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Question
Reported speech in Extended practice.
Read the dialogue between Mr Coomer (Mr C), the British Scholarship Officer, and an applicant, Miss Reena Banerjee (R).
Mr C : Come in, Miss Banerjee.
R : Thank you.
Mr C : Please sit down. Can I get you a cup of coffee or a cold drink?
R : Yes thank you. A cold drink, please.
Mr C : I’m just going to ask you a few questions. How long have you been studying English?
R : I’ve had private as well as school lessons for 14 years.
Mr C : Just as background information, what do you do in your spare time?
R : I’ve always enjoyed drama, and also debating.
Mr C : Why do you wish to obtain a scholarship to study in Britain?
R : Well, I’m interested in studying Immigration Law, and there are several good colleges in Britain dealing with his.
Mr C : Very interesting. Finally, do you know that the grant only covers teaching fees?
What about your living expenses?
R : My sister will pay for my personal expenses.
Mr C : Well, Miss Banerjee, we’ll be writing to you next week. Thank you for coming.
Reena meets her friend, Latha, after the interview. She is very excited and tells Latha exactly what happened. Fill in the spaces using reported speech.
Fill in the [boxes] with reporting verbs.


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Solution
Reena : I think it went quite well. The interviewer was very pleasant.
Latha : What did he ask you?
Reena : Well, first of all he [offered] me a drink. Of course I [accepted] because my
throat was dry ! Then he [told] me he was just going to ask a few questions.
He asked me how long I had been studying English.
Latha : What did you reply?
Reena : I [replied] that I’d had prwate as well as school lessons for 14 years— which is more or less true.
Next, he [asked] what I did in my spare time and I [replied] I that I had always enjoyed drama and debating.
Latha : Did he ask why you had applied?
Reena : I’mjust getting to that ! Yes, he did. [said] I was interested in studying Immigration Law because there were lots of excellent colleges in Britain teaching this.
Latha : Very good answer.
Reena : Yes, he said it was vevy interesting. Finally, he [warned] me that the grant only covered teaching fees and [asked] me about living expenses. [assured] him that my sister would pay for my personal / living expenses.
Latha : What happens now?
Reena : He said they would be writing to me following week.
Latha : I do hope you get it!
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Here is a story about Swami and his grandmother. After reading the excerpt, change it into a conversation between Swami and his Grandmother.
After the night meal with his head on his granny’s lap, nestling close to her, Swaminathan felt very snug and safe in the faint atmosphere of cardamom and cloves. ‘Oh, Granny !’ he cried ecstatically. ‘You don’t know what a great fellow Rajam is.’ He told her the story of the first enmity between Rajam and Mani and the subsequent friendship.
‘You know, he has a real police dress,’ said Swaminathan. ‘Is it? What does he want a police dress for?’ asked Granny.
‘His father is the Police Superintendent. He is the master of every policeman here.’ Granny was impressed. She said that it must be a tremendous office indeed. She then recounted the days when her husband, Swaminathan’s grandfather, was a powerful sub-magistrate, in which office he made the police force tremble before him and the fiercest dacoits of the place flee. Swaminathan waited impatiently for her to finish the story. But she went on, rambled, confused, mixed up various incidents that took place at different times. ‘That will do, Granny,’ he said ungraciously. ‘Let me tell you something about Rajam. Do you know how many marks he gets in arithmetic?’
‘He gets all the marks, does he, child?’ asked Granny.
‘No silly. He gets ninety marks out of one hundred.’
‘Good. But you must also try and get marks like him…. You know, Swami, your grandfather used to frighten the examiners with his answers sometimes. When he answered a question, he did it in a tenth of the time that others took to do it. And then, his answers would be so powerful that his teachers would give him two hundred marks sometimes.
‘Oh, enough, Granny ! You go on bothering about old unnecessary stories. Won’t you listen to Rajam?’
‘Yes, dear, yes.’
‘Granny, when Rajam was a small boy, he killed a tiger.’
Swaminathan started the story enthusiastically : Rajam’s father was camping in a forest. He had his son with him. Two tigers came upon them suddenly, one knocking down the father from behind. The other began chasing Rajam, who took shelter behind a bush and shot it dead with his gun.
‘Granny, are you asleep?’ Swaminathan asked at the end of the story.
Now read the dialogue and complete the conversation:
Swarni: You don’t know what a great fellow Raj am is! In the beginning I could not get along with him but now he is my good friend. And you know, he has a real police dress.
Grandmother: Is it? What does he want a police dress for?
Swarni: His father is the Police Superintendent. He is the master of every policeman here.
Grandmother: I think, it must be a tremendous office. Do you know, your grandfather was a powerful submagistrate and the Police Force trembled before him? Even the fiercest dacoits of the place fled.
Swarni: That will do, Granny. It’s so boring. Let me tell you something about Raj am. Do you know how many marks he gets in arithmetic?
Grandmother: He gets all the marks, doesn’t he, child?
Answer the following question:
How did Harold come to know that his father was a boxer?
