Practicing problem solving skills in direct and indirect speech for grade 12 students in the national examination

THANH HOA EDUCATION AND TRAINING
DANG THAI MAI HIGH SCHOOL
EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE
PRACTICING PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS IN DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH FOR GRADE 12 STUDENTS
 IN THE NATIONAL EXAMINATION
Teacher: Pham Thi Thuy
English teacher
Experience initiative: English
THANH HOA 2017
TABLES OF CONTENTS
I.Preamble.
1. Reason for choosing the research.
 	 As we know, education plays an important role in social development, learning a foreign language is necessary in a modern world. Thus, each student must learn a foreign language when they are studying at a university or college. Today more and more people are learning English because it is an international language, is widely available worldwide. English in our country is also used in many fields, especially in the flourished era of information technology as today. Due to the importance, English is gradually being made available to almost schools.
 	 School year 2016-2017, students at upper-secondary school still take part in the national exam, In the period of viewing, I always think about the content of “Direct speech and Indirect speech” due to its difficult and complicated knowledge as well as the ways to change direct speech in to indirect speech make students have difficult in understanding.So I choose the topic: “ Practicing problem solving skills in direct and indirect speech for grade 12 students in the national examination” as a research problem in my experience initiative.
2. Aims of the research.
 	 In this experience initiative, I only want to give some opinions about the ways to use direct and direct speech in English in order to improve the quality of the exam reviewing for students in National upper-secondary school. Teachers can use my research to help students review for the exams.
3. Research subjects.
 	As we know, English grammar in upper-secondary school today students have to learn how to use direct and indirect speech in English as well as how to do different types of exercises related to direct and indirect sentences from grade 10. So I would like to focus on this topic to help students understand and do exercises better.
4. Scope of the study.
- Researching in the process of teaching English at Dang Thai Mai Upper- Secondary school.
- Types of exercises in some references books such as: English grammar, Basic grammar in use, Oxford practice grammar 
- Discussing with other teachers, applying in teaching, observing and drawing out experiences.
- A gradation exam High School, exam university and colleges of education and training in the previous year.
- In the internet.
- School year: 2016-2017
- Classes: 11A1, 12A2, 12A8.
II. Content
1. Theoretical basis
 	As we know, in grade 10 upper secondary school, students have known with direct and indirect speech in language focus of unit 8. In grade 11, students have also learnt about direct and indirect speech in language focus of unit 6- reported speech with gerund. When in grade 12, they also review grammar about direct and indirect speech and do exercises about them in language focus of unit 3.
 	Many students feel embarrassed when changing direct speech into indirect speech, so I choose the topic,“Practicing problem solving skills in direct and indirect speech for grade 12 students in the national examination” as a research problem in my experience initiative in order to help my colleagues and students approach with problem easier. 
2. Practical basis
2.1. Advantages
- School administration care and create favorable conditions with facilities and documentation for the professional in English such as: cassette player, reference books, projectors .
- Always receive the attention, support from colleagues, teachers in English team.
- Most parents care about their children and facilitate the children to learn better.
2.2. Disadvantages
- Students haven’t learnt the technique of moving from direct to indirect speech.
- English is a particularly subject so the parents also encountered many difficulties in examining their lesson or guide students to learn at home.
- Some students have less time to study at home because they have to help their parents work outside the classroom.
- They are less condition to communicate in English and most of the students are afraif of communication or exchange with each other in English outside school.
- Most of them have difficult family circumstances so there are few reference books to improve your knowledge.
3. Content problem
3.1. The problem poses.
 	To do well the assignment changing from direct into indirect speech, students need to master the grammartical structures and vocabulary such as: tenses, throne of the pronoun, adverbs point to time and place .. This change depends on the specific context, there is no certain pattern so students often encounter many difficulties initially. So from the beginning, teachers should note to the students the necessary changes from direct into indirect speech.
3.2. Solution.
 	To help students understand better how to change from direct into indirect speech, teachers should equip students with basic knowledge of direct and indirect sentences in English.
III. Main content.
1.Definition.
* Direct speech repeats or quotes, the exact words of the speaker is called “ The direct speech.”
 	When we used direct speech in writing, we place the words spoken between quotation marks (“..”).and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that’s being said NOW(for example a telephone conversation) or telling something later about a previous conversation.
Eg1: He says, “ I live in Thanh Hoa city”.
Eg2: He said, “ Where do you live?”.
* Indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, or we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like “say”, “tell”, “ask” and we may use the word “that” to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.
Eg1: He says he lives in Thanh Hoa city
 Eg2: He said where I lived
Or “that” may be omitted.
Eg: She told him that she was very happy.
→ She told him she was very happy. 
