Oral Activity1

The teacher divides the class into two teams. S1 Team A whispers an untrue statement into S2’s ear. S2 reports the statement to the class then he/she whispers another statement into S3’s ear. When a student can’t report a statement or think of a new one the team loses its turn. The team with the most correct sentences is the winner.

Team A S1: (whispers) I’m going on holiday next week.

Team A S2: He said he was going on holiday the next week.

(whispers) I have never eaten cheese.

Team A S3: She said she had never eaten cheese.

Oral Activity 2

T he teacher chooses two students. One pretends to be a famous pop singer and the other a reporter who is hard of hearing. The rest of the class pretend to be reporters. The teacher gives the reporters word flashcards. They start asking the famous pop-singer questions and he/she answers. The deaf reporter asks, “What did he/she ask and what sis he/she say. The student who asked the questions reports his/her question and the answer he/she got.

Word flashcards: How old are you?, Where do you live?, Are you married?, Have you ever been to Madrid before?, Do you like Spanish food?, Are you staying here long?, Have you visited Toledo?, Who’s your favourite actor?, Do you like sports cars?, Do you earn lots of money?, When did you start singing”, Do you write your own songs?, Are you going to try acting?, Do you work hard?, Can you fly a jet?, Do you play squash?, What’s your favourite food?, Are you happy with your life?

e.g. S1: How old are you? S2: Where do you live?

PS: I’m 25. PS: I live in New York.

DR: What did you ask? DR: What did you ask?

What did she say? What did she say?

S1: I asked how old she was S2: I asked where she lived and she said

and she said she was 25. she lived in New York. etc.

Revision exercises

Ex. 169. The following sentences are direct speech:

1. Don’t wait for me if I’m late.

2. Mind your own business.

3. Please slow down!

4. Can you open your bag, please?

5. Could you get a newspaper?

6. Hurry up!

7. Will you marry me?

8. Do you think you could give me a hand,

Tom?

Now choose one of these to complete each of the sentences below. Use reported speech.

1. Bill was taking a long time to get ready, so I __told him to hurry up.______________

2. Sarah was driving too fast, so I asked _____________________________________________

3. Sue was nervous about the situation, so I __________________________________________

4. I couldn’t move the piano alone, so I _____________________________________________

5. The customs officer looked at me suspiciously and __________________________________

6. Tom was going to the shop, so I _________________________________________________

7. The man started asking the personal questions, so I __________________________________

8. John was very much in love with Mary, so he _______________________________________

9. I didn’t want to delay Helen, so I _________________________________________________

Ex. 170. The following sentences are direct speech:

1 - Can I speak to Paul, please?

- Paul has gone out. I don’t know when he’ll be back. Do you want to leave a message?

- I’ll try again later.

Complete the sentences using reported speech.

A woman phone at lunchtime yesterday and asked __if she could speak to Paul.__ I told _______________________________________and ___________________________________

__________________. I asked ____________________________________________________,

but she said ________________________________________________ later. But she never did.

2 - Why are you visiting the country?

- We’re on holiday.

- How long do you intend to stay?

Where will you be staying during your visit?

After getting off the plane, we had to queue for an hour to get through immigration. Finally it was out turn. The immigration official asked us _______________________________________

_________________________ and we told __________________________________________.

Then he wanted to know ______________________________________________________ and

_____________________________________________________________________________.

He seemed satisfied with our answers, checked our passports and wished us a pleasant stay.

Ex. 171. Put the following into reported speech.

A. The Woman said to the Dog, “Help my Man to hunt through the day and guard this cave at night, and I will give as many roast bones as you need.” The Man asked his wife, “What is Wild Dog doing here?” The woman said, “His name is not Wild Dog any more, but the First Friend because it will be our friend always. Take him with you when you go hunting.”

B. “Papa,” said Virginia quietly, “I have been with the Ghost. He is dead and you must come and see him. Ht has been very wicked but he was sorry for what he had done and gave me this box of beautiful jewels before he died.”

