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Reported Speech – Test 2

B2 Upper-intermediate GrammarEnglish

This B2 grammar test covers reported speech in depth: tense backshift, time and place references, reported questions and verb patterns after reporting verbs. It ends with a short email to complete. It suits upper-intermediate learners and teachers who want a quick, printable check of form, meaning and use.

Questions
30
Time
30 min
PDF
4 pages
Answer key
Included
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New to this topic? Read the guide first: Reported Speech: Tense Changes, Questions and Reporting Verbs

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Choose the best option (A, B, C or D) for each question. Choose your answers, then press “Check my answers”.

Part 1: Tenses, modals and time references

Choose the option that correctly completes the reported sentence.

  1. "I may be late for dinner," Kofi said. Kofi said he _____ late for dinner.

  2. "I moved to Lisbon two years ago," Elena said. (Reported many years later.) Elena said she had moved to Lisbon two years _____.

  3. "We arrived yesterday," the tourists told the receptionist. (Reported a week later.) The tourists told the receptionist they had arrived _____.

  4. "I'd already left when the storm started," Ben said. Ben said he _____ when the storm started.

  5. Amir is on the phone right now: "The flight is delayed." Amir says the flight _____ delayed.

  6. "I need an answer now," the client said. (Reported the following week.) The client said she needed an answer _____.

  7. "You could take the earlier bus," Wei said to me. Wei said I _____ the earlier bus.

  8. "I've been waiting here for an hour," Diego said. Diego said he _____ there for an hour.

Part 2: Reported questions

Choose the correct option. Pay attention to word order and question words.

  1. "Shall we meet at six?" Rosa asked. Rosa asked if _____ meet at six.

  2. "Who left the door open?" Mr Novak asked. Mr Novak asked _____ the door open.

  3. "How long have you been studying Japanese?" the interviewer asked Tariq. The interviewer asked Tariq how long _____ Japanese.

  4. "Do I have to bring my passport?" Ines asked. Ines asked whether she _____ her passport.

  5. Choose the correct sentence.

  6. "Did you enjoy the concert or not?" Yuki asked me. Yuki asked me _____ I had enjoyed the concert.

  7. "How much does this jacket cost?" Lin asked the shop assistant. Lin asked the shop assistant how much _____.

  8. Which part of the sentence contains an error? My neighbour asked me how long did I live in the building.

Part 3: Reporting verbs

Choose the reporting verb or verb pattern that correctly reports the original words.

  1. "Don't swim near the rocks," the lifeguard said to us. The lifeguard warned us _____ near the rocks.

  2. "I'll pay for the meal – I insist!" Hiro said. Hiro insisted _____ for the meal.

  3. "I won't sign the contract," the actor said. The actor _____ to sign the contract.

  4. "Yes, I took your charger," Lena said to me. Lena admitted _____ my charger.

  5. "Congratulations on passing your driving test!" Aunt Ruth said to me. Aunt Ruth congratulated me _____ my driving test.

  6. "You lost the tickets – it's your fault!" Kai said to Mira. Kai blamed Mira _____ the tickets.

  7. "If you're late again, I'll call your parents," the coach said to Ivan. The coach _____ to call Ivan's parents if he was late again.

  8. "Please, please don't tell anyone!" Noor said to me. Noor _____ me not to tell anyone.

  9. "I think you should try the fish," the waiter said to us. The waiter recommended _____ the fish.

Part 4: Reported speech in context

Read the email and choose the best option for each gap. Then answer the final question.

Hi Sam,

You asked me how my job interview went, so here's the full story. When I arrived, the receptionist asked me (1) ___ an appointment. I explained that I was there to see Ms Okafor at ten. After a few minutes, Ms Okafor came out. She said that she was sorry and that the previous interview (2) ___ longer than expected.

The interview itself was friendly. Ms Okafor asked me what I enjoyed most about my work and why I (3) ___ to leave my current job. At the end, she told me she (4) ___ me a decision by the end of the week. Fingers crossed!

Best wishes,

Julia

  1. Gap (1): The receptionist asked me _____ an appointment.

  2. Gap (2): She said that the previous interview _____ longer than expected.

  3. Gap (3): She asked me why I _____ to leave my current job.

  4. Gap (4): She told me she _____ me a decision by the end of the week.

  5. What were Ms Okafor's exact words at the end of the interview?

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Practise with a worksheet: Reported Speech – Worksheet 1

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About this test

This B2 grammar test covers reported speech in depth: tense backshift, time and place references, reported questions and verb patterns after reporting verbs. It ends with a short email to complete. It suits upper-intermediate learners and teachers who want a quick, printable check of form, meaning and use.

Topics covered

Tense backshiftTime and place referencesModal verbs in reported speechReported questions and word orderReporting verbs and patternsError correction

How to use this test

  1. Download the PDF and print it, or take the test online below.
  2. Answer every question without a dictionary or time pressure.
  3. Check your answers and note the topics you need to review.

Notes for teachers

Use this test after teaching backshift, reported questions and reporting verb patterns. It targets typical B2 errors: question word order in reported questions, 'if or not' instead of 'whether or not', wrong patterns after verbs such as insist, admit, blame and refuse, and unchanged time words like 'yesterday' or 'now'. As a follow-up, ask students to report a real conversation in pairs. They should use at least five different reporting verbs.