Tingkatkan kemampuan bahasa Inggris Anda dengan kumpulan latihan soal reported speech komprehensif ini. Artikel ini menyajikan berbagai contoh soal reported speech, mulai dari pilihan ganda, isian singkat, esai, hingga soal mencocokkan, yang dirancang untuk menguji dan memperdalam pemahaman Anda tentang tata bahasa Inggris. Reported speech, atau indirect speech, adalah salah satu konsep grammar fundamental yang sering muncul dalam tes kemahiran bahasa. Dengan berlatih menggunakan soal-soal ini, Anda akan lebih siap menghadapi ujian, meningkatkan kefasihan berbicara, dan menulis dalam bahasa Inggris secara akurat. Setiap soal dilengkapi dengan kunci jawaban dan penjelasan mendetail, membantu Anda memahami perubahan tense, pronoun, serta ekspresi waktu dan tempat. Jangan lewatkan kesempatan untuk menguasai reported speech dan kunci keberhasilan dalam grammar bahasa Inggris!
Multiple Choice
1. She said, “I am reading a book.” In reported speech, this becomes:
- A. She said that she is reading a book.
- B. She said that I was reading a book.
- C. She said that she was reading a book.
- D. She said she had been reading a book.
Answer: C. She said that she was reading a book.
Explanation: When reporting a present continuous statement, the tense shifts to past continuous. ‘I’ changes to ‘she’ to reflect the speaker.
2. He told me, “I went to the cinema yesterday.” In reported speech, this is:
- A. He told me that he had gone to the cinema the day before.
- B. He told me that he went to the cinema yesterday.
- C. He told me that he had gone to the cinema yesterday.
- D. He told me he has gone to the cinema the day before.
Answer: A. He told me that he had gone to the cinema the day before.
Explanation: Past simple ‘went’ changes to past perfect ‘had gone’. The time expression ‘yesterday’ changes to ‘the day before’ or ‘the previous day’.
3. He asked, “Do you like coffee?” In reported speech, this becomes:
- A. He asked me do I like coffee.
- B. He asked me if I liked coffee.
- C. He asked me if I like coffee.
- D. He asked me did I like coffee.
Answer: B. He asked me if I liked coffee.
Explanation: For a ‘yes/no’ question, we use ‘if’ or ‘whether’. The tense shifts from present simple ‘do you like’ to past simple ‘I liked’.
4. She ordered, “Open the window!” In reported speech, this is:
- A. She ordered me that I open the window.
- B. She ordered me opening the window.
- C. She ordered open the window.
- D. She ordered me to open the window.
Answer: D. She ordered me to open the window.
Explanation: Commands are reported using ‘to + infinitive’ structure after a reporting verb like ‘ordered’, ‘told’, ‘asked’, etc.
5. They announced, “We will visit London next month.” In reported speech, this becomes:
- A. They announced that they will visit London next month.
- B. They announced that we would visit London the following month.
- C. They announced that they would visit London the following month.
- D. They announced that they visited London the next month.
Answer: C. They announced that they would visit London the following month.
Explanation: The modal verb ‘will’ changes to ‘would’. ‘We’ changes to ‘they’. ‘Next month’ changes to ‘the following month’ or ‘the month after’.
6. He said to me, “I can help you.” In reported speech, this is:
- A. He said that he can help me.
- B. He said that he could help me.
- C. He said that I could help you.
- D. He said that he would help me.
Answer: B. He said that he could help me.
Explanation: The modal verb ‘can’ changes to ‘could’ in reported speech. ‘I’ changes to ‘he’ and ‘you’ changes to ‘me’.
7. She told her mother, “I have finished my homework.” In reported speech, this becomes:
- A. She told her mother that she had finished her homework.
- B. She told her mother that she has finished her homework.
- C. She told her mother that she finished her homework.
- D. She told her mother that I had finished my homework.
Answer: A. She told her mother that she had finished her homework.
Explanation: Present perfect ‘have finished’ changes to past perfect ‘had finished’. ‘I’ changes to ‘she’ and ‘my’ changes to ‘her’.
8. The stranger asked, “Where do you live?” In reported speech, this is:
- A. The stranger asked me where do I live?
- B. The stranger asked me where did I live.
- C. The stranger asked me where I live.
- D. The stranger asked me where I lived.
