Ellipsis and Substitution — Six Days That Stopped the World
Grammar: Reported Speech
Free ESL grammar exercise on ellipsis and substitution themed around six days that stopped the world. Printable worksheet from EnglishPlans.com.
What's on this worksheet
A Business English ESL grammar exercise on business, practising reported speech. The worksheet has a short reading excerpt, a grammar reference and graded practice items.
From the reading
"We had contingency plans for port delays, for weather, for political disruption," said Henriette Hallberg Thygesen. "We did not have one for this." Downstream suppliers confirmed the same.
Grammar: Reported Speech
- Auxiliary substitution
- Maersk confirmed the route change, and so did the canal authority. — replace repeated verb phrase with auxiliary
- Negative substitution
- The CEO had no answers, and neither did the logistics team. — use neither + auxiliary for negative agreement
Sample items
- Maersk rerouted its largest vessels, and ______ Evergreen.
- The port authority had no updated forecast, and ______ the logistics coordinators.
- Canal authorities requested all waiting vessels to hold position; the majority agreed to ______ immediately.
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