Student A
1. Rewrite this passage as reported speech.
My friend Max spoke to me last Tuesday and said: "It's my birthday today. I got a card from my aunt in Australia yesterday and one from my aunt in Canada today. I know you can't come to my party tomorrow, so would you like to join me for a drink now or maybe we can meet later this evening?"
2. Now rewrite this passage using the exact words Susan used. Last Wednesday, my friend Susan spoke to me on the phone
and told me that she wouldn't be able to see me this week. She had had a call from her brother ten minutes earlier and had heard her grandfather would be arriving there at the end of the week and this would be the first time she'd have seen him since he went to New Zealand in 1988. She hoped I wouldn't mind if we changed our meeting from this week to next week.
Student В
1. Rewrite this passage using the exact words Max used.
Last Tuesday my friend Max told me that it was his birthday that day. He had had a card from his uncle in Australia the day before and one from his aunt in Canada the same day he spoke to me. He knew I couldn't go to his party the next day, so he invited me for a drink then or suggested I could meet him later that evening.
2. Now rewrite this passage as reported speech.
My friend Susan spoke to me on the phone last Wednesday and said: "I won't be able to see you next week. I had a call from my brother ten minutes ago. I've heard from him that my
grandfather will be arriving here at the end of this week and this will be the first time I'll have seen him since he went to New Zealand in 1988.1 hope you don't mind but I'd like to postpone our meeting from next week to the week after".
18. Work in pairs. Imagine that one of you has done.
a) Something newsworthy, and the other is a reporter. Role-play an interview.
b) Join another pair. Tell your new partners what was said in the interview. If necessary, correct each other.
She told me that...
That's not quite right I think. I said that...
19. Situations.
A. Give a one-minute impromptu speech. Your classmates will take notes, and then in a short paragraph, or orally, they will report what you said. Choose any topic that comes to mind (relatives, sports, books, etc.)
B. Work in pairs. Each pair should create a short dialogue (five to ten sentences) based on one of the given situations. Each pair will then present their dialogue to the class. After the dialogue, the class will report what was said.
Sample situation: Have a conversation about going somewhere in this city.
Sample dialogue:
Ann: Would you like to go to the zoo tomorrow? Bob: I can't. I have to study. Ann: That's too bad. Are you sure you can't go? It will take
only a few hours. Bob: Well, maybe I can study in the morning and then go to the
zoo in the afternoon.
Ann: Great! What time do you want to go? Bob: Let's go around two o'clock.
Sample report: Ann asked Bob if he wanted to go to the zoo tomorrow. Bob said that he could not go because he had to study. Ann finally persuaded him to go. She said it would take only a few hours. Bob decided that he could study in the morning and go to the zoo in the afternoon. Ann asked Bob what time he wanted to go. He suggested going around two o'clock.
1. Have a conversation in which one of you invites the other one to a party.
2. One of you is a teenager and the other one is a parent. The teenager is having problems at school and is seeking advice and encouragement.
3. Have a conversation in which one of you persuades the other one to begin a health program by taking up a new kind of exercise (jogging, walking, tennis, etc.)
4. The two of you are a married couple. One of you is reminding the other one about the things he should or has to do today.
C. Money is the most important thing in life. Do you agree with the given statement? Have a discussion. At the end of your discussion, make a formal written report of the main points made by each speaker in your group. (Do not attempt to report every word that was spoken, give an accurate idea of the speaker's words, you don't necessarily have to use his or her exact words.
In your report, use the words such as think, believe, say, remark and state to introduce object clauses. When you use think or believe, you will probably use present tenses (e.g. John thinks that money is the most important thing in life). When you use say, remark, or state, you will probably use past tenses (e.g. Ann said that many other things were more important than money).
20. Read three stories about Steve Ellis, Mei-Yu Lin and Kate Hardy.
a) Report their stories.
Steve Ellis, 22
At first people don't believe me when I say I'm a secretary because secretaries just don't look like me. You know - young, black man. They have certain expectations of black people and expect me to have lots of kids, play in a reggae band and live in a high-rise that in the East End of London.
It's an interesting job. I work for a firm of solicitors. In fact, my boss is a woman - that's something else some of my friends find hard to understand!
