English Grammar: Reported Speech and Vocabulary Practice

Mastering Reported Speech

Review these examples of transforming direct speech into reported speech.

1. Direct: “I want to visit my friends this weekend,” Tom said.
   Reported: Tom said he wanted to visit his friends that weekend.
2. Direct: “What do you think of the new film?” Sally asked.
   Reported: Sally wanted to know what I thought of the new film.
3. Direct: “I'm studying English a lot at the moment,” Jerry said.
   Reported: Jerry said he was studying English a lot at that moment.
4. Direct: “Have you finished reading the newspaper?” he asked me.
   Reported: He asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.
5. Direct: “We've lived here for a long time,” they said.
   Reported: They said they had lived there for a long time.
6. Direct: “Did you have enough time to finish your work?” Julie asked.
   Reported: Julie asked me if we’d had enough time to finish our work.
7. Direct: “Stay in bed for a few days,” the doctor told me.
   Reported: The doctor told me to stay in bed for a few days.
8. Direct: “I get up every morning at seven o'clock,” Peter said.
   Reported: Peter said he got up every morning at seven o'clock.
9. Direct: “Why are Laurence and Steven still travelling?” James asked.
   Reported: James wanted to know why Laurence and Steven were still travelling.
10. Direct: “How old are you?” Mary asked the girl.
    Reported: Mary asked the girl how old she was.
11. Direct: “Don’t wait for me,” Ann said.
    Reported: Ann said not to wait for her.
12. Direct: “I will tell Jim I saw Mary,” John said.
    Reported: John said he would tell Jim he had seen Mary.
13. Direct: “Is Annie going to be the next group leader?” Simon asked.
    Reported: Simon wants to know if Annie is going to be the next group leader.
14. Direct: “What time do the banks close?” Jane wanted to know.
    Reported: Jane wanted to know what time the banks closed.
15. Direct: “Have they seen all the rooms yet?” Steve asked.
    Reported: Steve wondered whether they had seen all the rooms yet.

Prepositions in Financial Contexts

Complete the following sentences with the correct prepositions.

1. I can't believe they charged us $35 for a pizza.
2. When is he going to pay you back the money we lent him?
3. Frank spent a lot of money on clothes last week.
4. Paula paid over £1000 for her computer.
5. I don't like to borrow money from the bank.
6. Would you lend money to your best friend?
7. The sales of Dupont have gone up from €19.6 million to €26 million.

Shopping and Money Vocabulary

Match the following expressions to their definitions.

• Free samples: Freebies
• Buy something: Make a purchase
• Cheap purchase: Bargain
• Discount for immediate payment: Cashback
• Be careful with money: Watch your money
• Sum of money for a special service: Reward
• Outdoor market for used goods: Car boot sale
• Things you can buy in a supermarket: Groceries