Speaking practice. 1m to talk about...

 

Reported speech practice

 

Reading practice

 https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/04/is-owning-a-dog-good-for-your-health#:~:text=A%20study%20of%203.4%20million,12%20years%20of%20the%20study.

Dogs really are our best friends, according to a Swedish study that says canine ownership could reduce heart disease. A study of 3.4 million people between the ages of 40 and 80 found that having a dog was associated with a 23% reduction in death from heart disease and a 20% lower risk of dying from any cause over the 12 years of the study. Previous studies have suggested dogs relieve social isolation and depression – both linked to an increased risk of heart disease and early death.

The solution

Dog owners show better responses to stress (their blood pressure and pulse rates don’t soar), have higher levels of physical activity and slightly lower cholesterol levels. The American Heart Association was sufficiently swayed by a review of dozens of studies to release a statement in 2013 saying that owning a dog “was probably” associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Their reluctance to more strongly endorse dog ownership is because most studies are what is called observational – researchers note an association, but can’t prove causation. This means that other factors might explain why dog owners are healthier than, say, goldfish owners – for example, perhaps only people who are fit in the first place buy pets that need daily walkies.

Tove Fall, an epidemiologist and the lead author of this latest study, says they tried their best to allow for any differences in education, existing ill-health and lifestyles between those with and without dogs. The study found the biggest positive impact of having a dog was on people living alone. “It seems that a dog can be a substitute for living with other people in terms of reducing the risk of dying,” says Fall. “Dogs encourage you to walk, they provide social support and they make life more meaningful. If you have a dog, you interact more with other people. If you do get ill and go into hospital and you have a dog, there’s a huge motivation to try to get back home.”

Of course, getting a dog and watching it from your sofa while you eat fatty food is not going to reduce your risk of heart disease. And a toy dog may look cute, but won’t have any effect either. Fall’s study showed the most health benefits came from having retrievers or pointers. Until her German shorthaired pointer died last year, she ran 10km with her most days. “In Sweden, we have one of the lowest rates of dog ownership in Europe,” says Fall, who has recently got a new puppy. “Maybe this will increase the acceptance that dogs are important to people.”

Reported Speech /Direct Speech

Reported Speech

Click here for a list of reported speech exercises.
Click here to download this explanation in PDF.

We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. (Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell'.) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:

Direct speech: I like ice cream.

• Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.
But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:

Direct speech: I like ice cream.

• Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.

Tense	Direct Speech	Reported Speech
present simple	I like ice cream	She said (that) she liked ice cream.
present continuous	I am living in London	She said (that) she was living in London.
past simple	I bought a car	She said (that) she had bought a car OR She said (that) she bought a car.
past continuous	I was walking along the street	She said (that) she had been walking along the street.
present perfect	I haven't seen Julie	She said (that) she hadn't seen Julie.
past perfect*	I had taken English lessons before	She said (that) she had taken English lessons before.
will	I'll see you later	She said (that) she would see me later.
would*	I would help, but..”	She said (that) she would help but...
can	I can speak perfect English	She said (that) she could speak perfect English.
could*	I could swim when I was four	She said (that) she could swim when she was four.
shall	I shall come later	She said (that) she would come later.
should*	I should call my mother	She said (that) she should call her mother
might*	I might be late	She said (that) she might be late
must	I must study at the weekend	She said (that) she must study at the weekend OR She said she had to study at the weekend

* doesn't change.

Occasionally, we don't need to change the present tense into the past if the information in direct speech is still true (but this is only for things which are general facts, and even then usually we like to change the tense):

Direct speech: The sky is blue.

• Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.

Click here for a mixed tense exercise about practise reported statements.
Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

Reported Questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

Direct speech: Where do you live?

In fact, it's not so different from reported statements. The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word. The very important thing though is that, once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a question any more. So we need to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence. A bit confusing? Maybe this example will help:

Direct speech: Where do you live?

• Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.

Do you see how I made it? The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then I need to change the verb to the past simple.

Direct speech: Where is Julie?

• Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.

The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the present simple of be by inverting (changing the position of)the subject and verb. So, we need to change them back before putting the verb into the past simple.

