Sequence of tenses (согласование времен)

 

Exercise 1. Translate the sentences.

1. We thought he had already left New York. 2. I knew they would arrive in May. 3. He said he was waiting for us. 4. She asked us what story we were reading. 5. Nick told her that I would probably come later. 6. He claimed that he had met Mary on his way to college. 7. I hope you know what you are doing. 8. She said she was working when I rang her up. 9. We knew that Alice would tell them the news. 10. I know that he plays chess well. 11. She asked us where we had been.

 

Exercise 2. C hange the sentences according to the model.

Example: I thought you (have) more time.

- I thought you had more time.

1. I thought you (have) more time. 2. He said it (be) dangerous. 3. She asked her sister what work she (do). 4. He knew that his mother (think) he was seriously ill. 5. They didn’t know that you (work) at the plant. 6. The policeman asked where we (go). 7. My brother told me what magazine he (read). 8. He said that Jack (write) a play. 9. I saw that the children (watch) us. 10. They were surprised she (know) my name.

 

Exercise 3. Change the sentences according to the model.

Example: We found that he (leave) home at six o’clock.

- We found he had left home at six o’clock.

1. We found that he (leave) home at six o’clock. 2. He said that they (live) abroad. 3. They realized that they (lose) their way in the dark. 4. Ann was interested who (be) in the country. 5. He wondered where I (study). 6. I was surprised that he (change) his mind. 7. The police wondered what he (do) there so late at night. 8. The boy told that the headmaster (receive) a letter from his father. 9. I knew that they (buy) a Saab. 10. She admitted that she (live) in her mother’s house.

Exercise 4. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. I said he was staying in the hotel. 2. He thought he would be busy in the evening. 3. She says they were friends. 4. We wondered where he was. 5. John knew that he would be in our town. 6. I thought he had been free at that time. 7. My friend asked me who was playing the piano in the next room. 8. We hoped that you could swim. 9. She told me that she would speak to you. 10. He wanted to know how much had been done. 11. She thinks he graduated from the institute. 12. I thought you would read in the newspaper that the delegation had arrived in Moscow.

Exercise 5. Translate the following sentences. Mind the Sequence of Tenses.

1. We know that there exist different types of amplifiers. 2. Oersted thought the wire was surrounded by a magnetic field. 3. Experiments proved that electricity could travel instantly over a long piece of wire. 4. Students learnt that Franklin had published his work on electricity in 1752. 5. We know he worked at the problem of space communication. 6. Scientists wanted to find out if electricity could be used for a long-distance communication. 7. He was sure there would be a way to control this reaction. 8. We didn’t know whether the development of television had continued during the war. 9. The lecturer stressed that an amplifier might have at least one active element in it. 10. There appeared some reports that we had technical means to use much more channels on a TV set and we would be able to see many sports and news programs from all parts of the world.

REPORTED SPEECH (КОСВЕННАЯ РЕЧЬ)

Statements

Exercise 1. Use these sentences in the Reported Speech.

1. She said, “The sky is very cloudy today.” 2. Mother said to me, “I only bought it yesterday.” 3. They said, “It’ll probably rain later on.” 4. He said to her, “I haven’t had a chance to try it.” 5. Granny said to mother, “The children are playing in the yard.” 6. The man said to the policeman, “I saw a thief near the house.” 7. The friend said to me, “We will have had plenty of time by the end of the month.” 8. Father said to his son, “I don’t feel well. I have a headache.” 9. Mary said to him, “I shall make my own decision.” 10. The teacher said to us, “You didn’t write exercise five.” 11. Jack said to his father, “The Smiths have been living here since 1995.” 12. He said,” I was fishing yesterday the whole day.” 13. Nelly said, “I had had no time to look through the magazine.” 14. Alice said to her friend, “I shall be shopping all the morning tomorrow.”

 

Exercise 2. Use these sentences in the Reported Speech. Pay attention to the tense of author’s words.

1. She says to me, “My friend is waiting for me outside.” 2. Tom said to Bob, “I know these two girls quite well.” 3. He said, “I’ve been ill for a fortnight.” 4. They say,” We came too late.” 5. The student said, “I’ll leave the book on the table.” 6. The girl says to the teacher,”I was translating the article all day long.” 7. My friend said to me, “We will be carrying out experiments tomorrow.” 8. She says to them, “It is going to rain today.” 9. The boy said, “I will have found the book by that time.” 10. The teacher says, “I examined their group yesterday.”

Exercise 3. Use the sentences in the Direct Speech.

1. She promised that she would send the telegram. 2. Helen confessed that she hadn’t told her anything about it yet. 3. They thought that we were not working hard enough. 4. Mark explained that anybody could do it easily. 5. He added that he had been ill. 6. She remarked that it would be snowing heavily. 7. Charles’ wife complained that he smoked too much. 8. She decided that she ate too much. 9. The boy muttered that he was awfully sorry. 10. Jane said that she had done everything herself. 11. He answered that they would be packing in an hour.

