Direct and Indirect Speech: Understanding the Difference

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Direct and Indirect Speech: 

Understanding the Difference

4 December 2024 

Welcome! 

Please get ready for work

Lesson aim

At the end of the lesson, 

you can identify and use 

direct and indirect speech 

correctly.

Introduce the learning objective to the students and emphasize the importance of understanding the difference between direct and indirect speech.

Today's program

Recap of direct and indirect speech

Practice

 Reflection on today's lesson aim

Introduce the learning objective to the students and emphasize the importance of understanding the difference between direct and indirect speech.

What do you already know about direct and indirect speech?

Direct vs. Indirect Speech

Direct speech reports the exact words spoken by someone.

My friend said, "I will call you tomorrow".

 Indirect speech reports what someone said. It is used when reporting conversations, telling stories, summarizing events. You retell what someone else has said without quoting them.  

My friend said that he would call me the next day.

Explain the difference between direct and indirect speech using simple language and examples.

Identifying Mistakes

Ask the students to identify the mistake in the sentence and explain the correct way to report what John said using indirect speech.

Spot the mistake in the following sentence:
John said that he will go to the party later.

Which sentence uses indirect speech correctly?

1. She said 'I will come tomorrow.'
2. She said she would come tomorrow.

What is the mistake in the following sentence?

He asked me if I am going to the concert.

Which sentence uses indirect speech correctly?

1. She said 'I am going to the cinema.'
2. She said she was going to the cinema.
3. She said she is going to the cinema.
4. She said she has gone to the cinema.

What STEPS do you take to convert (omzetten) 

direct speech into indirect speech? 

1 Identify the tense; go one step back in time. Present > past 

2 Change possessive pronoun  I love my phone > She said that she loved her phone.  

3 Start with something like: He said (that)..., She told me that..., They said (that)...

Explain the difference between direct and indirect speech using simple language and examples.

Time in indirect speech: go one step back in time

Identify the verb that must change. 

DIRECT SPEECH                            INDIRECT SPEECH

present simple  ----->                past simple

present continuous ----->       past continuous

past simple ----->                        past perfect

will  ------>                                       would

am/are going to ------>              was going to 

Explain the difference between direct and indirect speech using simple language and examples.

Creating Indirect Speech

Ask the students to create an indirect speech sentence and provide feedback on their answer.

Rewrite the sentence in indirect speech:

'I will call you tonight,' said Tony.
Tony said that ... .... call me this night.

Rewrite the following sentence in indirect speech:

Mary said, 'I love pizza!'.

Rewrite the sentence in indirect speech:

'I am busy right now,' she said.

Rewrite the sentence in indirect speech:

'Can you help me with my homework?' asked Tom.

Rewrite the sentence in indirect speech:

'I have never been to Paris before,' said Jane.

Rewrite the following sentence in indirect speech:

'I am going to the store,' said Sarah.

Rewrite the following sentence in direct speech:

My grandmother said that she would visit us on New Year's Eve.

When do you use indirect speech?

1. Om te vertellen dat iets nu gebeurt
2. Om iets na te vertellen

Which type of speech is usually enclosed in quotation marks in writing?

1. Direct speech
2. Neither direct nor indirect speech
3. Both direct and indirect speech
4. Indirect speech

Review

In this lesson, we learned about 

the difference between 

direct and indirect speech, 

how to identify mistakes, 

and how to create indirect speech.

Review the key points of the lesson with the students and ask if they have any questions or concerns.

Let's play with direct / indirect speech 

Choose a setting for your  role play:

• journalist  / celebrity
• parent / child
• reporting a lost item at school
• at a restaurant (customer, waiter, restaurant owner)
• docter's appointment (doctor/nurse, patient)    
• You can only speak English                           

Introduce the learning objective to the students and emphasize the importance of understanding the difference between direct and indirect speech.

Now you practice

Choice of activities:

1 do exercises in book 51, 52, 53 (individually or in duo)

2 do role play (in duo or trio) 

3 study grammar / vocab (individually, use laptop for Slim stampen)

Introduce the learning objective to the students and emphasize the importance of understanding the difference between direct and indirect speech.

Tijd  

in indirect speech

1    Identify the tense; go one step back in time:

DIRECT SPEECH                            INDIRECT SPEECH

present simple  ----->                past simple

present continuous ----->       past continuous

past simple ----->                        past perfect

Explain the difference between direct and indirect speech using simple language and examples.

Persoonlijk voornaamwoorden

Direct speech   

I          > he, she

we     > they

you   > he, she, they

my    > his, her

our   > their

your > his, her, their

= pronouns

Indirect speech                                

me      >  him, her

us       >   them

you    >    him, her, them

mine   >   his, hers

ours    >   theirs

yours  >   his, hers,theirs

Explain the difference between direct and indirect speech using simple language and examples.

Explain the difference between direct and indirect speech using simple language and examples.

Write down 2 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.

Hoe goed kun je nu direct speech omzetten in indirect speech?

1. Heel goed
2. Behoorlijk goed
3. Nog niet zo goed
4. Nog helemaal niet

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.

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.