››Direct and Indirect Speech
Grade 5 · English
Direct and Indirect Speech
3 activities · Fill in! · Sort it!
Reporting what people say — statements, questions and changes in time/pronoun
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1

Change these direct speech statements to indirect speech. Choose the correct reported version.

Fill in!
Mother said, "Lunch will be served at one o'clock." →
They said that they had been waiting for over an hour.
Mother said that lunch would be served at one o'clock.
He said that he had finished all the questions.
She said, "I am preparing for the final exam." →
Mother said that lunch would be served at one o'clock.
He said that he had missed the last bus.
She said that she was preparing for the final exam.
She said, "I cannot find my notebook." →
He said that he had finished all the questions.
She said that she could not find her notebook.
He said that he had missed the last bus.
She said, "I am not feeling well." →
They said that they had been waiting for over an hour.
She said that she was not feeling well.
She said that she could not find her notebook.
He said, "I have missed the last bus." →
She said that she could not find her notebook.
Mother said that lunch would be served at one o'clock.
He said that he had missed the last bus.
2

Direct speech uses the speaker's EXACT words in inverted commas. Indirect speech reports what was said. Sort each sentence!

Sort it!
1Father said that he had been in Shimla the previous month.
2The guide announced that the museum would close in thirty minutes.
3Meera asked if I could explain that problem again.
4Father said, "I was in Shimla last month."
5The officer told him to show his identification.
6Meera asked, "Can you explain this problem again?"
7She said, "I have already spoken to the principal."
8The guide announced, "The museum closes in thirty minutes."
9The officer said, "Show me your identification."
10The warden said, "The gates will be locked at ten."
Direct Speech
write sentence numbers here
Indirect Speech
write sentence numbers here
3

When changing to indirect speech, time and place words change! Fill in the correct indirect speech word.

Fill in!
"next week" →
the day before yesterday
the day before
the following week
"these" →
that
those
the previous day
"today" →
the previous day
there
that day
"this" →
that
the next day
the following week
"yesterday" →
those
the day before
that day
Colour a star for each activity you finish!
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