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Level 12 (B2)

Unit 21:
Communication & Misunderstanding
Direct & Indirect Speech
Discussion: Communication

1. How would you describe good/effective communication?


2. How important is listening in communication?
3. What role do facial expressions, gestures and pauses play in
communication?
4. How have smartphones changed communication?
5. Use your imagination. How will people communicate in the future?
6. What are some topics that you can't stand to talk about? Why?
7. How do conversations between men and women differ?
8. Have you ever had a great conversation with a complete stranger?
a) What made it so great?
b) What did you talk about?
c) Where were you?
1. If you could have a conversation with a famous deceased/living person,
who would you talk to?
a) What would you talk about, and why?
Watch the TED Tank and discuss the answers below
with the whole class.

https://ed.ted.com/lessons/10-ways-to-have-a-better-conversation
-celeste-headlee
a) How do American teenagers most often communicate?
b) What common pieces of advice about having conversations
should we forget?
c) In conversation, why should we assume we have something to
learn?
d) What is the most important rule in having good conversations?
e) Which of the 10 rules do you struggle with the most? Why?
Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct and Indirect Speech
Wh- Questions

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

a) My friend asked,"Where is Venus?“ a) My friend asked where Venus was.

b) My friend asked "How are you?“ b) My friend asked how I was.

c) My friend said, "Where are you going?"


c) My friend asked where I was going.

d) My friend said, " Whom did you call?"


d) My friend asked whom I had called.

e) My friend said, " Whom I was calling?"


e) My friend asked whom I had been
f) My friend said, " Where have you calling
been?“
f) My friend asked where I had been.
g) He asked me, "What did she say?" 
g) He asked me what she had said.
h) He asked me, "When are you leaving?"  
h) He asked me when I was leaving.
Direct and Indirect Speech
Put these headlines into indirect speech. Be sure to include necessary articles
Study the picture and then rewrite each of the quotes using reported speech.
Change the following dialogues into indirect speech.

1. Tom: Where are you going?


Ann: To the airport.
Tom: May I drop you there in my car?
Ann: Thanks a lot. It will be a great help to me.

2. Pete: What do you want?


Mike: I want to take a rest.
Pete: Are you tired?
Mike: Yes, I have done a lot of work.

3. Teacher: Why are you late?


Stephen: I missed my school bus.
Teacher: Why didn’t you leave in time?
Stephen: Sorry, I will do so from time to time.
READ THE SPEECH BUBBLES AND COMPLE THE REPORTED STATEMENTS.
READ THE SPEECH BUBBLES AND COMPLE THE REPORTED STATEMENTS.
In small groups, discuss what happened to cause the accident.
Invent conversations for the police officers, the drivers, and the
bystander. Report them in idirect speech.
Reported Speech
1. What is your favorite sport?

2. How long have you been playing it?

3. What are your plans for your next vacation?

4. How long have you known your best friend?

5. What kind of music do you like?

6. What did you use to do when you were younger?

7. What were you doing yesterday at this time?

8. Which two promises will you make concerning learning English?


The Counselor
• Why might a newly married couple stop talking to each other? What problems
might they have? Come up with a list of ideas.
• Groups of three: Pick two students to be the married couple. The other student will
be the marriage counselor.
• Situation: The newly married couple have stopped talking to each other because
of the reasons listed above in Part A. Their parents have asked them to see a
marriage counselor to save their marriage.
• The counselor should talk to the couple about their problems. Because the couple
is not speaking directly to each other, all information must go through the
counselor. E.g.:
Anne (wife): My husband, John, never helps with the housework.
Counselor: John, Anne says that you never help with the housework. Is this true?
John (husband): That’s a lie. I always take out the garbage.
Counselor: John says that he always takes out the garbage. …
• In the beginning, all conversation must go through the counselor! The counselor must try to
save the marriage.
Ask your partner the following questions making sure to take good notes.
After you have finished the questions, find a new partner and report what
you have learnt about your first partner using reported speech.

a) What are your plans for your next vacation?


b) How long have you known your best friend?
c) What kind of music do you like?
d) Can you tell me what you do on a typical Saturday afternoon?
e) What were you doing yesterday at this time?
f) Which two promises will you make concerning learning
English?
In groups of 3, decide who will the interviewer, celebrity and interpreter. The
interviewer and the celebrity don’t speak the same language (in fact you do,
everyone must speak English during the exercise).
The interviewer asks a question to the celebrity but for the celebrity to
understand the question it must be “translated” into an indirect question by
the interpreter.
The celebrity can then answer the question but the interpreter must report
his / her answer back to the interviewer using reported speech.

a) your favourite film


b) your first day at school
c) what you did last weekend
d) your favourite place in the whole world
e) the best / worst thing about living where you live
Unit 21 REVIEW
Unit 21 REVIEW
Unit 21 REVIEW

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