reported speech dialogue questions

Report the dialogue: reported speech conversation

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Read the following conversation and report the dialogue in the reported speech.

Mike: "What are you doing here, Liz? I haven't seen you since June." Liz: "I've just come back from my holiday in Ireland." Mike: "Did you enjoy it?" ...

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Reported speech exercises with answers and grammar rules.

How to report a dialogue

If we report a conversation, we use a reporting verb ('say' and 'tell' are the most common, but there are a lot of other verbs like 'claim', 'admit', 'explain'...). If the reporting verb is in the past tense ( I said that... He told us that... ), we have to change the following:

• Tenses "I am hungry," I said. - I said I was hungry. "Sarah went to hospital," Terry said. - Terry said that Sarah had gone to hospital. "Jim has gone away," Betty told me. - Betty told me that Jim had gone away. "We will try it again," we promised. - We promised we would try it again.
• Pronouns They called us," said Tom. - Tom said they had called them. "I like this," Sarah told me. - Sarah told me she liked that.
• Time and place Harry: "She will come tomorrow." - Harry said she would come the next day. My brother: "I arrived at Warsaw yesterday." - My brother told me that he had arrived at Warsaw the day before. "I'll be here on time," he said. - He said he would be there on time.
• Word order in reported questions "How old are you?" asked Peter. - Peter wanted to know how old I was. "What did you do?" asked my mum. - My mum asked what I had done. "Will you catch a bus?" I asked my sister. - I asked my sister if she would catch a bus.

Question and Answer forum for K12 Students

Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers

Reported speech is when we express or say things that have already been said by somebody else.

Basic  English Grammar  rules can be tricky. In this article, we’ll get you started with the basics of sentence structure, punctuation, parts of speech, and more.

We also providing Extra Questions for Class 10 English Chapter wise.

Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises For Class 10 Cbse With Answers PDF

Reporting of the words of a speaker in one’s own words is called Narration. There are two ways of reporting what people say: Direct Speech and Indirect Speech. Direct Speech. The actual words of the speaker using quotation marks are called Direct Speech. Indirect Speech. When we convey the speaker’s words in our own words it becomes Indirect Speech. It is the reporting of speakers’ words, using a saying or asking verbs. In indirect, verbs giving or asking for instructing are often used with a to-infinitive construction. Verbs expressing intention may also be followed by a to-infinitive.

There are basically four types of sentences in which we can convert direct speech into Indirect speech.

• Assertive Sentences (Statements)
• Interrogative Sentences (Questions)
• Imperative Sentences (Commands and Requests)
• Exclamatory Sentences (Strong Feelings)

To convert a Direct speech into an Indirect speech, we have to make some necessary changes. Change No.1. Remove the commas and inverted commas. Use any conjunction.

Change No.2. In Reported Speech, there are some words which show nearness, but they are always converted into words which show distance.

They are as follows:

Note. ‘Come’ is changed into ‘go’ only in that case when any word showing nearness is given with it. Change No. 3. Change of Person. There are three types of Person in English language which are as follows:

Change No. 4. If the reporting verb is in Present or in Future Tense, there is no change in the tense of the Reported Speech. If the reporting verb is in Past Tense, there is always a change in the tense of the Reported Speech, which is as follows:

• Present Indefinite is changed into Past Indefinite
• Present Continuous is changed into Past Continuous
• Present Perfect is changed into Past Perfect
• Present Perfect Continuous is changed into Past Perfect Continuous
• Past Indefinite is changed into Past Perfect
• Past Continuous is changed into Past Perfect Continuous
• Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous remain unchanged

In case of Future Tense, there are only four words which are changed, i.e.

Changes based on the types of sentences.

1. Assertive Sentences (Statements) Change No. 1. Remove the commas and inverted commas. Use conjunction ‘that’. Change No. 2. Change the reporting verb ‘say into tell’, ‘says into tell’, ‘said into told’, if the reporting object is given in the sentence. But do not change the reporting verb if the reporting object is not given in the sentence. Change No. 3. ‘Said to’ can be changed into told, replied, informed, stated, added, remarked, asserted, assured, reminded, complained, and reported, according to the meaning. Change No. 4. Always remove “to’ from the reporting speech, e.g.

• He said to me, “I cannot help you in this matter.” He told me that he could not help me in that matter.
• He said, “My sister’s marriage comes off next month.” He said that his sister’s marriage would come off the following month.

2. Interrogative Sentences (Questions)

Change No. 1. Change the reporting verb ‘said ‘or ‘said to’into‘ asked’ or ‘inquired of’. In case of a single question, change it into ‘asked’ but in case of more than one question, change it into “inquired of’. Change No. 2. Use conjunction ‘if’ or ‘whether’ if the reported speech starts with a helping verb. But do not use any conjunction if the reported speech starts with an interrogative word. Change No. 3. Change the Interrogative sense into an Assertive sense. Change No. 4. Remove ‘?’ question mark and use ‘ . ‘full stop, e.g.

• She said to her servant, “Is tea ready for me?” She asked her servant if tea was ready for her.
• She asked me, “Who teaches you English?” She asked me who taught me English.

3. Imperative Sentences (Commands and Requests)

Change No. 1. Change the reporting verb‘said’ or ‘said to’ into ordered, commanded, requested, advised, warned, forbade, suggested, encouraged, persuaded, begged, etc. according to the sense. Change No. 2. Remove the commas and inverted commas, use conjunction ‘to’. Change No. 3. Change the Imperative sense into Infinitive sense. Change No. 4. Remove ‘do not and use ‘not to’ in case of Negative Imperative sentences, e.g.

• The teacher said to me, “Stand up on the bench.”. The teacher ordered me to stand up on the bench.
• The General said to the soldiers, “March forward and attack the foe.” The General ordered the soldiers to march forward and attack the foe.
• The gardener said to the boys, “Do not pluck the flowers.” The gardener forbade the boys from plucking the flowers.

4. Exclamatory Sentences (Strong Feelings)

Change No. 1. Change the reporting verb ‘said’ or ‘said to’ into “exclaimed with joy’ or ‘exclaimed with sorrow’, ‘cry out, “pray’, etc., according to the sense, i.e.

• Exclaimed with joy–in case of Aha! Ha! Hurrah!
• Exclaimed with sorrow–in case of Ah! Alas!
• Exclaimed with surprise–in case of Oh! What! How!
• Exclaimed with regret–in case of Sorry!
• Exclaimed with contempt–in case of Pooh! Pshaw!
• Applauded with saying–in case of Bravo! Hear!

Change No. 2. Use very or great by removing what or how. Change No. 3. Use conjunction ‘that. Change No. 4. Remove exclamatory word and exclamation sign ‘!’ The student must select the verb best suited to the sense or context, e.g.

• They said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.” They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
• She said, “Alas! I have lost my bridal ring.” She exclaimed with sorrow that she had lost her bridal ring.
• She said, “How charming the scenery is!” She exclaimed with surprise that it was a very charming scenery.

Reported Speech Exercises Solved Example With Answers for Class 10 CBSE

Diagnostic Test – 29

Mother: Why are you looking so worried? Daughter: My exams are approaching. Mother: When will they start? Daughter: Next month, Mother.

Mother asked her daughter (a) …………………… The daughter replied that (b) …………………… Mother further asked (c) …………………… The daughter told her mother that they would start in the following month.

Answer: (a) why she was looking very worried (b) her exams were approaching. (c) when they would start.

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Reported speech - 12 dialogues to report

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What is Reported Speech

Definition :.

In order to report a dialogue, one should be well-versed in changing sentences from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech . Of course, we need not reproduce the actual words of the speaker exactly. We are more concerned with the sense of the utterance than in the literal repetition of the words. The following guidelines will help you to refresh what you have studied about the transformation of sentences from Direct to Indirect Speech.

Statements : When the utterance of the speaker is a statement we use the reporting verbs - say, tell. The conjunction used is - that . In order to preserve the original tone of the speaker ‘say’ or ‘tell’ can be replaced with:- suggest, agree, mutter, admit, insist, whisper, boast, state, remark, claim, object, protest, etc.

What are the differences between the direct speech and the indirect speech?

There are several differences between a sentence with direct speech and a sentence with indirect speech.

• We no need to use quotation marks with indirect speech.
• We have to change the tense of the verb.
• We have to change the pronouns and determiners.

Some more examples .

We can replace ‘ tell ’ with the following verbs suited to the context: complained, stammered, sneered, snapped, explained, declared, announced, groaned, promised, gasped, conceded, etc.

Some Important Rules to Report the Dialogue:

Changes to be noted:

CHANGES IN:

A. pronouns:.

C. Expressions of time and place indicating nearness are changed into one of distance:

I. STATEMENTS:

a. Ordinary statements:

In reported speech people often leave out the conjunction that .

b. When the reporting verb is in the present or future tense there is no change in the tense of the reported clause:

c. When the reporting verb is in the past tense the verb of the reported clause is changed into the corresponding past tense :

d. Present Progressive used as a future form becomes would be + present participle , not Past Progressive:

e. Simple Past / past Progressive in adverb clauses of time do not usually change into the corresponding past tense :

f. Unreal past tense (subjunctive mood) after wish / it is time remains unchange :

g. Would rather / would sooner / had better remains unchanged :

h. Verbs used in clauses expressing improbable or impossible condition remain unchanged :

i. When the direct speech expresses universal truth (fundamental truths of science) saying / provers / habitual action, the tense does not change :

j. A noun / pronoun in the vocative case is made the object of a reporting verb or left out:

Likewise a comment clause (parenthesis) is left out

k. Words of expressions used juct to introduce a sentence are left out:

Well, very well, now, so etc.

l. A statement employing all the techniques:

Sentence with the same concept should be joined with ‘and’ but when there is a contract use ‘but’.  

II. QUESTIONS:

A. the reporting verbs for questions are:.

b. Auxiliary questions should begin with:

c. Do / Does / Did Questions:

When using; do, does (present tense) - the main verb converts into the past (does / do go -> went) did (past tense) - the main verb converts into past perfect. (did go -> had gone)

d. The question form will change into a statement form:

e. W/h Questions:

These questions begin with a question word ( Who, What, When, Why, Where, How, How long ... ). While changing such a question into reported form we do not use any conjunction. We simply invert the word order (Verb + Subject is changed into Subject + Verb). Do not use if/whether in W/h Questions .

f. Verbal Questions:

These are questions begining with a verb. ( Are you ready? Is it true? ) Here we use the conjunction ‘ if’ or ‘whether ’. The word order is changed as mentioned earlier.

III. COMMANDS / ORDER / IMPERATIVE SENTENCES

To report a command we can use a number of verbs

Reporting Verb:

We use the conjunction ‘ to ’ . When the command is a negative one beginning with “Don’t” we change it to ‘not to’ .

Please - requested + whom + to + v

Exclamations

Exclamations can be reported with adverbs of manner.

a) Reporting Verb: exclaimed with (emotion) b) The exclamation should be changed into a statement. c) Use suitable emotions to the exclamation.  

