E n g L i s h jenni Currie Santamaria

Better Reading English
Often, however, we do not quote the exact words that people say, but instead 
use “reported speech.” In reported speech, verb tenses change to go along 
with the reporting verb. Here are some examples of these changes:
Direct Speech 
Reported Speech
He said, “I love baseball.” 
→
He said he* loved baseball.
She said, “I went to the game.” 
→
She said she* had gone to 
the game.
Tom said, “You are going to lose.” 
→
Tom told us** we were going 
to lose.
Mona said, “You’ll enjoy the show.” 
→
Mona said that*** I would 
enjoy the show.
*Notice that pronouns also change when we move from direct to reported speech.
**We usually use “tell” with reported speech, not direct speech. It is followed by an indirect 
object (e.g., 
me, us, him, them
).
***We sometimes use 
that
after 
say
or after 
tell 
+ indirect object.
B.
Identify reported speech
Read the sentences. Match the direct speech to the reported speech.
____
1.
He said, “You won’t win.” a. He said we were going to win.
____
2.
He said, “You won.” 
b. He said we won.
____
3.
He said, “You’re going
c. He said we couldn’t win. 
to win.”
____
4.
He said, “You win.” 
d. He said we wouldn’t win.
____
5.
He said, “You can’t win.” 
e. He said we hadn’t won.
____
6.
He said, “You haven’t won.” f. He said we had won.
C.
Identify direct and reported speech
Read the sentences. Circle the matching sentence.
1.
Tony said, “The gang is coming over at 4:00.”
a. 
Tony said the gang came over at 4:00.
b. 
Tony said the gang was coming over at 4:00.
2.
Kim said she had blown her whole paycheck on a pair of shoes.
a. 
Kim said, “I blow my whole paycheck on a pair of shoes.”
b. 
Kim said, “I blew my whole paycheck on a pair of shoes.”

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Playing the Game
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3.
The manager said he would ix the photocopier.
a. 
The manager said, “I ixed the photocopier.”
b. 
The manager said, “I’ll ix the photocopier.”
4.
Jordi said, “I’m going to drive you home.”
a. 
Jordi said that he was going to drive me home.
b. 
Jordi said that he had driven me home.
5.
Alice told me that she was quitting.
a. 
Alice said, “I quit.”
b. 
Alice said, “I’m quitting.”
VI. READ IT AGAIN
Read the song again. Find one example of direct speech and one example of 
reported speech.
THE ATTRACTION OF GOLF
I. PRE-READING
A.
Background information
Tiger Woods is an American golfer who was one of the most successful and well 
paid athletes in the world during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He holds many 
goling records and made millions of dollars advertising products. In 2009 he 
took a leave of absence from golf because of a scandal. He has since returned 
to golf but has not achieved his former level of success. The following passage 
is from his autobiography, 
How I Play Golf
, which came out in 2001 when he was 
at the height of his fame.
B.
Words to know before you read
Match the words to their definitions.
____
1.
be infatuated with 
a. using your own power or resources
____
2.
club 
b. surrender; give in
____
3.
toddler 
c. a phrase that people say too often
____
4.
self-reliance 
d. in the end
____
5.
succumb 
e. the “stick” used for hitting a golf ball
____
6.
cliché 
f. love intensely
____
7.
ultimately 
g. a small child (1–2 years old)

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