Before you read the story write down the answers to these questions.
Which was the latest book that you read?
Who was the author?
Who were the main characters?
When did you read the book?
How long did you take to complete reading it?
What genre did it belong to?
Why would/wouldn't you recommend it?
Answer the following question briefly.
How did John’s first meeting with Jessie’s father go? What did the author tell him?
Answer the following question.
Why is the rain divine?
Complete the following sentences about the poem.
- In the first stanza, the poet refers to four pieces of evidence: large shoes, a long bed, the Bible, fields cluttered with boulders and a leaky barn. This leads the poet to conclude that ‘the man of the house’ was ________________
- I think that the child was probably about six years old because_____________ .
- The poet suggests that a woman lived in the farmhouse because______________ .
- The family probably left the farmhouse because____________________________ .
The term irony refers to a discrepancy, or disagreement, of some sort. The
discrepancy can be between what someone says and what he or she really
means. on verbal irony. The discrepancy can be between a situation that one
would logically anticipate or that would seem appropriate and the situation that
actually develops or situational irony. The discrepancy can even be between the
facts known to a character and the facts known to us, the readers or audience or
dramatic irony.
Working in groups of four complete the following table. Find instances of irony from the play
and justify them.
| Extract | Justification |
| I believe you want to convert me; save my soul, don’t you call it? Well, it’s no good………. see? I don’t want any damned religion. ● ________________________________ ●_________________________________ |
Later, the convict says, “its a queer thing to ask, but-could you, would you bless me before I go.” ●______________________________ ●______________________________ |
| ● Why the devil do you leave the window unshuttered and the door unbarred so that anyone can come in? ’ ●__________________________________ ●__________________________________ |
If the door had been barred the convict couldn’t have entered the house. ______________________________ ●______________________________ |
| ● My mother gave them to me on………………………. on her death bed just after you were bom, and…………….. and she asked me to keep them in remembrance of her, so I would like to keep them. ● _______________________________ ● _______________________________ |
Later he hands the convict the candlesticks and tells him to start a new life. ● _________________________ ● __________________________ |
The news
(a) Narendra Singh – broke record – long jump – regional meet – Principal sent congratulations – also President Youth Federation
(b) Narendra Singh from St. Michael’s School has broken the regional long jump record. The principal of St. Michael’s has sent his congratulations. Best wishes have also come from the President of the Youth Federation.
_________________________________________
Exchange notes with your partner. Read out your partner’s information as a news broad¬cast. Use the present perfect tense to report I express actions completed in the recent past but whose effect still remains.
Use your imagination to make the news item sound exciting
The Indian Rhinoceros: Where are they? Do they have a future?
We are very materialistic and are often lured into buying and using clothes and articles made from animal skin and other organs.
Here's a shopping list ....... .

The list seems endless, doesn't it? Are these things not shameful enough to set us pondering deeply over the harm that we are inflicting on nature's creations?
1. Why is the list 'most shameful'?
2. What is the name of the organisation that has been formed to protect and conserve wildlife?
3. Name at least ten other animals that are being exploited by man for commercial purposes. Surf the net to get your information and complete the following table
| Animal | Part of the body used | Product |
| 1. | ||
| 2. | ||
| 3. | ||
| 4. | ||
| 5. | ||
| 6. | ||
| 7. | ||
| 8. | ||
| 9. | ||
| 10. |
In pairs, match A and B to produce likely phrases.
| A | B |
| A(n)
Some A pair of A piece of |
horse |
There is sometimes more than one sensible combination as in the example.

As a class, you will need to follow these steps
a. Decide the length of your programme
b. Select two lively presenters whose job is to:
• discuss and agree with other students on their proposals for the programme.
• fix the duration of each item.
• ensure that the programme has enough variety of content.
• decide the sequence of items.
• supervise the script for each item.
• present the programme in a lively manner.
Now enjoy performing/ watching the show.
Look at the text below. The sentences have been jumbled up. Write them in order out to produce a complete paragraph. The first sentence has been given to help you.
(a) To conclude, like many things in life it is up to the individual to use TV wisely, or to abuse it and become its slave.
(b) By contrast, those who attack TV state that it makes people lazy by doing everything for them.
(c) Television is here to stay.
(d) In other words, it stifles rather than stimulates the imagination.
(e) Defenders of TV say that it is a wonderful source of information about things we can never hope to see or do in person.
(f) Moreover, they say it makes topics interesting which would otherwise be boring and difficult in books. .
(g) However, is it a boon or a curse?
(h) In fact, it has become an indispensable part of our lives.
(a) Television is here to stay. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(b) What helped you to put the sentence back in the correct order?
Answer the following question by ticking the correct option.
John Douglas had won quite a reputation for himself in Birlstone because of his __________________
Answer the following question by ticking the correct option.
