GE|Adults|Intermediate|11. Buying online

Look at the home page of a new website. What do you think you can sell or buy there?

Listen to a part of a radio programme about this new website. Did you guess right?

🔹jewellery [‘ʤuːəlrɪ]

🔹an engagement ring [ ɪn’geɪʤmənt ]

🔹a bargain [ ‘bɑːgɪn ]

🔹go through a break-up

Now look at three things from the website and answer the questions

1. Would you like to buy any of them?

2. Which break-up do you think was the worst?

3. Do you have anything you would like to sell on the website?

Match the words and their definitions

What is reported speech? When do we need to use it?

Look at the sentences from the website. Try to rewrite them using the actual words that the people used when they said these things

Read the rules and the examples

Reported Speech (statements and questions)

Intermediate

Do you like telling stories? You’ll need these rules then

Examples

Once Sam asked me where it snowed much and if I could show snow to him. He told me that he had never seen snow. He said there was no snow in his area and added that he was dreaming of seeing it. So, I told him that I could take him to the skiing resort. He got excited and said that he would buy a winter jacket and gloves for the first time.

Timeline

Forms

Usage

• Take a step back in the verb form in reported speech.

«It snows a lot in my country.» (present simple) ➝ He said it snowed a lot in his country. (past simple)

«I have never ridden a horse.» (present perfect) ➝ She said she had never ridden a horse. (past perfect)

• Don’t use do/does/did when reporting questions.

«Where do you live?» ➝ She asked where I lived. (NOT She asked where do I live.)

«Did they wear these clothes?» ➝ He asked if they wore (had worn) those clothes. (NOT He asked did they wear those clothes.)

• Use the verbs ask/tell/say in reported speech:

❖ ask somebody if/whether

My boss asked me if I needed any help.

We asked the guide whether he knew the city well.

❖ ask who/where/why

They asked him why he had missed the flight.

Rodger asked where he could buy souvenirs.

❖ tell somebody(!) that (NOT tell that)

So I told him that I could take him to the skiing resort.

The babysitter told me that my kid had made a sandcastle.

❖ say that (without a personal object)

My friend said that she wasn’t coming to the party.

They said that the manager wasn’t in the office yet.

The verb tenses can either change or remain the same in reported speech:

1. when reporting someone’s words a short time after they were said (up-to-date reporting).

direct speech: George: I’m meeting Karen tomorrow.

reported speech: George said he is meeting Karen tomorrow. (reported on the same day, tomorrow still refers to tomorrow)

2. when reporting a general truth or law of nature.

direct speech: ‘The sun sets in the west,’ the teacher said.

reported speech: The teacher said (that) the sun sets/set in the west.

Complete the sentences using reported speech

Example: The hotel is full.

The receptionist told me the hotel was full.

Answer your teacher’s questions. Can you report the questions?

Example: You asked me what my favourite film was.

Additional information

Listen to these statements and contradict your teacher

Read the journalist’s interview

Journalist Dr Makele

J: Dr. Makele, you said recently in New York that big changes are necessary if we want to avoid a global catastrophe. What changes were you thinking of?

D: Well, firstly, we cannot continue to use up the world’s natural resources at the present rate. Secondly, the richer countries will have to allow developing countries to export more. And thirdly, we are going to have to devote more resources to fighting diseases such as AIDS.

J: And how can this be done, Dr. Makele?

D: Well, I‘ve just come from a top-level meeting in Mexico City and there we agreed on a series of proposals to take to next month’s G8 meeting in Berlin. I hope the richer nations will agree to help eliminate poverty in the next 20 years. At the same time, we must promote responsible government in the developing world.

Complete his report with the verbs in bold using the correct tense

Choose the correct answer

Change the direct speech into reported sentences and questions

Listen and mark the sentences as True or False

Fill in the gaps with the correct pronoun or possessive adjective

Read the task and prepare your 2-minute speech on the topic «Reported speech»

Report the dialogue between these two persons:

Journalist Mike

J: Firstly, Mike, thank you very much for agreeing to this interview. I know you’re a busy man. You have the leading role in the latest Kathryn Bigelow film. Do you like working with her?

M: I like it very much! However, I have to say that it wasn’t easy at first, because filming started at 7.00 a.m. every day last week. I’m not a person who likes early starts!

J: Yes, I had heard that! What did you enjoy most about working with her?

M: I loved the way that she could get all the actors, including me, to do exactly what she wanted us to do.

J: Are you going to be in any more of her films next year?

M: I hope I will be. I’m really sorry, but we must stop the interview now as I have a photo shoot at Vogue magazine.

Allow your browser access to your microphone, press the button «Record» and record the speech you have prepared