We report questions using verbs such as ask, want to know, etc.. SECTION 1 Tenses in reported speech 1 TENSES OF THE REPORT VERB Because we usually report what was said in the past,
Trang 1! Repouted speech
1 In the following extract from a composition, circle
the underlined verbs that are not in a correct form
In a recent report on hygiene in shops and
restaurants, it is claimed (1) that over 40% of the
establishments involved in the survey fell (2)
below acceptable standards One butcher quoted
in the report even boasted that several of his
customers have become (3) ill after eating chicken
bought at his shop When one of the customers
complained, she was told that it can't have
washed (5) it thoroughly under the tap before she
cooked it The butcher conceded he had acted (6)
somewhat irresponsibly but seemed happy to
admit that he will sell (7) the same chicken in the
future if it was ever necessary All this is rather
worrying Of particular cause for concern is the
attitude expressed by a chef at an expensive
restaurant who related how he had once
served (8) food reheated from three-day-old left-
overs and sold it at a vastly inflated price The
author of the report, interviewed on television, said
that as a result of his studies he (9) to the
conclusion, that the more you (1 0) for a meal,
the more likely you are to get ill
FOR TENSES IN REPORTED SPEECH CEE SECTION 1
2 Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is as similar as possible to the sentence printed before it
two nights,' said the man on the telephone
The man on the telephone confirmed that he had booked a room for two nights
a 'I'm sorry I shouted at you,' Ruth said to Rita Ruth apologised
b 'Look Tim, you really shouldn't get so angry with
people,' said the receptionist
The receptionist told
c 'I'm really grateful for al1 the help you've given me over the last few days,' the boy told his parents
The boy told his parents he
d 'If you will agree to help me on this, I'II see what I
can do about your working hours,' my previous boss told me
My previous boss promised
e 'If you can't get here today, what about tomorrow?' my mother asked me on my birthday
My mother wondered
f 'Do you think you might be able to get the money
by this evening?' the shop owner enquired
The shop owner asked me
g 'I'd rather you didn't tell anyone about it yet,' my
wife said
My wife asked me
h 'Don't worry, l'm not really going to take al1 your money,' laughed the man
The man reassured me he had
i 'I'm afraid I am not in a position to lend you any
money at the moment,' said the manager, 'though I would if I could.'
The manager said that
j 'But you really must come and stay with us for the weekend,' said Philip
Philip insisted
FOR TENSES IN REPORTED SPEECH, CEE SECTION 1 FOR REPORT
STRUCTURES, CEE SECTION 2
Trang 2OVERVIEW
When we report what somebody says or thinks, we
commonly make changes in vocabulary and
grammar:
reporting what pronouns, or
else said nouns to make
the reference clear
Examples
'1 love you.'
becomes: He said he loved me
'You're being ridiculous ' becomes:
He told Roula she was being ridiculous
We are change words '1 love it here.'
reporting the referring to becomes: She told
original saying place or other me she loved it by
or thought in things that are the sea
a different no longer there 'Hey! Look at this!'
my attention to the headline in the PaPer
We are change tenses '1 only got here
reporting the and words yesterday ' becomes:
statement at a referring to She said she had only
Wednesday
'I'm coming tomorrow ' becomes:
He said he's coming today
2 REPORTING ORDERS AND QUESTIONS
We usually report orders using verbs such as ask,
tell,forbid, etc with a to-infinitive:
He told me to be there at nine o'clock sharp
We report questions using verbs such as ask, want
to know, etc with wh-clauses or ifclauses (see
Section 2):
He asked me where I'd been
She enquired whether I wanted to wait for a reply
3 FLEXIBLE CHANGES
The changes we make to tenses and vocabulary when reporting are not fixed transformations The possible variations in who we are talking to, and where and when we are speaking, mean we must be flexible Al1 references to place and person and time, including tense, must make sense to the speaker and listener at the time and place in which they are speaking Here are some examples to show how report words and structures can change according to the situation:
Person joins a group of people chatting at a PartY
Shouting to somebody in another room
Impatiently waiting for somebody Sitting in a café, telling a friend about a long discussion you had a couple of days ago with a colleague
'Hello 1 was just saying to George here that they've given the go-ahead for that new airport '
'What did you say?