The Participle

• Participle uses
• Present Participle
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The Pronoun

• What is a Pronoun?
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Learning Competency

Examples of back formation 1.Baby-sit (baby-sitter) 2.Gyre (gyroscope) 3.Edit (editor)

Reported Speech Exercises

Perfect english grammar.

Here's a list of all the reported speech exercises on this site:

( Click here to read the explanations about reported speech )

Reported Statements:

• Present Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Present Continuous Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Past Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Present Perfect Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Future Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Mixed Tense Reported Statement Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• 'Say' and 'Tell' (quite easy) (in PDF here)

Reported Questions:

• Present Simple Reported Yes/No Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• Present Simple Reported Wh Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• Mixed Tense Reported Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)

Reported Orders and Requests:

• Reported Requests and Orders Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 1 (difficult) (in PDF here)
• Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 2 (difficult) (in PDF here)

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100 Reported Speech Examples: How To Change Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of communicating what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. For example, if your friend said, “ I am going to the store ,” in reported speech, you might convey this as, “ My friend said he was going to the store. ” Reported speech is common in both spoken and written language, especially in storytelling, news reporting, and everyday conversations.

Reported speech can be quite challenging for English language learners because in order to change direct speech into reported speech, one must change the perspective and tense of what was said by the original speaker or writer. In this guide, we will explain in detail how to change direct speech into indirect speech and provide lots of examples of reported speech to help you understand. Here are the key aspects of converting direct speech into reported speech.

Reported Speech: Changing Pronouns

Pronouns are usually changed to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. For example, “I” in direct speech may become “he” or “she” in reported speech, depending on the context. Here are some example sentences:

Reported Speech: Reporting Verbs

Reported speech: tense shifts.

When converting direct speech into reported speech, the verb tense is often shifted back one step in time. This is known as the “backshift” of tenses. It’s essential to adjust the tense to reflect the time elapsed between the original speech and the reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how different tenses in direct speech are transformed in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Changing Time and Place References

Reported speech: question format.

When converting questions from direct speech into reported speech, the format changes significantly. Unlike statements, questions require rephrasing into a statement format and often involve the use of introductory verbs like ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’. Here are some examples to demonstrate how questions in direct speech are converted into statements in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Omitting Quotation Marks

Reported speech quiz.

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5 Tasks for Practicing Reported Speech

Tara Benwell June 12, 2017

Do your students struggle with reported (indirect) speech? One of our subscribers recently said that reported speech is one of the most difficult targets for language students to learn. We agree! Our editor says that reported speech is tricky to learn (and teach) because of the verb tense changes that are sometimes required.

ESL Library's Dialogue-Based Sections

ESL Library has many lessons that are based on dialogues. These are ideal for practicing reported speech because they come with ready-made audio that you can download or stream:

• Everyday Dialogues
• English at Work
• Detective Series 1
• Detective Series 2
• Everyday Idioms 1
• Everyday Idioms 2
• Everyday Idioms 3

Practice Tasks

Below are five practice tasks to try with any of the lessons from the sections above. These tasks can also be used with authentic dialogues and transcripts.

1. Listen & Report

Have your students listen to the dialogue. Pause the audio after each line (or after a tricky line) and ask this question:

What did he/she say?

At first, you might want your students to have the transcript handy. As your students become more familiar with this target, use the audio on its own.

2. Ask Ss for Clarification

This task can be done with the audio or the transcript. Ask your students to paraphrase what was said about a certain subject in the dialogue.

What did Jim say about the employment papers ? Did Jim say to drop off the employment papers  now ? Jim said to drop off the employment papers in the staff room, right ?

3. Practice a Specific Tense or Form

Some tenses are trickier than others when it comes to reported speech. Which ones do your students need to work on? Spot examples of it in the dialogues and ask your students to report on what was said.

What did the detective say the teacher was doing ?

Your students may also need to practice other types of indirect speech, such as questions and requests. When you see or hear an example in a dialogue, ask your students to practice.

What did he ask first? Then what request did he make?

4. Spot the Reported Speech

In some cases, reported speech will be used by the characters in the dialogue. Ask your students to spot instances of reported speech used by the speakers.

Where does one of the characters use reported speech?

5. Summarize the Conversation

When summarizing a conversation, it is natural to use reported speech. After listening to and reading a dialogue, ask students to practice summarizing it. This type of task can be done orally or in writing.

Summarize how Clarissa broke the ice with the detective.

Teaching Reported Speech

If your students are unfamiliar with reported (indirect) speech, you will need to teach them the rules and do some practice work before you can try the tasks above. Here are some useful materials to use:

1. Grammar Practice Worksheets: Direct & Reported Speech

In this lesson, students review the verb tense and punctuation rules used in direct and reported speech. They practice changing sentences from direct to reported speech and vice versa.

2. Grammar & Usage: Reported Speech

This handy chart and tips will help students remember common verb tense and modal changes in reported speech. We also encourage you to read our editor's tips for teaching Reported Speech .

The Most Difficult Target to Learn/Teach

In your opinion, what is the most difficult language target for English learners? What is the most difficult thing to teach?

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Reported Speech: Practice Exercises in Interrogative Sentences

• Post last modified: 1 March 2023
• Post category: Grammar Exercises / School Grammar

Do practice converting Direct Speech Interrogative sentences into Indirect Speech. The exercises are based on both types of Questions – Starting with an Auxiliary Verb and the other type starting with a Q Word. Try to first attempt yourself then see the answers given in the last of every set of questions.

More exercises are added from time to time, so keep coming here 😊

Click here more English Grammar study materials

I – Interrogative Sentences – Yes/No Type (Questions starts with an auxiliary verb)

See some examples before attempting practice exercises.

Direct speech: “Are you the one who stole the money?”

Indirect speech: He asked if I was the one who had stolen the money.

Direct speech: “What are you doing here at this time?”

Indirect speech: She asked what I was doing there at that time.

Direct speech: “Have you ever been to Europe before?”

Indirect speech: He asked if I had ever been to Europe before.

Direct speech: “Who taught you how to play the guitar so well?”

Indirect speech: She asked me who had taught me how to play the guitar so well.

Direct speech: “Why did you leave your previous job?”

Indirect speech: He asked me why I had left my previous job.

Q. Change the following sentences into Indirect Speech.  

1. “Are there any more files?” He asked. “Yes, sir,” said the peon.  

2. The teacher said to Rena, “Did you break the window pane?” “No, sir,” said Reena, “I did not.” 

3. “If you find my answers satisfactory, will you give me five rupees?” said the astrologer. “No,” replied the customer.  

4. I said to him, “Do you want to go to Delhi?” He said, “No, sir.”  

5. Rahul said to me, “Does Mohit still play?” I said, “Yes, sir.”  

6. Malik said to her, “Has Sara invited you to dinner?”  

7. I said to her, “Did you enjoy the film?” She said, “No, sir.”  

8. Sachin said, “Sonam, do you see what I see?” Sonam said, “Yes.”  

9. He said, “Do you not like it?” She said, “Yes.”  

10. She said to me, “Shall we ever see each other again?” I said, “Perhaps, never.” 

1. He asked the peon if there were any more files. The peon replied respectfully in the affirmative.  

2. The teacher asked Reena if she had broken the window pane. Reena replied respectfully that she had not done it.  

3. The astrologer asked the customer if he would give him five rupees if he found his answers satisfactory. The customer replied in negative.  

4. I asked him if he wanted to go to Delhi and he replied respectfully in negative.  

5. Rahul asked me if Mohit still played and I replied respectfully in positive.  

6. Malik asked her if Sara had invited her to dinner.  

7. I asked her if she had enjoyed the film. She replied respectfully in negative.  

8. Sachin asked Sonam if she saw what he saw. She replied in affirmative.  

9. He asked if she did not like that and she replied in affirmative.  

10. She asked me if we would ever see each other again but I replied that we would perhaps never. 

II – Interrogative Sentences – Q. Word Type (Question begins with a Q. Word)

Q. change the following sentences into indirect speech.  .

1. He said to me, “Whom does she want to contact?”  

2. They said to her, “Whose house are you purchasing?”  

3. You said to him “Why are you making mischief?”  

4. They said to us, “How have you solved this sum?”  

5. We said to them, “Who has misguided you?”  

6. They said to him, “Where have you been wandering since yesterday?”  

7. She said to me, “Why were you hiding today?”  

8. Raja said to us, “When do you expect to see me again?”  

9. He said to her, “What shall I be offering you with tea?”  

10. We said to them, “When shall we have paid you a visit?” 

1. He asked me whom she wanted to contact.  

2. They asked her whose house she was purchasing.  

3. You asked him why he was making mischief.  

4. They asked us how we had solved that sum.  

5. We asked them who had misguided them.  

6. They asked him where he had been wandering since the previous day.  

7. She asked me why I had been hiding that day.  

8. Raja asked us when we expected to see him again.  

9. He asked her what he would be offering her with tea.

10. We asked them when we would have paid them a visit. 

Miscellaneous Exercises on Interrogative Sentences

I. change the following sentences into indirect speech..

• “What is your name?” asked the teacher. Indirect speech:
• “Where did you go yesterday?” she asked me. Indirect speech:
• “Are you feeling better now?” he asked her. Indirect speech: .
• “Will you come with me?” he asked her. Indirect speech: .
• “Why did you break the vase?” he asked his son. Indirect speech:
• “What are you doing here?” asked John.
• “Have you finished your homework?” the teacher asked.
• “Why did you leave the party so early?” she asked
• “Are you going to the concert tonight?” Tom asked.
• “Where did you put my phone?” asked Sarah.
• The teacher asked me what my name was.
• She asked me where I had gone the previous day.
• He asked her if she was feeling better then
• He asked her if she would go with him
• He asked his son why he had broken the vase.
• John asked what I was doing there.
• The teacher asked if I had finished my homework.
• She asked why I had left the party so early.
• Tom asked if I was going to the concert that night.
• Sarah asked where I had put her phone.

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Direct-indirect speech: assertive sentences practice exercises, parts of speech: practice exercises, tenses – cbse class 10 english grammar, article writing: cbse class 10 english grammar, this post has 5 comments.

N Yashvanth 8th C

Sarman Rathore Rath Hamirpur Uttar pradesh

Cool…!!

Hi Safa, we have added a few more questions. You can also see and attempt them.

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• English Grammar
• Grammar Exercises
• Reported Speech Exercises For Class 10

Reported Speech Exercises with Answers for Class 10

One of the English grammar concepts that almost all of us would have studied in our junior classes is reported speech . Having a clear understanding of reported speech helps students use sentences correctly. This article provides reported speech exercises for class 10 students.

Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 with Answers

Here is an exercise on the transformation of direct speech to indirect speech. Go through the following sentences, work them out and then check your answers to assess how far you have understood their usage.

Change as directed

Read the following sentences and change them into reported speech.

