XV DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

   

   Choose the correct word from those in brackets to fill the blank in each sentence.

   

   1 He often says things like that. (says/tells)

   2 She always tells me her troubles. (says/tells)

   3 The children always ask me if they can go out to play. (tell/ask)

   4 They asked me to leave. (said/asked)

   5 "Don’t do that!" she said to them. (said/told/asked)

   6 "They’ve arrived," she said. (said/told/asked)

   7 "How are you both?" she asked. (told/asked)

   8 I said that I didn’t know what to do. (said/told/asked)

   9 She told me she didn’t know what to do. (said/told/asked)

   10 They asked if I knew what to do. (said/told/asked)

   

   Put in the correct forms and tenses of the expressions in brackets.

   

   The nurse asked me if I (be) was next and she led me into Dr Grey’s surgery. Dr Grey smiled at
   me and asked (what the problem be) what the problem was. I’m a young man and am not the sort
   of person she has to see very often! I told her I (be) was/had been feeling rather run down.
   She asked me if I (keep) kept/had kept/had been keeping regular hours and I said I (have not)
   hadn’t/hadn’t been. She wanted to know why I (not/keep) didn’t keep/hadn’t kept/hadn’t been
   keeping regular hours and I said I (be) was/had been out with friends almost every evening. Dr
   Grey then wanted to know how I (spend) spent/had spent/had been spending my time and I (tell)
   told her I (go) went/had gone/had been going to parties mostly. The doctor asked if I
   (not/have) did not have/had not had the chance to recover during weekends and I (tell) told
   her that my party-going (be) was/had been even worse during the weekends! She asked me if I
   (smoke) smoked. When I said I did, she asked how many cigarettes a day I (smoke) smoked. She
   raised her eyebrows when I answered! Then she asked me if I (take) took/had taken/had been
   taking any exercise and I answered that I (not/have) did not have/hadn’t had time for that
   sort of thing. "You’re burning the candle at both ends, Mr Finley," she told me. "Rest is the
   only cure for you. You’ve really got to slow down." She looked at me wistfully before I left
   her surgery and added, "but I do envy you the life you’ve been living!"