1 can't hear you ' '1 said your dinner's ready!'
'He said he would
be here at eight o'clock '
Anyway, then she said she was thinking of leaving work and going abroad for a year '
'They've pven the go-aheadfor that new airport '
'Your dinner's ready !'
'1 promise 1'11 be there at eight o'clock '
'I'm thinking of leaving this place 1 may spend a year abroad '
Trang 3SECTION 1
Tenses in reported speech
1 TENSES OF THE REPORT VERB
Because we usually report what was said in the past,
we normally use a Past tense for the report verb:
Last night in a television address, the President claimed
he'd done nothing wrong
We use a future form to guess the future:
I'm sure he'll say he's too tired
What do you think the judge's decision is going to be?
We often use Past Continuous to report gossip, or
to repeat what somebody else has just said:
Nikos was saying you're thinking of leaving
We may use a report verb in a Present tense if we
feel the original statement is still relevant:
John says he's on his way and will be here in twenty
minutes (= reporting a phone message)
2 REPORTING PAST TENSES
When reporting a statement or question that
referred to the past, we commonly use Past Perfect:
He told me he'd been working al1 day (= original:
'I've been working al1 day ')
Where the time relationship is obvious, we can
report past events with Past Simple rather than
Past Perfect:
The palaeontologist claimed the world had begun /
began earlier than originally thought
Sometimes, we keep the original tenses, especially
if the report verb is Present tense :
Oh, by the way, Tony says he's going to be a bit late
He told me he's been working al1 day (= reported the
same day)
3 REPORTING PRESENT TENSES
We may use Past tenses to report Present tenses if
they refer to things that are no longer relevant:
Jo said she felt sick (= she isn't any longer)
But, we can use Present tenses if the statement is
still thought to be relevant:
Jo said she is feeling sick (= she still is)
There can sometimes be a conflict between logical
truth and grammatical habit when reporting
situations that are still true at the time of
reporting If somebody asks your age, it is logical
to report it (a short time later) as:
He asked me how old I am
However, there is a strong grammatical tendency
to keep the tenses in a sentence in agreement:
He asked me how old I was (and you are still the same age)
Both are acceptable and there's no difference in meaning:
They asked me where you live/ lived
She told me she hadn't / hasn't got much money
If we don't believe the speaker, we use a Past tense:
He claimed the Earth was pat
He told me he was broke but I know he was lying
For many moda1 verbs (see Units 3 and 4) there is no difference between direct and reported speech:
' I might go but I don't want to.' becomes:
He said he might go but he didn't want to
'You shouldn't have eaten so much.' becomes:
My wife said I shouldn't have eaten so much
Those that can change (if necessary) are:
Moda1 Changes Examples
can becomes: could (or 'Can I borrow your
would be able to) ball?' becomes:
He asked ifhe could borrow our ball must becomes: had to or 'You must go back
was / were to (to again later ' becomes: express obligation) They told me 1 had to
go back again later will becomes: would '1'11 come later '
becomes: She told me she would come later may becomes: might '1 may come ' becomes
He said he might come needn't becomes: didn't need 'You needn't go tonight.'
to or didn't have to / becomes: He said I
wouldn't have to didn't need to go last
night
What are the likely original statements which these report?
