Extension Exercises

Index | Chapter 17 - Reported and direct speech | Possible Answers

Exploring language

Find two or three short newspaper articles in which there is some reporting of what was said and/or ask someone to tell you about a conversation that you know they have had with someone else (if possible record and transcribe part of this). Study the reporting carefully or listen carefully to language and answer these questions:

1. What is the balance between direct speech and reporting?
2. To what extent do they summarise and interpret what was said in the process of reporting?
3. What kinds of reporting verbs do they choose?

Course materials

Choose one or more coursebooks which teach aspects of reported speech and analyse the relevant sections.

1. What use is made of texts in which speech is reported naturally (i.e. summarised, interpreted or commented on by the person who is reporting)?
2. How strict or flexible is the material in requiring learners to apply mechanical rules for changing:
   • tenses?
   • ways of expressing time and place?
   • word order?
   • names, pronouns and possessive adjectives?
3. What kinds of practice activities are there for the students?
   • Are they asked to summarise stretches of speech or conversation in their own words?
   • Are they asked to transform isolated sentences from reported to direct speech or vice versa?
4. How effective do you consider this material to be?