reported speech british council pdf

• Teaching adults
• Intermediate B1

Eavesdropping

This is an activity for students to practise reporting speech. It provides a situation for reporting what others have said that can be more realistic than some of the exercises that are found in textbooks, and great fun!

My students particular enjoy the fact that in this activity they are encouraged to listen in to each other’s conversations: the concept of ‘eavesdropping’.

You will need to decide on a context that will be of interest to your class. One idea that works well with my students is that of 'first dates', with conversations taking place between two people in a cafe. Preparation

You may have to explain the concept of eavesdropping (listening to someone else's conversation). With lower levels it may be easier to explain spying.

Before starting the activity, I do a short revision session on reported speech, eliciting from students what happens to speech when it is reported and some of the constructions we can use to do so. I write on the board sentence starters such as:

- First he said… - And she replied.. - So he then said... - Only for her to say that... - He then went on to ask her ...

I also remind students that reported speech is rarely a word per word account, but often more of a summary of what was said.

• I then start by introducing the context of the a 'first date' in a cafe, brainstorming ideas about who the people might be and what they might talk about in this situation.
• Next I put students in pairs, of 'first date couples', asking them first to decide on their new names and characters (real or imaginary), and then giving them around ten minutes to prepare a short conversation, which they should write down. I remind students that their conversations can be serious or, if they prefer, humorous!
• Once students are ready, I set up the classroom as if it is a cafe, with couples sitting face to face. To add interest to the role-play, I ask the students to come up with the name of their cafe and sometimes even allocate a few students to the roles of waiter / waitress.
• I then explain to students that some of the people in the bar will be eavesdropping on others, as obviously the conversations taking place are very interesting! Couples should start talking, and if I, the teacher, tap someone on the shoulder, s/he should get up and go and eavesdrop on another couple’s conversation (of their choice). S/he then goes back to his/her partner and reports what was being said.
• I usually tap students on the shoulder to get enough people eavesdropping, and then place myself discreetly at the back of the classroom to observe the activity.
• This process can continue for up to fifteen minutes, with different students having an opportunity to eavesdrop and report back.
• The class then comes back together, for each couple to report to everyone what another couple said. The couple in question can then explain to what extent this corresponded to their original conversation!
• The activity can also be followed-up by a writing stage, where students report the speech in writing, and then compare it with the original conversation.

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British Council TeachingEnglish Africa

Reported speech – say and tell.

Author: British Council | Published on 1 November 2022

Stage 1: Present examples

Write these sentences on the board with the words underlined as shown. Ask. “What do you notice about the underlined words in the sentences?”

a) She said they would be late.

b) She told me they would be late.

c) She said to me she was cold.

d) She told me she was cold.

e) “I’m cold,” she said.

To help learners, ask:

•  “What’s the difference between sentence a & b?
•  “What’s the difference between sentence c & d?

Stage 2: Take feedback

Ask learners to share their feedback on what they noticed in the examples. Some key points you might want to share with them include:

• With ‘said’ we don’t need to say who is being spoken to, but with tell we do. (Sentences a & b)
• If you want to say who is being spoken to with ‘said’ you need ‘to’ (Sentence c) 
• We usually use ‘said’ not ‘told’ to introduce direct speech .

Stage 3: Use the grammar

A. say or tell.

Write up some sentences with a choice between ‘say’ and ‘tell’ and say: Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. 

• They said / told us they were coming soon.
• Abdoulaye said / told he loves Ethiopian food.
• What did she say / tell ?
• What did she say / tell you?
• “I’ll be there by 3 o’clock.” he said / told .

b. Matching

Write up some half sentences on the board and say: “Match the correct ending to the correct sentence start.”

1. He saida) me he was sorry.

2. He told b) he was sorry.

3. She saida) to me that she had finished her homework.

4. She toldb) me that she had finished her homework.

5. She saida) him she was tired.

6. She toldb) “I’m tired.”

7. He saida) her he liked her.

8. He toldb) to her that he liked her.

c. An interview

Choose a learner to come and sit at the front of the class. Say: Ask <learner’s name> some questions about their hobby. The other learners interview the learner sitting at the front for a few minutes.

Put the learners in groups and say: “Now try and remember what <learner’s name> said and write up a short report about the interview.”

In large classes, you can do this in groups rather than as a whole class activity.

Direct speech : a sentence in which the exact words spoken are reproduced in speech marks

• Reported speech