Putting English to Work

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Reported Speech

If the reporting verb (i.e. said) is in the past, the reported clause will be in a past form. This form is usually one step back into the past from the original.

Examples:

He said the brainstorming session had gone very well.
She said the podium was much too high..

If simple present is used in the reporting verb (i.e. says) the tense is retained.

Examples:

He says the projector works best at twenty feet.
She says that she LED screens are the future.

If reporting a general truth the present tense will be retained, even when the reporting verb is in the past (i.e. said).

Examples:

The manager said that brainstorming sessions are very important.
John said he always uses an multimedia presentation at conferences.

Reported Speech Changes Chart

This chart shows some of the most common changes made in the reported speech.

"I use an overhead projector." => He said he used an overhead projector.
"She's attending a conference this week." => She said she was attending a conference that week.
"They booked a flight online." => He said they had booked a flight online.
"He's worked here for many years." => He said he had worked there for many years.
"I'll arrange accomodations." => He said he would arrange accomodations.

Changing Pronouns and Time Signifiers

When changing from direct speech to indirect speech, it is often necessary to change the pronouns to match the subject of the sentence.

Example:

She said, "I want to remind my colleagues about the conference." => She said she wanted to remind her colleagues about the conference.

It is also important to change time words (signifiers) when referring to present, past or future time to match the moment of speaking.

Example:

Jack told me, "I gathered all the documents last night." => Jack said he had gathered all the documents the night before."

Common Time Signifier Changes

yesterday => the day before
tomorrow => the next day
now => then
at the moment => at that moment
last week / month => the week / month before
next week / month => the week / month before

Exercises

Conference Park

Conference Park offers 520 bedrooms for conferences or other meeting activities. Recently, a lecture theatre complex has been opened allowing conference attendants access to high quality presentation facilities. This features three state-of-the-art lecture theatres offering audio and visual display facilities, including video, PC links, CD, slides & OHP. The Thompsen Library provides a wealth of information, with an extensive library of periodicals. Visiting delegates will also have access to Conference Park Sports Centre - complete with swimming pool, sauna and personal fitness centre.

Online Fares

The Idea

Geoff remembers Lauren's reaction to his proposal:

"Lauren was incredibly sceptical of dropping out of university to begin a start-up. He said he wanted to finish university so that he would be sure to get a good entry-level position in an established firm. I told him that he wouldn't have to work for anybody! He'd be his own boss. After I had begged him to reconsider for a half an hour, he began seriously wondering about what kind of business might be successful on the Internet. We continued to talk and he told me that he would have to think things over very carefully. Two days later, I was doing some shopping at the local grocer's when my mobile rang. It was Lauren asking me to drop by his apartment. He sounded excited, so I made sure to get there quickly. When I arrived, he was sitting at his computer entering some information and staring into the screen. He asked me if I was ready to see something that would change our lives. I looked into the screen and saw a couple of drop-down boxes and some text. You have to understand that I really trusted Lauren, but what I saw didn't exactly inspire me. Lauren was a little disappointed that I didn't understand his genius immediately. Then he made three simple entries. London, Paris, return-trip and hit the return. The computer returned all the fares from London to Paris arranged in descending order from the cheapest to the dearest. It was then I understood his genius."

Key Vocabulary

brainstorming session - meeting during which members of a group try to develop as many ideas as possible
dear - British English - expensive
drop-down box - a list which can be chosen from on a computer page
multimedia presentation - presentation which incorporates visual, audio and possibly interactive elements
OHP - overhead projector, type of projector used to project a large image on a screen
PC links - computer connections
Podium - presentation table usually equipped with a microphone
Power Point - Microsoft programme used to develop presentations
projection - image projected on a screen
projector - instrument used to project images, also called overhead projector or OHP
props - useful pictures, slides, etc. used to demonstrate points during a presentation
screen - large surface used to project images onto
slides - individual images that are projected onto a screen
state-of-the-art - the very latest in technology
to arrange (pass. arranged / p.p. arranged) - to plan and schedule
to attend (pass. attended / p.p. attended) - to go to an event
to beg (pass. begged / p.p. begged) - to ask someone with great insistence and desperation
to book (pass. booked / p.p. booked) - to make a reservation
to gather (pass. gathered / p.p. gathered) - to collect documents, names, etc.
to remind (pass. reminded / p.p. reminded) - to cause someone to remember something
to trust (pass. trusted / p.p. trusted) - to have confidence in someone
to warn (pass. warned / p.p. warned) - to advise someone about a negative consequence
venue - facilities or area at which a large event is held

Listening

Listen to Conference Park's director speaking about his hotel's conference facilities.

Quiz

This exercise checks your understanding of materials found on this page, as well as the listening comprehension.

Lingofeeds Practice Pages

Gerund or Infinitive Forms - Marketing and Business
Giving Instructions - Banking and Shipping
Future Forms - Telecommunications
Daily Routines - Commerce
Expressing Agreement - Information Technology
Clauses - Production and Manufacturing
Passive Voice - Marketing
Reported Speech - Presentations

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