10th april

Climate Change and environmentalism

Speaking: The Future of our Planet

Language:  reporting verbs

Language: click here

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2004/climate_change/default.stm

Grammar: Reported speech  

Indirect Speech (also known as Reported Speech) refers to a sentence reporting what someone has said. It is almost always used in spoken English.

If the reporting verb (i.e. said) is in the past, the reported clause will be in a past form. This form is usually one step back into the past from the original.

For example:

• 
  She said her job was interesting.
• She said she went to the library each day.
• Our new colleague said he spoke French every day.

If simple present, present perfect or the future is used in the reporting verb (i.e. says) the tense is retained. For example:

• She says that her job is interesting.
• She says that she goes to the library each day.
• Our new colleague will say that he speaks French every day.

If reporting a general truth the present tense will be retained or even the future tense can be used. For example:

• She said that her country is very beautiful.
• They said that trust is vital for any business.
• My wife said that she will always love me no matter what.

Now read the following story and find the indirect speech expressions in italics.

"Say it again"

"I'm just popping out to put the car away in the garage. I've left it in the road." — I told my wife that I just was popping out to put the car away in the garage as I had left it in the road. "You be careful. Remember you've had a lot to drink and the police are having a particular purge at the moment in drink driving." — She told me to be careful and reminded me that I had a lot to drink and that the police have a particular purge at the time on drink driving. She is very law-abiding, my wife.

I shut the front door and as I walked down the garden path, I noticed someone standing by the car. It was a policeman. "Very pleasant weather for the time of year." — He pointed out the pleasantness of the weather for the time of year. "Oh er - yes. Absolutely". I hesitated and agreed wholeheartedly. "Is this your car, sir". — He asked me whether it was my car.

"Yes, indeed" I affirmed confidently. "Don't see many of this particular make often. I've sometimes thought of buying one myself." — He reckoned that youdid not often see many of that particular make. He sometimes thought of buying one himself. "Oh, really". I expressed interest in his comment.

"What is this man up to? Is he trying to lure me into starting up the car so that he can then breathalyze me?" — I asked myself what that man was up to and wondered whether he was trying to lure me into starting up the car so that he could then breathalyze me. "But then I doubt I could afford it. Cost a fair amount, I expect?" — Then he doubted whether he could afford it and conjectured that it it had to cost a fair amount. "I picked it up quite cheaply actually. It has done a lot of miles, you see." — I explained that I had it picked up quite cheaply because it had done a lot of miles. The man was beginning to get on my nerves. Why didn't he just arrest me for intent to drive a motor car while under the influence of drink?


Listen to this BBC report and then present back what was said: Bull Power