5 exercises — mastering how to paraphrase specs, error messages, and team discussions in professional IT writing.
0 / 20 completed
1 / 20
A post-mortem summarises a discussion. The developer originally said: "The service restarts every 30 seconds." Which reported speech version is correct?
When reporting speech in written documentation (post-mortems, meeting notes, incident reports), English uses the backshift rule: the tense moves one step into the past. Present simple ("restarts") → Past simple ("restarted"). So: "The developer said that the service restarted every 30 seconds." Option A keeps the original tense — acceptable in informal contexts but less formal. Option C uses future tense — backshift of "will restart" to "would restart" would be correct, but "will restart" is wrong here. Option D uses past continuous — incorrect backshift. Backshift tenses: present simple → past simple; present continuous → past continuous; will → would; can → could. In technical documentation, backshifted reported speech adds professionalism to incident summaries and meeting minutes.
2 / 20
An API spec states: "Authentication tokens expire after 24 hours." Which is the correct way to report this in a design document?
Option A uses the present tense throughout — and that is correct here. The backshift rule does NOT apply when reporting a permanent fact or a currently valid specification. Rules and specs that are still in effect use present tense: "The spec states that tokens expire after 24 hours." The key is the reporting verb: states / says / specifies / indicates (present) → no backshift required. Backshift applies when the reporting verb is past: "The spec stated that tokens expired…" — this implies the spec may no longer be valid. In technical documentation, prefer present-tense reporting for active specifications: "The RFC specifies that…", "The contract defines that…", "The error message indicates that…"
3 / 20
A ticket comment paraphrases a colleague's suggestion: "We should add rate limiting." Which correctly reports this suggestion in a design document?
"suggested that we add" is correct. After verbs of suggestion and recommendation (suggest, recommend, propose, advise), English uses the subjunctive in the that-clause: the verb stays in base form regardless of subject. "She suggested that we add…", "The team recommended that the service be restarted." Option B uses past tense ("added") — wrong in a subjunctive clause. Option C uses "will add" — wrong, future not appropriate. Option D uses "suggested us to add" — this structure is incorrect in English (unlike "advised us to add"). Technical documents often use reported suggestions: "The reviewer recommended that the function be refactored", "The architect proposed that the database be sharded."
4 / 20
An error log contains the message: "Connection refused." Which sentence correctly reports this error in a technical write-up?
"The error indicates that the connection was refused" is the standard form for reporting system errors and log messages in technical write-ups. When describing what an error, log, or message shows, use indicate / show / suggest (present) + past passive for the event: "The log indicates that the service was restarted", "The trace shows that the request was dropped", "The alert indicates that memory was exhausted." Option B incorrectly uses "is refusing" (continuous). Option C uses active voice ("refuses") — the connection is not doing the refusing; it was refused by the server. Option D uses "has been refusing" — continuous perfect, not appropriate for a discrete event. In bug reports and incident summaries, this pattern is ubiquitous: "The error indicates that X was Y."
5 / 20
A sprint retrospective note paraphrases: "We can't deploy on Fridays." Which reported speech form is correct in formal meeting minutes?
"couldn't deploy" is the correct backshift of "can't deploy" in reported speech when the reporting verb is past tense ("agreed"). Backshift: can → could; can't → couldn't. "The team agreed that they couldn't deploy on Fridays." Option A keeps "can't" — acceptable in informal notes but not standard in formal minutes. Option C uses "cannot deploying" — grammatically incorrect (modal + base verb, never gerund). Option D uses "agreed to not deploying" — wrong structure; correct would be "agreed not to deploy." In formal meeting minutes and retrospective documentation, report decisions with: "The team agreed that…", "The stakeholders decided that…", "The engineers confirmed that…" — always with appropriate backshift when the reporting verb is past.
6 / 20
During a code review of the new payment service, Alice commented: 'The transaction limits are set to $1000 per user.' How should this be reported in a design document for future reference?
This question tests reported speech using 'are set'. The correct form is 'are' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A and B misinterpret the statement's meaning, while option D suggests an overly negative assessment.
7 / 20
A Slack message from Ben states: 'The database connection pool size needs to be increased.' What is the best way to report this feedback in a technical document summarizing the proposed changes?
This question focuses on reporting a recommendation. 'Needs to be increased' is correctly reported as 'doesn't meet performance requirements.' Option A presents an overly critical judgment, and options B and D offer alternative interpretations of Ben's feedback.
8 / 20
An API response from the authentication server states: 'Session timeouts are configured for 30 minutes.' Which sentence accurately reports this information in a technical specification?