Answer: D. The stranger asked me where I lived.
Explanation: For ‘wh-questions’, the question word is retained. The clause becomes a statement (subject + verb) and the tense shifts from present simple ‘do you live’ to past simple ‘I lived’.
9. My teacher warned us, “Don’t be late!” In reported speech, this becomes:
- A. My teacher warned us not to be late.
- B. My teacher warned us to not be late.
- C. My teacher warned us don’t be late.
- D. My teacher warned us that we not be late.
Answer: A. My teacher warned us not to be late.
Explanation: Negative commands are reported using ‘not to + infinitive’.
10. She said, “I saw him here.” In reported speech, this is:
- A. She said that she saw him there.
- B. She said that she had seen him there.
- C. She said that she had seen him here.
- D. She said she seen him there.
Answer: B. She said that she had seen him there.
Explanation: Past simple ‘saw’ changes to past perfect ‘had seen’. The place expression ‘here’ changes to ‘there’. ‘I’ changes to ‘she’.
11. He stated, “This is my car.” In reported speech, this becomes:
- A. He stated that this was his car.
- B. He stated that this is his car.
- C. He stated that that was his car.
- D. He stated that that is my car.
Answer: C. He stated that that was his car.
Explanation: Demonstrative pronoun ‘this’ changes to ‘that’. Verb ‘is’ changes to ‘was’. Possessive ‘my’ changes to ‘his’.
12. She asked him, “Are you coming to the party?” In reported speech, this is:
- A. She asked him if he was coming to the party.
- B. She asked him if he is coming to the party.
- C. She asked him if was he coming to the party.
- D. She asked him was he coming to the party.
Answer: A. She asked him if he was coming to the party.
Explanation: For a ‘yes/no’ question, ‘if’ or ‘whether’ is used. Present continuous ‘are you coming’ changes to past continuous ‘he was coming’.
13. He said, “I must go now.” In reported speech, this becomes:
- A. He said that he must go now.
- B. He said that he had to go then.
- C. He said that he would go then.
- D. He said that I had to go then.
Answer: B. He said that he had to go then.
Explanation: The modal verb ‘must’ often changes to ‘had to’ in reported speech, especially for obligation. ‘Now’ changes to ‘then’.
14. They said, “We were playing football.” In reported speech, this is:
- A. They said that they were playing football.
- B. They said that we were playing football.
- C. They said that they played football.
- D. They said that they had been playing football.
Answer: D. They said that they had been playing football.
Explanation: Past continuous ‘were playing’ changes to past perfect continuous ‘had been playing’. ‘We’ changes to ‘they’.
15. John promised, “I will call you tomorrow.” In reported speech, this becomes:
- A. John promised that he would call me the next day.
- B. John promised that he will call me tomorrow.
- C. John promised that I would call you the next day.
- D. John promised he called me the next day.
Answer: A. John promised that he would call me the next day.
Explanation: The modal verb ‘will’ changes to ‘would’. ‘Tomorrow’ changes to ‘the next day’ or ‘the following day’. ‘I’ changes to ‘he’ and ‘you’ changes to ‘me’.
16. She asked him, “What are you doing?” In reported speech, this is:
- A. She asked him what are you doing?
- B. She asked him what was he doing.
- C. She asked him what he was doing.
- D. She asked him what he is doing.
Answer: C. She asked him what he was doing.
Explanation: For a ‘wh-question’, the question word is retained. The clause becomes a statement (subject + verb) and the tense shifts from present continuous ‘are you doing’ to past continuous ‘he was doing’.
17. Mother told me, “Clean your room!” In reported speech, this becomes:
- A. Mother told me clean your room.
- B. Mother told me to clean my room.
- C. Mother told me that I clean my room.
- D. Mother told me cleaning my room.
Answer: B. Mother told me to clean my room.
Explanation: Commands are reported using ‘to + infinitive’. ‘Your room’ changes to ‘my room’.
18. He complained, “I have been working all day.” In reported speech, this is:
- A. He complained that he has been working all day.
- B. He complained that he worked all day.
- C. He complained that I had been working all day.
- D. He complained that he had been working all day.
Answer: D. He complained that he had been working all day.
Explanation: Present perfect continuous ‘have been working’ changes to past perfect continuous ‘had been working’. ‘I’ changes to ‘he’.