a They said they would be at the station by ten
b She said she had to wash her hair this evening
c He tried to convince me that Goa was in Africa
d She claimed she spent her childhood in Australia
e She said she'd given up studying English and was going to get married instead
Trang 4T E N S E S I N REPORTED S P E E C H @
cannot complete the sentence Put a question mark
a Tom just told me he is 1 was going home because
he doesn't feel well
b According to Shakespeare, life is 1 was nothing but a
walking shadow
c It's reported that there has been 1 had been a massive
earthquake in Indonesia
d Shakespeare wrote that al1 the world is 1 was a
stage
e Would you believe it, he's told the others he has 1
had passed Proficiency
f Ali says he'd 1 he'll see you later
g He told me just now he is 1 was definitely going
to resign
h My mother was always saying that you can 1 could
take a horse to water but you can't 1 couldn't make
it drink
Fill each of the numbered gaps with one
suitable word
It was quite an emotional day, 1 (1) admit A few
of the younger clerks just (2) me good luck and
(3) 1 would be happy in my new job Some of
the farewells from older colleagues were quite touching;
one said 1 (4) been a kind of model for him,
(5) 1 (6) rather nice The managing
director made a speech at lunchtime, the usual gushing
stuff about al1 1 (7) done for the firm, how much
omitted to recall a conversation in which he had
deserve to be working in a company as good as his
When it was my turn to respond, 1 couldn't believe the
clichés 1 (12) out with: about what a pleasure
(1 3) had been to work in a firm that (1 4)
such high standards and (15) stand comparison
with any company in the country; about how 1
The cleaning lady was the last person (18) say
goodbye to me She just said she'd always ( 19)
me as a gentleman 1 thought that (20) sweet
brackets More than one form is often possible
Example: He asked me if 1 (be) going to the party
tonight arn, was
a William says he (want) to be a policeman when he
grows up
b Jenny called afier me to ask if 1 (be) going to the
party the following evening
c At lunchtime my wife called to ask me where 1
d She called me on my mobile and asked me where
1 (be)
e She demanded to know why 1 (not come) home
last night
f She demanded to know why 1 (not come) home
the night before
g Nikos asked if 1 (ever visit) Thessaloniki before
h The teacher wanted to know if 1 (can take) his
class for him that evening
Report what the assistant said to you in each shop when you were hunting for a particular piece
of computer software
Example: John Brown's Software Store: 'I've never heard of that particular product I'm not sure it exists.' ln John Brown's Software Store the rnan said he'd never heard of the product, adding that he wasn't sure it existed
a Sofily Sofily: 'We don't actually stock what you want but there is a shop down the road that does.'
b Disk Jockey: 'We normally keep them but we've had a run on them and I'm afraid we've sold out
We're expecting some in sometime next week.'
c Apple Core: 'We only deal with Apple Mac, so we won't be able to help you.'
d Surf'n Byte: 'We've got something very similar but
i can't guarantee that it will do what you want it
to do.'
e Graphics Unlimited: '1 think there's a place not far from here where they may be able to help you A friend of mine bought something similar from them last week.'
f Sofily Sofily: 'You were here a few hours ago We still don't stock them.'