Mei-Yu Lin, 35
People are often surprised to hear that I'm a hairdresser. I suppose it's partly because of my age and because there are hardly any Taiwanese women hairdressers in London. In fact, I've been a hairdresser for over fifteen years, first in Taiwan and then in Britain. I left Taiwan in 1983 and came to London with my husband. I've worked in a West End salon ever since and I really enjoy it. I'm the only Taiwanese hairdresser there. I work three days a week, and the rest of the time I'm busy looking after my son. I've been married for over ten years. My husband works for a computer company, so I'm financially secure. It would be difficult to go back to Taiwan because we've been living in Britain too long and have friends here.
Kate Hardy, 25
People often raise their eyebrows when I say I'm a vet and at first they wonder if I'm capable of doing the job properly. Most people's idea of a stereotypical vet is a clean-cut young man in a white coat. I'm female, I've had my nose pierced in the past, and I used to colour my hair. I've been qualified for a year now. It's an exhausting life style. I've been working almost sixty hours a week for the past month, so it's not very good for your social life. I haven't got a boyfriend. At the moment I'm sharing a house with three students.
b) Try to give imaginary pictures of these people.
c) We are all guilty of judging people by their appearance. We glance at a stranger in the street and within seconds we calculate their age, note their colouring and decide whether or not we find them attractive. Why do we do this? Why do we persist in making snap judgements which are often wrong?
Work in groups of three as Students А, В and C. Let Student A and В make up a dialogue on the above given task.
Discuss the following questions in your dialogue:
1. What do you notice first about a person when you meet him or her for the first time?
2. Can you ever tell what people do for a living from the way they look?
3. What is the problem with judging people from first impressions?
When your dialogue is ready, let Student С report it to the class.
21. a) Read the text "While the Auto Waits" after O'Henry. Then prepare questions on the text and let your fellow-students answer them.
b) Retell the text both in direct and indirect speech.
While the Auto Waits
(after O. Henry)
The girl in grey came to that quiet corner of the small park. She sat down on a bench and began to read a book.
Her dress was grey and simple. Her face was very beautiful. She always came there at the same hour and there was a young man who knew it.
The young man came near. At that moment her book fell on the ground. The young man picked up the book, returned it to the girl, said a few words about the weather and stood waiting. The girl looked at his simple coat, common face and said, "Sit down, if you like, the light is too bad for reading. Let's talk".
"Do you know", he said, "that you are very beautiful. I see you here sometimes". "Oh, let's change the subject. Don't forget that I'm a lady. You'd better tell me about the people passing by. Where are they going? Are they happy? I come here to sit because only here I am near the masses of people. I speak to you because I want to talk to a man not spoiled by money. Oh! You don't know how tired I am of money, money, money! And
of the men who surround me! I'm tired of pleasure, of jewels, of travels!"
The young man looked at her with interest. "I've always thought that money is a good thing! I like to read about the life of rich people".
"Sometimes I think", the girl continued, "that I could love only a simple man. What is your profession?"
"I'm a cashier in the restaurant that you see on the opposite side of the street".
The girl looked at her watch and rose. "Why aren't you at work?" she asked. "I'm on the night shift. When shall I see you again?"
"I don't know. Now I must be going. Oh, there is a dinner and a concert tonight. Did you notice the white automobile at the corner of the park? The driver is waiting for me. Good night".
"But the park is full of rude men. May I accompany you to the car?"
"Oh, no. Stay on this bench for ten minutes after I have left".
And she went away. The young man looked at her elegant figure while she was going to the gate of the park. Then he stood up and followed her. When the girl reached the park gate ! she turned her head to look at the white car, then passed it, crossed the street and entered the restaurant. A red-haired girl left the cashier's desk and the girl in grey took her place.
The young man walked slowly down the street, then stepped into the white automobile and said to the driver, "Club, Henry!"
22. a) Read the text "The Verger" by W. Somerset Maugham.
The Verger
Albert Edward Foreman had been verger at St Peter's, a fashionable church in Neville Square, London, for sixteen years. Albert Edward was very proud of his job and his church. But there was one special feature about Albert: he couldn't read or write. When one day a new vicar discovered this, he told him
that unless he learnt to read and write within three months, he would lose his job. Albert Edward refused and the vicar gave him a month's notice to leave. That evening Albert sadly locked the church and began to walk home.
Albert Edward was a non-smoker and a total abstainer, but with a certain latitude; that is to say he liked a glass of beer with his dinner and when he was tired he enjoyed a cigarette. It occurred to him now that a cigarette would comfort him and since he did not carry them he looked about him for a shop where he could buy a packet of Gold Flake. He did not at once see one and walked on a little. It was a long street but there was not a single shop where you could buy cigarettes.
