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W: A City type, merchant banker or something, but he Language and cultural notes: charity shops
seemed all embarrassed, he sort of gave the impression • In the UK, many town high streets have a number of
that he’d rather be anywhere in the world than there, charity shops, ie shops where things are sold to make
you know, in a second-hand clothes shop. He could money for a charity. In my own town we have shops for
probably have bought the whole shop if he’d wanted cancer relief, animal welfare, famine relief, childcare
to. Anyway, after a minute or two, he came up to us overseas, a local hospice, etc. Most of the products for
and asked if we had any black leather coats. So Moira
sale in charity shops are second-hand items that have
told him that we’d sold a really nice one just the day
before, but we didn’t have any others. So then he asked been donated by people, eg clothes, books, decorations,
us if we could describe the coat, which we did, and his etc. However, many shops also offer their own line of
face sort of lit up. ‘That’s my coat!’ he said. goods, often connected to their charitable work in some
M: So why had he given it away? way, eg greetings cards, fair-trade coffee, cosmetics, etc
W: Well, Moira asked him the same question. She, she • A recycling bin is a container in which members of the
fancied him a bit actually, well, actually, more than a public can deposit things they don’t want. You can find
bit, you know Moira, and the man explained that his recycling bins for clothes, books, bottles, etc
girlfriend – his ex-girlfriend – had put the coat, which
• A City type is the kind of person that you would expect
was his favourite coat, in the recycling bin after they’d
to find in the City of London (or another similar business
had an argument. And now he wanted to know if there
was any way to get it back. So Moira took his phone centre). It suggests jobs such as banker, insurance
number and said she’d give him a call if she saw the broker, share dealer, etc
woman who bought it again. • A merchant banker is someone who works for a bank
M: So Moira likes him and she’s got his phone number … that serves businesses rather than private individuals.
And then? • If you say that someone’s face lit up, you mean that it
W: Hang on, give me a second. Anyway, so, this was, suddenly showed some emotion, usually recognition,
what, I don’t know, a week or two ago, and we never awareness or happiness.
saw the woman again, and then this morning, me and
• She fancied him a bit means that she thought that he
Moira were going through a new pile of stuff from the
was quite (but not very) attractive.
recycling bin and Moira was saying how she’d been
thinking about the man, the one who wanted his coat 2 2.17
back, and how, maybe, she might give him a call,
anyway, you know, just to say that we hadn’t seen the • Students listen again to the dialogue and complete the
woman, but then, there, at the bottom of the pile of sentences.
stuff, there it was. The black coat. • They could then compare their answers with a partner
M: The same one? before they check audioscript 2.17 on pages 160 and 161.
W: Yes. The very same black coat. It was a bit dirty, so
we gave it a quick clean, and then I felt that there 1 they had expected to get fifty pounds
was something in one of the pockets. There was this 2 they had had an argument
envelope and when we opened it – inside there was 3 she could call him if she saw the woman who had
two thousand pounds in twenty pound notes. Two bought the coat again
thousand. Can you imagine? That’s more than the shop 4 they were going through a new pile of things from the
makes in a week.
recycling bin
M: What did you do with it?
W: Well, first of all Moira called the man, the one she 5 they were cleaning the coat and felt something in one
liked and told him that we’d found his coat. If he of the pockets
wanted, she added, she’d take it round to him. And he 6 she thought it was too much to keep in the shop
obviously said yes. But then Moira thought it was a bit 7 it smelled of leather and gave him a headache
risky having that much money in the shop, so she said 8 she wanted Moira’s opinion first
she’d take it to the bank on the way to meeting the coat
man. 3
M: So all’s well that ends well?
W: Yes, but the story’s not finished yet. • Pairwork. Students discuss the questions with a partner.
M: So? When they have finished, find out from the class what
W: So Moira went off to the bank and to return the coat they think the shop should do.
to the man, and I was in the shop. And later that
afternoon, another man, a different man, came into the Grammar: reporting
shop, and asked me if we had a black leather coat. I
just shook my head and said sorry, no, and he started Language reference, Student’s Book page 104
to give me this long explanation about how the coat Methodology guidelines: Grammar boxes, page xxi
was a present from his wife, but he really didn’t like it
and the smell of the leather gave him a headache, blah,
1
blah, blah, so he told her, his wife, that it had been • Students read the sentences and correct the mistakes.
stolen from his office, but, in fact, he’d put it in the
recycling bin. But then he realized that he’d left some
money in the pocket and that’s why he wanted to get
the coat back.
