HELPING HIGHER-LEVEL STUDENTS WITH REPORTED

SPEECH IN THE CONTEXT OF WRITING

LSA1 – LANGUAGE SYSTEMS: GRAMMAR

SEPTEMBER 2012
DELTA AT INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, NEWCASTLE

CAROLINE xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 06

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 CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. Language Analysis
2.1 Meaning and Use
2.2 Form
2.2.1 Tense forms go back one
2.2.2 Modal verbs which change
2.2.3 Modal verbs which do not change
2.2.4 Changes in expressions of time and place
2.2.5 Pronouns and possessive adjectives change
2.2.6 Word changes/paraphrasing
2.2.7 Negative commands use ‘not to’
2.2.8 Questions using if or whether
2.2.9 Reporting verbs
2.3 Pronunciation
3. Problems and Solutions
4. Conclusion
5. References

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 1. INTRODUCTION

During my time teaching in Japan I found that Japanese learners were generally very
adept at activities designed to practice grammar. Their education system continues
to place great importance on direct translation and grammatical accuracy, as these
skills must be demonstrated on university entrance exams. Commonly featured are
exercises which require methodically changing direct speech into reported speech.
Although the students I encountered were able to demonstrate a basic awareness of
the ‘rules’ they had to follow, I noticed that outside of highly controlled activities even
my high-level learners struggled. This was particularly the case when the students
were asked to choose which appropriate reporting verb to use. Parrott explains:
‘Learners need not only to understand the meaning of the verbs they
use, but they also need to know the construction of the clause which
follows each verb… Learners often consider this to be the biggest
problem with reported speech.’ (2005:226)

I feel that Parrott is right, and this is what seemed to be happening with my students
in Japan. After speaking to other teachers about this issue, it seems to be a common
problem with learners. My current group of students at International House,
Newcastle also make mistakes when using reported speech.

This assignment limits itself to the use of reported speech in the written form and
does not cover the spoken form.

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 2. LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
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2.1 Meaning and Use

It should be noted that reported speech can also be referred to as ‘indirect speech’
or ‘indirect discourse’.

Reported speech is used to express the meaning of what someone has said or
written, often from the reporter’s point of view. As Thornbury rightly points out:
Reported speech is common in news reporting and in some types of
formal official texts, such as the minutes of meetings and police
statements. (2006: 198)

I would take his comment further and add that the media also often mixes reported
and direct speech in order to bring a person’s words or feelings to the forefront. In
doing so it is typically only words or phrases that are quoted:
The stepfather of Megan Stammers has said he is "overjoyed" she has been found
safe and well in France. (BBC, 2012)

It is rarely used to communicate a person’s exact words, and there are many ways in
which to change one utterance of direct speech into reported speech. It is also used
to show how the reporter feels about what he/she is reporting:
He boasted that he didn’t need to study to pass the exam.

Reported speech is used to summarise or select content based on what the reporter
wants to communicate. It can be used to reflect the bias of the reporter (or the
organization he/she works for, such as a newspaper). The person whose words are
being reported has no control in terms of selectivity and/or paraphrasing.

Reported speech is used as a very powerful tool in (political) campaigns and

campaign reporting, and the choice of reporting verbs employed have a big impact
here. As Gidengil and Everitt note, ‘negatively charged language’ can be used to the
disadvantage of the speaker (2003: 210).

2.2 Form

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Reported speech takes the general form of subject + (reporting) simple past verb +
clause (e.g. David said that he wanted to go). Quotation and question marks are not
necessary when writing in reported speech, and the use of ‘that’ is often dropped in
‘that’ clauses.

When changing from direct into reported speech, several grammatical rules need to
be adhered to. The following ‘transformation rules’ are taken from Parrott (2005):

2.2.1 Tense forms go back one

In the following example the simple present changes into the simple past:
Julie: “I hate pizza.” - She said (that) she hated pizza.
However, if we want to make it clear that the original statement is still true (and this
includes general truths), the tense does not need to change.
Julie: “I love cucumber!” - She said that she loves cucumber.
“Smoking is bad for you.” - She said that smoking is bad for you.

What changes (From–

Direct speech Reported speech
To)
Auxiliary verbs in the
He’s not feeling well and She said he wasn’t feeling well and
present – Auxiliary
doesn’t want to come didn’t want to come.
verbs in the past
Past simple – Past He said that she had eaten the whole
She ate the whole pizza.
perfect pizza.
Auxiliary verbs in the
She said she had been having a
past – Auxiliary verbs I was having a bath.
bath.
in the past perfect
Auxiliary verbs in the
present used for the
I’ll give you a ring. He said he would give me a ring.
future – Auxiliary
verbs in the past

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(Tables adapted from Parrott)

Past perfect verbs don’t change, however:

Paul: “I’d given it a lot of thought.” -Paul said that he’d given it a lot of thought.

