1 TENSES

Worksheet 1
A. Read the sentences given below.
Ruchi is quite fond of reading books. Every night she
reads for at least twenty minutes before going to bed. At
times, she narrates these stories to her younger sister.
Swami and Friends by R.K. Narayan is Ruchi’s favourite
book. However, these days she is reading Malgudi Days.
The verbs in bold in the above sentences talk about the present, though in
different forms.

Remember
• 'Is' is the Simple Present Tense of the verb 'be'.
• 'Be' is used as—
I am He/She/It is We/You/They are

Look at the following table.

Verbs Expressing the Present
Simple Present Present Continuous
[verb + s/es] [is/am/are + ing form of the verb]
1. To talk about habits, routines or actions that 1. To talk about an action going on
are done repeatedly. at the time of speaking.
e.g. Shruti goes for her judo classes every e.g. Shruti is going for her judo
evening. classes.
2. To talk about scientific or universal truths. 2. To talk about actions going on
e.g. A plant needs air, water and soil to grow. these days [and not just at the
time of speaking].
3. To advise, request and order (imperative
e.g. Tarun is learning computers
sentences).
these days.
e.g. See a doctor at the earliest.
Open the book and read the poem.

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B. Rewrite the following passage using the simple present tense of the verbs given
in the brackets.
Yoga (be) a great stress buster. It (help) in improving
concentration. It not only (ensure) discipline but also
(teach) how to handle stress levels. It (train) us to channelise
surplus energy in a positive manner. Yoga (act) as a magic healer. It
(unravel) many hidden qualities that we (possess).

C. Imagine yourself to be a T.V. news reporter. You have been asked to cover a
live festival programme going on in the city. Given below is a picture of the
festival. Observe the picture and write what various people are doing. One
example has been done for you.

Welcome to the live telecast of the City Carnival. On your screen you can see
the live coverage of the festival. The Mayor is delivering his speech and his body
guards are keeping an eye on the crowd. _________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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 Remember
Present Continuous Tense is used to talk about things that are happening now (at the
time of speaking).

Worksheet 2
Simple Present or Present Continuous
A. Read the following.
1. I go to the library every weekend.
2. I am going to the library.
Sentence 1 talks about a habitual action
whereas Sentence 2 describes an action
happening at the time of speaking.

Read this example.

Seema waters her plants every evening.
(habitual action/routine)

However, today she is watering them in the morning as she has to go out in the
evening (action happening now, at the time of speaking).

Remember
Simple Present Tense is used to describe routine/habitual actions/actions that
are happening all the time and not particularly at the time of speaking whereas
Present Continuous Tense is used to describe actions happening now, at the time of
speaking.

B. Read the passages given below and fill in the blanks with the correct form of
the verbs (either simple present or present continuous).
1. Tanvi and Dhaarna are sitting (sit) very quietly in their room. Usually
when they are alone, they (make) a lot of mischief, but
today they (wait) patiently for their mother, who has

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 promised to take them for fun rides in the evening. Tanvi
(collect) her books and (arrange) them properly. Dhaarna
(keep) her toys in
the rack. She usually
(like) to keep them on her bed. Tanvi,
too, (prefer) to keep
her books on her table but today she
(arrange) them on
her bookshelf.

2. Mohit (go) for a morning

walk daily. He (get) up
at 5.30 a.m. and (go)
for a brisk walk in a park nearby. He
(come) back at 6.30 and
(leave) for his school
at 7.30. Today he (not
feel) well, so he (think)
of reading a book instead of going for his
daily walk.

Worksheet 3
Non-action Verbs
A. Read the sentences given below and tick (✓) the grammatically correct ones.
Give a reason for your choice.

1. I like this dress.

I am liking this dress.

2. Ravi is wanting to talk with you.

Ravi wants to talk with you.

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 3. The room freshener smells good.
The room freshner is smelling good.

4. He knows your dad.

He is knowing your dad.

5. She owns that house.

She is owning that house.

6. I hear some noises from the room.

I am hearing some noises from the room.

Remember
• Non-action Verbs, i.e. verbs that do not describe ‘an action’ are not (or rarely) used in
the continuous tense.
For example:
This soup is tasting sour. X
This soup tastes sour. ✓
• Words, such as 'like', 'want', 'smell', 'know', 'own', etc., are non–action verbs.

The table below gives common non-action verbs.

Non-action Verbs

Verbs of Verbs of Feelings/ Verbs of Mental Verbs of

Senses Emotions States Possession
• see • like • know • own
• hear • love/hate • understand • possess
• taste • feel • agree/disagree • belong
• smell • want/desire • believe • contain
• fear • doubt/trust
• respect • think
• suppose
• remember

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B. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs (simple present or present
continuous).

1. Tanmay (collect) a lot of dry leaves. It is his hobby.

2. Tanmay (collect) a lot of dry leaves these days. He has

to prepare a Botany project.

3. Hotels in Goa are usually quite expensive. But now they

(slash) their rates because of recession.

4. Software engineers usually (work) for eight hours a

day. But on account of the current economic slowdown, they (work) for over
twelve hours a day.

5. Dhruv (own) this beautiful pencil box.

6. You (look) fit these days. you

(go) to aerobic classes?

