Mastering Direct and Indirect Speech

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

Mastering Direct and Indirect Speech

Learning Objective

Understand the concept of direct and indirect speech, identify examples, and comprehend the grammatical implications.

What do you already know about direct and indirect speech?

Introduction to Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct speech repeats the exact words spoken, while indirect speech reports what someone has said.

Examples from the News

Watch the following video. Where can you hear direct speech? And where can you hear indirect speech?

Grammatical Implications

In indirect speech, verb tenses, pronouns, and time expressions often change from the original direct speech.

Indirect speech often changes the tense into the past by one step.

Example of change in tense

Direct speech:

“I want to visit Paris,” said Sarah.

Indirect speech:

Sarah said that she wanted to visit Paris.

Interactive Exercise: Identifying Direct vs. Indirect Speech

1. Mary said that she loved chocolate.
2. “I love chocolate,” said Mary.
   
3. “Can you pass the salt?” John asked.
   
4. John asked if I could pass the salt.
5. “We’re going to the beach tomorrow,” Tom announced.
6. Tom announced that they would go to the beach the next day.

Practice with News Headlines

(Try to) read the article to the right. Where can you find instances of direct and indirect speech?

Understanding the Changes

Discuss the changes in pronouns, tenses, and time expressions when transforming direct to indirect speech.

Video Explanation

Show a short video explaining the rules and transformations involved in changing direct speech to indirect speech.

Application in Writing

Read the text on the next slide from the Putin interview. 

Take time to rewrite the direct speech into indirect speech. Make it read like an article. 

Putin - Carlson Interview

Tucker Carlson: So, twice you've described US presidents making decisions and then being undercut by their agency heads. So, it sounds like you're describing a system that is not run by the people who are elected, in your telling.

Vladimir Putin: That's right, that's right. In the end they just told us to get lost. I am not going to tell you the details, because I think it is incorrect, after all, it was a confidential conversation. But our proposal was declined, that’s a fact.

It was right then when I said: ”Look, but then we will be forced to take counter measures. We will create such strike systems that will certainly overcome missile defense systems.“ The answer was: ”We are not doing this against you, and you do what you want, assuming that it is not against us, not against the United States“. I said, ”Okay.“

Review of Examples

Tucker Carlson: “So, twice you’ve described US presidents making decisions and then being undercut by their agency heads. So, it sounds like you’re describing a system that is not run by the people who are elected, in your telling.”

Vladimir Putin responded that it was indeed the case. He explained that in the end, they were simply told to get lost. He refrained from sharing the details due to the confidentiality of the conversation. However, he emphasized that their proposal had been declined, which was a factual occurrence1.

Vladimir Putin continued: “It was right then when I said, ‘Look, but then we will be forced to take countermeasures. We will create such strike systems that will certainly overcome missile defense systems.’”

Real-World Application

Have you heard a good bit of gossip? Or some fresh info from one of your teachers?

Tell your neighbor, and have them write it out as reported speech.

Summary

• Direct speech is a direct quote
• indirect speech is a retelling.
• Indirect speech typically switches to the past tense. 
• Both forms are used interchangably by the press. 

Quiz Time!

• Give an example of indirect speech now. 
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Conclusion

Questions?

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.