5 exercises — tense backshift, reporting verbs, reported questions, and writing polished meeting minutes from raw notes.
Quick reference
Tense backshift: will → would · can → could · is/are → was/were · have → had · speak → spoke
Reported questions: use if/whether + statement word order, no inversion
Precise reporting verbs:confirmed · suggested · warned · agreed · pointed out · explained · announced
Minutes style: past tense · third person · full sentences · no abbreviations
0 / 15 completed
1 / 15
The PM said in the meeting: "The deployment will be delayed until Friday." Which reported speech sentence is correct for meeting minutes?
Both B and C are correct reported speech. The "that" after a reporting verb (said, confirmed, explained) is optional in informal writing — both forms are grammatically valid. The key rule is tense backshift: will → would, is → was, are → were, have → had, can → could. Use tense backshift when the reporting verb is in the past tense and the original statement is no longer "live".
2 / 15
The tech lead said: "We can't merge the PR until the CI pipeline passes." Choose the correct reported speech for the meeting notes.
"The tech lead said they couldn't merge the PR until the CI pipeline passed." — Two tense backshifts here: can't → couldn't and passes → passed. Notice the pronoun shift too: we → they (since the writer of the notes is not part of "we"). Option A has no tense backshift. Option C incorrectly adds "would pass". Option D mixes tenses inconsistently.
3 / 15
Match the meeting minute style to the correct reporting verb. "_____ we should run a load test before going live." The speaker recommended this as a safety measure.
"The engineer suggested that we should run a load test before going live." — Suggested is the right verb for a recommendation. Choose reporting verbs precisely: confirmed = verified a fact; suggested/recommended = proposed an action; warned = flagged a risk; agreed = accepted a decision; pointed out = highlighted a detail; explained = gave a reason; announced = shared news formally. Precise reporting verbs make meeting minutes far more useful than just "said" every time.
4 / 15
A stakeholder asked in the meeting: "Has the bug been fixed in the latest build?" Which is the correct reported question for the minutes?
"The stakeholder asked whether the bug had been fixed in the latest build." — Reported yes/no questions use whether or if + statement word order (no inversion). Tense backshift applies: has been → had been. Option A keeps question word order (wrong). Option B has incorrect inversion after "had". Option D has no tense backshift. For reported wh-questions: "She asked what the error code was" — same rule: statement order + backshift.
5 / 15
You are writing minutes from a sprint retrospective. Rewrite this into professional meeting minutes style. Original notes: "Tom — tests are flaky because of race conditions; needs fix ASAP. Maria — we should document the fix. Everyone agreed." Which version is best?
Option B is the best professional minutes style: reported (precise verb), full tense backshift (were flaky, required), formal connector (due to not because of), precise adverb (urgent not "ASAP"), and suggested that for Maria's recommendation. Good meeting minutes use: ✓ past-tense reporting verbs, ✓ tense backshift, ✓ third person, ✓ complete sentences, ✓ action items clearly attributed. Avoid: bullet-point abbreviations in formal minutes, informal language, or missing attribution.
6 / 15
During a code review discussion, Sarah said to David: 'This function is returning incorrect results – it's not handling the edge case properly.' Which of the following accurately reports this statement in the meeting minutes?
The key here is using the correct reporting verb – 'informed' accurately reflects Sarah conveying information to David. Options A and C misrepresent the direction of the communication. Option D presents a suggestion rather than a direct report.
7 / 15
In a Slack channel discussing a recent API outage, Mark wrote: 'The server is down because of a network issue.' Later, you're drafting the incident report. Which of the following best captures Mark's original message in reported speech?
'Stated' is the most appropriate reporting verb when conveying factual information. 'Announced' implies a more formal or public declaration than a simple statement. 'Described' and 'suggested' alter the original meaning slightly by adding interpretation. 'Experienced' isn't as precise as 'had'.
8 / 15
During a standup meeting, Alex said: 'I finished implementing the user authentication module.' You need to record this accurately in the project's daily log. Which of the following best represents Alex's statement in reported speech?
'Completed' is the most precise reporting verb when describing the finishing of a task. 'Announced' implies a public declaration. 'Said' and 'described' are too vague and don't convey the completion of the work. It's important to reflect the *action* taken, not just that Alex *said* something.
9 / 15
In a PR description for a new feature, Emily wrote: 'This change fixes the bug related to incorrect date formatting.' You're summarizing this in the release notes. Which of the following accurately reports Emily's original message?
'Described' is the most suitable verb when summarizing a technical change. It accurately reflects Emily's intention to explain the fix. 'Explained,' 'stated,' and 'suggested' alter the nuance of her original message, shifting from describing the *action* taken to simply stating that it was done or proposed.
10 / 15
During a sprint retrospective, Ben said: 'We should run more integration tests to catch these regressions.' You're writing the minutes. Which of the following best captures Ben's suggestion in reported speech?
'Suggested' is the most appropriate reporting verb when conveying a recommendation. It accurately reflects Ben's intention to propose a solution. 'Recommended' and 'proposed' are synonymous here. 'Stated' is too basic and doesn't convey the proactive nature of the suggestion.
11 / 15
During a code review discussion, Sarah said to David: 'This function is returning incorrect results – it's not handling the edge case properly.' Which of the following accurately reports this statement in the meeting minutes?
The key here is using the correct reporting verb – 'informed' accurately reflects Sarah conveying information to David. Options A and C misrepresent the direction of the communication. Option D presents a suggestion rather than a direct report.
12 / 15
In a Slack channel discussing a recent API outage, Mark wrote: 'The server is down because of a network issue.' Later, you're drafting the incident report. Which of the following best captures Mark's original message in reported speech?
'Stated' is the most appropriate reporting verb when conveying factual information. 'Announced' implies a more formal or public declaration than a simple statement. 'Described' and 'suggested' alter the original meaning slightly by adding interpretation. 'Experienced' isn't as precise as 'had'.
13 / 15
During a standup meeting, Alex said: 'I finished implementing the user authentication module.' You need to record this accurately in the project's daily log. Which of the following best represents Alex's statement in reported speech?
'Completed' is the most precise reporting verb when describing the finishing of a task. 'Announced' implies a public declaration. 'Said' and 'described' are too vague and don't convey the completion of the work. It's important to reflect the *action* taken, not just that Alex *said* something.
14 / 15
In a PR description for a new feature, Emily wrote: 'This change fixes the bug related to incorrect date formatting.' You're summarizing this in the release notes. Which of the following accurately reports Emily's original message?
'Described' is the most suitable verb when summarizing a technical change. It accurately reflects Emily's intention to explain the fix. 'Explained,' 'stated,' and 'suggested' alter the nuance of her original message, shifting from describing the *action* taken to simply stating that it was done or proposed.
15 / 15
During a sprint retrospective, Ben said: 'We should run more integration tests to catch these regressions.' You're writing the minutes. Which of the following best captures Ben's suggestion in reported speech?
'Suggested' is the most appropriate reporting verb when conveying a recommendation. It accurately reflects Ben's intention to propose a solution. 'Recommended' and 'proposed' are synonymous here. 'Stated' is too basic and doesn't convey the proactive nature of the suggestion.
What will I practise in "Reported Speech in IT Meetings & Meeting Minutes"?
Practice converting direct speech to reported speech for professional IT meeting minutes, with 5 exercises on tense backshift, reporting verbs, and questions.
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 15 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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How is this different from reading an article on the same topic?
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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.