7. No, I (not go) to any aerobic classes. I just

(go) for a morning walk regularly.

8. Is Maanya ready for the school?

No, she (have) her bath.

C. Read the following sentences.

1. They have a beautiful house.

shows possession

2. They are having lunch.

suggests action

Some verbs can be used as both action and non-action verbs. In Sentence 1,
‘have’ shows possession and is, therefore, used as a ‘non-action verb’. In
Sentence 2, ‘are having’ suggests that an action is happening, so here, 'have' is an
‘action verb’.

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 A few more verbs that can be used as both action and non-action verbs are
given below. Use them in sentences of your own in both the ways.

1. think
• ___________________________________________________ (action)
• ___________________________________________________ (non-action)

2. feel
• ___________________________________________________ (action)
• ___________________________________________________ (non-action)

3. taste
• ___________________________________________________ (action)
• ___________________________________________________ (non-action)

4. smell
• ___________________________________________________ (action)
• ___________________________________________________ (non-action)

Worksheet 4

Read the sentences given below.

I missed my bus and reached the office late.

My boss was fuming with anger. He had
already assigned my work to a colleague.
The verbs in bold in the above sentences
talk about the past.

Look at the table given on the next page.

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 Verbs Expressing the Past
Past Present Perfect Past Perfect
Simple Past Past Perfect Present Perfect
Continuous Continuous Continuous
(has/have +
(has/have +
(was/were (had + past been + ing (had + been
past participle
(past tense + ing form participle form of the + ing form of
form of the
of the verb) of the verbs) form of the verb the verb)
verb)
(prayed, (was/were verb) (has/have (had been
(has/have
wrote) praying, was/ (had prayed, been praying, praying, had
prayed, has/
were writing) had written) has/have been been writing)
have written)
writing)
1. To talk 1. To talk about 1. To talk 1. To talk 1. To talk 1. To talk
about an an action about an about an about an about an
action that that was action action just action that action
took place at going on at already completed. began in that began
some point some point completed e.g. the past, is before a
in the past. in the past. before a I have continuing specific
e.g. e.g. certain talked at the time moment in
I bought The teacher point in the to the of speaking the past, had
this dress was past. Principal. and will continued
yesterday. checking the e.g. extend into up to that
notebooks. He had 2. To talk the future. moment
2. To talk learnt about an [We use and was still
about a past 2. To talk about his lesson action that ‘since’, ‘for’ in progress.
habit. a frequently before the happened in with this e.g.
repeated past eighth the past but tense]. My teacher
e.g. action.
He went to period. whose effect e.g. had been
the church e.g. can be felt at Riya has teaching
every She was the moment been for nearly
Sunday. always of speaking. playing for half an hour
complaining e.g. two hours when I
about the I have read now. reached the
system. all these Ishu has class.
books (So been
3. To express
I need not staying in
the gradual
read them Delhi since
development
now.) 2010.
of an action.
e.g.
The listeners
were
becoming
impatient.

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 Worksheet 5
A. Fill in the blanks with the simple past tense of the verbs given in the brackets.
Long ago, there (be) a forest full of trees laden with ripe,
juicy guavas, mangoes, apples and pears. But the birds who
(live) there were unhappy. They (want) to eat grains. One
morning, the birds (see) lots of grains scattered on the ground.
They (sit) down to eat the grains. Suddenly, two bird catchers
(rush) out from the nearby bushes and
(throw) a huge net on the birds feeding on grains.

Remember
Simple Past is used to express an action that happened in the past.

B. Fill in the blanks with the past continuous tense of the verbs given in the brackets.
1. It (rain) heavily and Manan
(sneeze) continuously. Mother (make) herbal tea for
him. I (try) to concentrate on my work but Manan’s
loud sneezing (disturb) me.

2. As a child, Smriti always

(complain) about one thing or the other.

3. The day (get) brighter and Shruti

still (sleep) in her bed. She
in fact (snore).

4. The minister (deliver) his speech, but people

hardly (listen). Some of them
(talk) to one another while others
simply (enjoy) a quick nap. Clearly, the speech was not
interesting at all.

Remember
Past Continuous Tense is used to talk about actions that were in progress at a point of
time in the past.

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 Worksheet 6
Simple Past or Past Continuous
A. Read the following.

1. I painted my room yesterday.

2. I was painting my room at 5.00 p.m. yesterday.

In Sentence 1, the action was completed in the past.

In Sentence 2, the action (of painting) was in
progress at some point of time in the past.

Remember
Simple Past is used to express a completed past action whereas Past Continuous is
used to express an action that was going on at some point of time in the past. These
two tenses are often used together to show that one action was going on when another
action happened.
e.g. I was doing my homework when lights went off.

action 1 was in progress action 2 happened

B. Fill in the blanks using the correct tense—either simple past or past
continuous—of the verbs given in the brackets.
1. Ekta (drop) her purse accidentally while she
(board) the metro.

2. I (tell) a story to my daughter when the guests

(arrive).

3. When the thief (realise) that the policeman

(look) at him, he (run) away.

