Let's see what you already know — no notes, and don't worry about mistakes.
You already know one way to report someone's words. Complete this sentence:
"I'm hungry," she said. → "She said she hungry."
Think of a text or a call you got today. Say one sentence reporting it out loud: "They said (that)..."
Jamie: Did you talk to the landlord?
Alex: Yeah, I called him this morning. He said the boiler would be fixed by Friday, and he said he'd already ordered the part.
Look again at what Alex says the landlord told him. The landlord's actual words were probably "I'll fix it by Friday" and "I've already ordered the part." What happened to will and have already ordered? Say your idea out loud before you check.
What was happening, and what had already finished, when someone spoke.
Three things people actually said, and how they got reported later:
Before you check: what happens to "am/is/are + -ing"? What happens to a past simple verb like "ate"?
1. "I'm waiting for the bus," Maria said.
Report it: "Maria said she for the bus."
2. "I lost my keys," Dan said.
Report it: "Dan said he his keys."
3. "I'm feeling sick," Priya said. Rewrite this as a full reported sentence.
Think about what you were doing exactly when someone messaged or called you today. Say it out loud: "When they called, I was..." Then report it as if telling someone else: "I told them I was..."
Reporting offers, promises, ability and obligation — will, can and must.
Three everyday examples:
What happens to will, can and must? Say it before you check.
Notice "tomorrow" changed too — more on that in the next tab.
1. "I'll bring the dessert," Grandma said.
Report it: "Grandma said she the dessert."
2. "I can lend you my umbrella," Leo said.
Report it: "Leo said he me his umbrella."
3. "You must send the form by Friday," the clerk said.
Report it: "The clerk said we the form by Friday."
Think of an offer, a promise or a rule someone gave you recently. Say three sentences reporting it out loud using would, could or had to.
Time and place words shift too — and sometimes the verb itself is allowed to stay exactly as it was.
What happened to "here", "today" and "tomorrow"? And why does the third sentence allow two different answers?
1. "I'll email you the file today," Sara said.
Report it later: "Sara said she would email me the file ."
2. "I'll pick you up here tomorrow," Dad said.
Report it later: "Dad said he would pick me up the next day."
3. "My sister lives in Madrid," Elena said — and she still does.
Report it: "Elena said her sister in Madrid."
4. "Water boils at 100 degrees," the teacher said. Which reported sentence(s) are correct?
Tell me about a plan someone made with you that included a time or a place. Report it out loud, and check yourself: did "today", "tomorrow" or "here" need to change?
Time to retell a real conversation, using everything from today.
Think of a real conversation you had recently — with a flatmate, a colleague, a family member, or on the phone. Someone told you something: a plan, an excuse, an offer, or an instruction. (If nothing comes to mind, invent one.)
Tell the whole story out loud for one minute. Try to answer:
Write a short message (3–5 sentences) telling someone else what was said. Use at least two different backshifted forms from today — the checker will tell you which ones it finds.
Real conversations don't tell you which form to use. Here everything is mixed — you decide.
Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite the whole sentence correctly.
1. "She said me she was tired."
2. "He said he is fixing the printer when I called."
3. "She said she had went to the shop already."
4. Maya said this yesterday: "I'll finish it tomorrow." Now, a day later, you tell someone what she said — but this sentence still has the wrong time word: "Maya said she would finish it tomorrow."
5. "I'm meeting the dentist at 3," Noah said. Choose the correct report.
6. "You must call before you visit," the vet said. Choose the correct report.
7. "I work in marketing," Priya said — and she still does. Choose the correct report(s).
One-minute challenge: a colleague was away yesterday and asks what they missed. Tell them, out loud, what people said, what was happening, and what had to be done. Use the timer in the previous tab if you like the pressure.
1. The form you knew before today — complete it: "I'm tired," he said. → "He said he tired."
2. Say it out loud: which two words do "can" and "must" become when you report them later?
3. "I'm walking to work," Dev said.
Report it: "Dev said he to work."
4. "I'll see you tomorrow," Grace said. You're reporting this the next day.
Report it: "Grace said she would see me ."
5. "You must finish this today," the boss said.
Report it: "The boss said we finish it that day."
Which practice helped you most today — spotting the pattern, fixing the mistakes, or the speaking tasks? Say why you think that one worked for you.
At the start we said: report what people said with the full range of backshifts, so you can retell conversations, plans and instructions accurately. Tick what's true: