Exercise 5. Put the following into indirect speech. 1. “I couldn't get into the house because I had lost my key, so I had to break a window,” he
said. 2. “I wrote to him the day before yesterday. I wonder why he hasn’t rung up,” she said. 3.
“You’d better slow down. There’s speed limit here,” she said to me. 4.”If Tom wants seats, he’d
better apply early,’ she said. 5. “It’s time we begin training for our next match,” the coach said to
them. 6. ‘If you leave home at six, you should be here by nine,” he said. 7. “I don’t think your father
likes me,” said the young wife. 8. “I found an old Roman coin in the garden yesterday,” he said
“and I’m going to take it to the museum this afternoon.” 9. “My wife wants to take a job but I’d
rather she concentrated on our home,” he said. 10. “It’s high time you passed your test; I’m tired o f
driving round with an L-plate on the front o f the car,” my sister said.
Exercise 6. Turn each direct-speech statement into indirect speech with tense changes. JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED! 1. “I’ve conducted a number o f tests,” Dr Grey said.
Dr Grey said (that) she had conducted a number o f tests. 2. “I must put you on a very strict diet,” she told me.
3. “You are putting on a lot o f weight,” she said.
4. “You have gained 5,5 kilos in six months ,” she added.
5. “You gained 10 kilos last year,” she reminded me.
6. “You’ll get very fat if you go on like this,” she told me.
7. “You should eat very little,” she said.
8. “So I’ll have to live on nuts and water,” I said nervously.
9. “You can live on nuts and water without the nuts,” she said.
Exercise 7. Report these Yes/No questions moving the clauses ‘one tense back’ 27