General Questions

Exercise 1. Use these questions in the Reported Speech.

1. Tom’s mother asked him,”Are you tired?” 2. I asked her sister, “Will you go to the sea in summer?” 3. She asked Fred, “Did you buy a new car?” 4. Mother asked her son, “Have you finished the work?” 5. He asked his friend, “Do you like comedies?” 6. My friend asked me, “Are you watching TV? There is an interesting film there.” 7. John asked the man, “Did you manage to find your way easily?” 8. I asked Peter, “Do you usually stay in this hotel?” 9. My friends asked me, “Were you at the party yesterday?” 10. The coach asked the boy, “Can you swim well?” 11. Mary asked me, “Has Ben passed his exams?” 12. He asked, “Does Philip know Spanish?”

Exercise 2. Answer the questions. Begin your answers with I’ve no idea.

Example: Did he see this film?

- I’ve no idea if he saw this film.

1. Did they go there by bus? 2. Does she sing well? 3. Will John be through with it in an hour? 4. Is she fond of flowers? 5. Are they going to be married? 6. Has Jack moved to his new flat? 7. Have they invited Jane? 8. Did he book tickets? 9. Do they know me? 10. Can she tell me what the time is? 11. Have they lost their documents? 12. Was Ann practicing English yesterday at seven? 13. May we come later? 14. Will he have read the book by Monday?

 

Exercise 3. Translate the sentences.

1. I wanted to know if he had caught the wrong bus. 2. She asked if she could have a glass of mineral water. 3. I’ve no idea if he follows the doctor’s advice. 4. May I ask you if they will arrive tonight? 5. He wanted to know if Bill had rung him up the previous day. 6. She asked if I had been listening to the news at midday. 7. They were interested if we often went to the theatre. 8. He asked if I would be working at five tomorrow. 9. The visitor asked if Mr. Brown was in. 10. Jack wanted to know if he might keep the book till the next day. 11. I’ve no idea if they have ever been abroad. 12. Mother wanted to know if her children would be having an English lesson at ten. 13. Kate asked me if I knew her husband. 14. He tried to find out if we were going his way. 15. I didn’t know if George had been living there since the war. 16. She was wondering if my daughter was going to be a doctor.

 

Special Questions

Exercise 1. Use these questions in the Reported Speech.

1. I asked my friend, “How do you feel after your holidays?” 2. Mother asked Jane, “What are you doing here?” 3. The inspector asked, “Who caused the accident?” 4. They asked, “When will we go to the library?” 5. The man asked, “How can I get to the metro station?” 6. She asked, “Has he already returned?” 7. Mother asked, “Who gave Tom the money?” 8. They asked, “What did he mean by saying these words?” 9. The teacher asked the students, “What are you doing?” 10. Father asked, “When will lunch be ready?” 11. She asked, “How long have you known them?” 12. The policeman asked, “Who broke the glass?” 13. He asked, “Where do you usually spend your summer holidays?” 14. The teacher asked, “Who was in the class yesterday?”

 

Exercise 2. Use these special questions in the Reported Speech. Begin your answers with the words in the brackets.

1. When did you arrive? (He wanted to know). 2. Why haven’t you phoned us? (They asked me). 3. How do you feel after your trip? (She wondered). 4. Who is he writing a letter to? (She was eager to know). 5. Why did you lose your way? (They wanted to know). 6. How long will it take them to get to the place? (Helen inquired). 7. How can I get to the bank? (She explained to him). 8. Who has brought this parcel? (There was nobody to tell us). 9. Why were you late? (The teacher wanted to know). 10. Where does she live? (We had no idea). 11. How much did he pay for it? (She tried to find out). 12. When are they leaving for London? (Did you know). 13. When will you come back? (I forgot). 14. What do we have to do? (They asked).

 

Exercise 3. Translate the sentences into English.

1. Она спросила меня, где я был вчера. 2. Я спросил их, когда они собираются закончить эту работу. 3. Мы спросили преподавателя, как мы сдали экзамен. 4. Я спросила свою подругу, где она провела летние каникулы. 5. Мама спросила, почему сын не купил хлеб. 6. Журналист спросил ученого, над какой темой он сейчас работает. 7. Он поинтересовался, когда начинается мой рабочий день. 8. Они хотели знать, в каких странах мы уже побывали. 9. Друзья спросили ее, куда она ездила в прошлый отпуск. 10. Мама спросила меня, когда я позвоню в следующий раз.

 

Commands and Requests

Exercise 1. Use these sentences in the Reported Speech. Use the verbs: to ask, to tell, to order, to allow, to let, to make, to advise.

