Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
Every day we repeat other people's words: "My coach said the game was cancelled," "She told me she was tired." This is called reported speech (or indirect speech). Instead of quoting the exact words with quotation marks, we report the idea inside a longer sentence.
Compare the two ways of saying the same thing. Direct speech gives the exact words: Mia said, "I am busy." Reported speech tells us the message without quotation marks: Mia said that she was busy. Notice that the verb has moved back in time — this backward movement is the key skill of the whole unit.
When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told), the verb in the message usually moves one step back in time. Learn this table well — it is the engine of reported speech.
| Direct speech | Reported speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple (play) | Past Simple (played) | "I play here." → He said he played there. |
| Present Continuous (am playing) | Past Continuous (was playing) | "I am playing." → She said she was playing. |
| Past Simple (played) | Past Perfect (had played) | "I played all day." → He said he had played all day. |
| Present Perfect (have finished) | Past Perfect (had finished) | "I have finished." → She said she had finished. |
The little helping verbs change too. These three are the most common in exams, so make them automatic.
| Direct | Reported | Example |
|---|---|---|
| will | would | "I will call." → He said he would call. |
| can | could | "I can swim." → She said she could swim. |
| may | might | "I may be late." → He said he might be late. |
| must | had to | "I must go." → She said she had to go. |
Both verbs introduce reported speech, but they follow different patterns. This is one of the most common B1 mistakes, so learn the difference by heart.
| Verb | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tell | always needs a person (an object) after it | She told me that she was busy. |
| say | no person directly after it (or use "say to me") | She said that she was busy. |
Because we usually report words later and in a different place, the little words of time and place must move too.
| Direct | Reported | Example |
|---|---|---|
| now | then | "I am busy now." → ... busy then. |
| today | that day | "I saw it today." → ... that day. |
| here | there | "I live here." → ... lived there. |
| this | that | "I want this one." → ... that one. |
| yesterday | the day before | "I came yesterday." → ... the day before. |
| tomorrow | the next day | "I'll go tomorrow." → ... the next day. |
These are the errors B1 students make most often with reported statements. Check your own writing against this list.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| He told that he was late. | He told me that he was late. | "tell" always needs a person. |
| She said me she was tired. | She said she was tired. | no person directly after "say". |
| He said he will help. | He said he would help. | "will" must become "would". |
| She said she is happy. | She said she was happy. | the present moves back to the past. |
| He said he can swim. | He said he could swim. | "can" becomes "could" in reported speech. |
Read this short exchange, then read how a third person reports it. Notice every backshift, every say/tell choice, and every time word that changes.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the reporting words, then use them to tell your own stories.
Write 8 sentences reporting what different people have said to you. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): report · mention · explain · admit · announce · rumour · reply · according to
I go to a small school near the park, and most of my days feel calm and ordinary. I arrive at half past eight, hang my coat on my peg, and then sit down at my desk by the window. On a normal morning, the only sounds are chatter, chairs, and the school bell. That is why I still remember one week so clearly: it was the week when a single rumour turned our quiet school into a place full of whispers, guesses, and excited giggles.
Last Monday, something strange happened at school, and by lunchtime everyone was talking about it. My classmate Selin told me that the school was going to get a huge new playground with a climbing wall. She said that the head teacher had announced it in a teachers' meeting, and she seemed very excited. At first I did not believe her, because Selin often repeats stories without checking them.
The rumour spread faster than I could have imagined. While we were lining up in the hall, small groups whispered near the water fountain. Some children looked worried, but most of them looked hopeful. A boy from another class told his friend that the whole school would move to a new building in another town. A girl said that the summer holiday would probably be longer too. Nobody knew what was really true, however everybody had an opinion, and each new version sounded a little more dramatic than the last one.
Later that day another classmate, Mert, also mentioned the same news. He said that he had heard it from an older student, and he told me that the school would need volunteers to help plan the new playground. Mert is usually a careful person, so his words made me stop and think. Although I was still not sure, I had to admit that the story now seemed more serious than a silly piece of gossip.
After lunch, I decided that I should not repeat anything until I knew the truth, because a rumour can grow bigger every time someone tells it. So, instead of asking my friends again, I chose to look for someone who really knew what was happening. When I met our head teacher, Mr. Kaya, in the corridor, I decided to ask him directly. He smiled and said that the rumour was only half true. He explained that the school was indeed planning something new, but he added that no final decision had been made yet. He also asked us not to worry, and he explained that nobody would have to change schools.
While I was walking back to class, I thought about how quickly news travels. One person says something, another person reports it, and soon the whole school believes a story that may not be completely accurate. I remembered other times too. Once, a friend was away for two days, and by the end of the week people said that she had moved to another city. In fact, she had simply been ill with a bad cold. A small, ordinary thing had grown into a big, exciting story, simply because everybody repeated it without asking questions. I realised that a rumour is a little like the whispering game we play in class, where a sentence passes from ear to ear until it becomes something completely different at the end of the line.
The next morning, Mr. Kaya made an announcement in assembly. He announced that the school had decided to build a new playground, but he said that the work was still months away. Everyone was relieved, and this time the news was real. Since that Monday, whenever someone rushes towards me with an exciting story, I smile, listen politely, and then quietly wait for the real announcement before I decide what to believe.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text. Mind the backshift (reported speech).
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. Why did the narrator not believe Selin at first?
2. What did Mr. Kaya say about the rumour when the narrator met him in the corridor?
3. What is the main lesson of the story about how news spreads?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: and, but, so, because, when, while, however, although, also. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Report a real conversation, then drill the grammar in the Practice Lab.
In real life we constantly turn conversations into reports: someone speaks, and later we tell a third person what they said. Study this short dialogue and the report below it.
Write a short conversation (6-8 lines) between two people about a plan, a piece of news, or a problem. Then report at least 5 of the lines in reported speech underneath.
Example structure (you can follow this):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Turn each direct sentence into reported speech. 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. They get harder as you go.
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
A list of short, separate sentences is not real writing. What connects your ideas is linking words. At A2 you used and, but, so, because. At B1 you add four more powerful connectors: also, when, while, although and however. These are especially useful when you report a conversation, because they join what different people said.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | add information | She said she was tired, and she added that she wanted to rest. |
| but | show a small contrast | He said he was busy, but he promised to call later. |
| so | show a result | She said the shop was closed, so we went home. |
| because | give a reason | He explained he was late because the bus had broken down. |
| also | add an extra point | She said she was moving. She also mentioned a new school. |
| when | say at what past time | When I asked her, she said she did not know. |
| while | two things at the same time | While we were talking, he told me the news. |
| although | show a strong contrast | Although he denied it, I did not believe him. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | She promised to help. However, she never replied. |
See the difference — the same facts, written two ways:
| Separate sentences ✗ | Connected, fluent writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| I met Ali. He told me the news. He said our class was moving to a new room. I was surprised. He said nobody would change teachers. | When I met Ali, he told me the news. He said that our class was moving to a new room, but he added that nobody would change teachers, so I felt relieved. |
A "reporting" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same every time — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | Say who you spoke to and when | Last week I had an interesting conversation with my friend. |
| 2. Body | Report what each person said. Use the backshift, mix say/tell, and link with connectors. | She told me that she had joined a new club, and she explained that she was much happier. |
| 3. Closing | A final comment about how you felt or what you decided | After our talk, I felt more positive about my own plans. |
Write about a real or imaginary conversation you had recently, or some news you heard. Report what people said using reported speech.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + practice. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
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