• Mimi said, “I have been writing this letter.”
• I said, “Sam’s driving the car.”
• My uncle said, “I am cooking lunch.”
• My brother said, “I had already eaten.”
• The old lady said to the girl, “Where do you come from?”
• Jon said, “I like to play rugby.”
• My mother said, “I get up early every morning.”
• The maths teacher said, “Three divided by three is one.”
• Mohit said, “Switzerland is a very beautiful country.”
• Ruben said, “It is very cold outside.”
• The teacher said, “The French Revolution took place in 1789.”
• Uma said, “I saw a Royal Bengal Tiger in the zoo.”
• Luke said, “I can do this homework.”
• Aswini said to her mother, “I have passed the test”.
• Daphne said to Antony, “I will go to London tomorrow.”
• The boy said, “My father is sleeping.”
• The traffic police said to us, “Where are you going?”
• The man shouted, “Let me go.”
• Shivina said, “Alas! I am lost.”
• “I know her contact number,” said Helena.
• Stefen said, “My granny is making pasta.”
• Raj said to Simran, “Have you ever been to the National Museum?”
• Anish said to Sid, “Please lend me the book.”
• The teacher said to the parents, “Shelly is working very hard.”
• Joshua said, “I have completed my assignment.”
• I said to Alka, “How long will you stay here?”
• The child told his dad, “I want an ice cream.”
• Meera said, “I am not feeling well.”
• The teacher said to Vivek, “Draw the diagram of the plant’s parts.”
• Irin said, “I am playing the piano.”
• My mother said to me, “Help me carry this bag.”
• Rahul said, “My sister is very helpful.”
• The news reporter said, “The flight will be delayed by a few hours due to heavy rains.”
• Urmi said to her mother, “I want a slice of pizza.”
• I said to Daniel, “Are you reading this book?”
• Mimi said that she had been writing that letter.
• I said that Sam was driving the car.
• My uncle said that he was cooking lunch.
• My brother said that he had already eaten.
• The old lady asked the girl where she came from.
• Jon said that he likes to play rugby.
• My mother said that she gets up early every morning.
• The maths teacher said that three divided by three is one.
• Mohit said that Switzerland was a very beautiful country.
• Ruben said that it was very cold outside.
• The teacher said that the French Revolution took place in 1789.
• Uma said that she saw a Royal Bengal Tiger in the zoo.
• Luke said that he could do that homework.
• Aswini told her mother that she had passed the test.
• Daphne informed Antony that she would go to London the next day.
• The boy said that his father was sleeping.
• The traffic police asked us where we were going.
• The man shouted to them to let him go.
• Shivina exclaimed sadly that she was lost.
• Helena said that she knew her contact number.
• Stefen said that his granny was making pasta.
• Raj asked Simran if she had ever been to the National Museum.
• Anish requested Sid to lend him the book.
• The teacher told the parents that Shelly was working very hard.
• Joshua said that he had completed his assignment.
• I asked Alka how long she would stay there.
• The child told his dad that he wants an ice cream.
• Meera said that she was not feeling well.
• The teacher instructed Vivek to draw the diagram of the plant’s parts.
• Irin said that she was playing the piano.
• My mother asked me to help her carry the bag.
• Rahul said that his sister was very helpful.
• The news reporter said that the flight would be delayed by a few hours due to heavy rains.
• Urmi said to her mother that she wanted a slice of pizza.
• I asked Daniel if he was reading that book.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is direct narration.

When the actual words/sentences spoken by the speaker are quoted in a speech, it is known as direct speech/narration.

Is knowing reported speech necessary for Class 10?

Having a basic understanding of reported speech is necessary for students of any class or age. Solving exercises on direct and indirect speech will help them understand thoroughly and use them correctly.

What is indirect speech?

When the quoted speech is reported in the form of a narrative without changing the meaning of the actual quotation/words by the speaker, it is called indirect speech. Indirect speech is also known as reported speech.

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Reported Speech Quiz

In this reported speech quiz you get to practice online turning direct speech into indirect speech.

Remember that to turn direct speech to reported speech you need to use backshifting with the tenses. So for example, the present simple turns to the past simple and the past simple turns to the past perfect. Pronouns can also change.

It can be difficult if you are new to it, so if you are unsure of how to do it, before taking the quiz check out the reported speech tense conversion rules . 

• John said, "I want to see a film".
• Tina said, "I am tired".
• He said, "Tom hit me very hard".
• I said, "I feel happy".
• She said, "We are learning English".
• Sandra said, "I liked him a lot".
• He said, "We all eat meat".
• Max said, "I will help".
• Gene said, "I must leave early".
• She said, "I had tried everything".

More on Reported Speech:

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Types of Adjective Exercise: Multiple Choice

In this types of adjective exercise you need to choose which type the word in capitals represents. It's a multiple choice exercise with answers.

Past Perfect Exercises - Affirmative: Gap Fill

These Past Perfect Exercises focus on the affirmative, interrogative and negative forms. This first quiz is for the affirmative.

Affect Vs Effect Quiz - English Grammar

In this affect vs effect quiz you can test yourself on the difference between these two confusing words. One is a verb whilst the other is a noun.

Modal Verbs Multiple Choice Quiz

In this modal verbs multiple choice quiz, choose which of the three choices of verbs should go into the gap to make a grammatically correct sentence.

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This Substitution Quiz tests your ability to replace words or phrases already used in a sentence with a different word or phrase.

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CBSE Class 10 English Reported Speech Worksheet

Table of Contents

Reported Speech Worksheet Class 10: Reported speech, a fundamental concept in English grammar , lays the strong foundation for effective communication and writing skills. For students in class 10, grasping this concept is important for constructing sentences accurately and confidently. This article provides a range of reported speech exercises designed to improve students’ grasp and use of this grammatical structure.

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What is Reported Speech

Reported speech, also called indirect speech, is when you tell what someone said without using their exact words. When we use reported speech, the tense, pronouns, and sometimes the word order might change to fit the new context. For example, if John said, “I am going to the party,” in reported speech, we say, “John said that he was going to the party.” We change “am” to “was” because it’s in the past, and “I” becomes “he” to match the reporting clause. Reported speech helps us share information indirectly, which is handy for summarizing conversations or retelling stories.

Also Check: CBSE Class 10 Syllabus 2024-25

CBSE Worksheet on Reported Speech For Class 10

Exercise 1: Direct to Reported Speech Transformation

Transform the following direct speech sentences into reported speech, paying attention to changes in pronouns, tenses, and reporting verbs.

“I love reading novels,” said Sarah. “We will visit Paris next month,” Tom exclaimed. “They have completed their homework,” the teacher announced. “I am studying for my exams,” he mentioned. “We are going to the movies tonight,” she informed us.

Exercise 2: Changing Questions and Commands

Convert the following questions and commands into reported speech while maintaining the intended meaning and structure.

“Did you finish your homework?” the teacher asked. “Please close the window,” she said to him. “Where is the nearest library?” he inquired. “Don’t forget to call me,” she reminded him. “Will you help me with this assignment?” she asked her friend.

Exercise 3: Reporting Statements and Opinions

Rewrite the given statements and opinions in reported speech, ensuring accuracy and coherence.

“I believe in working hard to achieve success,” said Jack. “This movie is the best I’ve seen all year,” exclaimed Lisa. “I can solve this math problem easily,” claimed David. “The new restaurant in town serves delicious food,” remarked Emily. “He said he would come to the party,” confirmed Rachel.

Exercise 4: Indirect Questions

Change the following direct questions into indirect questions within reported speech.

“Can you lend me your pen?” she asked. “Where did you buy that dress?” he wondered. “How do I get to the train station?” she asked the passerby. “What time does the movie start?” he inquired. “Why did you skip class yesterday?” the teacher questioned.

Exercise 5: Mixed Bag

Combine various forms of reported speech, including statements, questions, and commands, in the conversion of the following sentences.

“I want you to finish the project by tomorrow,” the manager said to the team. “Where are you going?” she asked him. “Stop making noise!” the librarian shouted at the students. “Have you seen my keys?” she asked her roommate. “I’ll call you later,” he promised.

Also Check: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English 2024-25

Reported Speech Worksheet For Class 10 with Answers

Change the following sentences into reported speech

• Tom said, “I will be studying all night for the exam”.
• Sarah said, “I am going to visit my grandparents next weekend”.
• The teacher said, “You need to finish your assignment by tomorrow”.
• Neha said, “I have been writing this letter”.
• I said, “Rahul driving the scooty”.
• My mother said, “I am cooking lunch”.
• My sister said, “I had already eaten”.
• The old lady said to the girl, “Where do you come from”?
• John said, “I like to play Table Tennis”.
• Mini said, “I have never been to Greece before”.
• Rani said to her friend, “I want to learn how to play the guitar”.
• The manager said, “We are launching a new product next month.”
• Tom said that he would be studying all night for the exam.
• Sarah said that she was going to visit her grandparents the following weekend.
• The teacher said that we needed to finish our assignment by the next day.
• Neha said that she had been writing that letter.
• I said that Rahul was driving the scooty.
• My mother said that she was cooking lunch.
• My sister said that she had already eaten.
• The old lady asked the girl where she came from.
• John said that he liked to play Table Tennis.
• Mini said that she had never been to Greece before.
• Rani told her friend that she wanted to learn how to play the guitar.
• The manager said that they were launching a new product the following month.

Reported Speech Class 10 Worksheet with Answers

Read the conversation between two friends and complete the paragraph.

Alex: Hey, did you watch the new episode of that series last night?

Emily: Yeah, I did. It was amazing! The plot twists were unexpected.

Alex: I know, right? I couldn’t believe what happened to the main character.

Emily: I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I can’t wait for the next episode.

Alex: Me neither. I wonder what’s going to happen next.

Now, here are the fill-in-the-blank exercises:

Alex asked Emily if ________________ of that series the previous night. Emily replied that ________________ and added that ___________________________. Alex expressed agreement and said that _______________________________________________________. Emily commented that _____________________________. Alex remarked that ____________________________ and added that ______________________________.

Now, let’s fill in the blanks with answers:

Alex asked Emily if she had watched the new episode of that series the previous night. Emily replied that she had and added that it was amazing, and the plot twists were unexpected. Alex expressed agreement and said that she couldn’t believe what had happened to the main character. Emily commented that she was on the edge of her seat the whole time. Alex remarked that she couldn’t wait for the next episode and added that she wondered what was going to happen next. This exercise provides practice in transforming a conversation into reported speech with correct names included.

