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Reported Speech and Indirect Questions Flashcards

6 cards from real OOPT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 Reported Speech and Indirect Questions flashcards as text

  1. She said, 'I will call you tomorrow.' Which is the correct reported speech?

    Answer: She said she would call me the next day.

    Backshifting: 'will' → 'would'. Pronoun change: 'I' → 'she', 'you' → 'me'. Time reference change: 'tomorrow' → 'the next day'. Option B fails to backshift. Option C swaps pronouns incorrectly. Option D keeps 'tomorrow' without changing it.

  2. He asked me where _______ from.

    Answer: I came

    In indirect questions the word order reverts to statement order (subject before verb), not question order. Past tense 'came' is used because the reporting verb 'asked' is past. Options B and D use question word order. Option C uses present simple, ignoring backshifting.

  3. The officer asked us _______ we had seen anything suspicious.

    Answer: whether

    Yes/no questions are reported with 'whether' or 'if'. 'That' introduces reported statements, not questions. 'What' would introduce a wh-question, implying specific information was seen. 'If that' is not grammatical in this context.

  4. My friend told me she _______ the project the previous week.

    Answer: had finished

    Backshifting past simple → past perfect. The original statement was 'I finished the project last week.' Reported in the past, 'finished' becomes 'had finished'. 'Has finished' is present perfect, not backshifted. 'Finished' misses the required backshift. 'Would finish' implies a future action.

  5. She asked me _______ I could help her move on Saturday.

    Answer: if

    'If' (or 'whether') links a reported yes/no question. 'That' introduces reported statements. 'Which' and 'what' introduce reported questions requiring specific information, which does not match the yes/no structure here.

  6. Direct speech: 'Don't open the window.' What is the reported form?

    Answer: He told me not to open the window.

    Reported imperatives use 'tell/ask + object + (not) to + infinitive'. The negative goes before 'to': 'not to open'. 'Tell' requires an object ('me'), unlike 'say'. Placing 'not' after 'to' ('to not') is non-standard in British English, which OOPT follows.