Here are some more examples:

Direct Question	Reported Question
Where is the Post Office, please?	She asked me where the Post Office was.
What are you doing?	She asked me what I was doing.
Who was that fantastic man?	She asked me who that fantastic man had been.

So much for 'wh' questions. But, what if you need to report a 'yes / no' question? We don't have any question words to help us. Instead, we use 'if':

• Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?
• Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

No problem? Here are a few more examples:

Direct Question	Reported Question
Do you love me?	He asked me if I loved him.
Have you ever been to Mexico?	She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico.
Are you living here?	She asked me if I was living here.

Click here to practise reported 'wh' questions.
Click here to practise reported 'yes / no' questions.

Reported Requests

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

• Direct speech: Close the window, please
• Or: Could you close the window please?
• Or: Would you mind closing the window please?

All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word when we tell another person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':

• Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

Here are a few more examples: 

Direct Request	Reported Request
Please help me.	She asked me to help her.
Please don't smoke.	She asked me not to smoke.
Could you bring my book tonight?	She asked me to bring her book that night.
Could you pass the milk, please?	She asked me to pass the milk.
Would you mind coming early tomorrow?	She asked me to come early the next day.

To report a negative request, use 'not':

• Direct speech: Please don't be late.
• Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders

And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example:

• Direct speech: Sit down!

In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask':

• Reported speech: She told me to sit down.

Direct Order	Reported Order
Go to bed!	He told the child to go to bed.
Don't worry!	He told her not to worry.
Be on time!	He told me to be on time.
Don't smoke!	He told us not to smoke.

• Click here for an exercise to practise reported requests and orders.

Time Expressions with Reported Speech
Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change time expressions too. We don't always have to do this, however. It depends on when we heard the direct speech and when we say the reported speech.

For example:
It's Monday. Julie says "I'm leaving today".
If I tell someone on Monday, I say "Julie said she was leaving today".
If I tell someone on Tuesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving yesterday".
If I tell someone on Wednesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving on Monday".
If I tell someone a month later, I say "Julie said she was leaving that day".

So, there's no easy conversion. You really have to think about when the direct speech was said. Here's a table of some possible conversions:

now	then / at that time
today	yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June
yesterday	the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of December
last night	the night before, Thursday night
last week	the week before / the previous week
tomorrow	today / the next day / the following day / Friday

• Click here for an exercise about using 'say' and 'tell'.
• Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/reporting-verbs/

Reported speech Presentation

GRAMMAR NOTES: https://inglescarmelitaslb.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/reported-speech.pdf

Writing: Opinion: Animal testing and Zoos

 

Arguments for Animal testing

Animals are used in important scientific research

It is necessary to do medical tests on new drugs

Animal testing helps to advance medical and scientific knowledge

Many important medical discoveries involved experimentation on animals

Researchers aim to minimize the suffering that animals experience

Testing for the cosmetics industry is now banned in many countries

Arguments against Animal Testing

The benefits of research using animals do not justify the suffering caused

There are alternative methods of research

The lives of animals should be respected

Humans have no moral right to do experiments on animals

Positives of Zoos

Zoos paly an important role in wildlife conservation

They can help to protect endangered species

Zoos allow scientists to study animals and their behavior

Zoos are educational, interesting and fun

Children, in particular, enjoy learning about animals

Zoos provide job opportunities.

Negatives of Zoos

Zoo animals are kept in artificial environments

They are kept in cages or have limited space

Zoo animals rely on humans

They lose the freedom to hunt for food

They best way to save endangered species is by protecting natural habitats.

Some people believe that zoos are unethical

Zoos exhibits animals with the aim of making money

We have no right to use animals for entertainment and profit.

Easter 2022

 Easter Break

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, is Christianity’s most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn’t fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.

Watch the movie and complete the sentences with the missing information. 

