Fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb form. This grammar exercise tests your ability to use direct and indirect speech.
1The stranger asked Harry if ............... a clever boy.
Wrong!
Indirect yes/no questions use statement word order, so "he was" is correct.
2The little girl asked me if I ............... in God.
Wrong!
Reported speech usually backshifts present simple to past simple, so "believed" is correct.
3The teacher asked the boy if he ............... the answer.
Wrong!
Reported speech usually backshifts present simple to past simple, so "knew" is correct.
4The man asked the boy if he ............... there the day before.
Wrong!
Reported speech usually backshifts past simple to past perfect, so "had gone" is correct.
5Mr. Smith asked me if I ............... to a zoo.
Wrong!
Reported speech usually backshifts present perfect to past perfect, so "had ever been" is correct.
6The old woman asked me if I ............... any difficulty in finding her address.
Wrong!
Reported speech usually backshifts present simple "have" to past simple, so "had" is correct.
7I said to the boy, "Has your father gone to work?" / I asked the boy if his father ............... to work.
Wrong!
In reported speech after a past reporting verb, the present perfect "has gone" changes to the past perfect "had gone".
8The girl asked if she ............... go home.
Wrong!
Reported speech usually backshifts "may" to "might", so "might" is correct.
9Mark asked, "Shall we invite John to the party?" Mark asked if they ............... invite John to the party.
Wrong!
A question with "shall" used for a suggestion is reported with "should", so "should" is correct.
10John asked Peter if he ............... his new car.
Wrong!
Reported speech usually backshifts present perfect to past perfect, so "had seen" is correct.
Exercise complete
0 out of 10
correct answers
Answers
- The stranger asked Harry if he was a clever boy.
- The little girl asked me if I believed in God.
- The teacher asked the boy if he knew the answer.
- The man asked the boy if he had gone there the day before.
- Mr. Smith asked me if I had ever been to a zoo.
- The old woman asked me if I had any difficulty in finding her address.
- I said to the boy, “Has your father gone to work?” / I asked the boy if his father had gone to work.
- The girl asked if she might go home.
- Mark asked, “Shall we invite John to the party?” Mark asked if they should invite John to the party.
- John asked Peter if he had seen his new car.