Mr. Smith be busy at 11 tomorrow
- He was sure that he ___ this time.
- A) will fail
- B) wouldn’t fail
- C) fails
- D) failed
- E) will not fail
- “Can you open the door for me, my son?” asked an old woman. An old woman asked a young ___ the door for her.
- A) can he open
- B) he opens
- C) does he open
- D) if he can open
- E) to open
- She said, “I lost the key of my room.” She said that ___ .
- A) she had lost the key of her room
- B) she lost the key of my room
- C)I had lost the key of my room
- D) I lose the key of my room
- E) she lost the key of the room
- I asked Nelly, “What are you looking for?” I asked Nelly what ___ looking for.
- A) are you
- B) she was
- C) were you
- D) was she
- E) she is
Answer Key

Students who want help with English grammar. It is written for you to use without a teacher.
Will be useful for you if you are not sure of the answers to questions like these:
- What is the difference between I did and I have done?
- When do we use will for the future?
- What is the structure after I wish?
- When do we say used to do and when do we say used to doing?
- When do we use the?
- What is the difference between like and as?
These and many other points of English grammar are explained and there are exercises on each point.
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