Reported Speech Excercises

Reported Speech/Direct-Indirect Speech

Reported speech or Direct Indirect speech is a common form of language expression. One needs to pay attention to the basic rules of Reported speech and practice. A question on reported speech often appears at the OL exam ( Sri Lanka). 

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REPORTED SPEECH

Activity 1

A group of children talked about going on a trip during the vacation. Rewrite what they talked in the indirect speech as given in the example. 

Kamal      : I like to visit Kandy.

Banuka    : I visited Kandy last Sunday. 

Manel      : I have never been to Kandy.

Madura    : I will bring my new digital camera. 
Gayan      : I can come with my brother. 

Nayani     : I am not sure if I could come.

  

e.g. Kamal said that he liked to visit Kandy. 

Note: 

When reporting a sentence in the indirect speech, make sure that you pay attention to the reporting verb. The tense of the indirect statement is decided upon by the tense of the reporting verb. 

Banuka said that he had visited Kandy  the previous Sunday. / Manel said that she had  never been to Kandy / Madura said that he would bring his new digital camera. /Gayan said that he could come with his brother. /Nayani said that she was not sure if she could come. 

    

Activity 2:Turn the following sentences into reported speech. 

1. Tony says "I won't be able to join the trip". 
2. My teacher says, "The sun rises in the east". 
3. The principal will say, "All the children must participate in the cleaning up campaign'. 
4. Nuwan has said, " I am going to buy a new video camera". 
5. The girls say, " We will win the match".

👉Note: 
When the reporting verb is in the 
1. Simple Present Tense (e.g. Says/say)
2. Simple Future Tense (e.g. Will say)
3. Present Perfect Tense 
 (e .g. has/have said)
the tense of the direct speech does not change. 
e.g.  He says"I watched cartoons"
        He says that he watched cartoons. 
In the above example the reporting verb is 'says': Simple Present Tense. Hence when it is reported the tense of the direct statement which is Simple Past Tense remains unchanged in the indirect statement. Now study the second example.

e.g. He said, "I watched cartoons".
        He said that he had watched cartoons.

In the second example, the reporting verb is 'said': Simple Past Tense. Hence when it is reported the tense of the direct statement changes as you note in the example given. 
 So before reporting a statement ,first and foremost, pay your attention to the reporting verb or the introductory verb. 
 However it must be noted that what I have mentioned could be ignored when reported speech is used in real life situations. But do not confuse such situations with exam questions. 

Sajendra Kumara
 Sbec  - Nittambuwa, Sri Lanka
Tony says that he will not be able to join the trip/  My teacher says that the sun rises in the east. / Principal will say that all the children have to participate in the cleaning up campaign. / Nuwan has said that he is going to buy a new video camera. / The girls say that they will win the match.

Activity 3
Turn the following sentences into indirect speech. 

1. Tom told Ann , "You cannot understand what I have got in my mind, Ann". 
2. Sally said, "I came your home to borrow your English note book, Peter."
3. Mrs. Brown told Mr. Thomas, "My daughter wants your help to apply for a course in a foreign university".
4. Binod said, "The kitten you gave me last month died of some sudden illness, Ram".
5. Juliet told her friend Portia, "I'm going to marry your cousin brother Tybolt next month". 
5. Ann said, " I watched a nice movie last night."

Answers: Tom told Ann that she could not understand what he had got in his mind. / Sally said that she had come Peter's home  to borrow his English note book. / Mrs. Brown told Mr. Thomas that his daughter wanted his help to apply for a course in a foreign university. / Binod said that the kitten Ram had given him the previous month had died of some sudden illness. /  Juliet told her friend Portia that she was going to marry Portia's cousin brother Tybolt the following month. / Ann said that she had watched a nice movie the previous month. 

Sajendra Kumara
Sbec- Nittambuwa, Sri Lanka
           
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REPORTED SPEECH VIDEO

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Activity 4
Binod lost his new fountain pen. Rewrite what they spoke in indirect speech. The first one has been done for you. 