4. Just as I (go) out of the office, it started raining.

5. My fever (get) worse, so I (go)

to a doctor.
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 6. Jyoti (fracture) her hand while she
(holiday) in Jaipur.

7. I (see) the Eiffel Tower when I

(stay) in Paris.

8. When the Principal (come) into the class, everybody

(make) mischief. The girls
(sing) songs loudly and the boys (make) paper balls.

Worksheet 7
Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs given in the
brackets.
1. My parents (agree) to send me to the picnic.
2. The teacher (call) my parents for a meeting.
3. Vikram (get) a new computer. He can work much faster
now.
4. Rahul (fall) from the stairs. We must take him to a doctor.
5. Prices of the basic commodities (rise) sharply over the
last two months. Although the government (take) a lot of
measures to control the situation, people do not look satisfied.
6. you (find) your mobile phone?
No. you (see) it anywhere?
7. I (finish) my homework. Now can I come with you to the
mall?
8. I (stay) in this hotel twice. It has really nice rooms.

Remember
Present Perfect Tense is used to express–
• an action recently completed.
• an action that was completed in the past but whose effect can be felt at the time of
speaking.

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 Worksheet 8
Simple Past or Present Perfect
A. Read the following.

1. I called the plumber to fix the leaking water pipe.

2. I have called the plumber to fix the leaking pipe.
He may arrive any moment.

Sentence 1 talks about an action in the past that has no connection with the
present.
Sentence 2 talks about a past action that is linked with the present.
(action – have called the plumber) (connection with the present – he may arrive
any moment)

Remember
If a past action has a link with the present, we use Present Perfect. If a past action has
no link with the present, we use Simple Past. Also remember that we do not use any
past time reference, such as 'yesterday', 'last week', etc., with Present Perfect Tense.

B. Some verbs in the sentences given below have been used in wrong forms.
Underline them and write the correct forms. One has been done for you.

1. I have met him yesterday.

I_______________________________________________________________
met him yesterday.

2. I knew him since his childhood.

_______________________________________________________________

3. Various new inventions and discoveries by our scientists made our lives
extremely comfortable.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

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 4. The Delhi metro made commuting a comfortable experience for the people.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

5. Dr Laennec of France has invented the stethoscope in 1816.

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

6. The invention of the stethoscope has actually happened accidentally.

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

7. The state government built 7 new fly-overs recently to tackle the increasing
traffic. The officials hope these will save at least 30 minutes of travel time.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

C. Fill in the blanks with either simple past or present perfect tense of the verbs
given in the brackets.

BREAKING NEWS

1. The famous industrialist Mr Kapoor (donate) s 50 lakh

to an orphanage. Mr Kapoor (hand) over the cheque to
the Manager of the orphanage this morning. Mr Kapoor
(made) many such donations in the past.

2. Mr Sharma of Delhi (become) the first person to walk

through the entire nation on foot. It (take) him four years
to complete this feat.

3. The government (declared) Monday a public holiday on

account of the sudden demise of the minister. The minister
(die) of a heart attack.

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 Worksheet 9
Complete the following using the past perfect tense of the verbs given in the
brackets.
I (promise) my baby sister that I would take her to the
Children’s Park if she behaved nicely throughout the day. When I reached back
in the evening, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my sister
(cleaned) her room perfectly. She (put) her books in the
bookrack. She (change) the bedsheet. She
(finish) her homework and even (learn) her
science lesson. Mother told me that she (help) in the kitchen
too. I was impressed. Since she (keep) her word, I decided to
keep my promise too.

Remember
Past Perfect Tense is used to talk about an action completed before a given moment in
the past.
e.g. When I reached home, she had already cleaned the room.

action 2 action 1
Past Perfect Past

action 1 action 2 Time of speaking

Worksheet 10
Simple Past or Past Perfect
A. Read the following.
1. I painted my room.
2. I had painted my room before the guests arrived.

action 1 action 2

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 Remember
We use Simple Past to express an action that happened in the past. We use Past Perfect
when one past action was completed before another past action.
Past
Time of speaking

I painted my room The guests arrived

B. Complete the following story using either simple past or past perfect tense of
the verbs given in the brackets.
Brave Chunni
Chunni was a very clever girl who always (study) hard and
(obey) her elders. One day, when her mother
(go) to the market, Chunni (sit) down to do her homework.
Suddenly, she (smell) smoke. When she
(look) out of the window, she (see) that there was a fire in her
friend’s house. Her friend’s family (go) out of station. Chunni
(think) fast. She (remember) that her teacher
(teach) her a lesson on useful services, such as the police station,
fire brigade, hospital, etc. She (know) the phone number of
the fire brigade well because her daddy (make) her remember
these numbers. Chunni quickly (call) the fire station and
(request) for help. The fire engine (arrive)
quickly and put off the fire. Everybody in the neighbourhood
(praise) Chunni.

Worksheet 11 BUS STOP

A. Read the following.

1. We have been waiting for the bus for two hours now.
Why has the bus not reached yet?
2. Rohit has been looking for a job since January.
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 Remember
Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used to express an action that began in the past,
is in progress at the time of speaking and will continue for some time in the future (or
has just ended).