Ex. 172. Rewrite this short story in reported speech.

Begin with: “The writer said that . . .“ (Call the ant he and the grasshopper she).

I will tell you the story of the ant and the grasshopper. It is a cold autumn day and an ant is bringing out some grains of corn that he gathered in the summer as he wants to dry them. A grasshopper, who is very hungry, sees him and says, “Give me a few grains of corn: I’m dying of hunger.” “But,” says the ant, “What did you do in the summer? Didn’t you store up some corn?” “No,” replies the grasshopper, “I was too busy.” “What did you do? says the ant, “I sang all days,” answered the grasshopper. “If you sang all summer,” says the ant, “you can dance all winter.”

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Ex. 173. Read the following joke and reproduce it in the form of a story.

The train conductor came round, saying, “Tickets, please.” “Where is your ticket?”, he asked a sleeping passenger, giving him a vigorous shake. “Haven’t you got one?”

The passenger yawned, opened one eye and shook his head. “Then you’ll have to pay,” went on the conductor. “Five and six please. I say, wake up! Five and six.” The weary eyes opened and the passenger answered. “Eleven.”

Ex. 174. Put the following sentences into reported speech.

1. “What are you doing here, boys?” said Kate.

2. “Show me your exercise-book,” father said to Jane.

3. “Did you play chess with your father yesterday?” Helen said to Pete.

4. “Don’t make noise,” said Tom’s mother to him.

5. “My sister knows two foreign languages,” Mike said to the teacher.

6. “What have you prepared for today, children,” said the teacher.

7. “I saw your friend at the library two days ago,” Tom said to his sister.

8. “Will you play football with us?” said the boys to Peter.

9. “Tom, go to bed,” said his mother.

10. “When did you receive this letter?” my friend said to me.

11. “Come to my house tomorrow,” said Lena.

12. “Where are your books, Betsy?” said her mother.

13. “Please, don’t touch me,” he said to me.

14. “Do you like my cake, Ann?” asked her grandmother.

15. “I am very thirsty. Please give me some lemonade,” said Tom.

16. “Have you seen any plays by Shakespeare?” asked my friend.

17. “What did you do at school yesterday, John?” asked his father.

18. “Don’t lie to me Tom,” said Aunt Polly.

19. “Will you play the piano today, Helen?” asked her aunt.

20. “My nephew is a very capable young man,” said the woman.

21. “”I am sure it will rain tomorrow,” he said.

22. “Don’t go out before I return,” mother said to us.

23. “Why did our team lose the game?” said Vera.

24. “Which of you can answer my question?” the teacher asked the pupils.

25. “Open the window, please,” she said to me.

26. “Nothing will change my decision and I will leave for Cape Town tonight,” Mabel said.

27. “How long are you going to stay here?” she asked me.

28. “Lock the door when you leave the house,” said my sister to me.

29. “I want to sit in the armchair,” said the boy.

30. “Will you spend your vocation in Moscow?” said Mary.

31. “Please, don’t take the books from my table,” said Lena to me. “I have specially prepared

them for working at my report.”

32. “Were you present at the meeting yesterday?” she said.

33. “He is one of the best speakers I have ever heard,” he said.

34. “Come at nine o’clock, I will be free at that time and we will have a nice cup of coffee,”

he said.

35. “We arrived in Kiev on Saturday and the next day we went to have a look around the city,”

he said.

36. “I haven’t seen the film you’re talking about,” said Mary.

37. “Don’t be afraid, Nick,” said his mother. “This dog is very clever and it will not do you any

harm.”

38. “Where have you put my book, Mary?” said Tom. “I cannot find it.”

39. “I am proud of my brother who took the first prize at the competition,” he said.

40. ”I am shivering with cold,” the girl said.

41. “When will you go to the canteen?” he asked me.

42. “Don’t switch on TV, Mary,” the father said. “I’m working.”

43. “Did you like the film you saw yesterday?” asked Helen.

44. “I am very sorry, Kate,” said Mike, “I have forgotten to bring your dictionary.”