1. For many people of the Christian faith, Easter is _________________ holiday of the year. 
2. It's the culmination of the religious season of _________________. 
3. Easter is also a _________________ holiday. 
4. Early Christians adapted Easter from a _________________ festival. 
5. The goddess consorted with a _________________. 
6. Rabbits are an ancient symbol of _________________ and new life. 
7. It was probably brought to America by _________________ 
8. In different parts of Germany kids wait for the Easter _________________, _________________, rooster or stork. 
9. Eggs also symbolize _________________ and _________________. 
10. For centuries the Christian Church banned _________________ along with other _________________ during lent. 
11. _________________ eggs is one of the oldest Easter costumes. 
12. For most Americans, however, Easter is about the _________________ stuff, _________________. 
13. US candy makers produce _________________ chocolate bunnies and _________________ jelly beans for Easter each year. 
14. Today, more candy is _________________ for Easter than any other holiday, except for _________________. 
15. Easter ranks among the most _________________ celebrated holidays. 
16. This spring, sweeten up your celebration with a little _________________.

Ebau key- Extrard. 17.

Key: Zoos are prisions for animals.

Question 1: [2,5 POINTS] Indicate whether the following statements are True or False and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a)The closure of the zoo in Cumbria is not unexpected.

TRUE: A zoo in Cumbria has recently had it is licence revoked as a result of 500 animals dying there over a two-year period. This closure, then, comes as no shock,

b)The man convinced his family to visit the marine theme park on a recent holiday.

FALSE: On holidays recently, I was persuaded by my family to visit a marine theme park

c)The seals and penguins seemed happy at the marine theme park.

FALSE: We spent the afternoon seeing seals and penguins that looked to be in various stages of depression

d)The man’s eldest son is no longer interested in marine life.

FALSE: my eldest son took a passionate interest in marine life that has stayed with him ever since.

e)The author believes that animals are important to the people who work at parks and zoos.

TRUE: I have no doubts that the people working in zoos, safari parks and conservation centres do care about animals

Question 2: [1,5 POINTS]Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.

1. Value (paragraph 1) (to)merit

2. Carry out (paragraph 2)(to) perform

3. Creatures (paragraph3) beasts

4. At risk (paragraph 4) endangered

5. In addition (paragraph 4) moreover

Question 3: [2 POINTS] Choose the correct option, a, b or c for each question and COPY the sentence onto your answer sheet.

1. The zoo in Cumbria was closed...

b). because of the death of the animals over the last two years.

2. Some animals are killed in zoos because...

a). there is not enough room for them.

3. If zoos no longer existed,….

c) people could still see animals on film.

4. Zoos are believed…..

c) not to be necessary nowadays.

key: TAKING OLD CARS OFF THE ROAD.

Question 1: [2,5 POINTS] Indicate whether the following statements are True or False and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a) The ban will happen in Barcelona immediately.

FALSE: The measure will come into force on January 1, 2019

Although the ban will not be fully effective for two years.

b) Cars registered before 1997 will not be banned at weekends.

TRUE: it will be prohibited to drive private cars registered before January 1997 and vans registered before October 1994 on working days.

c) The people of Barcelona feel this is an important issue.

TRUE: “The people of Barcelona have told us clearly in surveys that they want to fight against air pollution because it is a health problem of the first order.”

d) The Barcelona authorities will not offer any incentive to make people comply with the ban.

FALSE: The city hopes to convince people to cooperate by offering free public transport to those who give up their vehicles.

e) Kenneth Tempel believes the fines should be lower than they were.

FALSE: The fines should also be doubled.

Question 2: [1,5 POINTS]Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.

1. Surrounding, closest (paragraph 1) neighbouring

2. Conditions(paragraph 1) terms

3. More severe (paragraph 2) stricter

4. Without a charge (paragraph 3) free

5. Option (paragraph 4) choice

Question 3: [2 POINTS]Choose the correct option, a, b or c for each question and COPY the sentence onto your answer sheet.

1. The people of Barcelona...

b). were asked their opinion about the air pollution problem by the

government.

2. Tempel believed that…

a). a permanent ban on diesel vehicles should be introduced in all big cities. 

3. A Norwegian driver caught ignoring the ban last January…

a) had to pay a € 200 fine.

4. The Norwegian authorities...

c). used to believe diesel cars were better for the environment.