Exercise 1: The 2025 Conversation
Alifano : Can we talk about Dona Leonor, your mother? Borges : My mother was an extraordinary person Alifano : What is Blindness to you? Borges : Well, now it is a way of life. My duty is to accept it.
Model answer
Alifano asked Borges whether they could talk about Dona Leonor, his mother. Borges replied that his mother had been an extraordinary person. Alifano then asked him what blindness was to him. Borges said that then it was a way of life and that his duty was to accept it.
Exercise 2: Roof and the POP Leader ('The Voter')
Leader : We want your vote. Roof : You know I work for Marcus. It will be very bad. Leader : Are you taking this or not? Roof : Will it be heard outside this room? Leader : We are after votes, not gossip.
Model answer
The POP leader told Roof that they wanted his vote. Roof replied that the leader knew he worked for Marcus and that it would be very bad. The leader then asked him whether he was taking it or not. Roof asked whether it would be heard outside that room. The leader answered that they were after votes and not gossip.
Exercise 3: Jameela and the Author ('Where There Is a Wheel')
Author : Why did you take to cycling? Jameela : It's my right. We can go anywhere. Author : Did people not object? Jameela : They made dirty remarks, but I paid no attention.
Model answer
The author asked Jameela why she had taken to cycling. She replied that it was her right and that they could go anywhere. The author then asked her whether people had not objected. Jameela answered that they had made dirty remarks but that she had paid no attention.
Exercise 4: Marcus and Roof on Election Day
Marcus : Roof, you had better go first. Roof : Shall I put in my paper now? Marcus : Yes, go at once. Do not waste time. Roof : I will do as you say.
Model answer
Marcus told Roof that he had better go first. Roof asked whether he should put in his paper then. Marcus agreed and ordered him to go at once and not to waste time. Roof replied that he would do as Marcus said.
*(Notice three things: *now* became then, the two commands were joined with and not to, and Yes was reported as agreed rather than written out.)*
Exercise 5: Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo ('A Sunny Morning')
Gonzalo : Did you hear of that sad love affair? Laura : Yes, I did. The ways of Providence are strange. Gonzalo : The gallant lover was my cousin. Laura : My friend told me the story in one of her letters.
Model answer
Don Gonzalo asked Dona Laura whether she had heard of that sad love affair. She replied that she had, and added that the ways of Providence were strange. Gonzalo then said that the gallant lover had been his cousin. Laura answered that her friend had told her the story in one of her letters.
Exercise 6: Single Sentences
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| She said, "I am cycling to work." | She said that she was cycling to work. |
| He said, "I have lost my pot." | He said that he had lost his pot. |
| Kannammal said, "Cycling gave women confidence." | Kannammal said that cycling had given women confidence. |
| The teacher said, "Water boils at 100 degrees." | The teacher said that water boils at 100 degrees. |
| He said, "I will come tomorrow." | He said that he would come the next day. |
| She said to me, "You must wait here." | She told me that I had to wait there. |
| The elder said, "Two shillings is shameful." | The elder said that two shillings was shameful. |
| Mother said, "Don't go out now." | Mother told me not to go out then. |
| The officer said, "Please sign the register." | The officer requested him to sign the register. |
| The girl said, "What a beautiful cycle!" | The girl exclaimed with joy that it was a beautiful cycle. |
| He asked, "Where do you live?" | He asked where I lived. |
| She asked, "Are you tired?" | She asked whether I was tired. |
Exercise 7: Correct the Reported Version
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| He asked that could they talk about his mother. | He asked whether they could talk about his mother. |
| She asked what was my name. | She asked what my name was. |
| Borges said that his mother was an extraordinary person. | Borges said that his mother had been an extraordinary person. |
| He said that now it is a way of life. | He said that then it was a way of life. |
| She said me that she was tired. | She told me that she was tired. |
| Marcus told Roof that go first. | Marcus told Roof to go first. |
| The officer requested to sign the register. | The officer requested him to sign the register. |
| He replied, that he would vote for Maduka. | He replied that he would vote for Maduka. (no comma, no quotation marks) |
| She said yes she had heard of it. | She replied that she had heard of it. |
| He asked her that where she lived. | He asked her where she lived. |
Exercise 8: Write It Yourself
Report this conversation in one paragraph.
Fatima : Do you know how much a cycle costs? Friend : It costs over twelve hundred rupees. Fatima : I cannot buy one, so I hire one every evening. Friend : Why do you spend money on it? Fatima : It gives me a feeling of independence.
Model answer
Fatima asked her friend whether she knew how much a cycle cost. The friend replied that it cost over twelve hundred rupees. Fatima said that she could not buy one and so she hired one every evening. Her friend then asked her why she spent money on it. Fatima answered that it gave her a feeling of independence.
[Exam Tip] — Write the paragraph, then run one finger down it checking three things only: any quotation mark left behind, any question word order (what was, did you), and any now / today / here that should have moved. Those three checks catch most lost marks.