A2 · Elementary Chapter 17

Reported Speech and Relative Clauses

2 Total Rules
10 examples
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of sharing information and describing people, places, and things with precision.

  • Convert direct statements into reported speech.
  • Identify the correct relative pronouns for different nouns.
  • Combine sentences to provide extra details fluently.
Share stories and describe your world with confidence.

What You'll Learn

Learn how to report what someone said and how to use relative clauses with who, which, that, and where to give extra information about nouns.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Retell a short story using reported speech and describe your favorite places using relative clauses.

Tips & Tricks (2)

💡

The 'That' Trap

You can drop the word 'that' in informal speech. 'He said he was tired' is just as correct as 'He said that he was tired'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reported Speech: Saying What Someone Said
💡

Keep it simple

Start by using 'who' for people and 'that' for things. Don't worry about 'which' yet.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Clauses: The Person Who, The Thing That, The Place Where

Key Vocabulary (5)

Report to tell someone about an event Relative connecting two parts of a sentence Clause a part of a sentence containing a verb Pronoun a word like who or that replacing a noun Mention to speak about something briefly

Real-World Preview

users

Sharing News

Review Summary

  • Subject + said + (that) + [tense shifted clause]
  • Noun + who/which/that/where + clause

Common Mistakes

We don't use an object (me) directly after 'said'. Use 'told me' or just 'said that'.

Wrong: He said me he is happy.
Correct: He said that he was happy.

Do not repeat the subject (she). The relative pronoun 'who' acts as the subject.

Wrong: The girl who she is my friend.
Correct: The girl who is my friend.

You don't need 'in it' because 'where' already includes the location.

Wrong: The city where I live in it.
Correct: The city where I live.

Next Steps

You have done an amazing job today! Keep practicing these structures in your daily conversations.

Listen to a news clip and write down three things the reporter said.

Continue to: Pronouns, Determiners and Connectors

Quick Practice (7)

Choose the best option.

This is the restaurant ___ we ate.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: where
Use 'where' for places.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Clauses: The Person Who, The Thing That, The Place Where

Find the mistake.

Find and fix the mistake:

She told that she was tired.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: told
'Told' needs an object.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reported Speech: Saying What Someone Said

Select the correct reported question.

He asked where ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I was
Indirect questions use statement order.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reported Speech: Saying What Someone Said

Fill in the blank with who, that, or where.

The girl ___ is singing is my sister.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: who
Use 'who' for people.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Clauses: The Person Who, The Thing That, The Place Where

Find the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

The man which lives here is nice.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: which -> who
Use 'who' for people.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Clauses: The Person Who, The Thing That, The Place Where

Fill in the correct backshifted verb.

He said he ___ (be) happy.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: was
Present simple backshifts to past simple.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reported Speech: Saying What Someone Said

Choose the correct sentence.

Which sentence is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: The car that I bought is red.
Use 'that' for things.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Clauses: The Person Who, The Thing That, The Place Where

Score: /7

Common Questions (4)

If the information is still true (e.g., 'He said he is a doctor'), you don't have to. But backshifting is always safe.
No, use 'told' instead. 'He told me' is correct; 'He said me' is not.
In very informal speech, yes, but 'who' is much better.
Use 'where' only for locations like cities, houses, or parks.
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Conditionals and Passive Voice
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Pronouns, Determiners and Connectors
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