Trang 5SECTION 2
1 THAT-CLAUSES AND WH-CLAUSES
We use that-clauses to report statements:
Jo sugested that I should go to see thefilm
We can also use that-clauses to report statements
which include wh-clauses:
She remembered that what was strange was that the
caller refused to leave his name She claimed that
whether we stayed or not made no difference to her
2 WH-CLAUSES
We use wh-clauses to report questions with wh-
words (why, when, etc.):
The department manager asked me when I was thinking
of leaving Our neighbours wanted to know where we
were going on holiday
The word order is normally subject-verb, not
verb-subject as in direct questions There is no
question mark:
J He asked me how I managed it
3 IF-CLAUSES
We use ifclauses to report yes 1 no questions:
My mother just rang to check if I was coming
We can also use ql whether in that-clauses to
report conditionals, or statements which talk
about alternatives:
She said that i f w e were staying, she'd have to make
up the spare bed
4 INFlNlTlVE AND -1NG FORMS I N REPORTING
We can report statements, orders and questions with
verbs followed by a to-infinitive, with and without an
object:
She promised / ogered to come with us
She advised me / warned us not to with them
We can also use report verbs followed by -ing
Sometimes we need a preposition:
He admitted/ recalled her taking the money
We apologised for/ accused her of taking the money
Note we can use a number of structures:
He agreed that it was a good idea / to marry her/ with
I advise you to go home / that your rent is due
I advise taking the pills / against going there
5 IMPERSONAL REPORTS
We can report what people generally say or think using passive report verbs There are two structures -
It + that-clause, or subject + to-infinitive:
It's reputed that he's worth £100 million
He's reputed to be worth £10 million
Here are report verbs we use in the same way:
know rumour report say believe suppose feel
Some verbs, e.g suspect and hint, can't be used with
a to-infinitive structure:
He is suspected of being guilty of cheating
ItS been hinted that he's worth even more
Here are examples of report verbs we can use only
in the structure It + that-clause:
suggest learn accept announce argue hope
6 SUMMARISING I N REPORTED SPEECH
When we report what people generally say or think,
we commonly summarise the original statement The aim is to report the meaning, not the exact words:
'I don't know Maybe 1'11 give up Anyway, she said workfor a while I'mfed up with she was thinking of
this job anyway What I really leaving her job and want to do is to travel overseas going abroad, possibly
a bit A year, maybe.' fir a yeat:
7 ADDlNG PERSONAL COMMENTS
UThen reporting, we may add details and give our reaction, e.g by using a particular report verb In this example, these interpretations are in bold:
She was going on about leaving, which I thought was strange She even said something about travelling, which in my opinion would be a complete waste
of time
Add the missing word in each of these examples
a Sylvia said she hadn't got enough time
b We enquired or not they were staying
c She asked 1 would stay long
d The firemen told us leave the building
e My father asked me 1 intended to do
Trang 6O Match the comments, (a-e) with the openings 1 (1-5) Make a
report combining the two
Example: 1 didn't know 'Are you really going to Siberia?'
1 didn't know you were going to Siberia
1 'The president wanted it to be
known
2 Fortunately Jane let me
know
3 The police wanted to
know
4 My angry boyfriend wanted
me to know
5 A client just wanted to check
a 'Why haven't you got a road tax disc?'
b '1 don't care whether you come or not.'
c 'Do you know when we're meeting next?'
d '1 won't be able to pick you up.'
e '1 am definitely not resigning.'
Underline al1 the options that can complete each sentence
1 My lawyer me to be on time
a wanted b offered c asked d told
2 Many people to help
a offered b agreed c didn't mind d promised
3 Their teacher against talking to strangers
a advised b recommended c suggested d warned
4 My girlfriend suggested alone
a 1 go b going c 1 went d to go
5 Many people on Rita's new hairstyle
a complimented b talked c commented d remarked
6 In the end they agreed to our two teams for the tournament
a entered b enter c entry d entering
7 1 tried to Tara from having her nose pierced
a persuade b discourage c encourage d dissuade
8 The actress to having had first-night nerves
a admitted b agreed c accepted d confessed
as similar as possible in meaning to the sentence printed before it
a A man called Jorgé is allegedly the ringleader
A man called Jorgé is suspected
b People say the alleged terrorist is leaving the country tomorrow