B. Observe your friends around you. Now write a few things that they have been
doing.

1. Tina has been talking to Rakhi since the first period.

_______________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________________

5. _______________________________________________________________

6. _______________________________________________________________

Worksheet 12

Present Continuous or Present Perfect Continuous

A. Read the following sentences.

1. Manasvi is dancing.
2. Manasvi has been dancing for over one hour
now.
In Sentence 1, the emphasis is on the present
aspect of the action.
In Sentence 2, the emphasis is on the period/duration for which the action has
been in progress.

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 Remember
We use–
• Present Continuous to talk about an action going on at the moment of speaking.
• Present Perfect Continuous when we want to mention when an action started or
how long it has been in progress.

B. Complete the following with either present continuous or present perfect

continuous forms of the verbs given in the brackets.

1. He (write) a book these days.

He (write) it for over a year now.

2. Please go inside the Manager’s office.

He (wait) for you since morning.

3. Social evils, such as child marriage and dowry system,

(harm) our country for centuries.

4. They (live) here since 2004.

5. The tenant who (live) here these days is a

journalist.

6. The company (win) this trophy every year since

2011.

7. The company (compete) for this trophy for the

third consecutive time.

8. I (play) a lot of chess these days.

9. Deepa (prepare) for her recitation competition.

She (rehearse) for more than three hours.

10. She (work) with this company since January.

She (work) as a Senior Software Engineer.

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 Worksheet 13
Talking about Future
It’s vacation time!
Read what these people have to say about their plans for summer vacation.

I am going to Manali in this summer break. It will be

cold there and we might get to see some snow near the
Rohtang Pass.

Our plan is to visit Rishikesh. From there, we go

to Haridwar and then proceed to Dehradoon and
Mussoorie.

I will stay in Delhi at my uncle’s place. I will visit the

National Museum and will enjoy a ride in the Metro
train.

Discuss with your friends

your plans for vacation.
You may use the following
expressions.
• I will ....
• I am going to ....
• I plan to ....

Remember
We can talk about future in different ways.
e.g. Present Simple — We go to ....
Present Continuous — I am going ....
Will/Shall — I will/shall ....

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 Worksheet 14
Read the passage given below where a person is trying to convince a bank
manager to lend him some money for his food joint. Complete the passage by
filling the blanks with appropriate future time forms.

You see, sir, I am going to open a food joint in the city. But it
(take) me a lot of money to start it. I (buy) a piece of
land and construct it. Then I (get) it furnished. Further, I
(need) some chefs and waiters. It (be)
a huge investment. Can you please help me by providing me with some loan?
I (pay) it back in instalments. I am sure this food joint
(be) a huge success.

It (have) Italian and Continental food on its menu, which

(attract) the younger generation. It (be) one
of its kind in the city. I (feel) obliged if you could sanction me a
loan of fifty lakh rupees for this purpose.

Worksheet 15
Future Continuous
Be a Fortune Teller!
Just predict what the following people will be doing in near future and become
a successful fortune teller! One example has been done for you.

Maria (a typist) Maria will be typing official letters.

— _______________________________________
Tom (a cook) — _______________________________________
Mr Kingsley (C.E.O.) — _______________________________________
Harry (Computer Engineer) — _______________________________________

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 Martha (a doctor) — _______________________________________
Lenin (a student) — _______________________________________

Remember
Future Continuous deals with actions that will be going on at some point of time in
future.

Worksheet 16

Future Perfect Tense

Read the following prediction.
By the year 2100, solar power will have replaced electricity generated by water
and clothes made of metal will have replaced clothes made of fibre and cotton.

What changes do you think will have come in the following? One example has
been done for you.

• Buses I_________________________________________________
: think buses will have stopped plying on the roads. Public
air service will have taken their place.
_________________________________________________

• Roads :
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

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 • Houses :
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

• Schools :
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

• Books :
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

• Traffic signals : _________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Remember
Future Perfect Tense is used to talk about an action that will have been completed by
a certain future time.

DO IT YOURSELF
(Integrated)

A Detective’s Diary
1. Given below is a diary entry of a detective who is trying to solve a murder
mystery. Read the diary entry and complete it by filling the blanks with correct
forms of verbs.

Thursday, June 3 11:30 p.m.

It’s a case of murder. The motive (seem) to be something

more than just robbery. When I (reach) the scene, the
police already (start) investigating. Two constables
(examine) the furniture and other articles of the
house very carefully. They obviously (look) for some

21
 fingerprints which (give) them a lead in the case. One
constable (take) pictures of the scene and another one
(collect) blood samples for testing. I
(decide) to examine things in a different way. I (go) to
the room and (examine) the chair where Mr XYZ was
found dead. The murderer (attack) him from the back
with a knife. At that time Mr XYZ (read) a book. The
police already (recover) the knife
from the room. The murderer (clean) it thoroughly and
(place) it under the pillow. I (think) he
(look) for some important papers and not just money as
he (disturb) the bookrack and (throw)
all the files on the floor. What (make) the case most
interesting is the fact that the door (lock) from inside and
there were no fingerprints at all!

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2. Complete the following by filling in the appropriate tenses of the verbs given
in the brackets.