Binod:   "I have lost my fountain pen."
Ravi:     "I  can lend you my pen." 
Wijith:   " I saw your pen on the teacher's table in the last 
                 period." 
Sandria: "I will buy you a new pen." 
Romesh: " I have the money to buy a new pen."
Nayani:   " My mother bought me a fountain pen last week." 

e.g. : Binod said that he had lost his fountain pen. 
Sajendra Kumara
Nittambuwa - Sri Lanka
Answers
Ravi said that he could lend him his pen. / Wijitha said that he had seen his pen on the teacher's table in the previous period. / Sandria said that she would buy him a new pen. / Romesh said that he had the money to buy a new pen. / Nayani said that her mother had bought her a fountain pen the week before. 

Activity 5

Sajith met Nuwan at the bus stop last evening.  Given below is what they talked.  Nuwan made a note of their meeting in his dairy. Read the dialogue and comeplete the diary note with the help of their conversation. 


Sajith: Hi! Nice to see you.
Nuwan: Hi! Sajith nice to see you, too. What brought you here?    Sajith: I went to the hospital to see my grandmother. 
Nuwan: What's wrong with her? 
Sajith: She fell ill suddenly yesterday night. 
Nuwan: Is she O.K. now? 
Sajith: Not quite OK. They will transfer her to Colombo for a scan. 
Nuwan: Can I know her ward number? 
Sajith: Ward 7. 
Nuwan: I want to visit her. 
Sajith: OK. I'll inform you if  she is transferred to Colombo for the scan. 

DIARY NOTE: 
I met Sajth this evening at the bus stop after a long time. Sajith said that he 1)............. to the hospital to see his grandmother. He said that she had suddenly 2) ............... ill the previous night. When I asked 3)..............  OK ,he said that they  4) .................  her to Colombo for a scan.  I told Sajith that 5) .................. her. He told me that he would inform me if she was transferred to Colombo for the scan.

had gone / fallen/ if she was / would transfer / I wanted to visit  

Sajendra Kumara 

Activity  6: 

The following reported statements are wrong. Rewrite them correctly. 

1. Mithun said, " I would like to eat an ice cream". 
➤ Mithun said that I will like to eat an ice cream. 
😐 .............................
2. Romesh said, " My uncle bought a new car last week."
➤ Romesh said that he uncle bought a new car the following week. 
😐 ..............................................
3. Mrs. Renuka told me, " I want to talk with your mother." 
➤ Mrs. Renuka told me that she wants to talk with her mother. 
😐 .............................................................
4. Tony says, "I'm going to follow a computer course."
➤ Tony says that he was going to follow a computer course. 
😐 .....................................................
5. Mr. Gayan said, " I did not understand the lesson yesterday". 
➤ Mr. Gayan said that he had not understand the  lesson the following day. 
😐......................................................        
Sajendra Kumara
Answers: Mithun said that he would like to eat an icecream. Romesh said that his uncle had bought a new car the previous week. Mrs,Renuka told me that she wanted to talk with my mother. Tony says that he is going to follow a computer course. Mr.Gayan said that he had not undesrstood the lesson the previous day.  


Activity : 7 

Write in indirect speech what Mrs. Lalitha told her students last Monday. 

1. "I'm going to organize a field trip soon"

2. " You will have a parents' meeting before the trip" 

3. " I have to discuss the trip with the principal." 

4. "All the students must participate in the trip." 

5. " You have to write a report after the trip." 

6. " I will inform the date of the trip after the discussion." 

e.g. Mrs. Lalitha said that she was going to organize a field trip soon. 

Mrs. Lalitha said that she had to discuss the trip with the principal. 

Mrs. Lalitha said that all the students must/ had to participate in the trip.

Mrs. Lalitha said that the students / they would have to write a report after the trip. 

Mrs. Lalitha said that she would inform the date of the trip after the discussion  

Mrs. Lalitha said they would have a parents' meeting before the trip. 

Activity: 8 

Read the following conversation between Sugath and Ajith , and complete the paragraph. 

Sugath: Why didn't you come to school yesterday? 

Ajith: I had a party at home. I went to bed late.  

Sugath: Mrs. Theja started a new grammar lesson yesterday and she also told us to write an essay. 

Ajith: Can you lend me your English note book? I will return it tomorrow. 