Reported Speech Class 10 Worksheets Pdf

Infinity Learn offers comprehensive resources to help students practice reported speech. By utilizing our Reported Speech Worksheets for Class 10 in PDF format, students can engage in self-paced practice to enhance their skills. Students can also access NCERT Solutions for Class 10 to improve and complete their understanding of various subjects and topics

Click on the following links to download Reported Speech Worksheets for Class 10 in PDF:

Reported Speech Worksheet 1 For Class 10 PDF Reported Speech Worksheet 2 For Class 10 PDF Reported Speech Worksheet 3 For Class 10 PDF Reported Speech Worksheet 4 For Class 10 PDF

These worksheets cover various aspects of reported speech, including the transformation of direct speech into indirect speech, changes in verb tenses, pronouns, and reporting verbs. Through consistent practice with these worksheets, students can develop proficiency in using reported speech accurately and confidently.

Why Choose Infinity Learn Reported Speech Worksheet for Class 10

• Quality Content: Worksheets provided by Infinity Learn, offer well-structured and comprehensive content aligned with the curriculum standards for Class 10 students.
• Clarity and Explanation: Infinity Learn provide clear explanations and examples to help students understand the concept of reported speech effectively.
• Practice Exercises: The worksheet likely includes various practice exercises, which are essential for students to reinforce their understanding and skills in reported speech.
• Self-paced Learning: Students can work through the worksheet at their own pace, allowing them to spend more time on challenging concepts and move quickly through those they understand well.
• Supplementary Resource: It can serve as a supplementary resource to classroom teaching, providing additional practice and reinforcement of reported speech rules.
• Online Accessibility: Infinity Learn offers online resources, students can access the worksheet anytime, anywhere, making it convenient for self-study or revision.
• Feedback and Assessment: Students facing any challenges by solving these worksheets will receive instant feedback on their answers, helping them identify areas of improvement and track their progress.
• Engaging Format: The worksheets are designed in an engaging format, incorporating visuals, interactive elements, or real-life examples to make learning reported speech more interesting and relatable for students.

Mastering reported speech is not merely about grammatical accuracy but also about effective communication. Through consistent practice of exercises like the ones provided above, class 10 students can develop a firm grasp of this essential aspect of English grammar, enabling them to express themselves with clarity and confidence in both spoken and written contexts.

FAQs on Reported Speech Worksheet For Class 10

What is reported speech for 10th class cbse.

Reported speech for 10th class CBSE typically involves learning how to convert direct speech into indirect speech, including statements, questions, and commands. Students learn the rules, changes in tenses, pronouns, and other reporting verbs.

What is reported speech formula?

The reported speech formula involves changing the tense, pronouns, and other elements when converting direct speech into indirect speech. The formula includes identifying the reporting verb, changing pronouns, and adjusting tenses based on the context of the reported speech.

Is reported speech difficult?

Reported speech can be challenging for some learners, especially when understanding the changes in tense, pronouns, and other grammatical structures. However, with practice and understanding of the rules, reported speech becomes easier to comprehend and utilize effectively.

What are the 10 examples of indirect speech?

Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, involves conveying what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. Here are 10 examples: She said she was going to the store. He told me he had finished his work. They mentioned they might be late. Mary explained that she couldn't attend the party. John stated he was feeling unwell. Sarah asked if I wanted to join her for lunch. The teacher reminded us to complete our assignments. Tom mentioned he had seen a movie last night. Emily wondered if it was going to snow. James told us he was planning a trip abroad.

What are the 5 examples of reported speech with answers?

Reported Speech: Mary asked, What time is the meeting? Answer: I told Mary that the meeting was at 2 p.m. Reported Speech: John said, I will finish the report by tomorrow. Answer: She asked John when he would finish the report, and he replied that he would finish it by tomorrow. Reported Speech: Sarah asked, Can you help me with my homework? Answer: He replied that he could help Sarah with her homework. Reported Speech: The teacher said, Don't forget to bring your textbooks to class. Answer: We reminded each other not to forget our textbooks for class. Reported Speech: Tom said, I have been studying French for two years. Answer: Lisa asked Tom how long he had been studying French, and he replied that he had been studying it for two years.

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Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers

In Online Education When we want to tell somebody else what another person said, we can use either direct speech and reported speech. When we use direct speech, we use the same words but use quotation marks, For example: Scott said, “I am coming to work. I will be late because there is a lot of traffic now.”

When we use reported speech, we usually change the verbs, specific times, and pronouns. For example: Scott said that he was coming to work. He said that he would be late because there was a lot of traffic at that time.

Online Education for Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers Pdf

This grammar section explains English Grammar in a clear and simple way. There are example sentences to show how the language is used. NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English will help you to write better answers in your Class 10 exams. Because the Solutions are solved by subject matter experts. https://ncertmcq.com/reported-speech-exercises-for-class-10/

Reported Speech Class 10 Exercise

Rules for Reported Speech While changing direct speech into reported speech or vice-versa the following changes occur:

1. Changes In Reporting Verb Affirmative sentences: said, told (object), asserted, replied, assured, informed, responded, whispered, alleged, believed, assumed, thought Interrogative sentences: asked, enquired, wanted to know Imperative sentences: ordered, begged, pleaded, implored, advised, demanded

2. Change Of Pronouns Direct Speech: Johnny said, ‘I am playing.’ Indirect Speech: Johnny said that he was playing. First-person generally changes to third person {depending upon the subject of the reporting verb).

3. Change Of Tenses

In general, present tense becomes past tense; past tense and present perfect become past perfect.

Reported Speech Exercises For Class 10

4. Change of situations Example: Nagesh said, ‘I read this book last week. (direct speech) Nagesh said that he had read that book the previous week, (indirect speech)

• ‘this’ becomes ‘that’
• ‘last week’ becomes ‘the previous week’
• here – there
• now – then
• today – that day
• yesterday – the day before/the previous day
• tomorrow – the next day/the coming day
• last week – the week before/the previous week
• next month – the next month/the coming month

5. In case of questions and answers Examples:

• Nagesh asked, ‘Have you read this book?’ (direct speech)
• Nagesh asked if’ whether I had read that book, (indirect speech)
• Nagesh asked, ‘Where is the book?’ (direct speech)
• Nagesh asked where the book was. (indirect speech)

(a) For yes/no questions – use if/whether (b) For wh- questions – use the wh-word

Word Order:

• Nagesh asked, ‘What’s the matter?’
• Nagesh asked what the matter was. (what + the matter + was)
• Nagesh asked what was the matter, (what + was + the matter)
• The word order can be either:
• who/which/what + complement + be or ‘
• who/which/what + be + complement

6. Reported Speech using present and future tenses Examples:

• Nagesh said, ‘The sun rises in the east.’ (direct speech)
• Nagesh said that the sun rises in the east, (indirect speech)
• Nagesh said, ‘I will read this book.’ (direct speech)
• Nagesh said that he will read that book, (indirect speech)
• If the original speaker’s present and future is still present and future, the tense remains unchanged.

7. In case of modal verbs can becomes could

• will – would
• shall – should
• may – might

would, should, could, might, ought to and must are unchanged. Example:

• Nagesh said, ‘I can solve this sum.’ (direct speech)
• Nagesh said that he could solve that sum. (indirect speech)

Reported Speech Solved Examples Exercises for Class 10 CBSE

Read the dialogue given below and then complete the passage that follows.

Reported Speech Class 10 Exercise With Answers Question 1. Read the dialogue and complete the passage given below.

Interviewer: So, why do you want to be a computer programmer? Ravi: Well, I have always been interested in computers. Interviewer: I see. Do you have any experience? Ravi: No, but I’m a fast learner. Interviewer: What kind of a computer do you use? Ravi: Computer? Uhm, let me see. I can use a Mac. I also used Windows 10 once. Interviewer: That’s good.

Ravi recently attended an interview for the selection of a computer programmer. At the interview, he was asked (a) ……………………….. To this question he replied that he wanted to change his job because (b) ……………………….. When the interviewer asked him (e) ………………………. he replied that he (d) ……………………….. Finally, the interviewer wanted to know (e) ………………………. . Ravi replied that he could use a Mac and had also used Windows 10 once in the,.past. The interviewer seemed to be pleased with his answers. Answer: (a) why he wanted to be a computer programmer (b) he had always been interested in computers (c) whether he had any experience (d) didn’t but that he was a fast learner (e) the kind of computer he used

Reported Speech Exercises With Answers For Class 10 Question 2. Manu: Where are you going to? Annu: I am going to the market. Do you want anything?

Manu asked Annu (a) …………………… Annu replied (b) …………………… Annu replied (b) …………………… and she further asked (C) …………………… Answer: (a) where she was going. (b) that she was going to the market (c) if/whether she wanted anything.

Class 10 Reported Speech Exercises Question 3. Sunita: Tomorrow is your birthday, what do you want as a gift? Neetu: That is a lovely thought but I don’t want anything.

Sunita asked Neetu since the next day was her birthday, (a) …………………… Neetu replied that (b) …………………… but (C) ………………….. . Answer: (a) what she wanted as a gift (b) that was a lovely thought (c) she did not want anything.

Reported Speech Worksheet For Class 10 Question 4. Gardener: Did you water the plant today? Dev: No, but I will, today. Gardener: Then tomorrow I will get a sapling of sunflower.

The Gardener asked Dev (a) …………………… Dev replied negatively but (b) …………………… Then the gardener said that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) if/whether he had watered the plant that day. (b) said he would that day. (c) he would get a sapling of a sunflower the next day.

Reported Speech Exercise Class 10 Question 5. Mr. Harish: Can you polish my shoes? Cobbler: Yes sir. But I will take 10 for each shoe.

Mr. Harish: I will not mind as long as it is done. Mr. Harish asked the cobbler (a) …………………… The cobbler replied affirmatively but (b) …………………… Mr. Harish said that (C) ……………………. Answer: (a) if/whether he could polish his shoes. (b) said that he would take 10 for each shoe (c) he would not mind as long as it was done.

Reported Speech Class 10 Questions Question 6. Electrician: When did your electricity go? Mohan: It is not working since evening. Electrician: Sorry sir, in this case, I will have to check the fuse now.

The electrician asked Mohan (a) …………………… Mohan replied that (b) …………………… The electrician apologetically said that in that case (c) …………………… Answer: (a) when his electricity had gone. (b) it was not working since evening. (c) he would have to check the fuse then.

Reported Speech Questions For Class 10 Question 7. Teacher : Children, let us all pledge to save trees. Children : Yes, mam, we all pledge to save our trees as the trees are the lungs of the city. Teacher : Let us start today by planting a sapling.

The teacher asked all the children to pledge to save trees. The children replied affirmatively (a) …………………… as the (b) …………………… Then the teacher said that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) saying that they all pledged to save trees (b) trees are the lungs of the city. (c) they should start by planting a sapling that day.

Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises With Answers Pdf Question 8. Buddha : Honesty is the best policy. Disciple : Does honesty always pay? Buddha : It may or may not, but at least you will never feel guilty.

Buddha in his preaching said that (a) …………………… the best policy. A disciple asked him if (b) …………………… always pays, Buddha replied (c) …………………… but at least he would never feel guilty. Answer: (a) Honesty is (b) honesty (c) that it might or might not

Reported Speech Examples With Answers Class 10 Question 9. Doctor : You should take this medicine every day. Patient : Should I take it before dinner or after dinner? Doctor : No, you should take it after breakfast.

