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Grammar Hits – Reported Speech

Name: ________________________________________________________________________
Teacher: __________________________________ Level: _______ Date: ____/ ____ / _____

1. Discuss in trios. Glossary

a) What do you think of life as an adult? a) __________ - short of cash, having little or
b) Is it any different from what you imagined as a kid? In what ways? no money
b) ___________ - informal way of spelling
c) Is it similar to what your parents told you it was? To what extent? “because”
d) Which age would you rather be? Why? c) __________ - Dead on Arrival, acronym
used by hospitals to indicate that the patient
2. Rewrite the sentences in bold. Use indirect speech. had died before arriving.
d) ___________ - informal pronunciation and
spelling of “going to”
I’ll be there for you - Rembrandts e) ___________ - survive a difficulty
f) ___________ - flow quickly and in large
amounts (e.g.: rain)
So no one told you, “Life is gonna be this
(1.)
g) ___________ - the second slowest
way.” forward gear ratio in a car
Your job’s a joke, you're broke, your love life's
D.O.A.
brought you down to your knees that...
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
And it hasn't been your day, your week, your I'll be there for you
month, or even your year When the rain starts to pour
but.. I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you I'll be there for you
When the rain starts to pour 'Cuz you're there for me too...
I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before No one could ever know me
I'll be there for you No one could ever see me
'Cuz you're there for me too... Seems you're the only one who knows
What it's like to be me
You're still in bed at ten Someone to face the day with
And work began at eight Make it through all the rest with
You've burned your breakfast Someone I'll always laugh with
So far... things are going great Even at my worst I'm best with you, yeah

Your mother warned you, “There’ll be

(2.) It's like you're always stuck in second gear
days like these.” And it hasn't been your day, your week, your
Oh but she didn't tell you when the world has month, or even your year...

3. In what aspects is this person’s adult life a bad surprise? In what way(s) is it a good one?

4. What would you like to have been told about adulthood when you were a child?

5. Rewrite the sentences using indirect speech.

a) My mother warned me, “Expect bad days.” My mother warned me _____________________ bad days.

b) My father told me, “Don’t expect life to be a bed of roses.”  My father told me ______________ life to be a bed of
roses.

c) Fortunately, my friend promised, “I’ll be there for you.”

 My friend promised me (that) __________________________________________________________.
 My friend promised to ____________________________________________________________.

d) When I arrived 3 hours late at the office, my boss asked me, “Did you oversleep again?”  When I arrived 3 hours
late at the office, my boss asked me _______________________________________ again.

e) I replied, “Of course I didn’t oversleep.”  I denied _____________________.

Answer Key

2)
So no one told you life was gonna be this way.
Your mother warned you there’d be days like these.

Glossary
a) broke - short of cash, having little or no money
b) coz - informal way of spelling “because”
c) DOA - Dead on Arrival, acronym used by hospitals to indicate that the patient had died before arriving.
d) gonna - informal pronunciation and spelling of “going to”
e) make it through - survive a difficulty
f) pour - flow quickly and in large amounts (e.g.: rain)
g) second gear - the second slowest forward gear ratio in a car

3) Pretty much everything “sucks” (his love life, his job, his tight budget), but he has a friend he can count on.

5)
a) My mother warned me, “Expect bad days.” My mother warned me to expect bad days.

b) My father told me, “Don’t expect life to be a bed of roses.”  My father told me not to expect life to be a bed of
roses.

c) Fortunately, my friend promised, “I’ll be there for you.”

 My friend promised me (that) he’d be there for me.
 My friend promised to be there for me.

d) When I arrived 3 hours late at the office, my boss asked me, “Did you oversleep again?”  When I arrived 3
hours late at the office, my boss asked me if I had overslept again.

e) I replied, “Of course I didn’t oversleep.”  I denied having overslept// oversleeping.