19. She remarked, “He always tells lies.” In reported speech, this becomes:
- A. She remarked that he always told lies.
- B. She remarked that he always tells lies.
- C. She remarked that he has always told lies.
- D. She remarked that he always lied.
Answer: A. She remarked that he always told lies.
Explanation: Present simple ‘tells’ changes to past simple ‘told’. The adverb ‘always’ remains. If it’s a general truth, the tense might not change, but here it’s a specific observation being reported.
20. He asked, “Can I borrow your pen?” In reported speech, this is:
- A. He asked if he can borrow my pen.
- B. He asked if he could borrow my pen.
- C. He asked if I could borrow your pen.
- D. He asked if I can borrow his pen.
Answer: B. He asked if he could borrow my pen.
Explanation: For a ‘yes/no’ question using a modal verb, ‘if’ or ‘whether’ is used, and ‘can’ changes to ‘could’. ‘I’ changes to ‘he’ and ‘your’ changes to ‘my’.
Short Answer
1. Convert the following sentence to reported speech: “I might go to the party,” she said.
Answer: She said that she might go to the party.
Explanation: The modal verb ‘might’ generally does not change in reported speech as it already expresses past possibility. ‘I’ changes to ‘she’.
2. Convert the following sentence to reported speech: “How often do you exercise?” the doctor asked him.
Answer: The doctor asked him how often he exercised.
Explanation: For a ‘wh-question’, the question word ‘how often’ is retained. The clause becomes a statement (subject + verb), and the present simple tense ‘do you exercise’ changes to past simple ‘he exercised’.
3. What changes need to be made to the time expression “next week” when converting to reported speech?
Answer: “Next week” changes to “the following week” or “the week after”.
Explanation: Time expressions indicating future or proximity relative to the direct speech time need to be shifted to reflect the new reporting time.
4. Convert the following warning to reported speech: “Don’t touch the wet paint!” the sign warned.
Answer: The sign warned not to touch the wet paint.
Explanation: Negative commands or warnings are reported using the structure ‘not to + infinitive’.
5. Explain the primary tense shift when reporting a simple past statement in reported speech.
Answer: When reporting a simple past statement, the tense primarily shifts to the past perfect.
Explanation: For example, ‘I went’ becomes ‘he had gone’. This shift indicates that the action happened before the reporting time.
Essay
1. Discuss the main changes that occur when converting direct speech into reported speech, including tense, pronouns, and time/place expressions. Provide examples for each.
Answer: When converting direct speech to reported speech, several key transformations take place to ensure grammatical consistency and accuracy, primarily concerning tense, pronouns, and expressions of time and place. 1. **Tense Changes**: The verb tense typically shifts backward in time. For instance, present simple becomes past simple (‘I work’ -> ‘He said he worked’), present continuous becomes past continuous (‘I am reading’ -> ‘She said she was reading’), present perfect becomes past perfect (‘I have finished’ -> ‘He said he had finished’), and past simple usually becomes past perfect (‘I went’ -> ‘They said they had gone’). Modal verbs also change: ‘will’ to ‘would’, ‘can’ to ‘could’, ‘may’ to ‘might’, ‘must’ often to ‘had to’. * Example: Direct: “I will call you tomorrow.” Reported: “She said that she would call me the next day.” 2. **Pronoun Changes**: Pronouns are adjusted to reflect the speaker’s perspective from the reporting context. First and second-person pronouns (I, we, you, my, your) usually change to third-person pronouns (he, she, they, his, her, their) or remain if the speaker is also the reporter. * Example: Direct: “I like your dress.” Reported: “He told me that he liked my dress.” 3. **Time and Place Expressions**: Adverbs of time and place, as well as demonstratives, shift to reflect the change in context from the original utterance to the reporting time/place. Words like ‘now’ become ‘then’, ‘today’ becomes ‘that day’, ‘yesterday’ becomes ‘the day before’, ‘tomorrow’ becomes ‘the next day’, ‘here’ becomes ‘there’, and ‘this’/’these’ become ‘that’/’those’. * Example: Direct: “I’ll see you here tomorrow.” Reported: “He said he would see me there the next day.” These systematic changes ensure that the reported statement accurately conveys the original message while fitting seamlessly into the grammar of the reporting clause.
Explanation: The essay comprehensively covers the three major categories of changes: tense shifts, pronoun adjustments, and conversions of time/place expressions, providing clear examples for each, as required.
