Read, learn and act.
-My French exchange visitor came yesterday.
-What’s her name?
-Marie-Ange.
-What a pretty name! What’s she like?
-She’s really nice. I’m sure we’ll get on really well. We seem to have a lot in common.
-Why do you say that? What does she like doing?
-Well, she likes dancing, and so do I. And we both like tennis and listening to music.
-That sounds great. I saw you with someone this morning. Was it Marie-Ange? What does she look like?
-She’s quite tall, and she’s got long, dark hair.
-No, it wasn’t her, then. Now, we’re all going out tomorrow, aren’t we? Shall we go for a pizza, or shall we go to the cinema? What would she like to do?
-Um, I’ll ask her tonight and tell you tomorrow.
UNIT 21
| Grammar: Reported Questions. Reported Commands, Requests,Suggestions. Topic: My Future Profession Reading:Text. Living by the Sword Talking Points |
GRAMMAR
1.Reported Questions.
Reported Questions are introduced with ask, wonder, inquire, want to know etc. We use affirmative word order and the question mark becomes a full stop. Inverted commas are omitted.
To report a special question we use:
ask + ?/W(who, where, which, when, how, etc.)
e.g. “How can I ever thank you?” she asked. ®She asked howshe could ever thank me.
To report a general question we use:
ask + if/whether
e.g. “Could you tell me how to open the cupboard?” he asked. ® He asked ifI could tell him how to open the cupboard.
Tenses, personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, time words, etc. change as in statements.
2.Reported Commands, Requests, Suggestions.
Reported commands, requests, suggestions are introduced with a special introductory verb (advice, ask, beg, suggest,etc.) followed by a to V, an Vingor that-clause depending on the introductory verb.
e.g. “Bring me the newspaper!” James shouted. ® James told me to bring him the newspaper.
“You destroyed the computer.” ® He accused me of destroyingthe computer.
“You’d better stay home and rest,” the doctor said. ® The doctor suggested thatI (should) stayhome and rest.
EXERCISES
1.Make the following questions indirect. Use “I wondered”, “I wanted to know”, “I asked”.
A.1.Does Jane live in Moscow? 2.Did your brother study at Oxford University? 3.Do you play tennis every day? 4.Have you ever seen the Pyramids of Egypt? 5.Did they teach English literature at school? 6.Are you going to leave tomorrow? 7.Has the mail arrived yet? 8.Have you been talking on the telephone all this time? 9.Will they be meeting you at the station? 10.Are there any questions? 11.Do I have to hand in the paper today? 12.Will it take us long to get there?
B.1.What are you talking about? 2.What other countries would you like to visit? 3.What did the director tell you? 4.What colour was her hair? 5.Where can I see you next time? 6.Why didn’t you come to the party last night? 7.How far is it to Hawaii? 8.How many bedrooms are there in your new house? 9.How long will it take us if we go there by plane? 10.When did it start raining?
2.Use the following requests and commands in the Reported Speech. Begin your sentences with “he told me,” “he ordered,” “he demanded,” “he asked”:
1.Put out the lights when you leave the house. 2.Return these books to the library, please. 3.Leave me alone. 4.Drive the car carefully, please. 5.Put down your name and address here. 6.Don’t forget to call me when you get home. 7.Don’t go out in such bad weather. 8.Don’t be angry with her. 9.Don’t be late for the meeting. 10.Will you help me carry this box? 11.Will you give Mr Smith this message? 12.Can you show me the way out?
3.Report what someone said / did by using one of these verbs:
allow, order, warn, encourage, permit, offer, expect, remind,
forbid, require, promise
M O D E L: Don’t touch the cat! – Mother warned her son not
to touch the cat.
1.Be careful! The road is slippery. 2.You must fill in this application form. 3.I may leave earlier today. 4.We hope they will receive our telegram tonight. 5.Raise your hands and don’t move! 6.Do you remember that we have a meeting on Wednesday? 7.Never touch my papers on the desk. 8.Be sure to come on time. 9.Come, come! You’ll be all right. 10.Shall I help you? 11.I could give you some money if you need. 12.Don’t worry, I’ll be on time.
4.Rewrite into direct speech.
1.He asked me where I lived. 2.He asked her whether she liked New York. 3.She said he was out of town. 4.She said her name was Smith. 5.She said her maiden name had been Jones. 6.He told me not to wait for him. 7.He said that he could not meet us. 8.He asked how much it cost. 9.He told her to leave. 10.He asked whether I had mailed the letter. 11.He said he would be back soon. 12.Mary told John that she preferred sunny days. 13.Kate asked her friend what she liked to do on her days off. 14.The woman told him not to worry and go home quietly. 15.He told me he had bought a ticket the day before. 16.She said that her brother was playing chess with her grandfather. 17.The teacher said that the pupils would read the text the next day. 18.Mother told me not to be late for dinner. 19.Tom asked if Jane would come to the Philharmonic with him. Jane asked at what time he was planning to go. Tom said that it would take them long to get there. Jane asked where they would meet. 20.He asked her if anyone else knew about his arrival.
5.Replace the word said in the sentences by one of the following words. Use each word once only. Rewrite the sentences using Reported Speech.