Free Direct and Indirect Speech MCQs with Answers
306 Direct and Indirect Speech MCQs from English, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
Direct speech gives a speaker’s exact words, whereas indirect speech reports the meaning without quotation marks. Questions cover reporting verbs, pronoun changes, tense backshift, time and place expressions, punctuation, and the transformation of questions, commands and requests, including cases where backshift is not required.
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306 questions · page 4 of 16
- A. How much do the tickets cost Meg asked.
- B. Meg inquired the cost of tickets.
- C. Meg asked how much the tickets cost.
- D. Meg asked that how much do the tickets costs.
Explanation: The original sentence is a question asked by Meg, and the correct sentence : "Meg asked how much the tickets cost."
Correct answer: Meg asked how much the tickets cost.- A. Maria said that she was dialing my number, and I called.
- B. Maria told that she had dialed my number, and she had called.
- C. Maria said that she had been dialing my number, and I had called.
- D. Maria told that Maria has been dialing my number, and I had called.
Explanation: The original sentence is in past continuous ("was dialing") and simple past ("called").
Correct answer: Maria said that she had been dialing my number, and I had called.- A. She said that when she enjoyed youth, she watched movies.
- B. She said that when she was enjoying her youth, she watched movies.
- C. She said that when I had enjoyed, I had watched movies.
- D. She inquired that when they were enjoying and watching movies.
Explanation: Original sentence is statement about the past, and correct reported speech maintains the same tense and pronouns.
Correct answer: She said that when she was enjoying her youth, she watched movies.- A. He said that it is time they began planning their holidays.
- B. He said that it was time they had begun planning their holidays.
- C. He said it is time they begin planning their holidays.
- D. He said that it was time they began planning their holidays.
Explanation: Original sentence is statement about the past, and correct reported speech maintains the same tense and pronouns.
Correct answer: He said that it was time they began planning their holidays.- A. Juliet told that they had better stay at home.
- B. Juliet said that they had better stayed at home.
- C. Juliet said that they had better stay at home.
- D. Juliet said that they had better to stay at home.
Explanation: The phrase "had better" does not change in reported speech. Only the reporting verb changes (from "said" in direct speech), so the…
Correct answer: Juliet said that they had better stay at home.- A. They tell me that they are ready to help us.
- B. They said that we are ready to help us.
- C. They tell that they are ready to help you.
- D. They say that I am ready to help them.
Explanation: The original sentence is an offer of assistance, and the correct reported speech maintains the same wording and tense, with a change in…
Correct answer: They tell me that they are ready to help us.- A. Did I say
- B. Do I say
- C. I said
- D. Did I said
Explanation: "He asked me what I said about him." This option is correct because it correctly uses the past tense without an auxiliary verb, fitting…
Correct answer: I said- A. Told to me
- B. Told of me
- C. Told me
- D. Told for me
Explanation: This option is correct because "told me" is the proper structure for reporting what someone has said directly.
Correct answer: Told me- A. If
- B. Whether
- C. That
- D. If that
Explanation: In indirect speech, when reporting yes/no questions, we use "whether" instead of "if" in formal writing.
Correct answer: Whether- A. Shut
- B. Shutting
- C. To shut
- D. Shuts
Explanation: 'She ordered the servant to shut the door and leave the room.' This option is correct because it uses the infinitive form 'to shut,' which…
Correct answer: To shut- A. Knows
- B. Know
- C. Known
- D. Knew
Explanation: In reported speech, the tense of the original present verb "knows" changes to past tense ("knew") because the reporting verb "asked" is in…
Correct answer: Knew- A. Not to make
- B. Make
- C. To make
- D. Made
Explanation: The correct sentence is: "The father forbade his son from making the same mistake again." The verb 'forbade' is typically followed by the…
Correct answer: To make- A. Died
- B. Had died
- C. Has died
- D. Would died
Explanation: In reported speech, when showing an event that happened before another past action, we use past perfect ("had died").
Correct answer: Had died- A. had I
- B. I have
- C. I had
- D. have I
Explanation: In reported speech, questions are changed to statement word order. The original past tense question "Why had I...?" becomes "why I had..."…
Correct answer: I had- A. If
- B. That
- C. Whether
- D. When
Explanation: In indirect speech, "whether" is used to report yes/no questions. So the sentence becomes: "My teacher wanted to know whether I had done…
Correct answer: Whether- A. May
- B. Might
- C. Can
- D. Could
Explanation: The original sentence is in present tense reporting ("She says"). In indirect speech, "may" is used to express purpose in the present or…
Correct answer: May- A. Returns
- B. Returned
- C. Has returned
- D. Return
Explanation: "She requested me to wait for her until she returned from school." This option is correct because "returned" is the past tense form, which…
Correct answer: Returned- A. Have
- B. Had
- C. Has
- D. Having
Explanation: "The Principal said that the gates should be locked as the classes had started." This option is correct because "had" is the past tense…
Correct answer: Had- A. Has
- B. Had
- C. Have
- D. Having
Explanation: "He told us that he had not read the book." This option is correct because "had" is the past tense form, which correctly reflects the time…
Correct answer: Had- A. She said that she was going to the market.
- B. She says that she is going to the market.
- C. She said that she is going to the market.
- D. She said that she went to the market.
Explanation: In reported speech, present continuous (am going) changes to past continuous (was going) when the reporting verb is in the past (said).
Correct answer: She said that she was going to the market.