The Doctor advised the patient that (a) …………………… The patient further asked (b) …………………… The doctor replied negatively and then said (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) he should take that medicine every day. (b) if/whether he should take it before dinner or after dinner. (c) that he should take it after breakfast

Class 10 Reported Speech Question 10. Reena : Do you know how to swim? Surbhi : Yes I know. I have learnt it during this summer vacation.

Reena asked Surbhi (a) …………………… Then Surbhi replied (b) …………………… and also added that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) if/whether she knew how to swim (b) in affirmative (c) she had learnt it during the summer vacation.

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Reported Speech Discussion Questions

A lesson plan for english language teachers.

Conversation questions for free speaking practice of indirect speech, including both personal questions and opinion questions.

Lesson Plan Content:

Reported speech discussion questions.

Work in twos or threes. Take turns asking questions from below, for three or four minutes each time. Is there is more than one question on a line that you choose, only use the other questions on that line after your partner answers the first question, and only if they don’t mention that thing in their first answer. In your answers, try to rephrase words in the question as much as you can (when possible). Your teacher will tell you if you should try to use reporting verbs, or if you can just respond naturally.

• Are there any dangers in your country that you would tell foreign visitors about?
• Are there any folk remedies for colds in your country? Do such folk remedies work?
• Are there any quotes or proverbs which you particularly like?
• Are you good at remembering quotations, movie dialogue, etc?
• Are you resistant to salesmanship, would you say?
• Can you give some examples of bad communication in the workplace?
• Did you ever fight with your parents when you were younger? What about?
• Did you ever speak to your school’s headteacher? What about?
• Did you learn anything at school that turned out to be wrong? How did you find out?
• Did your parents push your hard to achieve? What makes you say that?
• Do people ever have difficulties with your name?
• Do you have any tips for smooth communication on the telephone?
• Do you regular performance reviews at work are useful? What makes you say that?
• Do you think it is true that politicians are more dishonest than normal people?
• Does anyone in your family have a favourite anecdote?
• Have you attended a course which didn’t meet your expectations? What did you do?
• Have you ever broken a promise?
• Have you ever changed your mind about a political topic? What were your views?
• Have you ever had a disagreement with anyone at work or college?
• Have you ever had an ambition that you later gave up on? Why?
• Have you ever had to give a presentation or speech? What did you say?
• Have you ever received emails from scammers? Can you give an example?
• Have you ever refused to do anything that a boss or teacher asked you to do?
• Have you ever spoken to the police? What about?
• Have your family ever shown pride in your achievements?
• How can a good coach motivate a team?
• How can you boost someone’s self-confidence?
• How common is fake news in your country? Can you give an example?
• How do you feel about celebrity gossip?
• How do you usually react to negative feedback?
• How do you usually respond to bad service?
• How do you usually work out how to use new technology?
• How easy is it for you to remember what you need to buy in the supermarket?
• How easy is it to change people’s opinions through debate and discussion?
• How good are you at giving instructions?
• How important is a good memory in modern education?
• How loud is your voice, would you say?
• How often do comedians cause controversies in your country?
• How often do you talk about current affairs with people you know? Why?
• How should schools recognise high achievers, do you think?
• How strict were your parents about good manners inside and outside the home?
• How strict would you be about sticking to the agenda if you were chairing a meeting?
• How well do you remember your schools’ mottos, songs, etc?
• How would people describe you, do you think?
• How would you feel about taking part in a debating society? What topics could you debate? What position would you like to take?
• If you could give a speech on public television, what would you say?
• Is it always good to be humble, would you say?
• Is it easy to translate from your language into English? Why?
• Is it generally better to be direct or indirect?
• It is said that honesty is the best policy. Do you agree?
• Were there any rules at your school which you would have liked to change?
• What advice would you give to someone visiting this city for the first time?
• What are your weak points? How did you find out about those things?
• What did you want to do for a living when you were younger?
• What do you know about your ancestors? How did you find out?
• What do you like to know about a place before visiting? How do you find that out?
• What do you normally do when you do something you feel proud of?
• What do people think about your cooking? How do you know?
• What do you think about careers advisors? Do you have experience of using one?
• What do you think about futurologists?
• What do you think about speaking to yourself in the mirror?
• What do you think about this country’s economy? What do you base that idea on?
• What do you think about your country’s national anthem?
• What do you usually talk with your friends about?
• What do your family think about your choice of studies and/ or job?
• What is the best speech you have ever heard?
• What is the best way to get someone to come out on a date?
• What is the best way to share bad news, do you think?
• What issues could there be referenda on in your country?
• What kinds of topics can be taboo in your country?
• What one thing would you like to tell your country’s prime minister or president?
• What should companies do about office romances?
• When did you last complain about a product or service? What happened?
• When did you start using email? What did you usually email about at that time?
• Where do you get inspiration from?
• Where did you last go on holiday? How did you decide on that place?
• Which famous person would you most like to meet? What would you say to them?
• Would you accept a transfer to a different location? What would that depend on?
• Would you make a good leader, do you think? What makes you say that?

Ask about any questions above that you don’t understand, are not sure that you answered well, etc, working together to make suitable answers each time.

Brainstorm verbs like “request” and “tell” that you could have used in your answers.

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Reported Speech MCQ Questions with Answers Class 10 English

Explore numerous NCERT MCQ Questions for Class 10 English Grammar Reported Speech Pdf free download is available online for students. By taking help from MCQ Questions for Class 10 English with Answers during preparation, score maximum marks in the exam. Try maintaining a time limit while answering Reported Speech Class 10 MCQs Questions with Answers so that it would be useful in your actual exams. Download the Reported Speech Multiple Choice Questions PDF free of cost and get good scores in the board exams.

MCQ Questions for Class 10 English Grammar Reported Speech with Answers

Enhance your subject knowledge through Reported Speech MCQ Online Test and lay a stronger foundation of your basics. Verify your answers with MCQ on Reported Speech provided and know where you went wrong. Use the Objective Questions of Class 10th Reported Speech MCQ with Answers provided below and understand all the concepts easily.

Fill in the blanks with suitable non-finites choosing the best option from the alternatives given below. Don’t copy the whole sentence:

Sbruti : Your dress is pretty. Prachi : My mother gave it on my birthday. Shruti : When does your birthday fall on? Prachi : 7th Nov. every year. Shruti told Prachi (1) ……………. Prachi slid (2) ……………. Shruti enquired of (3) ……………. Prachi informed that it’ falls on 7th Nov. every year.

Question 1. (a) that your dress is pretty (b) that her dress is pretty (c) that your dress was pretty (d) that her dress was pretty

(d) that her dress was pretty

Question 2. (a) that my mother had given it on her birthday (b) that her mother had given it on her birthday (c) that y mother has given it on her birthday (d) that her mother has given it on her birthday

(b) that her mother had given it on her birthday

Question 3. (a) when her birthday fell on (b) when your birthday falls on (c) when your birthday fell on (d) when her birthday fall on

(a) when her birthday fell on

Doctor: Do you go for a morning walk? Sagar : I don’t have enough time in the morning. Doctor: but morning walk is very essential for you. Sagar : a walk many miles a day during the course of my work. The doctor asked Sagar (1) ………………. Sagar told him (2) ………………….. enough time in the morning. the doctor insisted that (3) …………………….. Sagar told him that he walked many miles a day during the course of his work.

Question 1. (a) If you went for a morning walk (b) if he went for a morning walk (c) it you go for a morning walk (d) if he goes for a morning walk

(b) if he went for a morning walk

Question 2. (a) that I do not have (b) that I did not have (c) that he did not have (d) that he does not have

(c) that he did not have

Question 3. (a) morning walk had been very essential for him (b) morning walk has been very, essential for him (c) morning walk was very essential for him (d) morning walk is very essential for him

(d) morning walk is very essential for him

Alba Kumar : Where are you going now? Gulab : a am going to look for my grandfather. Kumar : What happened to him? Gulab : He was suffering from high fever. Kumar asked Gulab (1) ……………………… Gulab replied that (2) ………………… Kumar further asked him (3) ……………….. Gulab told him that he had been suffering from high fever.

Question 1. (a) where I am going now (b) where he was going then (c) where I was going then (d) when he is going then

(b) where he was going then

Question 2. (a) he is going to look for his grandfather (b) I am going to look for my grandfather (c) he was going to look for his grandfather (d) a was going to look for my grandfather

(c) he was going to look for his grandfather

Question 3. (a) what was happening to him (b) what is happened to him (c) what has happened to him (d) what had happened to him

(d) what had happened to him

aayush : What did you think about the question paper? alisha : I didn’t think it was very difficult. aayush : I found the writing section very Interesting. aayush asked alisha (1) …………………. alisha replied (2) …………………….. aayush added (3) ……………………..

Question 1. (a) what she though about the question paper (b) what did you think about the question paper (c) what you thought about the question paper (d) what she think about the question paper

(a) what she though about the question paper

Question 2. (a) that I think it was not very difficult (b) that I didn’t think it was very difficult (c) that she didn’t think it was very difficult (d) that she does not think it was very difficult

(c) that she didn’t think it was very difficult

Question 3. (a) that I find the writing section very interesting (b) that he finds the writing section very interesting (c) that I found the writing section very interesting (d) that he found the writing section very interesting

(d) that he found the writing section very interesting

Doctor : How are you feeling now? Raghu : Much better, sir. Doctor : are you taking the medicines regularly? Raghu : Yes, sir. The doctor asked Raghu (1) …………………. then. Raghu replied that (2) …………………… much better. The doctor further asked Raghu (3) ……………………….. the medicines regularly. Raghu replied in affirmative.

Question 1. (a) that how he was feeling (b) how he was feeling (c) how you are feeling (d) how was he feeling

(b) how he was feeling

Question 2. (a) I am feeling (b) I was feeling (c) he is feeling (d) he was feeling

(d) he was feeling

Question 3. (a) if you are taking (b) if he is taking (c) that he was taking (d) if he was taking

(d) if he was taking

Mother : Why don’t you clean up your study table, dear? Daughter : I don’t have time, Mama Mother : How can you study in this mess? The mother lovingly asked her daughter (1) ………………….. The daughter replied (2) ……………….. Expressing her surprise the mother asked her (3) ………………..

Question 1. (a) why don’t you clean up your study table (b) why you did not clean up your study table (c) why she didn’t clean up her study table (d) why she does not clean up her study table

(c) why she didn’t clean up her study table

Question 2. (a) that I don’t have time (b) that she don’t have time (c) that she does not have time (d) that she didn’t have time

(d) that she didn’t have time

Question 3. (a) how she could study in hat mess (b) how she can study in this mess (c) how you can study in this mess (d) how you could study in that mess

(a) how she could study in hat mess

Son : Mummy, I am very hungry. Is there anything for me to eat? Mother : I am preparing your lunch. Son : Wben will it be ready? Mother : In just a0 minutes. The son told his mother that he was very hungry and asked (1) …………………… for him to eat. The mother told him (2) ………………… The son inquired when It would be ready. The mother replied that (3) ………………….

