How Ideas Are Reported

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

B2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the complete context. Check both the meaning and the grammar, including word forms, collocations and links between sentences.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion or reply. The director denied … the figures before publication.

   1. alter
   2. altering
   3. altered
   4. to alter
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   altering

   Deny takes an ing form.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion or reply. The witnesses claimed … the warning clearly.

   1. hear
   2. to have heard
   3. heard
   4. having to hear
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   to have heard

   Claim takes a to-infinitive; perfect form places hearing earlier.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion or reply. The report … the decline to higher transport costs.

   1. arrives
   2. attributes
   3. distributes
   4. contributes
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   attributes

   Attribute something to a cause identifies the explanation.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion or reply. The minister is believed … abroad at the time.

   1. was
   2. had being
   3. having been
   4. to have been
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   to have been

   The perfect reporting infinitive places the state before the present belief.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion or reply. She insisted that she … no part in the decision.

   1. had playing
   2. has play
   3. was play
   4. had played
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   had played

   Past perfect reports an earlier action with play a part.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion or reply. We were advised … any public comment until Monday.

   1. not making
   2. not made
   3. not to make
   4. not make
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   not to make

   Advise someone not to do uses a negative to-infinitive.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion or reply. The article makes no … to the earlier investigation.

   1. referring
   2. referred
   3. reference
   4. refer
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   reference

   Make reference to is the noun collocation.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion or reply. The chair warned us … assuming the result was certain.

   1. against
   2. with
   3. for
   4. to
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   against

   Warn against takes an ing form.

9. Question 9 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion or reply. It was … that the building would reopen in June.

   1. announced
   2. announce
   3. announcing
   4. announcement
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   announced

   The impersonal passive takes a past participle.

10. Question 10 · Single choice

    Choose one answer.

    Choose the best completion or reply. The speaker's words were taken out of ….

    1. content
    2. context
    3. contest
    4. contact
    Check answers and explanations

    Answer

    context

    Out of context means separated from the surrounding information.

11. Question 11 · Single choice

    Choose one answer.

    Choose the best completion or reply. The company apologised … having released inaccurate information.

    1. with
    2. at
    3. for
    4. to
    Check answers and explanations

    Answer

    for

    Apologise for takes the action regretted.

12. Question 12 · Single choice

    Choose one answer.

    Choose the best completion or reply. He reminded us that the deadline … the following day.

    1. has being
    2. was
    3. is yesterday
    4. being
    Check answers and explanations

    Answer

    was

    Was is the backshifted form in past reporting.

What to review next

Explain why each answer fits the meaning and structure. Record useful phrases and write a new example using each pattern you found difficult.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.