We use reported/indirect speech when someone said something and we need to tell it to others.
We use common reporting verbs such as ‘say’ and ‘tell’ or ‘ask’ if the direct speech is in a form of a question. Since we are talking about something that happened in the past, we use the past tense of the reporting verbs such as ‘said’, ‘told’, ‘asked’, etc.
It is optional to use the conjunction ‘that’ in a reported speech.
In reported speech, we usually use a tense that is one tense back in time from the tense in direct speech.
Examples:
Present Simple
Past Simple
“We like dancing”, they said.
They said (that) they liked dancing.
“I travel a lot”, Ana said
Ana said (that) she travelled a lot.
Present Continuous
Past Continuous
“I am drinking wine”, he told them.
He told them (that) he was drinking wine.
“We are playing outside”, John said.
John said (that) they were playing outside.
Present Perfect
Past Perfect
“We haven’t done our homework”, they said.
They said (that) they hadn’t done their homework.
“I have been to Barcelona”, she told me.
She told me (that) she had been to Barcelona.
Simple Past
Past Perfect
“Jane finished her work on Monday”, they said.
They said (that) Jane had finished her work on Monday.
“I lived in Catalonia for ten years”, he said.
He said he had lived in Catalonia for ten years.
However, when Past Perfect is used in the direct speech, no verb change is needed.
Past Perfect
Past Perfect
We had taken some lessons before”, they said.
They said (that) they had taken some lessons before.
“She had just returned from school”, she explained.
She explained (that) she had just returned from school.
Future Tense
Present Conditional
He said, “I will be in Los Angeles on Sunday”.
He said (that) he would be in Los Angeles on Sunday.
“We will sing at the concert next month”, they said.
They said (that) they would sing at the concert next month.
Future Continuous
Conditional Continuous
They said, “We‘ll be staying at home next weekend”.
They said (that) they would be staying at home next weekend.
“I won’t be attending the party tomorrow”, she said.
She said (that) she would not be attending the party tomorrow.
If what was said is still true, it’s not always needed to change the tense.
“The sky is blue”, Ana said.
Ana said the sky is blue.
“We go to the school near the church”, they said.
They said (that) they go to the school near the church.
Memories make us who we are. They hold very important knowledge about our lives. They provide us with a sense of self and make up our continual experience of life.
They have a fundamental role in all learning because they let you store and retrieve the information that you learn. However, for some people, it is difficult to retain things they’ve read or learned but they easily remember some of the most trivial information.
Let’s listen to the audio below to find out why we tend to forget the things we learn.
With work getting very demanding nowadays, certain groups of workers are affected by some work arrangements. Parents can easily get away with leaving work early, getting extra days off, or not showing up because of domestic duties. The pressure to cover certain hours or work loads now falls on workers without kids.
Little by little, non-parents feel as if their voices or needs are not as important or respected as those of the parents. They believe that they also deserve the same benefits or leeway that the companies give parents.
Read the article below to see the differences in the work setup that non-parents experience and what they yearn for from the management.
Flight attendants must maintain a certain look. We usually see flight attendants in a business jacket with either pants, skirt, or dress, hair neatly pulled back, all made-up, and wearing heels. However, flight attendants of a Ukrainian airline told their company they are not happy wearing heels and tight skirts anymore.
Listen to this audio and read the transcript about flight attendants’ new way of dressing.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are living organisms that have had their genes altered in some way. Genetic engineering can be done with plants, animals, or even bacterias.
In Iceland, researchers are growing genetically modified barley plants inside a greenhouse to create lab-grown meat. They believe that this cutting-edge approach can lower costs, enhance food production and quality, and eliminate dependence on live animals.
Let’s watch the video to learn more about the process of genetically modifying barley plants to grow meat.
What are your thoughts on this process of genetically modifying plants to create lab-grown meat?
Do you think GM food is safe to eat? Explain your stand.
People in the US have been eating genetically modified food for many years without ill effects. Why do you think some people in the rest of the world still have doubts?
Is GM experimentation “unnatural”? Are all “unnatural” things bad? Elaborate on your stand.
How can GM food solve the global problem on food shortage?
Do you sometimes wish it could be summer all year round? Summer times are relaxing and fun. But as delightful as it is, we need the other seasons as well.
The different amounts of sunlight around the Earth during the year creates the seasons. The Earth’s orbit, rotation on its axis, and its tilt are all the reasons for spring, winter, autumn, and summer.
Listen to this audio and read the transcript about the four seasons.
What’s your favorite season? What do you like about it?
What is the best season to visit your country and why?
Does summer feel hotter than it used to? Is autumn shorter or longer? How have the seasons changed?
Do you always shop for new clothes when the season changes? Why or why not?
If you could eliminate one season so that it no longer existed, which would you choose?
John Steinbeck said, “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” Do agree that we need winter so that we appreciate summer? Explain your thoughts.
If you browsed the internet in 2019, you would have probably heard of Team Trees, a campaign started by Mr. Beast and Mark Rober, two very famous content creators found on YouTube. This campaign showed that the younger generation still care about Earth’s environment and they have done it again.
Every 1 US dollar donated to this campaign, 1 pound of trash will be removed from the ocean. Many content creators are supporting this campaign and as of writing, #TeamSeas has already gathered $14,379,559.00 in donations.
Let us find out what #TeamSeas is about by watching the video below.
Discussion Questions:
Do you think #TeamSeas will reach its goal of 30 Million US dollars?
If you had spare money, would you donate to this amazing cause?
In your opinion, will #TeamSeas help the planet?
Based on this campaign, do you think it’s possible that there will be 90% less trash in the ocean by 2040? Is it possible, in your opinion?
Must and Have to are modal verbs that show necessity, obligation and prohibition. They have little differencesin their usage.
‘Must’ is used to imply that the obligation is personal. It is an obligation the speaker sets for himself. We can only use this form in the present and in the future.
Basic sentence structure:
subject + auxiliary verb must + main verb base
subject
auxiliary verb (must)
main verb (base form)
She
must
go
now.
Examples:
I must finish this task. (Finishing the task is an obligation the speaker took on himself)
I must go. (obligation set by the speaker)
I must learn how to drive. (obligation set by the speaker)
‘Have to’ also implies obligation. However, this obligation is something external. It is something someone else asked the speaker to do and the speaker cannot change it. We can use this form in the past, the present and the future.
Basic sentence structure:
subject + auxiliary verb + have + to-infinitive
subject
auxiliary verb
Main verb (have)
to-infinitive
Past Simple
She
had
to leave
early.
Present Simple
I
have
to eat
fast.
Future Simple
They
will
have
to meet
soon.
Examples:
I have to send the report as soon as possible. (Sending the report is a duty given to the speaker.)
They had to stay there longer. (They were required to stay longer)
I have to leave now. (Leaving now is required of the speaker)
For the question form, it is more common to use “have to’ than ‘must’. It is used to ask if something is required or an obligation.
Why do you have to go? – more common
Why must you go? – less common
Does he have to drive? – more common
Must he drive? – less common
What do we have to say? – more common
What must we say? – less common
The negative forms of these two have different meanings.
The negative form of ‘must’ is ‘must not’. It shows that something is not allowed.
He mustn’t sleep at work.
You must not leave the house.
They must not stay outside.
The negative form of ‘have to’ is ‘don’t have to’. It shows that something is not necessary but you can do it if you want to.