The alleged terrorist is believed
c People say the total amount collected is nearing £100,000
The total amount collected is reckoned
d It's often said that science has done more harm than good
Science is often
e The government has been dropping hints to the effect that
unemployment benefit may have to be cut
In government circles it
ways, a and b You will need to use that-clauses, wh-clauses, infinitive clauses or -ing clauses
Example: 'I've done nothing to be ashamed of,' she sobbed
a She denied hauing done anything to be ajhamed of
b She refused to admit that jhe had been in any way
responsible
1 '1'11 be there with you lot before you can blink,' the sergeant told them
a The sergeant said next to
no time
b The sergeant promised a matter of minutes
2 '1 don't think employees should
be forced to work overtime,' he said
a He disapproved made to work overtime
b He was opposed
obligatory
3 'Either you hand over those photos, or 1'11 te11 the Tax Office everything.' B J said to her
a B J threatened
photographs
b B J said that he have the photos
4 'Do 1 really need to stay?' she said
a She enquired stay
b She asked to be leave
5 '1 have been unfairly treated,' the number nine complained
a The number nine felt treated
b The number nine claimed to
treatment
Trang 7Unit thirteen
Quo ting, reporting and interpreting
1 REFERRING DIRECTLY TO OTHER
PEOPLE'S WORDS
We can use a number of phrases or structures to refer
to what other people have said or written:
unavoidable
To quoteJulius Caesar: '1 came, 1 saw, 1 conquered'
As the Prime Minister has it, 'Things can only get better'
Beckett once wrote that people were 'bloody ignorant apes'
To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, we're not al1 idiots all
the time
2 INANIMATE OBJECTS CAN SPEAK
It's not only people who say and te11 us things We can
talk about written materials in a number of ways:
' W h a t came i n the post, dear?' Oh, the usual s t u 8 The
on the car And a circularfrom the Town Hall telling us
that our house is to be demolished And a notefrom my
boss saying I've been fired
3 CASTING DOUBT O N WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAlD
We may wish to cast doubt or uncertainty on what has
been said We can use different phrasing:
saying that he's on hú- w a y out Zgather/
I Fill each gap with one of the words listed
unconfirmed spies rumour bird apparently
a has it that he's leaving
b My te11 me you're going
c A little told me you're emigrating
d this is her third marriage
e reports say she's resigning
4 INTERPRETING THE MEANING O F WHAT HAS BEEN SAlD
Sometimes, as the listener or reader, we interpret what we hear or read We can use a number of verbs and common phrases:
The only possible inference is that
Your comments imply that
Ifeel bound to interpret your comments as
W h a t you are saying in so many words is that
2 Fill each gap with one of the words listed
denote read signih dropping driving take
a What does this line from 'Hamlet' ?
b If 1 between the lines,
c A colon can a list is to follow
d 1 think he was a hint
e 1 couldn't see what he was at
f what he said with a pinch of salt
5 VERBS THAT INDICATE HOW SOMETHING
IS SAlD
We can use a number of verbs (and related adverbs)
to indicate the purpose or effect of speakers' or -, writers' words:
wrong
Other verbs that indicate the person's attitude include:
(utterly) repudiate assert confirm clamour (for) (openly) confess (to) doubt demand recollect
6 NOUNS THAT SUMMARISE WHAT HAS BEEN SAlD
If we know what was said previously, we can summarise it with a noun:
He has repudiated al1 the recent allegations
She continues to deny their accusations
W e cannot possibly meet their demands
Their claims border on the ludicrous
Common nouns that act like this include:
comments remarks statements queries nitin'sm praise compliment attack recollections protest
Trang 8O Fill each of the gaps in the dialogue below with
one of the verbs listed in an appropriate form
read imply quote put infer jump make judge
conclude interpret assume confirm
ME If I (1) between the lines, you're
(2) that I'm incompetent
~ o s s No, I wouldn't say that You're (3) a
false interpretation on what I said
ME So, 1 shouldn't (4) in any way from your
remarks that you want to get rid of me, then?
~ o s s (5) what you will of my comments
ME I (6) from what others are saying that
you think things have been getting rather
slack And your monthly report (7) that
According to that, I'rn useless
~ o s s I think you're being over-sensitive
ME But others have (8) your text in the
same way
~ o s s They're just (9) t o conclusions
safely (1 1) you wouldn't be averse to
losing me
~ o s s To (12) somebody or other: 'No one's
indispensable.'
