Guess Who I Bumped Into? Tim wandered along the path thinking aloud, "If I continue this diet I should lose twenty pounds by the end of..." when BOOM! he bumped into another city dweller out for a day's walk in the park.
"I'm terribly sorry," he apologized, "I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn't see you!" he managed to stammer.
Smiling, Sheila responded, "It's OK. Nothing's broken... No really, I wasn't watching my step either."
Suddenly they both stopped making excuses and stared at each other.
"Don't I know you from somewhere?" inquired Tim while Sheila exclaimed, "You're Tim, Jack's brother, aren't you?!"
They both began to laugh as they had met each other the week before at a party that Jack had given.
Still laughing, Tim suggested, "Why don't we have a cup a coffee and donut?" to which Sheila replied, "I thought you wanted to continue your diet!" They both were still laughing by the time they reached the Swimming Donut cafe.​
Comprehension Questions
Questions one to five test your comprehension. The remaining questions test reported speech. Fill in the blanks with reported (indirect) speech using the text above.
1. Why did Tim bump into Sheila?

• He was on a diet.
• He wasn't paying attention.
• He was writing his thoughts down.
2. Where do they live?

• In the park
• In the countryside
• In the city
3. Whose fault was the incident?

• Tim's
• Sheila's
• It's not clear
4. Where did they first meet?

• In the park
• At the Swimming Donut
• At Tim's Brother's house
5. Why was Tim's suggestion funny?

• He was supposedly on a diet.
• The name of the cafe was strange.
• They were on a walk and there were no donuts in the park.
6. As he was walking down the path Tim said if he his diet he lose twenty pounds.

• continues... should
• continued... should
7. We bumped into each other. He apologized saying he terribly sorry.

• was
• is
8. I told him it was OK, that nothing broken.

• had
• was
• both are correct
9. Tim said he had been so caught up in thoughts that he me.

• his / hadn't seen
• my / didn't see
10. He seemed embarrassed, so I added that I my step either.

• hadn't watched
• hadn't been watching