Surabhi was the divine cow of the devas and she (live) in heaven.
One day Indra (find) Surabhi crying. He (go) to
her and (ask) affectionately, ‘Why you (cry), my
dear Surabhi?’ Surabhi (say), ‘Oh Lord, all the bulls and cows
who (live) on the earth are my children. Look at them. They
(work) so hard to plough the fields. Their sufferings under the
yoke (pain) me. It (make) me cry!’

Lord Indra was sad to hear this. He (think) of a plan. He

immediately (summon) the clouds, ‘My mighty clouds,
(drench) the earth with your powerful downpour. The cattle
on the earth (suffer) because of multiplying needs of humans.
They (never) let their cattle (rest) until it
(rain) heavily.’ The clouds immediately (cause)
a great downpour. It (rain) for many days and the people
on the earth were unable to do any work on the fields. So, the poor bullocks
(get) some rest at last, and Surabhi was happy.

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 2 NARRATION

Worksheet 1
A. Read the sentences given in the two boxes.

Box A

Tarun said to Ruchi, ‘I got an A+ in my history assignment.’

Ruchi said to Tarun, ‘Wow! that is great. Which book did you refer to?’
Tarun said to Ruchi, ‘I got the information from the internet.’
Ruchi said to Tarun, ‘I wish I too had the internet at home! Can you suggest
to me some book to refer to?’
Tarun said to Ruchi, ‘You can refer to an encylopedia.’
Ruchi said to Tarun, ‘Thank you for your advice, Tarun.’

Box B

Tarun told Ruchi that he had got an A+ in his history assignment. Ruchi
exclaimed that that was great. She asked him which book he had referred
to. Tarun replied that he had got the information from the internet. Ruchi
wished that she too had had the internet at home. She asked him if he could
suggest to her a book to refer to. Tarun suggested that she could refer to an
encyclopedia. Ruchi thanked Tarun for his suggestion.

The sentences in Box A are the actual words spoken by two people. These
sentences are presented in ‘Direct speech’.
The sentences in Box B are reported by someone else in their own words. These are
in ‘Indirect speech’.

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B. Read the examples given below and note the difference between direct and
indirect speech.

1. Ridhi says , ‘I want to learn French.’

Ridhi says that she wants to learn French.

2. Ankit said to Riya , ‘I will go to Malaysia next week.’

Ankit told Riya that he would go to Malaysia the following week.

Remember
While changing direct speech into reported speech, the following points should be kept
in mind.
• Inverted commas and the comma separating the reported speech from the rest of
the sentence should be removed.
• A conjunction (if needed) is used after the reporting verb.
• The tense of the speech is changed according to the tense of the reporting verb.
If the reporting verb is in a present or future tense, the tense of the reported
speech remains unchanged. If the reporting verb is in a past tense, the tense of the
reported speech changes into a corresponding past tense.
• Personal pronouns (I, you, he,...), possessives (my, your, his/her,...) and words
denoting time and nearness of position are changed according to the rules
explained in the following pages.

C. Look at the following examples.

1. Isha says, ‘The teacher will check the notebooks tomorrow.’

reporting verb in simple present

Isha says that the teacher will check the notebooks tomorrow.

tense of the speech remains the same unchanged

2. Isha will say, ‘The teacher will check the notebooks tomorrow.’

reporting verb in a future tense

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 Isha will say that the teacher will check the notebooks tomorrow.
tense of the speech remains unchanged unchanged

3. Isha said, ‘The teacher will check the notebooks tomorrow.’

reporting verb in simple past

Isha said that the teacher would check the notebooks the next day.

tense of the speech changes changed

4. Isha said to Ritu , ‘The teacher will check the notebooks tomorrow.’

Isha told Ritu that the teacher would check the notebooks the next day.

Remember
In assertive sentences (statements), reporting verb, ‘said’ remains unchanged—
• if it is not followed by ‘to’ [i.e. if it is not followed by an object]
• or is changed into ‘told’, ‘replied’, ‘suggested’, etc., as per the context.

Worksheet 2
A. Look at the following table about change in tenses in reported speech.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

is/am/are was/were
was/were had been
has/have had
had no change
had been no change
do/does did
did had done
had done no change
will/shall would
may/can might/could
would/should/might/could/ no change
ought to/used to
must must/had to (depending upon the context)

26
B. Change of words expressing time and place.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

this/these that/those
here there
now then (often omitted)
ago before
yesterday the previous day/the day before
tomorrow the next day.../the following day...
today that day