 👨👩

Sugath asked Ajith why he 1)................... to school the day before. Ajith replied that he 2)........................ a party at home and he 3)....................... to bed late. Sugath told Ajith that Mrs. Theja 4)......................... a new grammar lesson the previous day and she also had told them to write an essay. Then Ajith asked if Sugath 5)........................ him his English note book. He said that he 6).................................... .  

 had not come / had had / had gone / had started / could lend / would return it the next day. 

Activity 9

 would not attend Aruni's party /   had to attend another party /was going to sing some songs at the party / had not been invited to the party / he could come late.        

INFORMAL and FORMAL LETTERS FOR OL

Panchathanthra Stories For Children| Fables

Panchathanthra is a collection of Sanskrit fables written by the Indian scholar , teacher and writer Vishnu Sharma. 

The stories published below have been selected and adapted to suit the young reader. 

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                                    Vishnu Sharma

Story 1

        The Educated Fools

👴 Moral: [Pride goes before a fall: If you are too confident about your abilities something bad could happen. It shows that you are not as good as you think. ]

Once upon a time there lived four Brahmin friends. Three among them were well educated in Vedic scriptures  and other fields. However, they lacked intelligence.  The fourth friend was uneducated but he excelled in intelligence. 

One day, the four friends were engaged in a serious conversation with regard to their future.  They said they couldn't make proper use of their educatedness by staying in their home country.  So, they decided to serve some other king in the East and make their future better. 

Thus, as discussed, the four friends left home early in the morning the very next day. They walked in the direction of the east. 

On the way, the first Brahmin friend stopped and expressed his concern over the  fourth Brahmin friend who was uneducated. 

The second Brahmin friend added, " Yes,  we cannot share our hard earned wealth  with someone who is uneducated." 

The third Brahmin who felt sympathetic for their good old friend said, "We've been friends since our childhood. We've always been together.  Therefore, it's my opinion that  a part of our wealth should go to him as well." 

The four friends resumed the journey. On the way, they had to walk through a dense jungle infested with most ferocious wild animals. The four friends being tired after walking a long distance, decided to rest a  while under a huge shady tree. 

The friends who observed the surrounding noted some skeletal remains. Upon closer examination, they realized that they were those of a lion died a few years ago. 

The educated friends thought that it was an opportunity to show how educated they were by putting together the bones and bringing the dead beast back to life. 

Thus they set about working.  The first Brahmin friend fixed the bones. The second Brahmin friend fed the skeleton with flesh and blood. Finally, when the third Brahmin friend got ready to blow life into the lion the fourth friend, the uneducated one , who was watching all this drama with horror and surprise , intervened  and said , " Stop! Stop! What do you think you are going to do? You are going to bring a ferocious  beast back to life.  The moment it is alive, it'll definitely kill the four of us. If you  love your life, don't do this." 

The third friend who was furious to hear this said , "Go away uneducated fool and let me show everyone the power of my knowledge." 

.................................................................................

👉Read in English while listening to the story in Sinhala. Watch the Video below . Please Subscribe the Channel for more.

The fourth friend said, "Well, then ,  wait just one minute until I climb up this tree. " 

 The fourth friend climbed up the tree in a flash.  The third friend blew life into the dead lion.  The lion sprang up with a loud roar, killed the three friends and disappeared into the jungle." 

The fourth friend watched all this in agony. He was shocked to see the three good friends lying dead under the tree  torn into pieces.  He walked back home mourning the death of his  three friends. 

The Red Rose: A Short Story ( Based on a True College Incident)

 The Red Rose: A (True) Short Story

  (Based on a true incident) 

  Daily News: August 3, 2011

     "Sir, I found this rose on my desk", the little girl chirped as I took my eyes off the Grade 9 attendance register. 

     Susima was the prettiest in my class. Her gleaming eyes could easily steal the young heart. Her jet black hair which she wore in one plait was often decorated with a red ribbon put into a butterfly knot. 

    It was about 7.20 a.m. As it was Monday, I had to take the children to the playground for the morning assembly. 

