ENGLISH GRAMMAR WORKSHEET
Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
Grades 8–10 | Total Marks: 50 | Suggested Time: 60 Minutes
Student Details
Name: __________________________
Class: __________ Section: __________
Date: __________ Marks: ______ / 50
Section A – Multiple-Choice Questions (10 × 1 = 10 marks)
Choose the correct answer.
1. Ravi said, “I am happy.”
Ravi said that he ______ happy.
a) is b) was c) has been d) will be
2. She said, “I have completed my homework.”
She said that she ______ her homework.
a) completed b) has completed c) had completed d) completes
3. He said to me, “Are you ready?”
He asked me ______.
a) are you ready b) if I was ready c) that I was ready d) whether was I ready
4. The teacher said to the students, “Keep quiet.”
The teacher ______ the students to keep quiet.
a) said b) asked c) ordered d) told that
5. Meena said, “I will visit Chennai tomorrow.”
Meena said that she would visit Chennai ______.
a) tomorrow b) yesterday c) the following day d) that day
6. He said, “What a beautiful flower!”
He exclaimed that ______.
a) it was a very beautiful flower b) what a beautiful flower c) it is a beautiful flower d) was it a beautiful flower
7. Mother said to me, “Do not waste your time.”
Mother advised me ______ my time.
a) do not waste b) not to waste c) not wasting d) to not wasted
8. He said, “I can swim.”
He said that he ______ swim.
a) can b) may c) could d) must
9. She said to me, “Where do you live?”
She asked me where ______.
a) do I live b) did I live c) I lived d) I did live
10. The boy said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.”
The boy exclaimed with joy that ______.
a) they had won the match b) we have won the match c) they win the match d) they will win the match
Section B – Fill in the Blanks (5 × 1 = 5 marks)
Complete each sentence with the appropriate word or phrase.
11. Direct speech: He said, “I am ill.”
Indirect speech: He said that he ______ ill.
12. Direct speech: She said, “I saw a bird yesterday.”
Indirect speech: She said that she had seen a bird ______.
13. Direct speech: He said to me, “Please help me.”
Indirect speech: He ______ me to help him.
14. Direct speech: The teacher said, “The Earth revolves around the Sun.”
Indirect speech: The teacher said that the Earth ______ around the Sun.
15. Direct speech: Arun said, “I must finish this work.”
Indirect speech: Arun said that he ______ finish that work.
Section C – Match the Following (5 × 1 = 5 marks)
Match the sentences in Column A with their correct reported-speech forms in Column B.
| Column A – Direct Speech | Column B – Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| 16. He said, “I am busy.” | a. She asked me where I was going. |
| 17. She said to me, “Where are you going?” | b. He requested me to open the door. |
| 18. The teacher said, “Work hard.” | c. He said that he was busy. |
| 19. He said to me, “Please open the door.” | d. The teacher advised them to work hard. |
| 20. She said, “I have lost my pen.” | e. She said that she had lost her pen. |
Answers: 16 – _____, 17 – _____, 18 – _____, 19 – _____, 20 – _____
Section D – Identify and Correct the Error (5 × 1 = 5 marks)
Each sentence contains an error in reported speech. Rewrite it correctly.
21. He said that he is tired.
__________________________________________________
22. She asked me where was I going.
__________________________________________________
23. The teacher told that the Earth is round.
__________________________________________________
24. Mother advised me do not play with fire.
__________________________________________________
25. Ravi said that he will come the next day.
__________________________________________________
Section E – Transform Direct Speech into Indirect Speech (10 × 2 = 20 marks)
Rewrite the following sentences in indirect speech. Each question carries 2 marks.
26. Kumar said, “I am reading a storybook.”
__________________________________________________
27. Priya said, “I bought a new dress yesterday.”
__________________________________________________
28. He said to me, “I will help you tomorrow.”
__________________________________________________
29. The teacher said to Ravi, “Have you completed your homework?”
__________________________________________________
30. She said to him, “Why are you laughing?”
__________________________________________________
31. Father said to me, “Do not tell lies.”
__________________________________________________
32. The old man said to me, “Please give me some water.”
__________________________________________________
33. The captain said, “Hurrah! We have won the trophy.”
__________________________________________________
34. She said, “What a wonderful painting it is!”
__________________________________________________
35. The doctor said to the patient, “Take these medicines regularly.”
__________________________________________________
Section F – Transformation: Mixed Practice (5 × 1 = 5 marks)
Rewrite each sentence as directed.
36. Change into indirect speech:
He said, “I can solve this problem.”
__________________________________________________
37. Change into indirect speech:
She said to me, “Did you see the movie?”
__________________________________________________
38. Change into indirect speech:
The teacher said to the boys, “Please stand in a line.”
__________________________________________________
39. Change into direct speech:
He told me that he was feeling sick.
__________________________________________________
40. Change into direct speech:
She asked me if I liked English.
__________________________________________________
Answer Key – For Teachers
Keep this section separate when distributing the worksheet to students.
Section A – MCQs
| Q. No. | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | b) was |
| 2 | c) had completed |
| 3 | b) if I was ready |
| 4 | c) ordered |
| 5 | c) the following day |
| 6 | a) it was a very beautiful flower |
| 7 | b) not to waste |
| 8 | c) could |
| 9 | c) I lived |
| 10 | a) they had won the match |
Section B – Fill in the Blanks
was
the previous day
asked
revolves
had to
Section C – Match the Following
16 – c 17 – a 18 – d 19 – b 20 – e
Section D – Error Correction
He said that he was tired.
She asked me where I was going.
The teacher said that the Earth is round.
Mother advised me not to play with fire.
Ravi said that he would come the next day.
Section E – Sentence Transformation
Kumar said that he was reading a storybook.
Priya said that she had bought a new dress the previous day.
He told me that he would help me the following day.
The teacher asked Ravi whether he had completed his homework.
She asked him why he was laughing.
Father advised me not to tell lies.
The old man requested me to give him some water.
The captain exclaimed with joy that they had won the trophy.
She exclaimed that it was a very wonderful painting.
The doctor advised the patient to take those medicines regularly.
Section F – Mixed Practice
He said that he could solve that problem.
She asked me whether I had seen the movie.
The teacher requested the boys to stand in a line.
He said to me, “I am feeling sick.”
She said to me, “Do you like English?”
Quick Revision: Rules for Students
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| am / is | was |
| are | were |
| have / has | had |
| will | would |
| can | could |
| may | might |
| yesterday | the previous day |
| tomorrow | the following day |
| this / these | that / those |
| said to (question) | asked |
| said to (command) | told / ordered |
| said to (request) | requested |
| “Do not…” | advised / told + not to |
Remember:
Remove quotation marks and use that for ordinary statements.
For yes/no questions, use if or whether.
For WH-questions, retain the question word and use normal statement word order.
For commands and requests, use to + verb or not to + verb.
Universal truths generally remain in the present tense.
