Active English ™, [04.10.

19 08:48]
Reported Speech Exercise

1. He said that he ………………….. a new car. (has bought / bought / had bought)

2. My friend said that he ………………………… TV for two hours. (was watching / has
been watching / had been watching)

3. Alice said that she ………………………. present the previous day. (was / has been /
had been)

4. He asked me ……………………. I would help him. (if / whether / that)

5. Trisha told me that she …………………………. help me. (would / will / can)

6. The teacher told us that Mt. Everest ………………………………. the highest peak in
the world. (is / was)

7. Father asked me where ………………………….. going. (was I / I was)

8. He requested me ……………………………. Him a ticket. (to buy / that I buy)

9. I asked the stranger who …………………………. (was he / he was)

Answers
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1. He said that he had bought a new car.

2. My friend said that he had been watching TV for two hours.

3. Alice said that she had been present the previous day.

4. He asked me if / whether I would help him.

5. Trisha told me that she would help me.

6. The teacher told us that Mt. Everest is the highest peak in the world.

7. Father asked me where I was going.

8. He requested me to buy him a ticket.

9. I asked the stranger who he was.

Reported Speech
Convert the following sentences into indirect speech.
1. Jayan said to Leela, ‘I will meet you tomorrow.’
2. Kiran said, ‘I will go.’
3. Aparna says, ‘My father is a doctor.’
4. Rahul said, ‘I want to fly kites.’
5. Sonia said, ‘I can speak English.’
6. Varun said to Mary, ‘I am ready to accept the truth.’
7. James said, ‘I am learning my lessons.’
8. Dad said, ‘I’m going to office.’
9. Manu said, ‘We are waiting for the bus.’
10. The child said, ‘The dog is barking.’
11. The teacher said, ‘You have to submit your assignment tomorrow.’
12. Mother says, ‘All that glitters is not gold.’
Answers
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1. Jayan told Leela that he would meet her the next day.
2. Kiran said that she would go.
3. Aparna says that her father is a doctor.
4. Rahul said that he wanted to fly kites.
5. Sonia said that she could speak English.
6. Varun told Mary that he was ready to accept the truth.
7. James said that he was learning his lessons.
8. Dad said that he was going to office.
9. Manu said that they were waiting for the bus.
10. The child said that the dog was barking.
11. The teacher said that I had to submit your assignment the next day.
12. Mother says that all that glitters is not gold.
Verbs Exercise

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb form.

Sugary drinks …………………… (boost / are boosting / boosts) your energy levels. Someday, sugar
…………………………. (might / can /should) power your electronic equipment as well. Scientists
……………………………. (have found / are finding / found) a way to turn sugar into electricity.

The fuel cells that are currently used ………………………… (depend / depends / are depending) on precious
metals, such as platinum, to spark chemical reactions that ……………………… (produce / are producing /
produced) electric currents. The new strategy …………………………. (involve / involves / is involving) fuel
cells that use a type of protein called enzymes in place of the metals. In the cells of living things,
including people, enzymes ………………………….. (is / are / have) what spark chemical reactions. To keep
up the pace that our bodies ………………………….. (demand / demanded / are demanding), our cells
constantly ………………………. (produce / produced / are producing) new enzymes as the old ones break
down.

Answers
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Sugary drinks boost your energy levels. Someday, sugar might power your electronic equipment as well.
Scientists have found a way to turn sugar into electricity.

The fuel cells that are currently used depend on precious metals, such as platinum, to spark chemical
reactions that produce electric currents. The new strategy involves fuel cells that use a type of protein
called enzymes in place of the metals. In the cells of living things, including people, enzymes are what
spark chemical reactions. To keep up the pace that our bodies demand, our cells constantly produce new
enzymes as the old ones break down.
Prepositions Exercise

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate preposition.

The philosophy …………………… (for / behind / about) Domo is that humans and robots can work together
to accomplish tasks that neither could do all alone… ………………………… (As / For / Because) Domo or any
robot to safely interact ………………………. (with / to / at) humans the robot has to be able to sense when
a humans is touching it. Domo has springs ………………………. (on / in / with) its arms, hands, and neck
that can sense force and respond ……………………… (to / at / with) it. If you grab its hand and push, the
robot will move the way you want it to. But if you apply too much force or move its hands
……………………… (in / around / at) the wrong direction the robot will voice its displeasure
………………………. (by / with) saying ‘ouch’.

Answers
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The philosophy behind Domo is that humans and robots can work together to accomplish tasks that
neither could do all alone. For Domo or any robot to safely interact with humans the robot has to be able
to sense when a humans is touching it. Domo has springs in its arms, hands, and neck that can sense
force and respond to it. If you grab its hand and push, the robot will move the way you want it to. But if
you apply too much force or move its hands in the wrong direction the robot will voice its displeasure by
saying ‘ouch’.
Sentence Completion Exercise

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word or phrase.

