Reporting statements and questions

Approximate B1 · editorial content label, not a certified rating.

Reported speech tells someone what another person said without necessarily repeating the exact words. Tell normally takes a person object; say need not. Reported questions use statement order: she asked where I worked. Yes/no questions can be introduced by if or whether.

Try the three exercise formats

Examples to compare

  • She told me that the room was ready.
  • He said the meeting was short.
  • She asked where I worked.

Watch the meaning and the limits

With a past reporting verb, a tense often shifts back, but a shift is not compulsory when the information remains true or relevant. Time and pronouns change according to the actual reporting situation. Do not mechanically replace every today with that day regardless of when you report it.

Read each example aloud, then change one detail to make a sentence you could use. Continue with focused practice when you want a different set.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Mistake: She asked where did I work.

Use: She asked where I worked.

A reported question uses statement order: subject before verb.

Try the pattern

3 choose questions · 2 sentence completions · 2 word gaps. Read the reason after every answer. No timer.

Typed answers stay on this page. This guided set checks the requested construction; it does not judge general writing. Read the accepted answers and reasons.

Use it in your own sentence

Write one sentence about your own routine or situation. Check the subject, verb form and intended meaning against the rule above. A different sentence may need a different form: these exercises accept the reviewed answers for their stated context.

Try the next practice set, or choose another grammar point.

All drill answers and reasons

  1. She ___ me that the room was ready.

    Choices: told / said / spoke

    Accepted: told

    Tell takes the person object me in this construction.

  2. She asked where I ___.

    Choices: worked / did I work / I did work

    Accepted: worked

    Reported questions use statement order: I worked.

  3. He asked ___ the room was ready. Report a yes/no question.

    Choices: whether / that / what

    Accepted: whether

    Whether introduces the reported yes/no question.

  4. Complete using the past form of tell: She ___ that the room was ready. Include me.

    Accepted: told me

    Tell takes a person object; the past form is told.

  5. Report the yes/no question using was: He asked ___ ready. (the room; introduce with if or whether)

    Accepted: if the room was / whether the room was

    Both if and whether introduce this reported yes/no question; use statement order.

  6. She ___ me that the room was ready. Use the past form of tell.

    Accepted: told

    Tell takes me as its person object; its past form is told.

  7. He asked ___ the room was ready. Use if or whether.

    Accepted: if / whether

    If and whether are both valid for this reported yes/no question.

Practice questions

How do the three exercise formats work?

Choose asks you to pick an answer. Complete the sentence asks you to type the missing phrase. Fill in the word asks for one word, or no article where stated. Every checked answer includes a reason.

Which typed answers are accepted?

Use the form and meaning requested in the prompt. Reviewed alternatives and contractions are accepted where they fit. Capital letters, surrounding spaces, straight or curly apostrophes and a final full stop, question mark or exclamation mark do not affect marking. The answer reference lists the accepted forms.

Are my typed answers sent or saved?

Typed answers stay on this page in your browser. They are not sent to the server or saved. If device progress is available, completing a set records only the activity and study points on this device.

Can this check my own writing or certify my level?

No. This is a small guided set with reviewed answers, not a general grammar checker or a level certificate. An unlisted answer does not mean it is always wrong in English. Read the prompt and the explanation for this construction.

Further reference: Cambridge English Grammar Today. The explanations, examples and exercises here are original; each lesson covers a useful pattern rather than every exception.