Teaching Reported Speech

1) Imagine you are the go-between in a relationship between two people who have just
split up. You are delivering a message from one person to the other saying why he/she
wants him/her back. Work in pairs and write your message as a note.
e.g. Dan: “My heart is broken”.
Dan said his heart was broken.
Ann: “I don’t believe him!”
Ann answered she didn’t believe you.
Dan: “I have been thinking of her all the time.”
Dan said he had been thinking of you all the time.
Ann: “He’s lying as usual.”
Ann said you were lying as usual.
Dan: “I can’t sleep because of it.”
Dan said he couldn’t sleep because of it.
Ann: “Take a sleeping pill; it will help you fall asleep.”
Ann gave you that piece of advice to take a sleeping pill; it would help you fell
asleep.
Dan: “I will do anything to have her back”
Dan said he would do anything to have you back.

Read out your message. As a class, decide whose note is the saddest.

2) Work in pairs. Tell each other two lies about other students in the class. E.g. Linda
sleeps with a teddy bear. Mingle and tell each other the lies you heard about them. If you
hear a lie about yourself, confront the liar. If you are accused of lying, deny it.

Diana: Linda, Robert said you slept with your teddy bear.
Linda: Hey, Roberto. Why did you tell Diana I slept with my teddy bear?
Roberto: I didn’t say you slept with your teddy bear now; I said you had slept with a
teddy bear when you were a child.

George cheated at the Math test.

Diana: Gorge, Robert said you had cheated at the Math test.
George: Hey Roberto. Why did you tell Diana I had cheated at the math test?
Robert: I told her you had cheated at the Math test because I saw you.

3) Write some statements. Take turns to contradict me.

e.g. T: I’m married.

 A: But you told me you were not married, you were single.
T: Oh, dear! It’s raining.
B: What?! They said it would be sunny.
T: My brother’s a barman.
C: No way! You said he was a fireman last week.
T: The meeting is on the 20th
D: But you said five minutes ago that the meeting was on the 19th.

Write five similar sentences. In pairs, take turns to read out your sentences and contradict
each other.