Grammar

Indirect (reported) speech

When we change direct speech into reported speech we usually have to make some changes to pronouns, adverbs of time, and tenses.

Peter: "I did that work yesterday."

Indirect: Peter said he had done that work the day before.

If the reporting verb is in present, we usually only add the reporting word and change the personal reference.

Peter: "I do this every day."

Indirect: Peter says he does this every day.

But if the reporting verb is in the past, changes are necessary.

Peter said he had written the letter and that he would then address the envelope.

Usually the following changes are made:

Direct speech	Indirect speech
Present Simple She works from eight to five.	Past Simple She said she worked from eight to five.
Present Continuous I am working till six today.	Past Continuous She said she was working till six.
Past Simple I lived in Russia till 2001.	Past Perfect He said he had lived in Russia till 2001.
Present Perfect I have been in London twice.	Past Perfect He said he had been in London twice.
Will I'll call back later.	Would He said he would call back later.
Can We can do it tomorrow.	Could They said they could do it the fol­lowing day.

**Task VIII. Complete the reported statements and questions.

1. "We are making the decisions."

The head of the department told the employee____.

2. "I'm not expecting you, so I can't admit you." The clerk told the customer__________.

3. "Pizza House" will be the most successful restaurant in the country this year."

A spokesman told the reporters ___.

4. "Why are you interested in this job?" The interviewer asked me_______.

5. "I think you have the qualifications and experience we're looking for."

A manager on personnel said_________.

6. "When will the supermarket open?" Reporters asked the owners __

Delightful game of conversation

In San Francisco I once belonged to a small group which met weekly for the purpose of practicing the art of conversation. We realized that there is a fundamental principle underlying good talk. This principle- the basis of all good manners- is the avoidance of friction caused by irritation, boredom, envy, egoism or ridicule. Here are some of the rules we finally adopted to guide our conversation and make it a delightful game.

1. Avoid all purely subjective talk. Don't dilate on your health, troubles or family problems. Streams of personal gossips and egotism destroy all objective discussion- art, science, history, the day's news, sport, or whatever. Such chatter bores the listener, and the talker, repeating only what he already knows, learns nothing from others.

2. Don't monopolize the conversation. One of my friends was a gay, attractive person, who told stories well- but too many of them. You roared with

laughter, but after a while you grew restless and yearned for more quiet, comfortable talk with plenty of give and take. You couldn't help remembering what John Dryden said about those "who think too little, and who talk too much". Or what Sydney Smith wrote to Macaulay: " He has occasional flashes of silence, that make his conversation perfectly delightful."

3. Don't contradict. You may say, " I don't quite agree with that, but flat contradiction is a conversation-stopper. One should seek to find points of agreement. "You mean she didn't know?", it doesn't put the train of that way the subject develops an interest with each one's contribution. " That is the happiest conversation, said Samuel Johnson, "where there is no competition, but a calm quiet interchange of sentiments."

4. Don't interrupt. To interrupt by interpolating views of your own often leaves the speaker hanging uncomfortably in mid-sentence.

5. Don't abruptly change the subject. Some people, after patiently- and painfully- waiting for a talker to pause a moment, jump into the conversation with a totally new subject. In our Conversation Club it was an unwritten rule that after a person stopped talking there should be a brief silence in which to reflect, digest and appreciate what had been said. It is the proper tribute to anyone who has offered an idea for consideration.

6. Show an active interest in what is said. This brings out the best in a speaker You need not only your ears to listen well, but your eyes, hands and even posture. There is no surer way to make people like than to pay them the compliment of interest and sympathy. Ask more about their subject, and they expand like flowers in the sun. Yet what usually happens is that, should you describe some misfortune that has happened to you, others immediately narrate a similar mischance that they have suffered.