Question 1. (a) If there had been anything (b) if there has been anything (c) if there is anything (d) if there was anything

(d) if there was anything

Question 2. (a) that she is preparing his lunch (b) that I am preparing your lunch (c) that she was preparing his lunch (d) that I was preparing your lunch

(c) that she was preparing his lunch

Question 3. (a) it will be ready in just 10 minutes (b) it would be ready in just 10 minutes (c) it should be ready in just 10 minutes (d) it is ready in just 10 minutes

(b) it would be ready in just 10 minutes

Seema : Why does your flat remain locked? Rashml : We have shifted to a rented house. Seema : Why? Rashmi : We are getting our flat renovated. Seema asked Rashmi (1) ………………. Rashmi replied (2) ……………….house Seema enquired why she had shifted. Rashmi replied that (3) ………………….. their flat renovated.

Question 1. (a) why your flat remained locked (b) why her flat remained locked (c) why her flat remains locked (d) why your flat remains locked

(b) why her flat remained locked

Question 2. (a) that we had shifted to a rented (b) that they have shifted to a rented (c) that we have shifted to a rented (d) that they had shifted to a rented

(d) that they had shifted to a rented

Question 3. (a) they are getting (b) we are getting (c) they were getting (d) we were getting

(c) they were getting

Father: Sonu, don’t pull the cat’s tail. It’ll hurt the cat. Sonu : Daddy, I am not doing anything. I’m simply holding the cat’s tail. The cat is pulling Father asked his son, Sonu (1) …………………. because (2) ………………… Sonu wittingly told his father (3) ……………… He was simply holding the cat’s tail. He supported his statement saying (4) ………………

Question 1. (a) not pull the cat’s tail (b) don’t pull the cat’s tail (c) not to pull the cat’s tail (d) not to pulled the cat’s tail

(c) not to pull the cat’s tail

Question 2. (a) it should hurt the cat (b) it shall hurt the cat (c) it will hurt the cat (d) it would hurt the cat

(d) it would hurt the cat

Question 3. (a) that he is not doing anything (b) that I am not doing anything (c) that he was not doing anything (d) that I was not doing anything

(c) that he was not doing anything

Question 4. (a) that the cat was puiang (b) that the cat is pulling (c) that the cat had been pulling (d) that the cat has been pulling

(a) that the cat was puiang

Teacher : aisharya, why are you late today? aisbwarya : Sir I missed my bus. Teacher : Take care in future. The teacher asked aishwarya (1) ………………… aishwarya replied (2) ………………… The teacher advised (3) ……………………

Question 1. (a) why you are late today (b) why she was late that day (c) why she is late today (d) why she was late today

(b) why she was late that day

Question 2. (a) that I had missed my bus (b) that I missed my bus (c) that she had missed her bus (d) that she missed my bus

(c) that she had missed her bus

Question 3. (a) him to take care in the future (b) him to take care in future (c) her to took care in future (d) her to take care in future

(d) her to take care in future

Raman : Sukanya, why is this old lady shouting at you? Sukanya : I don’t know. I haven’t done anything to her, yet I am afraid. Raman asked Sukanya (1) …………………. Sukanya replied (2) ……………………… and she thought (3) …………………… yet she was afraid.

Question 1. (a) why that old lady ¡s shouting at her (b) why that old lady was shouting at her (c) why that old lady was shouting at you (d) why that old lady is shouting at you

(a) why that old lady ¡s shouting at her

Question 2. (a) that I did not know (b) that she does not know (c) that I do not know (d) that she didn’t know

(d) that she didn’t know

Question 3. (a) she has not done anything to her (b) I had not done anything to her (c) she hadn’t done anything to her (d) I have not done anything to her

(c) she hadn’t done anything to her

Gaitri : How did you climb this tall tree? Pranav : a used a ladder. but someone went off with it while I was cutting this branch. While I was cutting this branch. Gaitri asked Pranav (1) ……………….. Pranav replied (2) ………………….. but that (3) ………………..while he had been cutting that branch.

Question 1. (a) how you had ciimbeci trial tall tree (b) how he had climbed that tall tree (c) how you did climbed that tall tree (d) how did he climb this tall tree

(b) how he had climbed that tall tree

Question 2. (a) that I used a ladder (b) that he has used a ladder (c) that he had used a ladder (d) that I had used a ladder

(c) that he had used a ladder

Question 3. (a) someone went off with it (b) someone has gone off with it (c) someone gone off with it (d) someone had gone off with it

(d) someone had gone off with it

School mistress : Has anyone of you seen a camel’s skin ? One Little boy : Yes, madam. Mistress : Where did you see it ? The boy : On camel’s back, madam. a school mistress asked little children (1) ………………… One little boy shouted out (2) …………………….. The mistress asked him (c) ……………………. The boy innocently answered that he had seen it on camel’s back.

Question 1. (a) if anyone of them have seen a camel’s back (b) if anyone of them has seen a camel’s skin (c) if anyone of them had seen a camel’s skin (d) if anyone of them saw a camel’s skin

(c) if anyone of them had seen a camel’s skin

Question 2. (a) that I have seen it (b) that he had seen ¡t (c) that I had seen it (d) that he has seen it

(b) that he had seen ¡t

Question 3. (a) where he had seen it (b) where you have seen it (c) where you had seen it (d) where he has seen it

(a) where he had seen it

Mrs. Roy : Ramu, lock the door as I am going out. Prepare the dinner by 8 pm. Ramu (servant) : Where are you going, madam ? Please come home early. Mrs. Roy ordered her servant Ramu (1) ………………. She instructed him (2) ……………….. Ramu respectfully asked Mrs. Roy (3) ……………… and requested her to come home early.

Question 1. (a) to lock the door as I am going out (b) to lock the door as she was going out (c) to lock the door as she is going out (d) to lock the door as I was going out

(b) to lock the door as she was going out

Question 2. (a) to be prepared the dinner by 8 pm (b) to prepared the dinner by 8 pm (c) to prepare the dinner by 8 pm (d) to have prepared the dinner by 8 pm

(c) to prepare the dinner by 8 pm

Question 3. (a) where she is going (b) where you were going (c) where you are going (d) where she was going

(d) where she was going

Doctor : How many times did you take the medicine? Patient : as per your prescription? Doctor : What was my prescription? Patient : Three times a day. The doctor asked the patient (1) ……………… Patient replied (2) …………………. The doctor cross questioned. (3) ………………. The patient informed that it was about three times a day.

Question 1. (a) how many times you have taken the medicine (b) how many times he had taken the medicine (c) how many times you had taken the medicine (d) how many times he has taken the medicine

(b) how many times he had taken the medicine

Question 2. (a) that I have taken it as per his prescription (b) that I had taken ¡t as per his prescription (c) that he has taken it as per his prescription (d) that he had taken it as per his prescription

(d) that he had taken it as per his prescription

Question 3. (a) what my prescription has been (b) what is prescription had been (c) what his prescription has been (d) what my prescription had been

(b) what is prescription had been

Girlsh : I have invited my friends to dinner. Nidhi I’ll invite my friends also. Girish : What should we have for dinner? Girish told Nidhi (1) …………….. Nidhi said. (2) ……………… Girish asked her (3) ………………………

Question 1. (a) that I have invited my friends to dinner (b) that he has invited his friends to dinner (c) that I had invited my friends to dinner (d) that he had invited his friends to dinner

(d) that he had invited his friends to dinner

Question 2. (a) that I would invite my friends also (b) that she would invite her friends also (c) that she will invite my friends also (d) that I will invite any friends also

(b) that she would invite her friends also

Question 3. (a) what they shall have for dinner (b) what we should have for dinner (c) what they should have for dinner (d) what we shall have for dinner

(c) what they should have for dinner

Wife : Our domestic help has run away. Husband : Has she taken away anything? Wife : She has taken the jewellery lying on my bedside. The wife Informed her husband (1) ………………….. The husband asked her (2) ………………….. She replied (3) …………………… lying on her bedside.

Question 1. (a) that our domestic help had run away (b) that their domestic help had run away (c) that their domestic help has run away (d) that our domestic help has run away

(b) that their domestic help had run away

Question 2. (a) if she had taken away nothing (b) if has she taken away anything (c) if she has taken away anything (d) if she had taken away anything

(d) if she had taken away anything

Question 3. (a) that she does take tile jewellery (b) that she has taken the jewellery (c) that she had taken the jewellery (d) that she have taken the jewellery

(c) that she had taken the jewellery

Policeman : You are driving too fast and have also jumped a red light. car Driver : Excuse me this time. I shall be careful in future. a policeman stopped a car driver and told him (1) ……………………… and (2) ………………….. The car driver pleaded to be excused that time and ‘promised (3) …………………….

Question 1. (a) that you are driving too fast (b) that he was driving too fast (c) that he is driving too fast (d) that you were driving too fast

(b) that he was driving too fast

Question 2. (a) that you had also jumped a red light (b) that you have also jumped a red light (c) that he has also jumped a red light (d) that he had also jumped red light

(d) that he had also jumped red light

Question 3. (a) to be careful in future (b) be careful in future (c) to be not careful in future (d) shall be careful in future

(a) to be careful in future

Rajeev : Our new servant has a tendency to steal things. Vandana : Is anything missing ? Rajecev : He has stolen the watch you presented me on my birthday. Rajeev told his wife Vandana that (1) …………………. Vandana asked him (2) …………………… Rajeev told her that (3) …………………… on his birthday.

Question 1. (a) their servant has a tendency to steal things (b) our servant has a tendency to steal things (c) their servant had a tendency to steal things (d) our servant had a tendency to steal things

(c) their servant had a tendency to steal things

Question 2. (a) if anything is being missed (b) if anything was missed (c) if any thing is missing (d) if anything was missing

(d) if anything was missing

Question 3. (a) he has stolen the watch I have presented him (b) he had stolen the watch she had presented him (c) he had stolen the watch I have presented you (d) he had been stolen the watch she had presented him

(b) he had stolen the watch she had presented him

Umang : I have problem with my homework. Will you please help me ? Pulkit : Yes, but what is the problem? Umang told her brother (1) ………………….. with her homework. Requesting him she asked (2) ……………………. help her. Pulkit said that he would but wanted to know (3) …………………….

Question 1. (a) that I have problem (b) that she had problem (c) that I had probelm (d) that she has probelm

(b) that she had problem

Question 2. (a) if you would (b) if would (c) if he would (d) if she would

(c) if he would

Question 3. (a) what the problem is (b) what is the problem (c) what was the problem (d) what the problem was

(d) what the problem was

Sumit : My father has decided to gift me a bike on my birthday. Vipul : 0! It is a wonderful news. Sumit : We will go on a long ride the day get the bike. Sumit informed his friend Viput 1 on his birthday. (1) …………………….. Viput was very happy and said that for him (2) ………………….. Sumit told Viput (3) …………………… on a long ride the day he got the bike.