2. Explain the difference in reporting a ‘yes/no’ question versus a ‘wh-question’. Illustrate with examples.
Answer: Reporting questions in reported speech involves different structures depending on whether the original question is a ‘yes/no’ question or a ‘wh-question’ (using words like who, what, where, when, why, how). 1. **Reporting ‘Yes/No’ Questions**: When reporting a question that can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, we typically introduce the reported clause with ‘if’ or ‘whether’. The word order then changes from interrogative (verb-subject) to assertive (subject-verb), and the tense shifts backward. No question mark is used at the end of the reported sentence. * Example: Direct: “Are you hungry?” Reported: “He asked me if I was hungry.” (Here, ‘Are you’ -> ‘I was’) * Example: Direct: “Did you finish your work?” Reported: “She asked if I had finished my work.” (Here, ‘Did you finish’ -> ‘I had finished’) 2. **Reporting ‘Wh-Questions’**: For questions that begin with a ‘wh-word’, we retain the original ‘wh-word’ to introduce the reported clause. Similar to ‘yes/no’ questions, the word order changes from interrogative to assertive, and the tense shifts backward. Again, no question mark is used. * Example: Direct: “Where do you live?” Reported: “He asked me where I lived.” (Here, ‘do you live’ -> ‘I lived’) * Example: Direct: “What were you doing yesterday?” Reported: “She asked him what he had been doing the day before.” (Here, ‘were you doing’ -> ‘he had been doing’ and ‘yesterday’ -> ‘the day before’) The fundamental difference lies in the use of ‘if/whether’ for ‘yes/no’ questions versus retaining the ‘wh-word’ for information-seeking questions, with both types requiring a shift to statement word order and appropriate tense changes.
Explanation: This answer clearly distinguishes between the two types of questions, outlining the introductory words (‘if/whether’ vs. ‘wh-word’) and the grammatical structures (statement word order, tense shifts) for each, supported by relevant examples.
3. Analyze the following short paragraph in direct speech and convert it entirely into reported speech, explaining the choices made: “I went to the store yesterday,” said Sarah. “I need to buy some groceries for the party next Saturday. Can you help me carry them?” she asked John. John replied, “Yes, I will definitely help you then.”
Answer: Here’s the reported speech conversion and explanations: **Reported Speech:** Sarah said that she had gone to the store the day before. She added that she needed to buy some groceries for the party the following Saturday. She then asked John if he could help her carry them. John replied affirmatively, saying that he would definitely help her then. **Explanation of Changes:** 1. **”I went to the store yesterday,” said Sarah.** * `said Sarah` -> `Sarah said that` (introducing reported statement). * `I` -> `she` (pronoun change to reflect Sarah as the speaker). * `went` (past simple) -> `had gone` (past perfect tense shift). * `yesterday` -> `the day before` (time expression change). 2. **”I need to buy some groceries for the party next Saturday.”** * `She added that` (new reporting verb for a continuation of Sarah’s statement). * `I` -> `she` (pronoun change). * `need` (present simple) -> `needed` (past simple tense shift). * `next Saturday` -> `the following Saturday` (time expression change). 3. **”Can you help me carry them?” she asked John.** * `She then asked John` (reporting verb for a question). * `Can you help me` (yes/no question) -> `if he could help her` (introduced by ‘if’, ‘can’ to ‘could’, ‘you’ to ‘he’, ‘me’ to ‘her’, statement word order). 4. **John replied, “Yes, I will definitely help you then.”** * `John replied affirmatively, saying that` (reporting verb for reply and then a statement). * `I` -> `he` (pronoun change). * `will` -> `would` (modal verb change). * `you` -> `her` (pronoun change). * `then` (contextually referring to ‘next Saturday’, so ‘then’ is kept if it implies ‘at that time’ already, or could be replaced by ‘on that day’ for clarity but ‘then’ is often sufficient to maintain the reference).
Explanation: This response provides a complete reported speech version of the paragraph and then meticulously breaks down each change made, explaining the grammatical rules applied for tense, pronoun, and time expression shifts, fulfilling all requirements.