   "Put it in the vase, dear. Go, hurry up, help them arrange the class before the bell goes.", I said. The girl deposited the little red rose among the bunches of marigolds and joined the girls busy arranging the desks and chairs. 

  The little red rose did not catch anyone's attention. It remained in the vase even when I returned in the last period.

    The following morning a sudden rain delayed me to school than usual. As I was walking towards the class I saw Susima  standing at the entrance with her hands behind. It appeared that she was waiting for my arrival. 

Good morning Susima," I greeted the girl as I walked straight to my table since my bag was too heavy with books and files. I felt Susima following me. No sooner than I sat down at the table, I found Susima standing in front of me with a red rose in her hand. 

  "You've found another red rose on your desk Susie. This is interesting", I said. 

  "Yes, sir. I came a little early, and I found this on my desk", replied Susima placing it in my hand and walked away. 

 I turned the red rose round holding it with the stem and gently ran my fingertips on its soft petals which were still afresh. 

 Apparently some hand had picked it early that morning. It was not difficult for my fingertips to catch its raw wetness. 

 Roses! I do love them, too, as much as the hand that picked it for Susie or perhaps even more. Several varieties of them decorate my home garden under the good care and attention of my wife. They need proper attention for healthy growth. The velvet bunch of petals huddled together has a mesmerizing effect on anyone. It is as soft as the budding love deep in the heart of a lover. The scarlet hue at the bosom of the rose rightly mingles with the innocent romantic feelings of a lover. 

 The morning bell woke me up from the reverie. There was the usual din in the class until the second bell went for the religious observances. I kept the rose next to the vase as it was already stuffed with an assortment of flowers, and rose from the chair.

 A brief pin drop silence reigned the college followed by the recital of the five precepts. Quite unknowingly my eyes were cast on little Susima who was engrossed in reciting the gathas devdevotedly with her palms nicely pressed together akin to a rose bud hanging from a twig.

 Susima's mysterious rose started haunting my mind. However much I tried to supress it and get about my work it surfaced like a rubber ball pressed into the water. 

 I am a teacher with twenty years of teaching experience. I have spent nearly half of my life with children. I have faced a multitude of experiences involving children throughout my career. Susima was just one among the hundreds of pretty little damsels in the long list of pupils I have taught so far.

 Yet for the first time this apparently petty incident was encroaching my heart and mind. If it was really Susima or the mysterious red roses which found their  way on to her desk that attracted me so much, I couldn't understand. 

 The following morning , I left home to school a little early. There was Susima again at the entrance to the class. My eyes first fell on her hands and then on her face. I was correct ; the stranger had kept the third too on her desk. She silently kept the rose in my hand. 

 Yet this time it was not the Susima who brought me the first and the second rose. She was on the verge of tears. Her lips were quivering as if to supress a loud cry. 

  I walked to my table and kept the flower on my books. Susima followed and stood in front of me. By then, tears were trickling down her cheeks.

 "Sir, the girls are laughing at me. They are calling me 'Rosy Susie'. Please! Stop it sir!". She emptied her heart sobbing. I almost heard her palpitations as she was breathing so fast. Her hanky was wet with tears. 

  There were some girls in the class on this occasion. They were giggling , pushing each other , looking slyly at Susima while sweeping the class. The boys were out in the playground. Girls envied Susima because of her attractive appearence. Hene this incident was more than what they needed to tease the girl. They were all out to derive some wild pleasure out of this small incident. 

  With just a frown I showed them my disapproval and the giggling came to an abrupt end. The girls were seen engaged in their classroom duties as if nothing happened. I nodded to Susima to go back to her desk. Susima ran to her desk and burried her head in her arms. However , later she was seen chatting with some girls in front of the class. Yet there was a shroud of gloom hanging over her face. 

 The term tests being over , I spent most part of the day marking papers in my class. My presence in the class would probably have served in guarding her from any unwanted remarks from girls. 

   That day I thoroughly determined to find the architect of this whole drama. I also was twitching with curiosity till I found the culprit. 

 After much thoughts, I determined not to reveal this incident to any of my collegues. I did not want to make this matter a cause for amusement and embarrass little Susima and her secret , yet unkown , admirer. 