C. Now read the following table carefully.

Conversion of Direct Speech into Report Speech
Statements Questions Comands/Requests/Advice
(Assertive Sentences) (Interrogative Sentences) (Imperative Sentences)
1. comma is removed 1. question mark 1. comma is removed
and ‘that’ is used as a is removed and
2. the verb of the direct
conjunction interrogative form is
speech is changed into
changed into assertive
2. ‘said to’ is changed into: an infinitive (to + verb)
form
told, stated, remarked,
2. comma is removed and: 3. ‘said to’ is changed into:
answered, replied,
• no conjunction is ordered, commanded,
claimed, argued,
used if the sentence requested, begged,
promised, boasted, etc.
begins with a question asked, advised,
3. tenses, personal word, e.g. which, who, suggested, etc.
pronouns and whom, whose, why,
possessives and words where, how, what, etc. 4. tenses, pronouns and
• if/whether is used as words expressing time
expressing time and
a conjunction if the and place are changed as
place are changed as
sentence is a Yes/No per the rules, e.g.
per the rules already
discussed, e.g. question. (a) Ravi said to Pooja,
‘Solve this question
(a) Ravi said to Pooja, 3. ‘said to’ is changed into:
in five minutes.’
‘I can solve this asked, questioned,
enquired, demanded, Ravi ordered
question in five
etc. Pooja to solve that
minutes.’
question in five
Ravi told Pooja 4. tenses, pronouns and minutes.
that he could solve words expressing time
that question in five and place are changed
minutes. as per the rules already
discussed, e.g.

27
 (b) Dev said, ‘I have (a) Ravi said to Pooja, (b) Ravi said to Pooja,
been reading this ‘Can you solve this ‘Please help me solve
book for an hour.’ question?’ this question.’
Dev said that he had Ravi asked Pooja if Ravi requested Pooja
been reading that she could solve that to help him solve
book for an hour. question. that question.
(c) Manan said to (b) Sona said to her (c) Ritu said to Nidhi,
Radhika, ‘I have mother, ‘Where are ‘Avoid eating
joined judo classes.’ my books?’ chocolates.’
Manan told Radhika Sona asked her Ritu advised Nidhi
that he had joined mother where her to avoid eating
judo classes. books were. chocolates.
(c) Smriti said to
Vibha, ‘Did you
watch the Republic
Day celebration on
television?’
Smriti asked Vibha
if she had watched
the Republic Day
celebration on
television.

Worksheet 3
Change the following assertive sentences into reported speech.

1. ‘The Prime Minister has announced a relief package for the farmers,’ said the
reporter.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2. Mohit says, ‘I will invite all my friends to my birthday party.’

_______________________________________________________________

3. Amar said to Priya, ‘My class teacher has agreed to grant me two weeks’ leave.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
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4. Rajesh said to Kusum, ‘I lost my mobile phone yesterday.’
_______________________________________________________________

5. Ritu said to Aman, ‘You have not finished your homework yet.’
_______________________________________________________________

6. Pawan said, ‘We have bought a new house. We’re shifting to the new house
next week.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

7. Mother said, ‘I am glad you’ve reached home in time. The weather is getting
really bad.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

8. Maanya says, ‘I love staying at my grandma’s house. She tells me nice stories
and takes me to the park. She also cooks my favourite pasta.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

9. The cricketer said to the reporter, ‘I have always played earnestly for my
country. I have put my country’s honour and my team’s interests above
everything else. I am thankful to the people of the country who have always
shown faith in my abilities.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

10. Ramit said to Ashu, ‘I am sorry I cannot give you the book this weekend. I
gave the book for photocopying on Thursday but the shopkeeper says he will
take at least five days to photocopy the whole book.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

29
 Worksheet 4
Change the following interrogative sentences into reported speech.

1. The teacher asked the students, ‘Have you understood the question?’
_______________________________________________________________

2. Ritu said to Rohit, ‘How will you complete the assignment in two days?’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

3. The child asked, ‘Mother, why don’t the stars in the sky fall down?’
_______________________________________________________________

4. Namita said to Aruna, ‘Which of the two sarees is better?’

_______________________________________________________________

5. ‘Can you teach me French?’ said Tisha to Suman.

_______________________________________________________________

6. The worried father said to his son, ‘Which train have you boarded? Have you
checked your ticket number?’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

7. The manager said to the candidate, ‘What are your qualifications? In what
way can you benefit our company?’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

8. Rimi said, ‘Monika, how did you like the state of Florida? If given a chance,
would you like to go there again?’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

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 9. My mother asked me, ‘What happened to your hand? Why is it bandaged?
Did you fall from the bicycle? Does it hurt?’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

10. Rahul’s friend asked him, ‘Why did you leave your job? Didn’t they pay you
well? Weren’t you happy doing that job? Will you look for a new job now?’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Worksheet 5
Change the following imperative sentences into reported speech.

1. The teacher said to the children ‘Open your book at page 10.’
_______________________________________________________________

2. Manish said to the people standing on the road, ‘Please help me remove this
broken tree from the road.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

3. Ruchi said, ‘O God, bless my parents with health and happiness.’

_______________________________________________________________

4. Shipra said to Preeti, ‘Read newspapers and magazines to boost your

vocabulary.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

5. The coach said to the players, ‘Do not overdo this exercise.’
_______________________________________________________________

31
 6. The major said to his cadets, ‘Stand straight. Listen attentively to what I say.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
7. Accept this job offer, son,’ said the mother to her son. ‘Do not leave this
opportunity.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
8. The doctor said to the paitent, ‘Don’t worry. Just take the medicine on time
and take proper rest.’
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Worksheet 6
A. Read the following.
1. ‘How beautiful the painting looks!’ said Amit. beautiful
(The painting looks very beautiful.)
Amit exclaimed that the painting looked very beautiful.

2. ‘Hurrah! My team has won!’ said the coach.

The coach exclaimed with joy that their team had won.