ME Enough said
@ Underline the option, a, b, c o r d, that best
completes each sentence
1 The police me about my missing road tax
disc
a suspected b accused c queried
d questioned
2 He will be hard pressed to these latest
allegatioiis
a refute b restrain c object d dissent
3 We'll have to take what he says on
a trust b faith c belief d confidence
4 Coming from him that is indeed
a praise b congratulations c comment
d compliment
5 What did you infer what he said?
a from b up c of d out
6 Don't me, but 1 think most modern art is a
load of rubbish
a report b paraphrase c quote d attribute
7 What does this word have in this context?
a connotations b purposes c meanings
d proposals
8 They say that under pressure from the authorities Galileo
a repudiated b rebutted c recanted
d renounced
9 Under pressure from his peers, Big Billy
a denied b admitted c confessed d withstood
10 1 think we can take what he says with a of salt
a grain b pinch c carton d speck
@ Fill each of the gaps in the following sentences with one suitable word
Example: 1 couldn't work out what his message was
a What did you make what he said?
b 1 couldn't make what he had written
c 1 think she saw his promises immediately
d His assurances certainly didn't take me
e 1 couldn't make head nor of what he was saying
f I'rn afraid his lecture on astrophysics went right over my
g There was so much information being thrown out
1 just couldn't take it al1
h How would you sum what he said?
i 1 still have no idea what he was getting
@ Rewrite the following sentences using the one, two o r three prompt words that follow
Example: My mother really scolded me real
My mother gave me a real telling 08
a She insisted that 1 should be silent
silence
b She talked to the others about me behind my back spread / gossip
c He denied categorically that he had been involved denial / involvement
d He issued an ultimatum that the others ignored paid / demand
e When she put her foot down regarding his time- keeping, he acquiesced
strong / toe
f When he announced the redundancies, everyone was astonished
announcement / caught
g He criticised us constantly until we just had to retaliate
kept / at / answer
h He mocked her mercilessly until she simply blew her top
merciless / resulted 1 temper
Trang 9SECTION 4
Communicating
1 USlNG WORDS TO SHOW THE WAY WE SPEAK
We use many verbs to show how people say
something They can often be used as nouns:
'ItS yourfault, ' she sobbed /grinned / sneered
Here are examples of verbs we use in this way:
mutter shout scream whisper bark bellow cry
mumble shriek mouth yell roar howl purr
2 ADDING WORDS AND PHRASES TO SHOW
HOW THINGS ARE SAlD
As well as using particular verbs to show how people
say something, we can add adverbs and adverbial
phrases:
'1 didn't mean it to happen, ' he said defiantly /
tearfully /grim-faced
'It'll be all nght,' he said i n a conciliatory manner/in
typical fashion / i n a mysterious way
'I've had enough, ' he said in a whisper/in a strangely
muted tone of voice / under his breath
'Who cares?' he said with a smirk / with a shrug of his
shoulders / w i t h a shake of his head
'What?' he said the top ofhis voice/
a high-pitched voice / a joke / afar /
af-,own / himself/ a whim
3 USlNG PHRASAL VERBS
We can use many phrasal verbs to express how people
say or write something For example, with the verb
come we have:
come out with (a rude word) come u p with (a good
idea) come back with (a sharp response) come
across (as a coherent speaker) come i n for (a lot of
criticism)
With the verb put, there are even more possibilities:
putfonvard (a suggestion) put across or put uver
(your message) put i n (a claim) put someone down
(with a sarcastic comment) put out (a statement)
Phrasal verbs are useful in showing how a speaker
expresses himself 1 herself:
She suddenly blurted out the truth
He spoke out against her sacking
He reeled o f a long list ofreasons
He sounded ofabout the lazy students he had
She only briefy touched on the heart ofthe problem
preposition
a Speak ! 1 can't hear you
b Do 1 need to spell it for you?
c I'm sorry I'd like to take what 1 said
d He read a prepared statement
e We shouldn't dwell our mistakes
f To sum . , I'm calling a completely fresh approach
4 IDIOMATIC PHRASES
There are many idiomatic phrases associated with communicating Here are some examples:
Don't beat about the bush Give it to me straight She let the cat out of the bag She gave the game away
He Lame clean He let it be k n m n that he was
un happy
He ad-libbed He spoke o f t h e c u f
O f t h e top of my head, I'd say
gab confidente secret point cross plain w o r h shop syllable spit
a Get to the
b itout!