"That's strange", said Albert Edward.
To make sure, he walked right up the street again. No, there was no doubt about it. He stopped and looked reflectively up and down.
"I can't be the only man who walks along this street and wants a cigarette", he said. "A person who had a little shop here selling tobacco and sweets would do very well".
He stopped suddenly.
"That's an idea", he said, "Strange how things come to you when you least expect it".
He turned and walked home and had his tea.
Next day he went along the street and by good luck found a little shop to let that looked as though it would exactly suit him. Twenty-four hours later he had taken it, and when a month after that he left St Peter's, Neville Square, for ever, Albert Edward Foreman set up in business as a tobacconist and newsagent. His wife said it was a dreadful come-down after being verger of St Peter's, but he answered that you had to move with the times, the church wasn't what it was. Albert Edward did very well. He did so well that in the course of ten years he had acquired no less than ten shops and he was making money hand over fist. He went round to all of them himself every Monday, collected the week's takings and took them to the bank.
One morning when he was there paying in a bundle of notes and a heavy bag of silver, the cashier told him that the manager would like to see him. He was shown into an office and the manager shook hands with him.
"Mr Foreman, I wanted to have a talk with you about the money you've got in deposit with us. Do you know exactly how much it is?"
"Not within a pound or two, sir; but I've got a pretty rough idea".
"Apart from what you paid in this morning, it's a little over thirty thousand pounds. That's a very large sum to have on deposit and I should have thought you would do better to invest it".
"I wouldn't want to take any risks, sir. I know it's safe in the bank".
"You needn't have the least anxiety. We'll make you out a list of absolutely gilt-edged securities. They'll bring you in a better rate of interest than we can possibly afford to give you".
A troubled look settled on Mr Foreman's distinguished face. "I've never had anything to do with stocks and shares and I would have to leave them all in your hands", he said.
The manager smiled, "We'll do everything. All you'll have to do next time you come in is just sign some forms".
"I could do that all right", said Albert uncertainly. "But how should I know what I was signing?"
"I suppose you can read", said the manager a trifle sharply.
Mr Foreman gave him a disarming smile.
"Well, sir, that's just it. I can't. I know it sounds funny, but there it is. I can't read or write, only my name, and I only learnt to do that when I went into business".
The manager was so surprised that he jumped up from his chair. "That's the most extraordinary thing I've ever heard".
"You see, it's like this, sir. I never had the opportunity until it was too late and then somehow I wouldn't. I got obstinate, if you know what I mean".
The manager stared at him as though he were a prehistoric monster.
"And do you mean to say that you've built up this important business and amassed a fortune of thirty thousand pounds without being able to read or write? Good God, man, what would you now be if you had been able to?"
"I can tell you that, sir", said Mr Foreman, a little smile still on his aristocratic features. "I'd be verger of St Peter's, Neville Square".
b) Explain the meaning of the following in your own words: abstainer / latitude / come-down / takings / move with the times / a rough idea / disarming.
c) Report all Albert Edward's thoughts.
d) Work in groups of three as Students А, В and C. Student A is Albert Edward and Student В is Mr Foreman, the manager of the bank. Make up a conversation between them. Student С will report your conversation to the class.
e) Retell the text using reported speech.
23.
A Cup of Tea
by Katherine Mansfield
a) About the Author
Katherine Mansfield was born in New Zealand in 1888. She went to London in 1908 to start her writing career. In 1909 she married and separated from her husband within a day. She spent an unhappy period in Germany, then met and married John Middleton Murry. Her brother was killed in the First World War, which turned her mind to her New Zealand childhood, which she wrote about. She developed tuberculosis in 1917 and died of fits effects in 1923 in France. Her stories are mostly about events that might have happened within her own world, and describe experiences which could happen to anyone.
b) Speaking and Reading
1. Work in pairs. The story in this exercise is "A Cup of Tea" by a New Zealand writer, Katherine Mansfield (1888 - 1923), who lived in London for part of her life. Read the following and decide:
- where it takes place
- who the participants of the story may be
- what's happening
- why it's called "A Cup of Tea"
2. Here are two parts of dialogue taken from part 1 of the story. Can you add anything to your answers to 1?
1) "Madam, would you let me have the price of a cup of tea?"