1. If you had played games regularly, you ……………………………… strong and healthy.

a) will become
b) would become
c) would have become

2. If you …………………………….. more carefully, you wouldn’t have made so many silly mistakes.

a) listened
b) listen
c) had listened

3. I consider …………………………….. to have this opportunity of welcoming you.

a) it a privilege
b) it privilege
c) a privilege

4. It is silly ……………………………. away your chances like that.

a) throwing
b) to throw
c) to throwing

5. What a difficult business …………………………….. to start the car with such a low battery.

a) was it
b) it was
c) it had been

6. The leader said that it would be unwise …………………………….. the democratic demands of the common
people.

a) to not accept
b) not to accept
c) Either could be used here

7. You were silly ………………………….. your car.

a) to not have locked

b) not to have locked
c) Either could be used here

Answers
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1. If you had played games regularly, you would have become strong and healthy.
2. If you had listened more carefully, you wouldn’t have made so many silly mistakes.
3. I consider it a privilege to have this opportunity of welcoming you.
4. It is silly to throw away your chances like that.
5. What a difficult business it was to start the car with such a low battery.
6. The leader said that it would be unwise not to accept the democratic demands of the common people.
7. You were silly not to have locked your car.
Tenses Exercise

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.

1. The teacher asked the boys whether they ……………………….. the sums.

a) had solved
b) were solved
c) solve
d) have solved

2. Although they …………………………….., they did not lose heart.

a) were defeated
b) have been defeated
c) have defeated
d) had defeated

3. He said that he would not believe it even if he ……………………………. it with his own eyes.

a) will not see

b) could not see
c) had not seen
d) saw

4. A great city once stood where the village of Rajgir now ……………………………

a) lies
b) had lied
c) lying
d) lied

5. The sage ………………………….. his disciplines not to blame others for their failures.

a) enjoined upon
b) enjoined to
c) enjoined with

6. The girl requested that she ……………………………. to have another helping of the pudding.

a) should be allowed
b) could be allowed
c) would be allowed
d) was allowed

7. My pen ………………………… by somebody yesterday.

a) was stolen
b) has stolen
c) had stolen
d) stolen

Answers
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1. The teacher asked the boys whether they had solved the sums.
2. Although they were defeated, they did not lose heart.
3. He said that he would not believe it even if he saw it with his own eyes.
4. A great city once stood where the village of Rajgir now lies.
5. The sage enjoined upon his disciplines not to blame others for their failures.
6. The girl requested that she should be allowed to have another helping of the pudding.
7. My pen was stolen by somebody yesterday.

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Gap Fills Exercise

Complete the following sentences.

1. The highest you climb, …………………………. it gets.

a) the colder
b) the cold
c) more cold

2. The more he reads ……………………………. he understands.

a) The lesser
b) the less
c) less

3. The …………………………. we grow, the wiser we become.

a) old
b) older
c) elder

4. The government should pay attention to the problems of ………………………….

a) unemployed
b) the unemployed
c) an unemployed

5. The faster you act, the better ………………………..

a) it is
b) is it
c) does it

6. They saw the criminal ………………………… open the door.

a) brake
b) break
c) broke

7. The poor exile was never ……………………….. his native land again.

a) to see
b) seeing
c) to saw

8. The strike ……………………….. off, if the workers’ demands had been granted.

a) would have called

b) would have been called
c) had been called

Answers
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1. The highest you climb, the colder it gets.
2. The more he reads the less he understands.
3. The older we grow, the wiser we become.
4. The government should pay attention to the problems of the unemployed.
5. The faster you act, the better it is.
6. They saw the criminal break open the door.
7. The poor exile was never to see his native land again.
8. The strike would have been called off, if the workers’ demands had been granted.

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Choose the correct words to complete the following sentences.
1. Lily asked me to call ____ _______ dinner. *
her, by
her, before
her, until
them, by
them. before
them, until
none of the above
2. I couldn't ______ them _____ phone so I left a note instead. *
call, by
reach, by
see, by
find, through
call, through
reach, through
see, through
find, by
none of the above
3. The jury asked for a _______. ________ will continue the trial afterwards. *
break, They
recess, They
break, It
recess, It
none of the above
4. We were trying to _______ the cat out of the narrow cupboard, but _______ just wouldn't budge! *
drag, it
drag, he
drag, she
drug, it
drug, he
drug, she
none of the above
5. ________, the class ________ before starting their lessons. *
Everyday, sing
Everyday, sings
Every day, sing
Every day, sings
none of the above