Direct v Indirect Speech
Quiz
Rewrite the sentences using 'could' for permission in indirect speech. Drop the relative 'that' if possible.
'If I sold my house this very minute, I could invest the lot into stocks and shares,' Daniela said. (reference to present)
Daniela said ...... .
'If I paid him 200 dollars on the spot, I could take the computer right away,' Hannah said. (reference to present)
Hannah said ...... .
'I could use a pen knife when I was a scout,' Chris said. (reference to past)
Chris said ...... .
'We could do some damage to their computer system,' Terry said. (reference to present)
Terry said ...... .
Pete's friend said, 'You could shoot those guys if they weren't around.' (reference to present)
Pete's friend said ...... .
Our nephew told us, 'You could take some of my money and tour the world.' (reference to present)
Our nephew told us ...... .
'Martin could walk away from the project without any consequences,' the supervisor said. (reference to present)
The supervisor said ...... .
Kathy said, 'They could leave work early on Fridays if they wanted to.' (reference to past)
Kathy said ...... .
'Lucy and her sister couldn't attend dancing classes when they were sixteen', Sarah said. (reference to past)
Sarah said Lucy and her sister ...... .
'My brother and I could go swimming every Friday afternoon when we were young', Jason said. (reference to past)
Jason said ...... .