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Complete the reported sentences using backshifting.

1. Anita asked Rob how he was feeling and if he was still ill.

2. Rob asked Anita if Mrs. Costello had been surprised that he wasn't there.

3. Rob told Anita to let him know if he could help her out any time.

4. Anita asked Rob why he had changed his mind in the end.

5. Rob said that he had sent her the finished version, which had the video and the quiz.

6. Rob asked Anita to explain the problem to Mrs. Costello at the next day's lesson.

Answer :

Backshifting in reported speech involves changing the tense of the verbs when converting direct speech into indirect or reported speech. Here is how the sentences should be completed:

  1. Anita asked Rob how he was feeling and if he was still ill.

    • In this sentence, the direct speech might have been "How are you feeling? Are you still ill?" said by Anita to Rob. When reporting this conversation, we backshift the present simple "are" to past simple "was," resulting in "Anita asked Rob how he was feeling and if he was still ill."
  2. Rob asked Anita if Mrs. Costello had been surprised that he wasn't there.

    • Originally, Rob might have asked Anita, "Was Mrs. Costello surprised that I wasn't there?" The past simple "was" becomes past perfect "had been" when reporting. Thus, "Rob asked Anita if Mrs. Costello had been surprised that he wasn't there."
  3. Rob told Anita to let him know if he could help her out any time.

    • In direct speech, Rob might have said, "Let me know if I can help you out any time." This remains largely unchanged due to the command format; however, "can" can be backshifted to "could" when emphasizing reported speech: "Rob told Anita to let him know if he could help her out any time."
  4. Anita asked Rob why he had changed his mind in the end.

    • In direct speech, Anita could have asked, "Why did you change your mind in the end?" The past simple "did change" is backshifted to past perfect "had changed" in reported speech. Therefore, "Anita asked Rob why he had changed his mind in the end."
  5. Rob said that he had sent her the finished version, which had the video and the quiz.

    • Rob might have directly said, "I sent you the finished version, which has the video and the quiz." In reported speech, "sent" turns into "had sent," and "has" becomes "had"f resulting in "Rob said that he had sent her the finished version, which had the video and the quiz."
  6. Rob asked Anita to explain the problem to Mrs. Costello at the next day's lesson.

    • Here, Rob could have said, "Can you explain the problem to Mrs. Costello at the next day's lesson?" In the reported command, "ask" remains, but the direct request form "can" is not used directly, rather "to" is used to introduce the infinitive, resulting in "Rob asked Anita to explain the problem to Mrs. Costello at the next day's lesson."

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