M: So did you tell him?
W: No, no I didn’t ... I took his number and said I’d call
him if his coat turned up.
M: But what about the money? I mean, it’s his, isn’t it? He
must be worried sick …
W: I know, I know, but I was waiting to see what Moira
thought. Oh, that must be her now. Hello? Moira?
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1 She said she’s she’d seen it in the window. direct example sentence
2 She asked how much did it cost it cost. a) present perfect ‘I’ve been there.’
3 We hadn’t thought how much should we we should b) past simple ‘I met him.’
ask for it.
c) past continuous ‘I was walking to the park.’
4 We couldn’t help wondering what he is was doing.
‘grammar book’ reported tense (one step backwards)
5 He asked us if/whether we had any black leather
coats. a) past perfect She said she’d been there.
6 She told him that we had sold a nice one the day b) past perfect He said he’d met him.
before. She said she’d been
c) past perfect continuous
7 He explained that his ex-girlfriend had put the coat in walking to the park.
the bin. alternative colloquial reported speech
8 He wanted to know was there if there was any way to a) present perfect She said she’s been there.
get it back. b) past simple He said he met him.
She said she was walking
Language notes: reported speech & thought c) past continuous
to the park.
• The commonly-given classroom guideline about • When we report, we need to make changes to pronouns
reported speech is: the tenses in the reported part move and time expressions as well as verb tenses. Again,
one tense backwards (but you can’t go further back than these follow normal grammar rules, eg if someone is
the past perfect). talking about me and now and here, the words may not
• In other words, if the direct speech sentence is in the be appropriate if the speech is reported in a different
present simple, the reported version is in the past simple. location at another time. It is logical to say him or
Similarly, if the original sentence is in the past simple, her, then and there instead. However, we still need to
the reported version is in the past perfect. consider the context, eg if the dialogue is reported in the
reported same location as it was spoken, it may be appropriate to
direct say here when reporting.
(one step backwards)
present simple past simple • For some students the following guidelines may help
present continuous past continuous (but remind them that these are not rules):
present perfect past perfect Pronouns
past simple past perfect direct reported
past continuous past perfect continuous I he/she
past perfect past perfect you I/you
going to was going to me him/her
will would we they
can could they they
may might me him/her
must had to my his/her
• Although these guidelines can be useful, they are
Expressions of time and place
not always true, eg a situation that is still true can be
reported using a present tense, eg Direct: ‘I work at direct reported
LBC.’ Reported: He said he works at LBC. (NB He said he now then / at that time
worked at LBC is also perfectly correct.) today that day / then
• Some students may find it more helpful simply to yesterday the day before (that)
consider the question: What is the natural tense to use in tomorrow the next day / the following day
this sentence? In other words, follow the usual grammar
last weekend the weekend before
rules for tenses! If you are talking about the past, it is
natural to report any words spoken as also in the past. If this week that week / the same week
the events spoken about happened before the dialogue, here there
it is natural to use the past perfect to report them. If this that
the events are still true now, we can use the present
tense. If this ‘natural tense’ guideline sounds strange, • In normal spoken language use, we tend to report more
consider this example. Imagine that Marigold says: I’m than we quote direct speech, so this is an important
not enjoying this film. When you report this later on, it area for students to study. However we also use quote
would be rather strange to say: Marigold said that she structures in which we repeat the exact words a person
is not enjoying this film because the film has already says, eg Maisie said, ‘I’m coming home at three o’clock
finished. It is much more logical to report the sentence in today.’ In written English stories, novels, etc quote
the past: Marigold said that she wasn’t enjoying the film. structure is used more than reported speech.
• Many speakers tend to avoid the past perfect simple / • Although say, tell and ask are commonly used reporting
past perfect continuous unless they are really essential verbs, there are a large number of other possible verbs.
for clarifying the time sequence of events. It is quite These usually add some extra information, eg demand
normal to use the same verb as in the direct speech means ‘to ask in a forceful way’, confess means ‘to say
sentence. Look at these three examples: a), b) and c). that you have done something shameful or wrong’.