This question tests reported speech using 'are configured'. The correct form is 'are' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A and B offer incorrect interpretations of the timeout setting, while option D suggests a positive outcome that isn't supported by the original statement.
9 / 20
A pull request description from Chloe reads: 'We should implement circuit breakers for critical services.' How would you best report this suggestion in a formal technical document?
This question tests reported speech using 'should implement'. The correct form is 'should' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A and B express negative opinions about the suggestion, while option D presents a misleading assessment.
10 / 20
During a standup update, David said: 'The build process is taking over an hour.' What is the most appropriate way to record this information in meeting minutes?
This question tests reported speech using 'is taking'. The correct form is 'is' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A, B, and D misinterpret the statement's meaning concerning the build time; only option 1 accurately reflects David's observation.
11 / 20
During a code review of the new payment service, Alice commented: 'The transaction limits are set to $1000 per user.' How should this be reported in a design document for future reference?
This question tests reported speech using 'are set'. The correct form is 'are' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A and B misinterpret the statement's meaning, while option D suggests an overly negative assessment.
12 / 20
A Slack message from Ben states: 'The database connection pool size needs to be increased.' What is the best way to report this feedback in a technical document summarizing the proposed changes?
This question focuses on reporting a recommendation. 'Needs to be increased' is correctly reported as 'doesn't meet performance requirements.' Option A presents an overly critical judgment, and options B and D offer alternative interpretations of Ben's feedback.
13 / 20
An API response from the authentication server states: 'Session timeouts are configured for 30 minutes.' Which sentence accurately reports this information in a technical specification?
This question tests reported speech using 'are configured'. The correct form is 'are' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A and B offer incorrect interpretations of the timeout setting, while option D suggests a positive outcome that isn't supported by the original statement.
14 / 20
A pull request description from Chloe reads: 'We should implement circuit breakers for critical services.' How would you best report this suggestion in a formal technical document?
This question tests reported speech using 'should implement'. The correct form is 'should' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A and B express negative opinions about the suggestion, while option D presents a misleading assessment.
15 / 20
During a standup update, David said: 'The build process is taking over an hour.' What is the most appropriate way to record this information in meeting minutes?
This question tests reported speech using 'is taking'. The correct form is 'is' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A, B, and D misinterpret the statement's meaning concerning the build time; only option 1 accurately reflects David's observation.
16 / 20
During a code review of the new payment service, Alice commented: 'The transaction limits are set to $1000 per user.' How should this be reported in a design document for future reference?
This question tests reported speech using 'are set'. The correct form is 'are' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A and B misinterpret the statement's meaning, while option D suggests an overly negative assessment.
17 / 20
A Slack message from Ben states: 'The database connection pool size needs to be increased.' What is the best way to report this feedback in a technical document summarizing the proposed changes?
This question focuses on reporting a recommendation. 'Needs to be increased' is correctly reported as 'doesn't meet performance requirements.' Option A presents an overly critical judgment, and options B and D offer alternative interpretations of Ben's feedback.
18 / 20
An API response from the authentication server states: 'Session timeouts are configured for 30 minutes.' Which sentence accurately reports this information in a technical specification?
This question tests reported speech using 'are configured'. The correct form is 'are' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A and B offer incorrect interpretations of the timeout setting, while option D suggests a positive outcome that isn't supported by the original statement.
19 / 20
A pull request description from Chloe reads: 'We should implement circuit breakers for critical services.' How would you best report this suggestion in a formal technical document?
This question tests reported speech using 'should implement'. The correct form is 'should' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A and B express negative opinions about the suggestion, while option D presents a misleading assessment.
20 / 20
During a standup update, David said: 'The build process is taking over an hour.' What is the most appropriate way to record this information in meeting minutes?
This question tests reported speech using 'is taking'. The correct form is 'is' followed by the base form of the verb. Options A, B, and D misinterpret the statement's meaning concerning the build time; only option 1 accurately reflects David's observation.
What will I practise in "Reported Speech in Technical Documentation — Grammar Exercise"?
Practice reported speech in IT documentation: post-mortems, design docs, API specs, and meeting minutes. 5 interactive exercises.
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 20 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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Where can I find more Grammar exercises?
Browse the full Grammar hub for related drills, or check the "Next up" link below to continue with a connected topic.
How is this different from reading an article on the same topic?
Articles explain grammar rules in prose; this exercise tests and reinforces those rules through active recall with immediate feedback — the two work best together.
Who writes these exercises?
Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.