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Reported Speech
Affirmative sentences (say, tell, ask, etc.)

Presentation / Objective

How many times have you been in a situation in which you couldn’t hear what someone said or couldn’t understand, or want to relisten to it?

CONCEPT 1. Reported Speech and reporting verbs.

  • How often do you have to report what other people say?
  • Do you pay attention to what other people say?
  • How often do people ask you for things?

Reported speech is used if you want to tell what other people said, there are two ways.

Thinking man

You can use their words: Paula said “I’m feeling sick” (direct speech)

Thinking man

You can use Reported Speech: Paula said she was feeling sick.

NA. (2012). Gripe. Taken from: https://pixabay.com/es/alergia-fr%C3%ADo-enfermedad-18656/

CONCEPT 2. Examples.

Analyze these examples:

Girl working in a PC
  • John: “Jill is working at home.”
  • He said that Jill was working at home.
A woman walking
  • Alba: “I want to travel abroad.”
  • Alba said she wanted to travel alone.
Phone call
  • Fergie to Danny: “I can’t go to the party.”
  • Fergie told Danny she couldn’t go to the party.
Woman in a classroom
  • Araceli to her teacher: “Could I please close the classroom door?”
  • Araceli asked her teacher if she could close the classroom door.

Imagenes
NA. (2012). Blogs. Taken from: https://pixabay.com/es/blogs-equipo-mujeres-ni%C3%B1a-internet-15968/
Fuhrmann, G. (2014). Chica. Taken from: https://pixabay.com/es/chica-verano-vestido-muy-mujer-571808/
Vasek, J. (2014). Llamada. Taken from: https://pixabay.com/es/iphone-plantilla-maqueta-iphone-6-500291/
http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/knowledge-is-power-picture-id181095659?k=6&m=181095659&s=170667a&w=0&h=SRtkwKYASjrLH5W-YPIJkD_lzccuUMZz2UYax5k4u0A=

Objective

By the end of this topic, you will:
Make use of the changes in the reported speech, through communicative activities and the use of indirect verbs to report the oral and written speech produced by someone else.

Content

Look at the following chart. It will help you to understand Reported speech its structure, examples and exercises better.

Structure.

am/is was
Are were
do/does did
Will would
have/has had
Can could
want/like/
know/go/ask		 wanted/liked/
knew/went/asked

Examples.

Analyze these examples:
  • Daniel: “Susan went to Hawaii on her vacation””
  • Daniel said Susan had gone to Hawaii on her vacation.
  • Susie: “Do your homework now, Tabatha”.
  • Susie ordered Tabatha to do her homework now.
  • Henry: “Eddy is my little brother”
  • Henry said Eddy is his little brother.

Pay attention to:

  • Reporting orders: Use infinitive TO
  • Reporting true facts: No back shifting.

Practice.

You can practice these contents in the following links:

Reading

Activity 1

Let’s read the paper!

How often do you read the newspaper?
Do you read newspapers in your language or just in English?
Have you ever experienced an earthquake?
When was it?

You will read the following text called Earthquakes around the world. Once you finish, go to the next activity.

Listening

Activity 2

Travelling the world.

When did you last go on vacation?
Where did you go?
What about someone in your family?
Where did they go?
Las vegas

Dixit, S. (2016). Las Vegas. Taken form: https://pixabay.com/es/las-vegas-fuentes-par%C3%ADs-1116325/

First, you will listen to a conversation between two people. Identify what each of them said.

To hear audio click here:

Activity 3

Let’s gossip!!

What’s gossip?
Are you a gossiper? People talking

Taken from: Foami, J. (2016). Talking. https://pixabay.com/es/ni%C3%B1as-chismes-mujeres-la-moda-1733357/

You will listen to some people gossiping to you. Choose the idea which completes the reported sentence.

To hear audio click here:

Writing

Activity 4

Write a story

How often do you read novels? Is it easy for you to write stories from photographs?

Diary

NA. (2015). Diario. Taken from: https://pixabay.com/es/por-escrito-diario-mujeres-sesi%C3%B3n-1055085/

You will see some pics, create a story using reported speech (between 70 to 100 words).

Use reporting verbs (say and tell) and pay attention to the proper use of past simple and back shifting.

In the end, evaluate yourself checking the scale on the “rubrics”. Remember that self-evaluation implies honesty and recognition of our effort and learning.



Speaking

Activity 5

Let’s report about your life!

pin

Sometimes, we need to think again about what people told us and repeat the information.
Has it lately happened to you?

You will write some reported sentences about your life, using these verbs.

  • 1) ask
  • 2) tell
  • 3) say
  • 4) order
  • 5) promise

Use each verb once and include all of them in your correct sentences.

Record your sentences, check the rubric to self-evaluate your recording.

Once is ready, get ready to record your final version.

Activity 6

Retelling

Do you remember the changes in reported speech?
Let’s listen to some direct sentences and practice them!!

To hear the audio, click here:

Once you have listened to them, turn them into reported speech and write your answers.



Self-assessment

Let’s choose sentences!

You will choose the correct sentence based on your knowledge of Reported speech.

Test

NA. (2016). Test. Tomado de: https://pixabay.com/es/quiz-prueba-examen-cuestionario-1373314/



Self-assessment

The report of your life

You will write a set of sentences which describe some of the information your family told you last week. Write 6 true sentences in a word processor. Use ask, tell and say.

Self-evaluate your sentences following the next rubric.

References

Basic references

• Murphy, R. (2012). English Grammar in Use. Intermediate. Fourth Edition. Cambridge: CUP.
• Shapiro, E. (2016). What You Need to Know About Earthquakes After Ecuador, Japan and on San Francisco's Anniversary. Retrieved on September 6, 2016 from: http://abcnews.go.com/US/earthquakes-ecuador-japan-san-franciscos-anniversary/story?id=38489474
Complementary
• (2016). BBC World Service, Learning English, Grammar Challenge. Fecha de revisión 22 de septiembre de 2016. Disponible en: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1457_gramchallenge35/
• (2016). Reported speech. Web site LearnEnglishTeens. Fecha de revisión 22 de septiembre de 2016. Disponible en: https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/grammar-vocabulary/grammar-videos/reported-speech
• (2016). BBC Learning English - Course: Upper-intermediate / Unit 2 / Session 1 / Activity 1. Fecha de revisión 2 de septiembre de 2016. Disponible en: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/spanish/course/upper-intermediate/unit-2/session-1
• Kulaty, P. (2016). Reported speech | Dialogue | Exercises. Fecha de revisión septiembre 22 de 2016. Disponible en: http://www.e-grammar.org/reported-speech/test2-exercise1/