4. When is it NOT necessary to change the tense of a verb in reported speech? Provide two scenarios with examples.
Answer: While tense shifts are a general rule in reported speech, there are specific situations where the verb tense in the reported clause does not change. 1. **Reporting a General Truth or Fact**: If the direct speech expresses a universal truth, a scientific fact, or a habit that is still true at the time of reporting, the tense often remains the same. This is because the statement is timeless and its truth value hasn’t changed. * Example: Direct: “The Earth revolves around the Sun,” the teacher said. Reported: “The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.” (Not ‘revolved’). * Example: Direct: “Water boils at 100°C,” she explained. Reported: “She explained that water boils at 100°C.” (Not ‘boiled’). 2. **When the Reporting Verb is in the Present Tense**: If the main reporting verb (e.g., says, tells, asks) is in the present tense, then no tense change occurs in the reported clause. This indicates that the information is still very current or is being reported immediately. * Example: Direct: “I am tired,” he says. Reported: “He says that he is tired.” (Not ‘was tired’). * Example: Direct: “They will come,” she tells me. Reported: “She tells me that they will come.” (Not ‘would come’). These exceptions highlight that the primary goal of reported speech is to accurately convey the original meaning while considering the context and the continued relevance of the statement.
Explanation: The answer correctly identifies two scenarios (general truths/facts and present tense reporting verbs) where tense shifts are not necessary, providing clear examples for each and explaining the rationale behind these exceptions.
5. Compare and contrast the use of reporting verbs “said” and “told.” When should you use each, and what grammatical structures follow them?
Answer: The reporting verbs “said” and “told” are both commonly used to introduce reported speech, but they have distinct grammatical requirements and implications for their usage. **’Said’**: * **Usage**: ‘Said’ is used when reporting something without specifying the person to whom it was said. It focuses solely on the statement itself. * **Structure**: It is followed directly by ‘that’ (optional) and the reported clause. If the recipient of the statement is mentioned, ‘said’ must be followed by ‘to’ before the object pronoun/noun. * **Examples**: * He said, “I’m busy.” -> He said that he was busy. * She said (to me), “I need help.” -> She said to me that she needed help. (Less common than ‘told me’) **’Told’**: * **Usage**: ‘Told’ is always used when the speaker specifically addresses someone. It requires an object (the person being told) immediately after it. It implies direct communication to a particular listener. * **Structure**: It is always followed by a direct object (a pronoun or a noun phrase indicating the listener) before ‘that’ (optional) and the reported clause. You cannot use ‘to’ after ‘told’ when indicating the listener. * **Examples**: * He told me, “I’m busy.” -> He told me that he was busy. * She told her friend, “I need help.” -> She told her friend that she needed help. **Contrast**: * The key difference is the **presence of an object**. ‘Said’ can be used without an object, or with ‘to + object’, while ‘told’ *must* be followed by an object. * ‘Said’ emphasizes the content of the utterance; ‘told’ emphasizes the act of communicating that content to someone specific. In summary, choose ‘said’ when the recipient is not mentioned or is less important, and use ‘told’ when you specify who the message was directed to.
Explanation: This essay clearly defines and differentiates ‘said’ and ‘told’ based on their usage rules, grammatical structures (requiring or not requiring an object, and the use of ‘to’), and provides clear examples for each. It also highlights the core contrast between them.
Matching
1. Match the direct speech time/place expressions with their reported speech equivalents.
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| here | there |
| tomorrow | the next day |
| last night | the night before |
Answer: 1. ‘now’ matches with ‘then’. 2. ‘today’ matches with ‘that day’. 3. ‘here’ matches with ‘there’. 4. ‘tomorrow’ matches with ‘the next day’. 5. ‘last night’ matches with ‘the night before’.
Explanation: These are standard shifts for time and place expressions when converting direct speech to reported speech to reflect the change in temporal and spatial context.
2. Match the direct speech tenses with their common reported speech tense shifts.
| Present Simple | Past Simple |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
| Past Simple | Past Perfect |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
| Will | Would |
Answer: 1. ‘Present Simple’ matches with ‘Past Simple’. 2. ‘Present Continuous’ matches with ‘Past Continuous’. 3. ‘Past Simple’ matches with ‘Past Perfect’. 4. ‘Present Perfect’ matches with ‘Past Perfect’. 5. ‘Will’ matches with ‘Would’.
Explanation: These are the fundamental tense backshifts applied when converting direct speech into reported speech, assuming the reporting verb is in the past tense.