Question 1. (a) that my father had decided to gift me a bike (b) that his father has decided to gift me a bike (c) that my father has decided to gift him a bike (d) that his father had decided to gift him a bike

(d) that his father had decided to gift him a bike

Question 2. (a) it is a wonderful news (b) it was a wonderful news (c) it had been a wonderful news (d) it has been a wonderful news

(b) it was a wonderful news

Question 3. (a) that we will go (b) that they will go (c) that they would go (d) that we would go

(c) that they would go

Rekha : anita’s mother is seriously ill and ¡s in the hospital. Dolly : What has happened to her? Rekha : She complained of chest pain yesterday. DoIly : a will go to see her tomorrow. Rekha told Dolly (1) ………………………. and was ¡n the hospital. Dolly asked (2) …………….. Rekha told her that (3) ………………… Dolly felt much concerned and said that she would go to see her the day after.

Question 1. (a) that anita’s mother had been seriously ill (b) that anita’s mother was seriously ill (c) that anita’s mother is seriously ill (d) that anita’s mother has been seriously ill

(b) that anita’s mother was seriously ill

Question 2. (a) what has happened to him (b) what had happened to him (c) what has happened to her (d) what had happened to her

(d) what had happened to her

Question 3. (a) she complains of chest pain. yesterday (b) she complained of chest pain yesterday (c) she had complained of chest pain the previous day (d) she complains of chest pain the previous day

(d) she complains of chest pain the previous day

Tarun : Divya, do you see the way the old lady is looking at us? Divya : She seems to be working her magic on us. We should run away from here. Tarun asked his friend Divya (a) ……………………… the old lady was looking at them To this Divya replied that (2) ………………………. and suggested that (3) ……………………..

Question 1. (a) if you could see the way (b) if she could see the way (c) if you see the way (d) if she can see the way

(b) if she could see the way

Question 2. (a) she seems to be working her magic on us (b) she seemed to be working her magic on us (c) she seems to be working her magic on them (d) she seemed to be working her magic on them

(d) she seemed to be working her magic on them

Question 3. (a) they should run away from there (b) they should run away from here (c) we should run away from here (d) we should run away from there

(a) they should run away from there

Mrs. bhalla : I can’t believe it ! live lost ten pounds. Mr. bhalla : That’s great ! Your diet seems to be working. Mrs. bhalla : I hope you have not disturbed the scales. Mrs. bhalla expressing surprise told her husband (1) ……………………….. that she had lost ten pounds. Mr. bhalla exclaimed that was great and added (2) ……………………………. working. Mrs. bhalla commented that she hoped (3) …………………….

Question 1. (a) she can’t believe (b) I could not believe (c) I can’t believe (d) she could not believe

(d) she could not believe

Question 2. (a) that your diet seems to be (b) that her diet seemed to be (c) that your diet seemed to be (d) that her diet seems to be

(b) that her diet seemed to be

Question 3. (a) he has not. disturbed the scales (b) you have not disturbed the scales (c) he had not disturbed the scales (d) you had not disturbed the scales

(c) he had not disturbed the scales

Grandmother : What has happened, Rahul? Rahul : Grandma, I lost my tooth. Grandmother : Don’t worry. I’ll take you to the dentist. Grandmother : Don’t worry. I’ll take you to the dentist. Grandmother asked her grandson, Rahul (1) ………………. Rahul replied (2) ……………….. His grandmother advised him (3) ………………….. and added that she would take him to the dentist.

Question 1. (a) what happened had (b) what had happen (c) what has happened (d) what had happened

(d) what had happened

Question 2. (a) that he has lost his tooth (b) that he had lost his tooth (c) that I lost my tooth (d) that I have lost my tooth

(b) that he had lost his tooth

Question 3. (a) worry not (b) not to worry (c) not to get worry (d) nor to worried

(b) not to worry

The above furnished information regarding NCERT MCQ Questions for Class 10 English Grammar Reported Speech Pdf free download is true as far as our knowledge is concerned. If you have any doubts regarding CBSE Class 10 English Grammar Reported Speech MCQs Multiple Choice Questions with Answers, feel free to reach us via the comment section and we will reach you at the soonest possible.

Direct Questions vs. Reported Speech

[article-nav-item jump_link=" meet vs. met "][/article-nav-item], when to use meet or met.

• You meet new people every time you go to the park. 
• Jeff will meet Nicole at the cafe outside the mall. 
• We like to meet other science fiction fans at conventions. 
• Naomi met her husband while she was in college.
• Tina has met my brother once before.
• The puppies have met all of the other dogs in the neighborhood. 
• The visitors were met at the door by the butler.
• My expectations will be met, or everyone here is getting fired. 

[article-nav-item jump_link=" Similar Verbs "][/article-nav-item]

Similar verbs.

[article-nav-item jump_link="Examples"][/article-nav-item]

Examples of meet and met in a sentence.

• I’m going to meet my friends at the movies. 
• My daughter met Santa Claus at the mall today.
• The leaders of Spain and France will meet tomorrow to discuss trade agreements. 
• She’s never met anyone from the south side of town. 
• We’ve met every deadline so far, but the next one looks impossible to meet.
• The ambassador will meet with the queen after she has met with the prime minister.

A direct question is when you ask a question by speaking directly (e.g. “How are you doing today?”). Reported dialogue is when you report what someone else says (e.g. “Joan asked how you’re doing today.”). Reported dialogue usually uses the third person point of view.

Direct Questions

Direct questions usually include interrogative pronouns or adverbs. Interrogative pronouns and adverbs include words like as who , what , where , when , and why . When spoken, people tend to ask direct questions in a rising tone of voice. In writing, direct questions also end with question marks ( ? ).

Kinds of Direct Questions

Three kinds of direct questions are yes/no questions , wh- questions , and alternative questions . Yes/no questions are ones where the answer is either yes or no . Something like “Did Sally clean her room?” Wh- questions begin with who , what , where , when , and why . “When did Sally clean her room?” is an example. Alternative questions offer options and use the word or , as in “Do you want ice cream or frozen yogurt?”

Reported Dialogue

Reported dialogue doesn’t use quotation marks because the speaker isn’t directly speaking. To turn a direct question into a reported one, you might need to make some changes in verb tense. For example, “Are you going to the store?” is a direct question. As reported dialogue, it might become “Bill asked if you’re going to the store.” Note the change from first person to third person, as well as the change in tense.

An indirect question is an example of reported dialogue. A major difference between a direct and indirect question is that indirect questions don’t end in a question mark. Another type of reported dialogue is reported statements , as in “Bob said he can’t come to lunch today.”

Ways To Say

Synonym of the day

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Reported speech in a dialogue

I suppose this is not really advisable but how do you report speech in a conversation with another person? Should standard reported speech rules apply or do I treat it as direct speech?

• "My homeroom students told me they liked me too..."
• "My homeroom students told me they like me too..."

I'm helping a friend proofread but I'm trying not to change her work too drastically. In this scene, the protagonist is excitedly sharing with his friend about his first day at work and this is one of the things he mentioned. Changing the sentence to "My homeroom students like me too..." would definitely solve the problem but I'm curious if there are any set rules regarding verb conjugation for reported speech in conversations.

Thanks in advance for the help!

• 1 This sounds a bit like a grammar question. If you want to know what school teachers expect their students to write, you need to ask over at english.stackexchange.com. If this is about creative writing, then I agree with Mark Baker's answer. –  user5645 Commented Oct 29, 2016 at 17:07
• Thanks for the heads up! My friend is trying to get her book published and I'm proofreading it for her so I thought it might be good to ask for opinion here instead. Will be more careful as to where I post questions in the future. Thank you once again. –  newtowriting Commented Oct 30, 2016 at 1:50

Grammatical formalisms (as opposed to fundamental grammar) do not apply in dialog. Dialog is a report of what someone actually said. In fiction, what characters actually say and how they say it is part of their characterization. What matters is, does this speech reflect who the character is. If you are writing an excessively mannered character, you might write excessively mannered speech for them. But a typical person would not make any distinction between the two examples you give. I suspect that most people would say the latter, since it is an indirect quotation (using some of the same words and phrasing without formally quoting what was said). But to answer your question, no, none of these rules apply within dialog.

• I agree. Actual speech is always misspoken....hence "the historian comes along" and voila! Perfect prose! A writer on the other hand....especially one dealing with children (Mark Twain famously) says "exactly what comes out of their mouths... –  Doctor Zhivago Commented Oct 31, 2016 at 2:05

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Directive Speech vs. Dialogue: How Leaders Communicate with Clarity, Balance

In this “best of” podcast episode, Stanford president Jon Levin shares his thoughts on effective communication.

August 06, 2024

“In a leadership role, so much more of communication is about connecting with people, establishing shared humanity, motivating them, inspiring them, sometimes challenging them.”

On August 1, 2024, Jonathan D. Levin , the tenth dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business, was appointed the 13th President of Stanford University. In this Think Fast, Talk Smart episode from 2022, Levin reflects on the importance of communication for leaders. There is a balance, he says, in being direct with your dialogue, while also “leaving space for people to form their own opinions, to discuss ideas, to debate.”

Listen & Subscribe

Think Fast, Talk Smart is a podcast produced by Stanford Graduate School of Business. Each episode provides concrete, easy-to-implement tools and techniques to help you hone and enhance your communication skills.

Full Transcript:

Note: Transcripts are generated by machine and lightly edited by humans. They may contain errors.

Matt Abrahams: Communication is a critical element to success in business and in life. In this best of episode, we revisit my conversation with Stanford Graduate School of Business, Dean Jon Levin. In our conversation, Jon provides insight and personal experiences regarding the role and importance of communication. Jon will soon become Stanford University’s 13th president. We thank him for his strong support over all these years of our podcast, and we wish him well as he steps into his new role. Without further ado, enjoy our conversation. A big challenge for leaders and managers is to balance the tension between being directive and specific and allowing for space for discussion, debate, and difference. Today on the podcast, we’ll discuss this and the ever-changing expectations of leaders in communication. I’m Matt Abrahams and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart , the podcast. I’m excited to chat with Jon Levin, who is the Philip H. Knight professor and dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business. Before becoming Dean in 2016, Jon spent 16 years in the economic department at Stanford. In 2021, he was appointed to President Joe Biden’s, council of Advisors on science and Technology. Well, hi Jon. Welcome to the podcast. I’m super excited to have you here.

Jon Levin: Thanks, Matt. Great to be here.

Matt Abrahams: Cool. Let’s get started. As your career has unfolded, you’ve had more and more opportunities to share your thoughts with larger and larger audiences. I’m curious to learn more about this and how your thinking on communication has evolved over time.