c 1'11 te11 you in words of one
d He took me into his
e I'm not going to mince
f 1'11 te11 you in English
g Do 1 have to dot the i's and the t's for you?
h She let me in on her
i They talked al1 evening
j She's got the gift of the
of the words or phrases listed The meaning of the sentence must not be changed
Example: 'Shoot as soon as they come round the
corner,' Bond whispered breathed
(breathed) said under his breath enquired snapped roared chanted said with a smirk chortled declared hinted admitted stammered shrieked
Trang 10a 'Get out of my office!' he bellowed
c 'Was it 20 or 25% you got in the test?' he sneered
d 'That's so typical of my young grandson,' the old
man chuckled
e 'You'll regret this,' he muttered
f '1 want you in my office in two minutes,' he said
angrily and sharply
g She confessed that she had been economical with
the truth
h 'You did what?' he exclaimed loudlv
i 'Jobs not hand-outs! Jobs not hand-outs!' they
re~eated together
j He insinuated that things had gone wrong because
of me
k 'But, but, but But surely not!' he stuttered
1 She announced that she would be leaving within
the month
Fill each gap in the sentences below with
one word
a 'Let's not speak ill the dead.' she said under
her breath
b She poured her heart to him
c He blurted the names of his accomplices with
a shrug of his shoulders
d The third candidate clammed , either through
nerves or stubbornness
e Don't keep me the dark any longer Te11 me
what's going on
f He reeled the names of al1 the people
involved by heart
g They'll be trying to build this group as the
new Spice Girls, won't they?
h It says here black and white that you have to
give three months' notice
i How do you propose to put your message ?
j '1 just can't get to my parents any more,' he
said with a shake of his head
k 1 feel gratified that you have confided me
1 'I'm sorry, I'd like to take what 1 said,' she said
tearfully
m 1 think it's time 1 put you al1 the picture
regarding future prospects
n The minister trotted the usual assurances in
typical fashion
o He dredged the normal accusations against
the opposition
p He dwelt the past achievements of the
government rather too long
q Do you mind if 1 butt ? It's just that this is
item 17!!!
Rewrite each of the sentences using the prompt word given This word must not be changed in any way
Example: I'd like to make a few suggestions
forward
I'd like t o putforward a few suggestions
a Can 1 give you an update on the latest figures?
fill
b The actor suddenly couldn't remember what he was supposed to say
dned
c She found it impossible to apologise
herself
d She specifically stressed the need for absolute confidentiality
emphasis
e 1 tried to dissuade him from making any rash promises
talk
f 1 finally managed to persuade her to se11 her collection
talk
g 1 couldn't work out what he was trying to say
dnving
with one appropnate word
I'd like to (1) off by telling you some things to do and some definitely not to do First of all,
(2) up; don't mumble Speak at normal speed, perhaps slightly slower; don't gabble Don't just trot (3) a series of statistics (4) to your notes,
se, but don't just read them (5) Maintain
ye contact with your listeners Don't go (6) too guest should overstay their welcome In any ntation there will be a number of points you can
(7) on rather than go (8) great detail bout Don't forget the need to paraphrase and
mmarise with expressions like 'in (9) words' or
1 could put it (10) way' If someone calls (1 1) or butts (12) while you're in (13) flow, don't get tongue-tied Wait, and then ack (14) a light-hearted response Don't, ever you do, get involved in a running (15)
f words or, worse, a slanging (16) with one rticular member of the audience And don't patronise
y questioner; no one likes being talked (1 7) to hen it comes to question and answer time, try to stick the point, try not to come out ( 1 8) too many 'chés Be careful not to talk yourself (1 9) a orner; it's very easy to start going (20) in circles