• You can also report thoughts as well as speech using
verbs such as: feel, doubt, decide, plan, remember, wish,
worry, etc
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Giving 10b
• We usually use the verb ask when reporting questions, giving Moira a hand; give us five hundred pounds; gave
although it’s also possible to use enquire, wonder, want the impression that; give it away; give him a call; Give
to know, etc. We don’t use say or tell to report questions. me a second; gave the coat a quick clean; give me this
• We make reported questions that have a yes or no long explanation; had given him this coat; gave him a
answer using if or whether. Whether is more formal and headache
more likely to be used in written English. The clause
being reported follows a normal subject object word 2
order, ie the verb does not invert, eg ‘Are you going?’ He
• Students choose the best way to complete the sentences.
asked me whether I was going. ✗ He asked me whether
was I going. A question mark is not used. 1 a headache 5 the impression
• If and whether mean almost exactly the same thing. 2 damn 6 the benefit
Some reference books suggest that we use if when the 3 lot of thought 7 a hand
speaker is thinking of one possible answer, eg He asked 4 try 8 a call
if we were coming and whether when there are also
other possibilities, particularly the opposite of the idea
suggested, eg He asked if we were coming or not but this
Language notes: collocations with give
is not a clear-cut guideline, and generally both words are • In this exercise, the wrong answers are also correct give
possible. expressions, but are just wrong in this context or with
• The words or not are frequently used after whether, eg this meaning. The notes below give information about
They wanted to find out whether or not Tom Cruise was both right and wrong answers.
in the hotel. She demanded to know whether I was going • If you give consideration to something, you think
or not. carefully about it before accepting, rejecting it, doing
it, etc
2 • If I say that something gives me a headache, I mean
• Students look back at the sentences in exercise 1 and either that it (a) literally causes me to have a headache
change them to direct speech or thought. or (b) it is difficult and problematic and causes trouble
for me. The meaning is (a) in question 1. An example of
1 ‘I saw it in the window.’ meaning (b) would be: Organizing all the details of the
2 ‘How much does it cost?’ overseas visit really gives me a headache.
3 ‘How much should we ask for it?’ • If you don’t give a damn about something, you don’t
4 ‘What is he doing?’ care at all about it. NB Although possible, the expression
5 ‘Do you have / Have you got any black leather coats?’ is rarely used in the positive, eg I do give a damn about
6 ‘We sold a nice one yesterday.’ the problem. If you say this, the word do must be
7 ‘My ex-girlfriend put the coat in the bin.’ stressed.
8 ‘Is there any way to get it back?’ • If you give a speech, you deliver a monologue to an
audience.
3 • If you give a lot of thought to something, you think
• Students could work with a partner to put the sentences about it very hard, carefully and in detail.
into reported speech. • If you give someone a piece of your mind, you angrily
tell them why you are annoyed with them, what they
1 S
he told her husband that an extraordinary thing had have done wrong, how they should behave, etc
happened at work that day. • If you give something a try, you try it in order to see if it
2 He asked her if/whether Moira had arrived on time. is suitable or not. Using the word give allows the speaker
3 She said that he could probably have bought the to change try from a verb to a noun.
whole shop if he’d wanted to. • If you give a warning, you warn about something.
4 He asked her what she was going to do. • If you give someone permission to do something, you
5 She said (that) she’d take it to the bank on her way. allow them to do it.
6 She wondered if Moira had gone out for lunch. • If you give the impression that you are older than
you are, people interpret your appearance, behaviour,
4 comments, etc and think that you are older than you are.
• Pairwork. Students imagine the telephone dialogue • If you give someone a lecture about something, you tell
between the woman in the recording and her friend, them what you think forcefully (and probably at some
Moira, and make notes on what they might have said. length).
Refer them to the grammar box at the bottom of the • If you give someone the benefit of the doubt, you are
page in the Student’s Book for help with forming not absolutely certain if they are right or not, but you
reported speech. make a decision in their favour anyway.
5 • If you give someone a hand, you help them (usually
with a physical task, eg carrying things).
• Pairwork. Students then join up with another pair. They
take it in turns to tell the other pair about the telephone • If you give someone problems, you create new problems
for them.
dialogue between the two women, using reported speech.
• If you give someone a call, you phone them.
• If a number of people are waiting (eg for an
Vocabulary: collocations with give appointment, etc), you give someone priority when you
1 consider their need is urgent or important, and allow
• Students look at audioscript 2.17 on pages 160–161. They them to be seen or dealt with before other people who
find and underline examples of give and the objects of are also waiting.
the verb.
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2 2.18 2
• Students listen to the recording again and complete the • Students match the sentences in exercise 1 to the four
interviewer’s questions. categories.
• They could then compare their answers with a partner
before you check with the class. a) 7 b) 1, 2 c) 3, 5 d) 4, 6, 8
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