GRAMMAR 6 INDIRECT SPEECH
7 Put the correct form of either say, tell or ask in each space.
a) I told you that you had to be on time. Why are you late?
b) When you her if she'd work late, what did she
?
c) I think that Alan us a lie abut his qualifications.
d) When I him what he was doing there, he
me it was none of my business.
e) I I would help you, so here I am.
f) Did you hear what Sheila about her new job?
g) What did Carol you about her holiday?
h) There, you see! I you the bus would be on time.
8 Put the correct form of one of the verbs in the box into each space.
a) 'No, it's not true, I didn't steal the money!'
Jean denied stealing the money/that she had stolen the money.
b) 'Why don't we go to the cinema this evening?'
Peter going to the cinema/that they went to the cinema.
c) 'I've broken your pen. I'm awfully sorry, Jack.'
David for breaking Jack's pen.
d) 'Don't forget to post my letter, will you, Sue?'
Diana Sue to post her letter.
e) 'Let me carry your suitcase, John.'
Harry to carry John's suitcase.
f) 'All right, it's true, I was nervous.'
The leading actor to being nervous/that he had been
nervous.
g) 'I don't think Liverpool will win.'
Vanessa whether Liverpool would win.
h) 'If I were you, Bill, I'd buy a mountain bike.'
Stephen Bill to buy a mountain bike.
i) 'You murdered Lord Digby, didn't you, Colin!'

should not be there, write the word in the space.
Satellite television
When my parents decided that to get a new
satellite television, I asked them why they
thought this was a good idea. I doubted it
whether it was really necessary, and told to them
that I had thought they spent too much time
watching television. They agreed they didn't
go out very much, but were insisted that they
had had thought about the matter very carefully.
'We enjoy television,' they said me, 'and when we
asked you, you said that you agreed with us.'
I replied them that I didn't remember being asked,
and that I would have tried to stop them. Then
they were admitted that they had asked me while I was
watching my favourite programme. I asked them
what was I had been watching, and they said
it was a football match. 'You told us that
to keep quiet, so we thought that you agreed!'
1 Tense changes are usually necessary after a past tense reporting verb.
2 Words referring to time and place also change in indirect speech.
3 Indirect questions are of two types. Yes/No questions are reported with if and
Wh- questions are reported with the question word. The verb is not put into a
question form in an indirect question.
4 Indirect speech is often introduced by a reporting verb. These verbs are followed
by a variety of grammatical constructions. A good dictionary will include this
information.
5 Indirect speech may also involve paraphrasing the main points of what was
said.
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Should you see John, can you give him a message?
- With if
A second conditional describes an unreal or imaginary situation. A past
simple tense is used after if, but the time referred to is the future. Would is
common in the result clause.
If you fell, you would hurt yourself.
This means that there is a small possibility that this will happen. The
situation and its result are imagined.
The modal verbs might and could are common in second conditional
sentences.
If you became a millionaire, you might be unhappy.
• Were
Were is often used instead of was in formal language. Note that were is not
stressed in speech.
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GRAMMAR 7 CONDITIONALS
39
If I were taller, I'd join the basketball team.
If I were you, I'd leave now. (I and you are stressed in speech)
• Were to
Were to is another way of expressing a second conditional sentence.
If they were to offer me the job, I'd turn it down.
Unreal/imaginary • With if
past situations: third A third conditional describes an unreal or imaginary situation in the past. A
conditional past perfect tense is used after if. Would + have + past participle is used in the
result clause.
If John had studied more, he would have got better marks.
This means that John didn't study more. A past situation, different to the
one that really happened, is imagined.
The modal verbs might and could are common in this kind of sentence.

h) I don't like this flat. I think I am/I will be/I'd be happier if I live/will live/would
live/lived in a house in the country.
i) I don't know how to play baseball, but I'm sure that if I will do/did, I play/will
play/would play a lot better than anyone in this awful team!
j) If I phone/will phone/phoned you tonight, are you/will you be/would you be in?
2 Underline the most suitable verb forms in each sentence.
a) Why didn't you tell me? If you told/had told me, I had helped/would have
helped you.
b) If Bill didn't steal/hadn't stolen the car, he wasn't/wouldn't be/hadn't been in
prison now.
c) If Ann wasn't driving/didn't drive/hadn't driven so fast, her car didn't
crash/wouldn't crash/wouldn't have crashed into a tree.
d) Let me give you some advice. If you smoked/would smoke/had smoked less, you
didn't feel/wouldn't feel/wouldn't have felt so tired.
e) What bad luck! If Alan didn't fall/hadn't fallen/wouldn't fall over, he won/would
win/would have won the race.
f) If you invited/had invited me last week, I was able/had been able/would have
been able to come.
g) I'm sure your letter hasn't arrived yet. If it came/had come I'm sure I
noticed/had noticed/would have noticed it.
h) We have a suggestion to make. How do you feel/would you feel if we
offered/would offer/had offered you the job of assistant manager?
i) If you lent/had lent us the money, we paid/would pay/had paid you back next
week.
j) Terry never catches anything when he goes fishing. And if he
catches/caught/had caught a fish, he throws/would throw it back!
GRAMMAR 7 CONDITIONALS
3 Put each verb in brackets into a suitable verb form.
a) Why didn't you phone? If I (know) had known you were
coming, I (meet) you at the airport.

If you were
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