Worksheet Solutions: Reported Speech | English Grammar Class 8 PDF Download

Q.1. Convert the following sentences into Indirect Speech:

(i) He said to her. “Do you want to go home?”

He asked her if she wanted to go home. 

(ii) He said to you. “Where are you going?“

He asked you where you were going. 

(iii) I said to him, “What brings you here?”

I asked him what brought him there. 

(iv) You said to us, “How do you solve this sum?”

You asked us how we solved that sum. 

(v) She said to me, “How are you getting on with your studies?”

She asked me how I was getting on with my studies. 

(vi) I said to my friend, “Have you been to England?” 

I asked my friend if he had been to England. 

Q.2. Convert the following sentences into Indirect Speech:

(i) She said to me, “Who taught you English?”

She asked me who had taught me English. 

(ii) He said to his mother, “Why did you not wash my school dress?”

He asked his mother why tehe had not washed his school dress. 

(iii) The mother said to the child, “Did you have your breakfast?”

The mother asked the child if he had his breakfast. 

(iv) Anil said to his sister, “How did you fare in the interview?”

Anil asked his sister how she had fared in the interview. 

(v) The policeman asked me, “Had the thief stolen your watch?”

The policeman asked me if the thief had stolen my watch. 

Q.3. Change the following into indirect speech:

(i) He said to me, “I have often told you not to play with me.”

He told me that he had often told me not to play with him. 

(ii) They wrote, “It is time we thought about settling this matter.”

They wrote that it was time they thought about settling the matter. 

(iii) The teacher promised. “If you come to school tomorrow, I will explain it.”

The teacher promised to me that he would explain it if I went to school the following day. 

(iv) “What do you want?” he said to her.

He asked her what she wanted. 

(v) He said, “How’s your father?”

He enquired about my father. 

(vi) “Don’t you know the way home?” asked I.

I asked if he did not know the way home. 

(vii) “Do you really come from China?” said the prince.

The Prince asked him if he really came from China. 

(viii) “Sit down, boys,” said the teacher.

The teacher asked the boys to sit down. 

(ix) “Run away, children,” said the mother. 

The mother asked the children to run away. 

Q.4. The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Write the error along with the correction. Do not forget to underline the error.

Her mother said that you must go straight to (a)
your grandmother. There was a wolf (b) ______
in the wood through which she are (c) ______
going. But if she keep the road, he (d) ______
will not do any harm. The mother (e) ______
asked her to do as she tells her. (f) ______

(a) you—she
(b) your—her
(c) are—was
(d) keep—kept
(e) will—would
(f) tells—had told 

Q.5. Read the dialogues given below and then complete the report by choosing the correct options from the ones given below the dialogue:

I. Judge: Why don’t you speak the truth?
Witness: I have spoken only the truth.
Judge: Were you really present at the scene?
Witness: Yes, sir.
The judge asked the witness (a) ______ the truth. The witness replied that (b) ______ only the truth. At this the judge asked (c) ______ at the scene. The witness replied in positive. 
(a) (i) why don’t you speak
(ii) why didn’t he speak
(iii) why you didn’t speak
(iv) why he did not speak 
(b) (i) he had spoken
(ii) I have spoken
(iii) I had spoken
(iv) he has spoken 
(c) (i) if you are really present
(ii) that you were really present
(iii) if he was really present
(iv) that he was really present 

(a) (iv) why he did not speak
(b) (i) he had spoken
(c) (iii) if he was really present 

II. Mother: What is the matter?
Son: Grandfather has shot a policeman.
Mother: Why?
Son: He was a deserter. 
Mother asked the son (a) ______ The son replied (b) ______ a policeman. The mother demanded (c) ______ To this the son replied that he was a deserter.
(a) (i) that what is the matter
(ii) what is the matter
(iii) what the matter was
(iv) if what was the matter 
(b) (i) that the grandfather has shot
(ii) that Grandfather had shot
(iii) if grandfather had shot
(iv) why Grandfather had shot 
(c) (i) why
(ii) why Grandfather has shot
(iii) that why grandfather had shot
(iv) why Grandfather had shot 

(a) (iii) what the matter was
(b)(ii) that Grandfather had shot
(c) (iv) why Grandfather had shot 

III. Merchant: How much have you collected?
Accountant: Twenty thousand in cash and the balance on paper.
Merchant: Where have you deposited the cash? 
The Merchant asked the accountant (a) ______ collected. The accountant replied (b) ______ and the balance on paper. Then the merchant wanted to know (c) ______. 
(a) (i) how much you have
(ii) how much have you
(iii) how much had he
(iv) how much he had 
(b) (i) that I have collected twenty thousand in cash
(ii) that he has collected twenty thousand in cash
(iii) that he had collected twenty thousand in cash
(iv) he had collected twenty thousand in cash 
(c) (i) where have you deposited the cash
(ii) where he had deposited the cash
(iii) where had he deposited the cash
(iv) where the cash had been deposited 

(a) (iv) how much he had
(b) (iii) that he had collected twenty thousand in cash
(c) (ii) where he had deposited the cash 

IV. Son: How are you feeling now?
Father: Much better, son.
Son: Are you taking the medicines regularly?
Father: Yes, my dear. 
The son asked his father (a) ______ then. The father replied that (b) ______ much better. The son further asked (c) ______ the medicines regularly. The father replied in affirmative. 
(a) (i) that how he was feeling
(ii) how he was feeling
(iii) how you are feeling
(iv) how was he feeling 
(b) (i) I am feeling
(ii) I was feeling
(iii) he is feeling
(iv) he was feeling 
(c) (i) if you are taking
(ii) if he is taking
(iii) that he was taking
(iv) if he was taking 

(a) (ii) how he was feeling
(b) (iv) he was feeling
(c) (iv) if he was taking 

V. Ram: Do you shave every day?
Mohan: Yes. Don’t you?
Ram: No. I shave only once a week.
Ram asked Mohan (a) ______ everyday. Mohan replied in positive and asked (b) ______ the same. Ram agreed that he didn’t and said (c) ______ only once a week. 
(a) (i) do you shave
(ii) did he shave
(iii) if he shaved
(iv) that if he shaved 
(b) (i) don’t you
(ii) you don’t
(iii) if you don’t
(iv) if he didn’t 
(c) (i) I shave
(ii) that he shaved
(iii) if he shaved
(iv) if I shaved 

(a) (iii) if he shaved
(b) (iv) if he didn’t
(c) (ii) that he shaved 

VI. Sue: What is it dear?
Johnsy: The leaves.
Sue: Are you counting the leaves?
Johnsy: Yes. 
Sue asked Johnsy (a) ______ Johnsy replied that (b) ______ Sue further asked (c) ______ the leaves. Johnsy replied in positive. 
(a) (i) what it is
(ii) what is it
(iii) what is was
(iv) what was it 
(b) (i) that it was the leaves
(ii) it is leaves
(iii) that it are leaves
(iv) that it had leaves 
(c) (i) are you counting
(ii) that she was counting
(iii) was she counting
(iv) if she was counting

(a) (iii) what is was
(b) (i) that it was the leaves
(c) (iv) if she was counting