5 exercises — master tense backshift, modal reporting, and indirect questions in post-mortems, tickets, and meeting minutes.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
During the post-mortem the engineer said: "The service is down." Which reported speech version is correct for the post-mortem write-up?
Tense backshift: When the reporting verb is in the past (said), the present simple in the original quote (is) shifts to past simple (was) in reported speech. Option B keeps the present tense, which is only acceptable if the fact is still currently true and you want to emphasise that. Option C shifts to past perfect, which implies the downtime had already ended before the reporting moment. Option D (past perfect) would signal an even earlier completed event — also not the intended meaning here.
2 / 5
In a design review the architect said: "We should refactor the auth module." Which reported speech version appears most often in meeting minutes?
Modal backshift — "should": Unlike most modals, should does not change in reported speech — it stays as should. Option A (would) changes the meaning from advice/recommendation to a definite future intention, which misrepresents the original. Option C is ungrammatical — ought requires to (ought to refactor). Option D uses told without an object — tell always needs a person: told us. Therefore, option B is the correct and faithful reported form.
3 / 5
The scrum master is writing up the sprint review. Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Reporting verb patterns:Say is never followed directly by a person object — you cannot "say the team". Tell always requires a person object immediately after it — you cannot "tell that…" without specifying who was told. Mention takes to + person and then a that-clause, making option B correct. Option D mixes "said to" with "about" in a way that is non-standard for formal minutes. The safe rule: use told + person + that-clause or mentioned to + person + that-clause in professional documentation.
4 / 5
During planning the PM asked: "Can we ship by Friday?" Which indirect question form is correct in the ticket comment?
Reported yes/no questions: Indirect questions use statement word order (subject before verb), not the inverted question order. That rules out options C and D. Option A incorrectly uses that — reported questions use if or whether, not that. Option B is correct: whether introduces the embedded question, the auxiliary can backshifts to could, and the subject (we) precedes the verb. Whether is preferred over if in formal written communication because it avoids ambiguity with conditional clauses.
5 / 5
A developer is writing a README. Which sentence is correct?
No backshift for permanent truths: When a statement describes a fact that is still true at the time of writing, the present tense is retained even if the reporting verb is in the past. Because the authentication requirement is a current, ongoing fact, the verb stays in the present simple: requires. Option A backshifts unnecessarily and implies the requirement may no longer apply. Option B mixes a present reporting verb with an incorrect past in the subordinate clause. Option D uses a past reporting verb but keeps the present in the clause — this is acceptable in informal use, but option C (all present) is the standard form for README and technical documentation where the fact remains true.