Cecil Barker's first reaction at the sight of the dead Douglas was to _____
Given below is a list or other expressions. Decide what each expression means, by writing D for 'difference' or S for 'similarity' against each. Try to add more expressions to your list and make use of them in writing your article in Question 6.
| Expressions | D or s |
| X is different from Y in that _______ | |
| X and Y are alike in that ______ | |
| X and Y have _____ in common. | |
| Whereas X _________ , Y _____________ | |
| Compared to X, Y ________ | |
| X ____ In contrast, Y ____ | |
| X _____ However, Y _____ | |
| X and Y both |
Read the following dialogue
Raghu : I think one of my snakes has escaped.
Sheela : Isn’t it dangerous? You really must stop collecting snakes, Raghu.
Raghu : But I like snakes – they are unusual pets.
Sheela : But I think it’s a dangerous thing to keep such pets.
Raghu : No, they’re not dangerous; they are really… .er… .quite friendly.
Sheela : Huh, snakes require a great deal of careful handling and are still a risk.
Raghu : i don’t mind. What matters is that I like them.
Sheela : Well, quite frankly, I hate them. They are awfully frightening to look at.
Raghu : Look, I am very careful and I handle them very gently. In fact, I don’t have many.
Sheela : Have you ever been bitten?
Raghu : Well, it’s true I’ve been bitten once or twice, but…
You are a friend who has overheard this conversation between Raghu and Sheela. Write to your sister reporting it. Give the conversation an interesting, unexpected or humorous ending. (The first part has been done for you.)
Janpath
5 January 2016
Dear Varsha
As you’re very interested in Raghu and his snakes, I thought I’d tell you about a conversation I heard between him and Sheela.
He told her he thought one of his snakes had escaped and, as usual, she told him to stop collecting them because they were dangerous. (Typical of Sheela, don’t you think?)
Pronouns
Direct speech indirect speech
| masculine | feminine | plural | |
| i | he | she | they |
| you | he | she | they |
| you | him | her | them |
| your | his | her | their |
| me | him | her | them |
| my | his | her | their |
| myself | himself | herself | themselves |
| we | they | ||
| use | them, their |
WORDS DENOTING TIME AND POSITION
When the reporting verb is in the past tense, certain words denoting nearness of
time and place are changed into words denoting distance.
It is treated necessary to change the words denoting nearness to words denoting
distance because, when we report the words of a person to somebody, the place
and time of the reporting is changed.
So the reported speech must be in line with the modified time and place.
| DIRECT SPEECH | INDIRECT SPEECH |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| now | then |
| ago | before |
| last night |
the previous night the night before |
| next day |
the following day the day after |
| today | the day |
| tonight | that night |
| yesterday |
the previous day the day before |
| tomorrow |
the next day the following day the day after |
| day before yesterday | the day before the previous day or two days before |
| day after tomorrow | the day after the next day ot in two days |
| week | the following week |
| now | then |
| here | there |
Each student will now complete his/her half of the following table (Hockey or Football), by adding information from the text each has read.
| Hockey | Football | |
| Ball : | ||
| Playing Area: | ||
| Duration : | ||
| Judging : | ||
| Penalties : | ||
| Penalty Area : | ||
| Cards : |
Given below is some information about Jesse Owens, one of the most famous athletes of all times. His friend is planning to write his biography. Using information from the table, complete the biography. (The first gap has been completed for you, as an example.)

James Cleveland Owens (J.C. Owens) became famous as Jesse Owens
| 1913 | Birth, Alabama, USA. |
| 1934 | After First World War - goes to school, teachers recognise and develop his athletic talents. |
| 1935 | Six world records |
| 1936 | Berlin Olympics, four gold medals |
| 1950 | Sports experts vote him Greatest Track Athlete of the half Century. |
| 1960 | Another athlete breaks Owens' last Olympic record . |
| 1980 | Dies oflung cancer. |
Jesse Owens was born in Alabama USA, in 1913. He was the youngest often children, and the family lived in a cramped shanty house. After the First World War, the family moved to Cleveland, where his school (1)__________ his talents. He quickly became a local hero. Soon afterwards he gained a place not only at the Ohio State University, but also in the US Olympics team.
On 25th May 1935, Jesse Owens performed athletics' greatest feat when he (2) _________ at the Ohio state University Athletics Championships. A year later, at the Berlin Olympics, his greatness was confirmed; he (3) __________ for 100m, 200m, long jump and sprint relay.
Because of his achievements in track and field events, in 1950 he (4) _______ .His last Olympic record (5) ___________ only in 1960. This great athlete (6) ______________ 1980.
Class discussion
• Is a biography written in a particular order of events?
• Which is the most common tense?
Verbs and Prepositions
Fill in the gaps with suitable prepositions
- You’re right. I agree __________ you.
- The conclusions are based __________ extensive research.
- He arrived __________ Delhi airport at 2 am and then arrived the city at 4 am.
- He angrily shouted __________ the pupil.
- “Remember the party!” she shouted __________ her friend.
- A differs __________ B in a number of ways.
- He applied __________ the teaching job but was turned down.
- She replied __________ his last letter.
- They apologized __________ breaking the vase.
- Do you believe __________ ghosts?
