Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
Every day we repeat other people's words: "My teacher said the test 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: Anna said, "I am busy." Reported speech tells us the message without quotation marks: Anna 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 (work) | Past Simple (worked) | "I work here." → He said he worked there. |
| Present Continuous (am working) | Past Continuous (was working) | "I am working." → She said she was working. |
| Past Simple (worked) | Past Perfect (had worked) | "I worked late." → He said he had worked late. |
| Present Perfect (have worked) | Past Perfect (had worked) | "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 drive. | He said he could drive. | "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
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 organize a trip to London. She said that the head teacher had announced it in a teachers' meeting, and she seemed very excited.
During the first break, the news spread faster than anything I had ever seen. Somebody posted a short message in our class group chat, and within ten minutes almost everyone had read it. My friends kept sending each other voice notes and funny stickers about London, as if the plane tickets were already in our bags. A boy from the volleyball team even said that he had booked a window seat, which of course was not true. Everyone loves a good story, especially when it means missing a few days of lessons.
At first I did not believe her, because Selin often repeats stories without checking them. However, later that day another classmate, Mert, also mentioned the same news. He said that he had heard it from an older student. He told me that the school would need volunteers to join the trip, so I started to feel curious.
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, because nobody would be forced to go.
While I was walking back to class, I thought about how quickly information travels. One person says something, another person reports it, and soon the whole school believes a story that may not be completely accurate. Although rumours can be exciting, they are often wrong.
After the last lesson, I went to football practice, and the rumour had already arrived there too. Our team captain told me that his sister, who is in an older class, had promised him a place on the trip. My best friend, Deniz, laughed and said that people always change small details when they repeat a story. He reminded me that last year a similar rumour about a free school concert had turned out to be completely false. Still, I could not stop imagining myself walking past Big Ben and taking photos for my social media accounts.
That evening, I sat down with my tablet and thought about the whole day. Normally I spend my free time drawing, watching videos about street photography, and chatting with friends online, but this time I could not concentrate on any of my hobbies. Instead, I kept refreshing the class group chat to see whether anyone had new information. My little brother asked me why I looked so serious, and I told him that our school might travel abroad. He said that he wished he were older so that he could come with us one day.
Over the next few hours my phone was full of messages. Some students said that the trip would last a whole week, while others insisted that it would only be two days. A few people even argued about the price and about whether the school would pay for the hotel. I decided to stop guessing and simply wait for real news, because I had finally understood that a rumour grows a little every time it is passed on. My mum always says that you should check a fact before you share it, and that night I knew exactly what she meant.
Before I went to sleep, I scrolled through my social media feed and noticed that half of my class had already changed their profile pictures to photos of London. One girl in the art club had even drawn a small poster with a red bus and the words "See you in London". It was funny how a single sentence from Selin had turned into so many pictures, jokes and plans in less than a day. I realised that we teenagers love to share things quickly, but we do not always stop to ask whether they are true.
The next morning, Mr. Kaya sent a message to all the classes. He announced that the school had decided to organize a small trip to London, but he said that the trip was still months away. Everyone was relieved, and this time the news was real.
At school, my friends and I celebrated quietly, and we promised each other that we would save some pocket money for the journey. Later, I posted a short note in the group chat, but this time I only wrote what Mr. Kaya had actually said. Deniz replied that it was the first honest message of the whole week. I laughed, but I also felt proud of myself. From that day on, whenever I heard an exciting story at school, I remembered the London rumour and asked myself one simple question first: is this really true, or is it just news travelling fast?
On Saturday, my friends and I met at the park to play basketball, and naturally we talked about the trip again. Deniz said that his cousin, who studies in another city, had gone on a similar school journey and had loved every minute of it. He described the museums, the parks and the famous river, and soon we were all dreaming about the same adventure. For a while we forgot about our homework, our matches and even our phones, and we simply imagined exploring a new country together.
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 the school was planning a trip. I was surprised. He said nobody would be forced to go. | When I met Ali, he told me the news. He said that the school was planning a trip, but he added that nobody would be forced to go, 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 changed her school, 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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