"A cup of tea? Then you have no money at all?" asked Rosemary.
2) "You are not taking me to the police station?" the girl stammered.
"The police station!" Rosemary laughed out.
"No, I only want to make you warm and to hear - anything
you care to tell me".
c) Read part 1 of the story and check your answers to 1 and 2.
Part 1
Rosemary Fell was not exactly beautiful. Pretty? Well, if you took her to pieces... but why be so cruel as to take anyone to pieces. She was young, brilliant, extremely modern, exquisitely well-dressed. She was married and had a lovely boy. And her husband, Philip, absolutely adored her. They were rich, really rich.
One winter afternoon, she was buying something in a little antique shop in Curzon Street. The man showed her a little box, an exquisite enamel box. Rosemary liked it very much. "Charming!" But what was the price? "Twenty-eight guineas, madam".
Twenty-eight guineas. Even if, one was rich... "Well, keep it for me - will you?"
The door shut with a click. Rain was falling, and with the rain it seemed the dark came too. Suddenly, at the moment, a young girl, thin, dark, shadowy - where had she come from? -was standing at Rosemary's elbow and said quietly.
"Madam, would you let me have the price of a cup of tea?" "A cup of tea? Then you have no money at all?" asked Rosemary.
"None, madam", came the answer.
"How extraordinary!" And suddenly it seemed to Rosemary such an adventure. Supposing she took the girl home? And she heard herself saying afterwards to the amazement of her friends, "I simply took her home with me", as she stepped forward and said, "come home to tea with me".
The girl drew back startled. "I mean it", Rosemary said, smiling. And she felt how simple and kind her smile was. "Come along".
"You're not taking me to the police station?" the girl stammered.
"The police station!" Rosemary laughed out.
"No, I only want to make you warm and to hear - anything you care to tell me".
Hungry people are easily led. The servant held open the door of the car and a moment later they were driving through the dusk.
"There!" said Rosemary. She had a feeling of triumph. She could have said, "Now I've got you", but of course she meant it kindly. She was going to prove to this girl that rich people had hearts, and that women were sisters.
d) Put the words in order to make reported statements.
1) her / she / come / to / along / told
2) him / she / for / keep / told / to / it / her
3) that / she / had / none / replied / she
4) asked / some / money / her / to give / she / her
5) she / tea / invited / home / for / her
6) her / she / promised / she / it / meant Model: She told her to come along.
e) Underline the sentences in Part 1 of the story which match the reported statements in activity 4.
f) Here are some statements about Part 2 of the story. Using reporting verbs decide who the pronouns refer to.
1) She invited her to sit in a comfortable chair.
2) She told her not to be frightened.
3) She apologized and said she was going to faint.
4) She told her to come and get warm.
5) She told her not to cry.
6) She offered to look after her.
Model: She - Rosemary, her - the girl.
g) Write down what you think the people actually said.
Model: "Please sit down in this comfortable chair".
h) Here are some extracts from Part 2 of the story. Rewrite them in reported speech using a suitable reporting verb.
1) "I'll arrange something, I promise".
2) "Rosemary, may I come in?" It was Philip.
3) Philip asked, "Explain. Who is she?"
4) "Look again. I think you're making a mistake".
5) "Philip", she whispered, "am I pretty?" Model: She promised to arrange something.
i) Work in pairs. Look at your answers to Activities 4, 5 and 6. Can you guess what may happens in Part 2 of the story. Now read Part 2 of the story.
Part 2
The car stopped, they rang the bell, the door opened, and Rosemary drew the girl into the hall. Warmth, softness, light, a sweet scent, all these familiar things she never even thought about.
The girl seemed dazed.
"Come and sit down", Rosemary cried, as she walked into the drawing room. "Sit in this comfortable chair. You mustn't be frightened. Come and get warm. Won't you take off your hat?"
The girl remained standing, but Rosemary gently pulled her towards the chair. The girl had moved only a few paces when she whispered, "I'm very sorry, madam, but I'm going to faint".
Rosemary guided her into the chair, crying, "How thoughtless I am! Tea at once! And some brandy immediately!" She rushed to the bell to call a servant.
"No, I don't want brandy. It's a cup of tea I want, madam". And she burst into tears.
"Don't cry, poor little thing", Rosemary said, sympathetically.
Now at last the girl forgot to be shy and said, "I can't go on any longer like this".