Jon Levin: My thinking about communication has evolved over my career. I started as a professor teaching, and when you’re giving research talks, it’s just everything is about presenting ideas and information clearly, and maybe even impressing people a little bit and getting them to change the way they think about a problem in a leadership role, so much more of communication is about connecting with people, establishing shared humanity, motivating them, inspiring them, sometimes challenging them. So I’ve gone through my career that has really reinforced to me the different purposes that communication serves to inform people, to connect with people, to motivate and inspire them.

Matt Abrahams: I too have seen over my time how it’s changed and the expectation has changed, and I think a lot of people who listen in have found themselves as their career has developed. They’ve had to adjust the way they perceive communication, much like you have, and for many people that can be very challenging. It’s good to hear that you recognize that. Any particular moments or thoughts that you’ve had that really helped you make that shift from talking about your own research in your own department to now being on a larger stage?

Jon Levin: I wish there was just a single moment when the light bulb went on and I magically got better, figured out different ways to communicate. For me, it didn’t happen that way. It was more of a gradual process of learning and improving. And like anything, communication is a craft and the craft that you teach and you have to work at it.

Matt Abrahams: Thank you for that candor, and thank you for reinforcing the fact that communication is something you have to work on in practice. Very, very true. In your six years as Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, you’ve had to address many significant issues happening on campus and beyond. What are your thoughts on the role of leaders in communication in times of ambiguity and challenge, and do you have any best practices you’ve learned that you rely on?

Jon Levin: One of the most important things is to be able to provide clarity in a timely way. Often the way I tend to think about that is what do people need to know and how would I like them to feel when they read a message? For me, there’s a very complex set of issues that has arisen on campuses in an academic leadership that has to do with how do you communicate about issues that are going on in the world? And the landscape for that particular question has changed hugely over the last, say, five or 10 years, where historically academic leaders were hesitant, often did not rarely communicated about the events of the day and so forth. And today there’s a much higher expectation and a much greater demand to know where did the institutions stand? What does the president of the university think? What do deans think about different issues? I find that to be one of the most complicated and challenging set of questions in leadership, communication, figuring out what to talk about and how to talk about it, wanting to be able to make clear statements about what I think or institutional values to reassure groups of people who really want to hear something about that. But at the same time, leaving space for people to form their own opinions, to discuss ideas, to debate what’s going on because that diversity of ideas, of viewpoints of perspectives is just so absolutely central to our mission.

Matt Abrahams: I think in that you’ve clearly defined attention that all business leaders need to manage, which is how do you step forward and put forth your position, but also leave space for people to discuss, to debate, to discover? And that’s a hard tension. And it sounds like part of how you navigate through that is by thinking through what do you want people to know and how do you want them to feel about those issues? And that is something we’ve talked about before on this podcast. And I think critical in all communication, it’s not just the information you need to put out there, it’s how do people need to feel or do you want people to feel about it? So thank you,

Jon Levin: And I wanted to try to maintain that. And so I did keep that up through the main part of the pandemic, and I got a lot of positive responses and appreciation partly just for putting that effort in to try to maintain community.

Matt Abrahams: As you think about the future of business and business education, I’m wondering what you think about the role communication is playing now and will play in the future.

Jon Levin: There is just no doubt whatsoever that communication is going to play, is going to continue to play such an important role for business leaders. That’s true. Whether they’re communicating individually to their leadership team or to different people in their company or to employees or to customers or to shareholders or testifying in Congress or to the public. It really is just so important for people who are in leadership roles to be able to communicate with clarity. Our students are really fortunate to have folks like you to help prepare them for that world. Such an essential skill.

Matt Abrahams: Thank you. And I agree with you that the role of communication, the pandemic taught us how critical communication is and when we’re cut off in some ways from our communication, it could be very challenging. Let me ask you about a question that is relevant to someone who is an economist and the dean of a business school. Capitalism is under fire these days. We’re facing problems of economic inequality, climate change, loss of jobs to technology, privacy concerns and many other things. How is the GSB teaching students to think about capitalism and what is the role of the school in leading a broader conversation on the subject?

Jon Levin: I love that question because I think you’re just spot on with where the world is today. The place I like to start in thinking about that is just to think about the extraordinary triumph that we’ve had in this country and in many other places around the world over the last century, century and a half in the United States, over the last 150 years, standards of living almost doubled every generation and that rise from subsistence to prosperity. There’s no precedent in human history, and it’s been even more dramatic in countries like China, for example, that adopted many elements of capitalism. And so it’s just incredibly important to keep in mind that markets that private enterprise coupled with stable political legal institutions can be the single greatest engine for societal progress. Particularly important to keep that in mind at a business school because that is the engine we’re trying to build and support at the same time.

You’re absolutely right. You think of challenges like climate change, inequality, the misuses of technology. These are serious issues that we have to grapple with in this century, and we’re living at a time when our political system, which in some sense is the right place to deal with those types of challenges, just seems entirely unable to come to terms with them and address them in any sort of reasonable way. And so people naturally then look elsewhere for solutions and for leadership. And so they look to business, they look to investors, they look to the private sector to tackle these market failures, externalities, these problems to be responsive to relative stakeholders. And that just raises all kinds of hard questions. It’s hard enough to run a business to maximize long-term value for your shareholders. And then someone asks you to solve global climate change.

So when I think about what we want in educating students today to be business leaders, we want them to dive into those questions, to wrestle with them. There’s all kinds of tensions and trade-offs. We want them to really think hard and understand those complexities. And of course, we also believe, particularly a place like Stanford, we’re an epicenter of innovation. We want our students to be the source of the solutions. We want them to solve problems like climate change, to bring new technologies, ideas to market with great business models that deliver them with scale, with speed. We hope students when they come here are going to be inspired to take on big challenges and then to do it in ways that will restore people’s faith in business and the ways it contributes to society.

Matt Abrahams: I certainly see as our students leave here, that energy, that excitement to do just that. It’s one of the greatest pleasures I have teaching here.

Jon Levin: It’s incredibly inspiring. Absolutely renews your faith in humanity and people every day and every year when we get a new generation of students.

Matt Abrahams: I so agree, because the challenges are formidable and yet the students leave ready to tackle them, and it’s very rewarding. Stanford GSB is one of the most competitive management education programs in the world. What do you see as the opportunities for the GSB to reach and educate even a broader set of leaders than those fortunate enough to come here?

Jon Levin: So your question sort of alludes to attention in our core model of education at a place like Stanford, which is we take a very small and highly selected set of students and we pair them up with an even smaller and highly selected set of faculty. That’s a magical, immersive educational environment, very intense campus experience. We hope that the outcome of that is that students go on, graduates go on to have an outsized impact in the world. At the same time, we need a much larger, stronger cohort of global business leaders to help continue to move toward prosperity and to have growth and solve the big challenges of the world. And particularly with the interests that people have in continuing to learn throughout their lifetime and the capabilities that we’ve developed others have developed with technology. I have a very strong feeling that places like Stanford have a tremendous, in some ways a responsibility to try to reach and engage with and educate a broader set of people around the world. And to do that in ways that are transformative and meaningful and impactful. We do that today through short on campus programs. We run for executives or for other leaders in our online programs. Our lead program nearly doubled during the pandemic in programs we run globally, like Stanford Seed, which we run for entrepreneurs in Africa and South Asia. And we continue to look for new opportunities to do that. And it’s one of the things that I find most exciting about the future.

Matt Abrahams: I have certainly seen your commitment and your leadership team’s commitment to expanding how this place, the business school, but also Stanford reaches people. And I truly appreciate the support you have of what we do here because we’re trying to reach people as well.

Jon Levin: I think a podcast like this is such a great example of the ways that a place like Stanford can share ideas with the world and reach a broader audience and give people a sense of what’s going on, what are people thinking, what happens here.

Matt Abrahams: So before we end, I’d like to ask you the same three questions I ask everybody who joins me. Are you up for that?

Jon Levin: Let’s do it.

Matt Abrahams: Alright. Question number one. If you were to capture the best communication advice you’ve ever received as a five to seven word presentation slide title, what would it be?

Jon Levin: I have a story about this, which is maybe 20 years ago, my brother and I were asked to speak at an event that was in honor of my father, and we were supposed to be the dinner speakers. And so we wrote to the people organizing this event and we said, well, what should we say? What’s going? What do you think? And so forth. And they wrote back this incredibly long email with, well, maybe you could touch on this and that and this and that, and you could do it this way. And oh, by the way, maybe tell a joke and say something about your mom and all this stuff. And I looked at this email and I was like, wow, this is going to be the tough assignment. And my brother immediately just hits reply all and he says, got it. Standard talk. Funny, touching and short.

Matt Abrahams: I love it. Funny, touching and short. I think that’s great advice for many of our communication situations. I’m curious, how did the talk go?

Jon Levin: We were short.

Matt Abrahams: I’ll leave it at that. I’m curious, Jon, who is a communicator that you admire and why?

Jon Levin: So one person is Barack Obama. No matter your political affiliation, you have to admire President Obama as a communicator. He came and spoke on campus. He gave a incredibly detailed, pretty technocratic talk about social media and misinformation. It was easily an hour, maybe even an hour and a half, and it was mesmerizing. He’s a wonderful speaker.

Matt Abrahams: Let me ask you my third and final question. What are the first three ingredients that go into a successful communication recipe?

Jon Levin: Clarity, connection, inspiration,

Matt Abrahams: Very, very important. All three. And you do all three of those very well and serve as a good role model for all of us. And I think all business leaders and people developing their careers can think about how they can leverage those three together to help them successfully navigate the communication challenges that they have. Jon, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate your time, your insights, your candor, and truly appreciate what you do for us and for all of our students.

Jon Levin: Thank you, Matt. Thank you so much for having me on. And we’re so fortunate to have you teaching at the GSB and doing this podcast.

Matt Abrahams: Thank you for joining us for another best of episode of Think Fast Talk Smart, the podcast. To learn more about leadership, please listen to episode 1 21 with Jacob Morgan. This episode was produced by Jenny Luna, Ryan Campos and me Matt Abrahams. Our music is from Floyd Wonder. With special thanks to Podium podcast company. Please find us on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to subscribe and rate us. Also follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. Check out faster smarter.io for deep dive videos, English language learning content, and our newsletter.

For media inquiries, visit the Newsroom .

Explore More

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July 19, 2022 The Price of Cheap Talk: What Economics Teaches Us About Communication In this episode, we explore how economic concepts show up in everyday communication.

March 14, 2022 Leadership and Ethics: How to Communicate Your Core Values On this podcast episode, we discuss the keys to making ethical decisions in your professional and personal life.

November 11, 2021 Step Into Power: What Acting Can Teach Us About Power and Responsibility In this podcast episode, we discuss how lessons from the theater inform leadership styles and power dynamics at work.

April 04, 2024 Stanford Alum, Business School Dean Jonathan Levin Named Stanford President Jonathan Levin has been appointed the 13th president of Stanford University.

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