1. The teacher said to the student, “Collect your test papers.” 2. The man said to the boy, “Cross the street here.” 3. The guide said to the tourists, “Have a look at this monument.” 4. Mother said to the daughter, “Take a shower first and then have dinner.” 5. We said to our friends, “Come to our party on Sunday.” 6. The teacher said to the pupils, “Learn the poem by heart.” 7. She said to the waiter, “Give me a cup of black coffee.” 8. The man said, “Tell me the time, please.” 9. Mother said to her children,”Go to bed at once.” 10. I said to my friend, “Help me with this exercise.” 11. Jane said to her mother, “Make two sandwiches for me.” 12. Father said to me, “Remember to post the letters.”

 

Exercise 2. Use these sentences in the Reported Speech.

1. The old man said to the girl, “Don’t run across the street.” 2. Mother said to children, “Don’t make so much noise.” 3. Bill said to Nick, “Don’t open the window.” 4. Ann said to mother, “Don’t wake me up very early.” 5. Father said to his son, “Don’t forget to lock the door.” 6. Jane said to Nelly, “Don’t leave your house after ten.”7. The librarian said to the girl, “Don’t forget to return the books in time.” 8. The man said to the boys, “Don’t dive here.” 9. I said to my friend, “Don’t give this magazine to anybody.” 10. The woman said to me, “Don’t be afraid of this dog.” 11. The teacher said to pupils, “Don’t be late for classes.”

 

Exercise 3. Translate the sentences into English.

1. Гид посоветовал нам посетить музей писателя. 2. Он напомнил мне позвонить Петру. 3. Полицейские посоветовали жителям не выходить из дома. 4. Я попросил у него стакан минеральной воды. 5. Учитель сказал ученикам не писать в книгах. 6. Нелли предложила мне попробовать ее пирог. 7. Водитель сказал детям не выглядывать из окон. 8. Мама разрешила детям погулять во дворе. 9. Врач посоветовал пациенту принимать лекарство регулярно. 10. Она попросила детей не шуметь. 11. Им велели прийти вовремя.

 

Exercise 4. Use these sentences in the Reported Speech.

1. “We didn’t have dinner there”, they said. 2. Mary asked me, “What will you do tomorrow?” 3. I asked him, “Do you like music?” 4. The teacher said, “Don’t translate the text now. Do it at home.” 5. “Tom had an accident last week”, remarks Susan. 6. The doctor said to the woman, “Eat more fruit and vegetables.” 7. The man said to us, “I’ll give you a lift.” 8. “They were working the whole day yesterday”, he says. 9. He asked, “Where are we going?” 10. “How much apples have you bought?” asked mother. 11. John asked Nelly, “Are you going to the disco tonight?” 12. George said to his friend, “Don’t be angry with me.” 13. He says, “I don’t think anyone can accuse me of this.” 14. The man asked him, “What can I do for you?”

 

Exercise 5. Use these sentences in the Direct Speech.

1. He asked his sister who would do the work in his absence if he did not go to the factory. 2. Father told my brother to leave the room. 3. He told the agent that he would buy the car as soon as he could afford it. 4. He says that he cannot come now. 5. He said that they would be forced to leave the village. 6. He asked if we had been to the country lately. 7. She asked him where he worked. 8. They asked the boy if his mother was still abroad. 9. Mother asked the boy to close the window. 10. The teacher told the pupils not to speak at the lesson. 11. Kate wondered if Jane would be free the next day. 12. I wanted to know where they had met.

 

Exercise 6. Use these sentences in the Reported Speech.

1. I said: “We are going to the theatre tonight.” 2. “May I see the President?” he inquired. 3. “Have you read the last article my uncle wrote?” said Mary. 4. “I’ll come,” said the doctor, “as soon as I can”. 5. “I will expect to see you next Monday,” declared her aunt. 6. “Right!” said the man. “We’ll go there tomorrow.” 7. “Are you all right, Daddy?” he asked. 8. “Can you lend me the book you are reading? I will return it tomorrow,” said the student. 9. “Please, give me one of your cakes,” said the little girl. 10. “Let me help you with that trunk,” exclaimed a man. 11. “Is Spanish spoken in all South American countries?” asked the pupil. 12. “Don’t give this book to anybody else,” said the teacher. 13. He asked: “Have you taken a raincoat?” 14. They said: “The car is waiting.” 15. “What platform does the Liverpool train leave?” asked the woman. 16. “When did you come to the city?” he asked. 17. I wish to know: “Do you expect to stay here much longer?” 18. “Don’t do Tom’s homework for him,” said mother. 19. He says:” There is no reason to be afraid now.” 20. Nelly said:”I’ve just had this telegram from your uncle in Paris.”