"You won't have to. I'll look after you. Don't cry any more. I'll arrange something, I promise".
The girl stopped crying just in time for tea.
Some little while later, the door handle turned. "Rosemary, may I come in?" It was Philip.
"Of course. This is my friend, Miss".
"Smith, madam", said the girl, who was strangely still and unafraid.
Philip looked at the girl, at her hands and boots and then at Rosemary. "I wanted you to come into the library for a moment. Will Miss Smith excuse us?"
Rosemary answered for her: "Of course she will". And they went out of the room together.
Philip asked, "Explain. Who is she?"
Rosemary laughed and said, "I picked her up in Curzon Street. She asked me for the price of a cup of tea and I brought her home with me. I'm going to be nice to her. Look after her".
"My darling girl", said Philip, "you're quite mad. She's so astonishingly pretty".
"Pretty?" Rosemary was so surprised. "Do you think so?"
"She's absolutely lovely. Look again. I think you're making a mistake. But let me know if Miss Smith is going to have dinner with us".
Rosemary did not return directly to Miss Smith but went to her writing room and sat down at her desk. Pretty! Lovely! She opened a drawer and took out five £1 notes. She paused, then put two back and, holding three in her hand, went back to the girl in the drawing room.
Half an hour later, Philip was still in the library, when Rosemary came in.
"I... only wanted to tell you Miss Smith insisted on going, so I gave the poor little thing some money".
Rosemary had just done her hair, darkened her eyes and put on her pearls. She touched Philip's cheeks.
"I saw a fascinating little box today. It costs twenty-eight guineas. May I have it?"
"You may", Philip said. But that was not really what Rosemary wanted to say.
"Philip", she whispered, "Am I pretty?"
j) Work in pairs. Try to remember as much as possible about the story. Use the words in the box to help you. Organize your work in the following way:
- Say what the words in the box mean.
- Reproduce how they were used in the story.
- Work in pairs and use the words to reconstruct the story.
- Let one student start telling the story.
If he/she misses out any information, another student can challenge with a question. If the first student answers correctly, he/she continues. If he/she doesn't answer correctly, the challenger takes over the telling of the story.
- Now read the whole story again and check.
Adore / antique / shop / bell / boot / box / dazed / desk / dusk / enamel / faint / pearls / pretty / prove / scent / servant / smile / softness / startled / tears / warmth / well-dressed
k) Retell the story as:
a) the author
b) Rosemary
c) the girl
Do not use direct speech.
I) Writing.
Write a paragraph describing what happens in the story from the husband's point of view. Do not use direct speech
Begin like that:
My wife was out shopping one day when she met n beautiful young woman in the street...
Intentionally blank page
Mood
Mood is a grammatical category which indicates the atti- tude of the speaker towards the action expressed by the verb from the point of view of its reality.
In Modern English we distinguish three moods:
The Indicative Mood
The Imperative Mood
The Subjunctive Mood
The Indicative Mood shows that the action or state expressed by the verb is presented as a fact. (See the Tenses in the Active and Passive Voice.)
She went to college in the morning. The text was translated yesterday.
The Imperative Mood expresses a command or a request.
Please put the papers on the table.
Don't litter, please.
The Subjunctive Mood
The Subjunctive Mood shows that the action or state expressed by the verb is presented as a non-fact, as something imaginary or desired.
Fact: I work in a restaurant, but I don't earn much.
If I find a better job, I'll take it.
Non-fact: I wish I had a lot of money.
If I had a lot of money, I would open my own restaurant.
In Modern English the Subjunctive Mood has synthetic and analytical forms.
The synthetic forms are as follows: the Present Subjunctive (a special kind of present tense which has no -s in the third person singular: I, he, she, it, we, you, they be, have, speak, etc.) and the Past Subjunctive only of the verb to be (I, he / she / it, we, you, they were). The synthetic forms are sometimes used in that-clauses in a formal style, especially in American English, after words which express the idea that something is important or desirable and in certain fixed phrases. The same forms are used in both present and past tenses.
It is important that Helen be present when we sign the papers.
We considered it desirable that he not leave school before finishing his exams.
God bless you!
Long live the bride and the groom!
If we have to pay $2,000, then so be it. (-We can't do anything to change it.)
The analytical forms consist of the mood auxiliaries should, would, may (might) or shall (which is seldom used) + the infinitive.