2.2.2 Modal verbs which change

Julie: “We can do it!” - She said they could do it.

The modal verbs ‘can’, I may go to the pub later He said he might go to the pub later.
‘may’ and ‘must’
change I must tell him. She said she had to tell him.

2.2.3 Modal verbs which do not change

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John: “I couldn’t drink the wine.” - He said he couldn’t drink the wine.
*Others which do not change are might, ought, should and would.

2.2.4 Changes in expressions of time and place

John: “Come here tomorrow.” - John told him to go there the next day.
*Others follow the same pattern.

2.2.5 Pronouns and possessive adjectives change

Chris: “I don’t want to read your essay.” - He said he didn’t want to read my essay.

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(Others follow the same pattern.)

2.2.6 Word changes/paraphrasing

Mike: “Is it okay if I go home early? I have to pick Eli up from Sarah’s.” - Mike asked
if it was alright to leave work early so he could pick Eli up from his mother’s.

2.2.7 Negative commands use ‘not to’

Tom: “Don’t smoke!” - He told me not to smoke.

2.2.8 Questions using if or whether

Reported questions keep the same general word order, and if/whether/to are used.
Question marks are not used:
Robin: “Do you want to grab a bite?”
- He asked me if I wanted to grab a bite.
- He asked me whether I wanted to go for something to eat with him (or not).
- He asked me out to dinner.

2.2.9 Reporting verbs

This sub-section looks at reporting verbs and the clauses that follow them. These
examples are taken directly from Parrott: (2005: 218-219)

- Neutral verbs (say/tell)

‘Say’ is followed by a ‘that’ clause:
He said (that) he was ill.
‘Tell’ is always followed by an indirect object, and then a selection of clause types
and with a noun phrase:
Clause type
He told me (that) he was ready. that
He told me where he was. question word

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He told me to go. infinitive
He told me where to go. question word + infinitive
He told me a lie. noun phrase

- Topic verbs (discuss/talk about)

They are not followed by a that clause:
the news noun phrase
We talked about when the project had started question-word clause
when to arrive question-word infinitive clause

- Non-attitude verbs (add/explain/answer/reply/ask/mention):

John added that the deadline was on Friday.
- Attitude and interpretation verbs (warn/blame/recommend/boast/insist)
Kathy claimed that she hadn’t been anywhere near the till.

2.3 Pronunciation

Reported speech is delivered differently to direct speech in two main ways:

In direct speech a short pause is needed between the quoted statement or question
and the verb. No such pause is necessary in reported speech. The reporting verb is
stressed:

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(‘Paul said, <pause>) “Sarah’s beautiful.”’ - Paul said Sarah was beautiful.
Reported questions are delivered as statements, with no final rise in intonation:

(Paul said, <pause>) “Do you want one?” - Paul asked me if I wanted one.

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 3. PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Problem: Avoiding the use of reported speech

In my experience in Japan, students avoided using reported speech and saw direct
speech as easier to use. Even business students who needed to write reports in
English would generally favour direct speech. Lesley (I.H. Newcastle), Laura
(Germany) and Jane (Spain) have all had the same problem.
Solution: One of my colleagues in Japan said that he used the following activity to
get high-level learners to review and use reported speech: Students watch Diana
Princess of Wales being interviewed and they do so without taking any notes. After
two minutes, the recording is stopped and students discuss what she said. Working
in pairs they write down the main points. This forces students to use reported speech
because it is impossible to remember exactly what she said (word for word).
Students’ ideas are compared as a class and sentences are constructed together
using reported speech. Students are encouraged to discuss which reporting verb to
use, as it focuses them on meaning over form. As ‘said’ is predictably overused,
suitable reporting verbs are brainstormed (e.g. explained, confessed, complained).
Students continue to watch the interview and are allowed to take notes. After five
minutes they compare what they think are the main points and use reported speech
as instructed earlier. I would adapt this to my students’ interests by having them
chose the interviewee. I would also think about asking them to report with a degree
of bias, (for example one student/group doesn’t like Diana and the other does), to
further encourage them to reflect on the meaning of what was said.

