5 exercises — practise converting direct speech to reported speech in meeting minutes, action items, and follow-up emails: backshift, modal changes, and time expression shifts.
Reported speech quick rules
Backshift: is → was, will → would, can → could, must → had to
Time shifts: next week → the following week, today → that day
Reporting verbs matter: use promised, confirmed, assured for stronger accountability
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
In a meeting, the CTO said: "The API is not ready for production." Which reported speech sentence correctly records this in the meeting notes?
"The CTO said that the API was not ready for production" is correct. In reported speech, when the reporting verb is past (said), the verb in the reported clause shifts back one tense — this is called backshift: is → was. Full backshift table for tech writing: is/are → was/were · has/have → had · will → would · can → could · must → had to · is going to → was going to. Option A (present tense) is acceptable only if the fact is still current and universally true — but meeting notes conventionally use backshift for consistency. Option C incorrectly changes the aspect. Option D has an awkward word order. In professional meeting notes, backshift is standard and expected.
2 / 5
At a sprint review, a developer said: "I will fix the authentication bug by Thursday." How should this be recorded in the action items?
"The developer said that he would fix the authentication bug by Thursday" is correct. Will in direct speech becomes would in reported speech (backshift). This is one of the most common reported speech patterns in meeting minutes: recording commitments and promises. Examples: "She said she would review the PR by EOD." · "He said the team would deliver the feature in the next sprint." · "They said the infrastructure would be ready by Monday." Option A keeps will — this can be used if you believe the commitment still holds and haven't much time has passed, but standard meeting note convention applies backshift. Option C uses simple present — wrong tense. Option D removes the agent (the developer) and changes the active promise into a passive — losing accountability, which defeats the purpose of action items.
3 / 5
A product manager said in a meeting: "We can integrate with the payment provider next quarter." Which reported speech version is correct?
"The PM said that they could integrate with the payment provider the following quarter" is correct. Two changes occur: ① can → could (modal backshift). ② Time expressions also shift in reported speech: next quarter → the following quarter. Common time expression shifts: now → then / at that point · today → that day · yesterday → the day before / the previous day · tomorrow → the next day / the following day · next week/month/quarter → the following week/month/quarter · last week → the previous week. Option D keeps "next quarter" unchanged — acceptable in informal notes or when the quarter is still in the future, but option C follows full reported speech convention. Option A keeps can (not backshifted). Option B shifts the modal and the time expression correctly but adds "the" before "next" without shifting to "following."
4 / 5
The security engineer said: "We must rotate all API keys immediately." Which reported speech version is most appropriate for formal meeting minutes?
"The security engineer said that all API keys had to be rotated immediately" is the most professional version for formal meeting minutes. Three things happen: ① must → had to (modal backshift — must does not have a past form, so it shifts to had to). ② The sentence moves to passive voice — standard in formal minutes to depersonalise directives. ③ immediately stays — time adverbs like immediately, soon, soon after typically do not shift in reported speech (unlike now → then). Option A keeps must — not backshifted, though sometimes acceptable when the urgency is still current. Option B keeps "we" — in third-person meeting notes, "we" would be ambiguous. Option D changes the modal to should, which softens the urgency — inappropriate for a security directive. Formal minutes prefer passive constructions for decisions and directives.
5 / 5
After a vendor call, the account manager wrote: "The vendor promised: 'We will have the SDK ready by the end of the month.'" How should this be reported in a follow-up email to the team?
"The vendor promised that they would have the SDK ready by the end of the month" is correct. Using promised as the reporting verb is stronger than said — it signals a commitment, which is important for accountability in vendor follow-ups. Key changes: will → would (backshift). "by the end of the month" stays as is when the month hasn't ended yet — no time shift needed. Using promise vs say: in follow-up emails and escalation messages, the reporting verb carries meaning. Common reporting verbs for professional correspondence: confirm (that), promise (that), assure (us that), clarify (that), indicate (that), commit (to + gerund). Option A uses will (not backshifted — only acceptable if still current). Option C uses past perfect had, implying it was already done. Option D has article and preposition errors.