3. The Principal said to the student, ‘Well done! I wish you good luck for your
next tournament.’
The Principal applauded the student and wished them good luck for their
next tournament. (The student can be either a boy or a girl.)

4. My grandmother said to me, ‘May you be successful in life!’

My grandmother lovingly wished me success in life.

5. The villain of the movie said, ‘Alas! How inconsiderate I’ve been!’
(I have been very inconsiderate.)
The villain of the movie exclaimed with regret that he had been very
inconsiderate.
32
 The sentences you just read are exclamatory/optative (wishes) sentences.

Note how they have been changed into reported speech.

Remember
The following points should be remembered while changing exclamatory and optative
sentences into reported speech.
• Exclamatory/Optative sentences are changed into assertive sentences before these
are further changed into reported speech.
• The conjunction ‘that’ is used.
• Interjections and exclamations [such as 'oh!', 'alas', 'hurrah', etc.] are removed but
their sense is conveyed through adverbs.
• ‘said’ or ‘said to’ [i.e. the reporting verb] is changed into—
— exclaimed with joy/sorrow/anger
— applauded for exclamatory sentences
— regretted

— wished/desired/prayed
for optative sentences
— longed for/yearned for

B. Look at a few more examples.

1. The commentator said, ‘What a shot!’
[It means – It is a nice shot.]
The commentator exclaimed that it was a nice shot.

2. ‘Alas! I failed to score a goal!’ said the player.

[It means – I regret that I failed to score a goal.]
The player regretted/exclaimed with sorrow that they had failed to score a
goal. (regretted their failure to score a goal)

3. The farmer said, ‘What a pity the drought spoilt the crops!’
[It means – It is a pity that the drought spoilt the crops.]
The farmer exclaimed that it was a pity the drought had spoilt the crops.

4. ‘I wish I had a puppy!’ said Anita.

Anita wished that she had had a puppy.

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C. Read this extract from a cartoon story.

Now the lion felt miserable. ‘Alas! I’m ruined,’ he said. ‘Oh, had I been more
careful!’ However, the hunter was pleased and said, ‘How clever I am! The
lion may be the king but only of the jungle! Ha! Ha! Ha!’ The hunter’s friends
admired him for having trapped the lion. ‘Kudos! You have done well!’ they said.
But the lion was miserable. ‘Help me, God!’ he said. He promised that he would
never go near humans ever again.

‘Oh, that’s not fair!’ said the rat whose life the lion had once spared. ‘How cruel
the hunter is!’ He wanted to help the lion and began thinking of ways to save the
lion. He seemed to find no success. ‘What a nuisance humans are!’ he said. ‘I wish
I were strong enough to chase them away.’ He was beginning to lose hope. ‘What
a pity, our foes are so strong!’ he said when suddenly a bright idea struck him.

D. Working in pairs, report the following exclamatory sentences spoken by each

of the characters. The first one has been done as an example.

1. ‘Alas, I’m ruined!’

The lion unhappily exclaimed that he
___________________________________
was ruined.
___________________________________

2. ‘Oh, had I been more careful!’

___________________________________
___________________________________

3. ‘How clever I am!’

___________________________________
___________________________________

4. ‘Kudos! You have done well!’

___________________________________
___________________________________

5. ‘Help me, God!’

___________________________________
___________________________________

34
 6. ‘Oh, that’s not fair!’
___________________________________
___________________________________
7. ‘How cruel the hunter is!’
___________________________________
___________________________________
8. ‘What a nuisance humans are!’
___________________________________
___________________________________
9. ‘I wish I were strong enough to chase them away!’
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

10. ‘What a pity, our foes are so strong!’

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Worksheet 7
Advait’s uncle flew to Singapore last year. He had never been on a plane
before, and he did quite a few things wrong.

35
 Work with your partner. First read how people reacted to his strange behaviour
and then report it. The first one has been done as an example. Use the variety of
reporting verbs given in the box below.

Reporting Verbs
grumbled, complained, regretted, requested, warned, wondered, exclaimed

1. Air hostess: ‘Oh no, you can’t carry liquids on the

plane!’
(What did the air hostess say?)
The air hostess exclaimed that he could not
__________________________________________
carry liquids on the plane.
__________________________________________

2. Announcer: 'Lufthansa Flight 8263405A takes off at

1720 hours.'
Uncle: ‘I wish I had not arrived so early!’
(What did Uncle say?)
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

3. Steward: 'Please check your seat number.'

(What did the steward say?)
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

4. Co-passenger: ‘How foolish of him to use the phone

now!’
(What did the co-passenger say?)
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

5. Uncle: ‘What strange people! Can’t carry their own

sandwiches!’
(What did Uncle say?)
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
36
 6. Steward: ‘Stop smoking please!’
(What did the steward say?)
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

7. The man sitting next to Uncle: ‘What a peculiar man!’

(What did the man say?)
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

Worksheet 8
A. Look at the picture of Beautiland given below. Imagine that your friend
and you went for a picnic there but were rather disappointed. This is the
conversation you had.

You : This park is supposed to be the attraction of this city.

Your friend : This place is filthy!

You : How can people be so indifferent! They’ve thrown garbage all over.