 I hate to see elders deriving pleasure by getting hold of innocent teenage romantic expressions. 

When such incidents fall into their ears, especially the ladies , they cling to them , perhaps , for couple of weeks or even more. They have a knack for making mountains out of molehills and modify small incidents to suit their desired tastes. 

  I did not talk with my family on that day. I avoided company as much as possible. Though I sat in front of the TV as uusual to watch news, I did not really remember what she read so loud and clear. 

 That night I saw Susima in my dream. She was standing at her desk with a red rose pressed to her bosom. On seeing me entering the class she flicked it under the desk. When I demanded her what  she hid under the desk she broke down and cried aloud. Just then I woke up to hear the alarm hammering into my ears. 

 I left home earlier than usual on that day. I wanted to be in the class before anyone of my students turned up. First, I made sure that there was no one in the class. Then I walked up to Susima's desk and observed every inch of it. 

 Thus after completing the initial step of my operation I left for the staff room, as planned , which was located well within the sight of my classroom. I moved a chair and sat down focusing my eyes on the entrance to the classroom. 

 A few nail biting moments ticked away. I heard some footsteps falling on the gravel. That was my class monitor Bevan. 

 Bevan was an obedient boy from a well-to-do family. He was tall for age and usually came to class smartly dressed. He performed his duties to the letter. He had never been in the bad books of teachers.

  After a few minutes, I dashed into the classroom. The little thief was caught red handed. 

 Bevan my class monitor was sitting at Susima's desk. A red rose with a leaf on its stem was already lying on the Susima's desk. He was taken aback by my surprise appearance. He stood transfixed gazing at me for a while. Then, slowly, he picked up the rose with shivering fingers. 

 "Bevan! Then you are the one, Susie's secret lover", I said. The boy proceeded a few steps towards me with the red rose in his hand. He reminded me of little Oliver Twist who walked up to the official with his empty bowl to ask for more. 

 Bevan's eyes pleaded guilty. He was standing in front me with his eyes glued to the ground. 

 "What's the meaning of this, my boy?", I asked.

"Sorry sir!, That's all because I LOVE Susima. Please, don't let her know it. It'll not happen again," muttered the little boy in one breath and dropped the flower at my feet. Then, he looked guiltily at me with tears in eyes and bolted out of the class. 

  I picked up the rose, kept it in my vase and waited for Susima to come to class. But Susima did not come to school on that day. 

 I took that 'precious red rose' home and placed it on my reading table. 

Sajendra Kumara

(Published in The Daily News (Sri Lanka ) ARTSCOPE magazine on Wednesday, the 3rd August, 2011)

The names of the two children in the subject incident are imaginary. 

👦👧Note: 

There are many young boys and girls like Bevan and Susima in our colleges. You need to handle their feelings quite gently and with much maturity. 

I faced this experience when I was serving at a school in Gampaha Education Zone. The incident left an indelible impression on me. The girl is a teacher today. I do not know anything about the boy. Later, I decided to turn this beautiful incident into a story and a poem. The poem was also carried in the Daily News. 

The above 👆 module contains all types of test activities for Question - 6 of the OL English paper. It can easily be used as a handbook for classroom teaching or as a self-study guide.

Geography English Medium Grade 6

 

Blogger's note: 

This page will be an extra resource for reference for both Grade 6 English Medium teachers and students. I hope to publish here posts relevant to each unit in the Pupil's Book and extra worksheets for classroom work. Keep in touch. I appreciate your comments. 

Sajendra Kumara

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Children , their education and School

Introducing school as an institute. 

ENGLISH ACTIVITIES FOR GRADE 7

 Competency Based Extended Activities for classroom teaching. 

Sajendra Kumara

TP:0777597875

The activities posted on this blog page are related to the Grade 7 pupils' book. I hope the extra activities I will continue to publish here will benefit both the teacher and the student. The activities are free and you can use them in classroom language teaching. I have carefully created the activities to suit the standard of all the students. 

About the blogger: 

I am a Sri Lankan teacher of English with over 30 years of teaching experience. I have more than 35 blog pages created for the English language learner. The blog pages contain activities for Grade 11, literature , grammar activities , past papers etc. 

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