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Problem: Misusing pronouns in reported speech
As reported speech is generally heard out of context, using the correct pronouns is
essential in order to avoid misunderstanding. I have noticed the misuse of pronouns
to be a problem with students of all levels when two or more people are involved in
what is being reported. For example: “Caz, where is the station?” She asked me
where the station was, instead of She asked Caz (you) where the station was.
Solution: I find it helps if students can visualise what they are reporting, how many
people are involved and what their general position is. I have tried assigning roles in
the classroom and had students read aloud from examples of direct speech. I found
that even after only doing so once, students’ misuse of pronouns decreased. I also
back this up with some basic multi-choice questions (like exercise 7 on p. 89 of the
Grammar Sense 4 Workbook)

Problem: Not using an indirect object with ‘tell’

Laura told me that her students (in Germany) would often omit the indirect object
when using ‘tell’:
He told that he didn’t like his job.
Students appear to be unsure of the difference between ‘say’ and ‘tell’.
Solution: I find the use of basic review activities to be helpful here, such as asking
students to find the mistakes in sample sentences (e.g. Laura said me she was
tired), to try making their own examples and to formulate a rule for when to use
‘say’/’tell’.

Problem: Converting too literally from direct speech into reported speech
Based on my experience I think that many students misunderstand the usage of
reported speech and think that they should try to use the speaker’s original words as
faithfully as possible. I agree with Parrott that this may be what is causing them to go
wrong:
‘Many mistakes in using reported speech may be caused by learners
who have practiced reported speech through unnaturally literal
transformation exercises. Mistakes tend to occur when learners are
thinking about the forms of the language rather than focusing on
what they want to convey.’ (2005, p.225)

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Although there is clearly a need for students to be aware of the forms of the
language there certainly needs to be more balance between the focus put on form
and on meaning.
Solution: One of my colleagues in Japan had a lot of fun trying one of Ur’s ‘Grammar
Practice Activities’ (p. 136) in which she introduced the topic by interviewing a
volunteer at the front of the class on a variety of things (such as plans for the
weekend, what she did last week, etc.). She made sure to include different tenses
and expressions of time. She then asked the students to work in pairs and write a
short report based on the conversation they had just heard. This gave her the
chance to see how well they knew the structures of reported speech and which
reporting verbs to use. She noticed that students continued to use direct speech and
she needed to make it clearer that they should not attempt to write down her exact
words but paraphrase them in a report. She reflected that she should have used
ICQs before letting the students start writing.

Problem: Using the same reporting verbs

In my experience, ‘say,’ ‘tell’ and ‘ask’ are stuck to by learners even at upper-
intermediate levels. This results in their reported speech sounding mechanical and
lacking variety.
Solution: Several textbooks attempt to address this problem. Although I have not
tried it myself I know a few people who have used some of the exercises in ‘Total
English’ (Upper Intermediate):
Exercise 6 (p. 63) - students are given seven reporting verbs (e.g. admit, decide,
explain, etc.) and are asked to choose the most appropriate one in the different
situations presented. By only giving them a small choice and keeping the activity
fairly controlled, they are not overwhelmed and are better able to consolidate their
use of those reporting verbs.
Another activity which I have had recommended to me is Ur’s suggestion in
‘Grammar Practice Activities’ (p. 136) of giving students a selection of newspaper
articles and having them highlight the different reporting verbs used. One of my
colleagues in Japan added to this by then asking students to try and work out the
form of the clause which followed it in order to make rules for the structures. My
colleague said that it worked well and the students enjoyed it, but it used up a fair
amount of class time.
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 4. CONCLUSION

This examination has given me a much greater awareness of the wide range of
issues which students are faced with when attempting to use reported speech. From
using correct punctuation to knowing which clause goes with different reporting
verbs, it is little wonder that even high-level learners experience difficulties,
particularly as a result of the numerous grammatical elements they have to consider.
Peet says that:
It’s important therefore to present reported speech in a clear and
effective context. (online)

I couldn’t agree with him more, as this is essential if we are to encourage learners to
see a need for the new language. We have looked at numerous ways in which
reported speech can be used, the flavour it adds to the reporting of what has been
said and the subtleties it contains. We have to keep looking for new ways to help
learners embrace this language with such potential for description, instead of
avoiding it.

Word count: 2500

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 5. REFERENCES

BBC online, (2012) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19762856

Bland, S. K. (2008) Grammar Sense 4: Advanced Grammar and Writing, O.U.P.

Chamberlain, L. (2008) Grammar Sense 4: Advanced Grammar and Writing. O.U.P.

Foley, M. (2006) Total English Upper Intermediate Workbook (with Key). Longman.

Gidengil, E & Everitt, J. (2003) Talking Tough: Gender and Reported Speech in
Campaign News Coverage, Political Communication, 20: 209-232.

Parrott, M. (2005) Grammar for English Language Teachers. C.U.P.

Peet, K. Reported Speech: A Common Sense Approach. Developing Teachers.com.

Available at:
<http://www.developingteachers.com/articles_tchtraining/repsppf_kendall.htm>
[Accessed on 22nd September 2012]

Thornbury, S. (2006) An A-Z of ELT. Macmillan Books for Teachers.

Ur, P. (1988) Grammar Practice Activities – A Practical Guide for Teachers, C.U.P.

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