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Unit 11: The diary of a double agent
Reported speech

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  1. 1 Pop-ups
  2. 2 Hidden talents
  3. 3 Can't buy me love
  4. 4 Travellers' tales
  5. 5 The colleague from hell
  6. 6 Jurassic mystery: unpacking the past
  7. 7 Career changes
  8. 8 Art
  9. 9 Project management
  10. 10 The dog ate my homework!
  11. 11 The diary of a double agent
  12. 12 Fashion forward
  13. 13 Flat pack skyscrapers
  14. 14 Extreme sports
  15. 15 Food fads
  16. 16 Me, my selfie and I
  17. 17 Endangered animals
  18. 18 A nip and a tuck: cosmetic surgery
  19. 19 I'm really sorry...
  20. 20 Telling stories
  21. 21 Fakes and phrasals
  22. 22 Looking to the future
  23. 23 Becoming familiar with things
  24. 24 From rags to riches
  25. 25 Against the odds
  26. 26 Our future on Mars?
  27. 27 Where is it illegal to get a fish drunk?
  28. 28 Dodgy dating
  29. 29 Annoying advice
  30. 30 I'll have been studying English for thirty weeks

Session 2

He said he loved me… That's an example of reported speech. In this session we learn how to use it with the help of your traveller brother Jarek, and your excitable best friend Sam.

Sessions in this unit

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Session 2 score

0 / 14

  • 0 / 8
    Activity 1
  • 0 / 6
    Activity 2
  • 0 / 0
    Activity 3
  1. Activity 1
  2. Activity 2
  3. Activity 3

Activity 2

Reported questions

The hot date

You've been on a date and your best friend wants to know all about it. To tell her, you're going to need reported speech, including reported questions. Let's take a look at these.

A direct question is: Where are you from?

A reported question is: He asked where I was from.

To form a reported question, you need to follow these steps:

1) Use a reporting verb:

  • He asked where I was from.

2) Repeat the question word:

  • He asked where I was from.

3) Change the pronouns:

  • He asked where I was from.

4) Move the tense back (note: you don't have to move the tense back when you're talking about general truths):

  • He asked where I was from.

5) Use statement word order:

  • He asked where I was from.

Note: Yes/no questions

For yes/no questions, we use if or whether.

Example: Is it two o'clock?

  • She asked if it was two o'clock.
  • She asked whether it was two o'clock.

Read the text and complete the activity

To do

Now it's time to tell your friend all about your date. She wants to know what you asked each other. Which means you have the perfect opportunity to practise reported questions!

Here are some of the questions your date asked you.

"How are you?"

"Are you having a nice time?"

"Where do you live?"

"Can I stay with you tonight?"

"Will you marry me?"

"Can you forgive me?"

Date talk

6 Questions

Can you make reported questions from the questions he asked you on the date? All the sentences start with 'He'. Remember to follow the steps above.

Congratulations you completed the Quiz
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
x / y

Next

It sounds like an exciting date! Time for 6 Minute Grammar with Neil and Catherine. You'll hear a summary of all these points and do a fun quiz. See you there.

Session Grammar

  • Positive

    "I love you."
    He said he loved her.

    "I’ve been working hard."
    She told me that she’d been working hard.

    "I’ll see you later."
    He said he would see me later.

    Negative

    "I didn’t have time to go shopping."
    He said he hadn’t had time to go shopping.

    "I can’t talk to you."
    She told me that she couldn’t talk to me.

    "I wouldn’t want to live in the country."
    He said he wouldn’t want to live in the country.

    Question

    "Where can I buy a hamburger?"
    She asked where she could buy a hamburger.

    "Who must I see at the bank?"
    He asked who he had to see at the bank.

    "Are you going to Leila’s party?"
    She asked if I was going to Leila’s party.

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Session Vocabulary

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