37
 Your friend : I wish, they had understood the consequences of their actions!

You : What a pity! The creatures in the river are dead.

Your friend : Look! Look at that thick black smoke from the factory. It’s
disgusting!

You : Such greed! Felling trees so recklessly!

Your friend : That’s what man thinks is development!

B. Once home, you report your experiences and the conversation you had with
your friend to your mother. Complete the report.

The place was a disappointment. The park that was recommended to be an

attraction of the city turned out to be repulsive. My friend was so _________
__________________________________________________________________
and I _____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

38
 Worksheet 9
A. Read the sentences in the given boxes.
Box A

Woodcutter : River god, my axe has fallen into the pond. Can you bring it out?
River God : Is your axe made of gold?
Woodcutter : No, god. My axe is made of wood and iron.
River God : I am pleased with your honesty. You can keep this axe made of
gold as a reward.

Box B

The woodcutter told the river god that his axe had fallen into the pond. He
humbly asked him (river god) if he could bring it out. The river god asked the
woodcutter if his axe was made of gold. The woodcutter replied that it was
not and told the river god that his axe was made of wood and iron. The river
god was pleased with his (woodcutter’s) honesty. He said that he (woodcutter)
could keep that axe made of gold as a reward.

Sentences in Box A are dialogues between two people. These dialogues have been
reported by a third person in Box B.

Remember
While reporting dialogues—
• all incomplete sentences are completed before they are reported.
• different reporting verbs (as per the context) are used to introduce each speech.

B. Read another example.

Meeta : Are you going to the book fair today?
Neetu : No, I will go to the book fair on Saturday.
Meeta : Can I come along, Neetu?
39
 Neetu : Sure, Meeta!
Meeta : What time should we start from home?
Neetu : We’ll leave at 10:00 a.m. so that we get enough time to browse through
the books.
Meeta : Fine, Neetu. I shall reach your home at 9:45 a.m.

Meeta asked Neetu if she was going to the book fair that day. Neetu replied
that she was not and said that she would go to the book fair on Saturday.
Meeta then asked Neetu if she could come along. Neetu gladly agreed. Meeta
wanted to know what time they should start from home. Neetu suggested
leaving at 10:00 a.m. so that they got enough time to browse through the
books. Meeta assured Neetu that she would reach her home at 9:45 a.m.

Worksheet 10
Read the dialogues given below and report them.

1. Receptionist : Am I talking to Mrs Sharma?

Mrs Sharma : Yes.
Receptionist : Madam, you have won a prize in a slogan writing competition.
Mrs Sharma : Wow! What a wonderful news!
Receptionist : Madam, you’ll have to collect your prize from our office on
Friday at 4:00 p.m.
Mrs Sharma : Oh! But I will be out of station on Friday. Can I collect it later?
Receptionist : Sorry, Madam. In that case we will have to give the prize to
the second winner.
Mrs Sharma : Alas! What bad luck! I wish we weren’t going out.

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

40
 _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2. Anmol : Kunal, have you prepared your speech for the competition?
Kunal : Yes, I have.
Anmol : How are you always so confident on the stage?
Kunal : I learn my speech thoroughly and practise it in front of my parents.
Anmol : I wish I could also be so confident on the stage.
Kunal : You should not be afraid of being on the stage, Anmol. It’s not so
tough. I can help you in this matter.
Anmol : T hank you, Kunal. This time I’ll also participate in the speech
competition. I am sure your guidance will help me perform better.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

DO IT YOURSELF
1. Fill in the blanks with words from the box given below.

grumbled, refused, refused, told, warned, if, regretted, enquired, requested

It was late night when I reached the city. I of the bus driver
it was possible to get a taxi at that hour. He was kind and

41
 me where I could find one. After waking up the taxi driver,
I told him where I wanted to go. He saying it was too far off. I
him to be kind and help me out. He agreed but
me that he would charge twice the fare. I that that was too much.
On hearing me, he went back to sleep. I not having planned my
journey but I to get cheated.

2. Read the following interview. Ramanshu, a press reporter interviews Aradhika,

a famous novelist who has just won a national award for her writings. Later
Ramanshu writes a report. Taking help from the interview, complete the report.
Reporter : How does it feel to be honoured?

Aradhika : It’s pure delight!

Reporter : You have written many novels and poems. When did you write
your first one?

Aradhika : I was seven when I wrote a poem.

Reporter : What do you think about nature? Do you like to write on it?

Aradhika : Oh, it’s simply beautiful! Nature is my favourite subject.

Reporter : What is your message to your countrymen?

Aradhika : I’d request people to conserve nature. If we don’t, we’re sure to be

doomed.

42
Ramanshu asked Aradhika _____________________________________ to which
she __________________________________________________________. Then
Ramanshu went on to say that she had written many novels and poems and asked
her ___________________________________________________. Aradhika told
____________________________________________________. Ramanshu asked
her ______________________________________________. With joy in her eyes,
Aradhika _______________________________________________________ and
that nature is her favourite subject. As a parting shot, Ramanshu ______________
______________________________________________________. Aradhika very
seriously _________________________________________________ and warned
__________________________________________________________________.

43