2. Rules for changing direct in to indirect speech.
2.1. Change in pronouns: The pronouns of the direct speech are changed where necessary, according to their relations with the reporter and his hearer, rather than with the original speaker. If we change direct speech in to indirect speech, the pronouns will change in the following ways.
* The first person of the reported speech changes according to the subject of reporting speech.
 	Eg: Jane said, “ I have left my book at home.”
 	 → Jane said that she had left her book at home.
* The second person of the reported speech changes according to the object of reporting speech.
 You/you/your/yours will be changed follow object 
 	Eg: He said, “I’ll lend you my book, Alice.”
 	→ He said to Alice that he would lend her his book.
* The third person of the reported speech doesn’t change.
 	 Eg: She said, “I have posted their letters.”
 	 → She said that she had posted their letters.
2.2. Change in tenses.
- The past perfect and past perfect continuous tenses do not change.
- If the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of verbs in the reported speech or indirect speech must be generally changed.
* Present tense in the direct speech changes into past tense.
Eg: He said, “I write a letter.”
→ He said that he wrote a letter.
* Present continuous in the direct changes into past continuous.
Eg: He said, “I am going to church”
→ He said that he was going to church.
* Present perfect in the direct changes into past perfect.
 	 Eg: Mary said, “I have done my homework.”
 	 → Mary said that she had done her homework.
* Present perfect continuous in the direct changes into past perfect continuous.
 	Eg: He said, “I have been reading a novel.”
 → He said that he had been reading a novel.
* Past tense in the direct changes into past perfect or remains unchanged.
 	Eg: He said, “I bought a book yesterday.”
→ He said he had bought a book the day before. 
* Past continuous in the direct changes into past perfect continuous.
 	Eg: John said, “I was playing tennis”
 → John said that he had been playing tennis.
* Past perfect in the direct changes into past perfect (no change in tense).
 	Eg: “I had just turned out the light.” He explained.
 	→ He explained that he had just turned out the light.
* “will” and “shall” are changed into “would”.
 	Eg: She said, “ I will go to Ha Noi tomorrow.”
 	→ She said she would go to Ha Noi the next day.
* Future continuous changes into conditional continuous.
 	Eg: She said, “I will be using the car next Friday.”
 	→ She said that she would be using the car next Friday.
2.3. Change in modal verbs.
 Rules
 Direct speech
 Indirect speech
- “Can” changes into 
“could”.
Eg: He said, “I can drive a car.”
→ He said that he could drive a car.
- “may” changes into “might”
Eg: He said, “I may buy a new computer.”
→ He said that he might buy a new computer.
- “must” changes into 
“had to”
Eg: He said, “I must work hard.”
→ He said that he had to work hard.
*These modals do not change: (would, could, might, should, ought to).
 Modal verbs
 Direct speech
 Indirect speech
would
Eg: They said, “we would apply for a visa.”
→ They said that they would apply for a visa.
could
Eg: He said,“I could run faster.”
→ He said that he could run faster.
might
Eg: John said, “I might meet him.”
→ John said that he might meet him.
should
Eg: He said, “I should avail the opportunity.”
→ He said that he should avail the opportunity.
Ought to
Eg: He said to me, “You ought to wait for him.”
→ He said to me that I ought to wait for him.
Note: 
* Direct and indirect speech have two parts (main clause and direct speech). If the reporting verbs is in the present or future tense (Eg: say, will say), there is no change in the tense of the verb in the indirect speech.
 	Eg: Tom says, “I go to the cinema next week” 
 	 main clause direct speech
 	→ Tom says that he goes to the cinema the following week.
 main clause direct speech
* If the direct speech contains the universal truth, the tense of the direct speech remains unchanged even if the reporting verb is in the past.
 	Eg: The teacher said, “The sun rises in the East.”
 	→ The teacher said that the sun rises in the East.
* (Must/ might/ could/ should/ had better/ ought to) there is no change in the tense of the verb in the indirect speech.
 	 Eg: He said, “I must finish this homework.”
 	→ He said he must finish that homework.
* Structure “wish” there is no change in the tense of the verb in the indirect speech.
 	Eg: She said, “I wish I had known the truth.”
 	→ She wished she had known the truth.
 	→ She said that she wished she had known the truth.
* Structure “ would rather + S + V (in the past), there is no change in the tense of the verb in the indirect speech.
 	Eg: He said, “I’d rather Tom drove the car.”
 	→ He said he would rather Tom drove the car.
* Structure “It’s (high) time + S + V (in the past), there is no change in the tense of the verb in the indirect speech.
 	Eg: The man said, “It’s high time you went to school alone, my Son.”
 	→ The man said to his Son that it was high time he went to school alone.
* Conditional in sentences type 2 and 3, there is no change in the tense of the verb in the indirect speech.
 	Eg1: “If I had a lot of money, I wouldn’t go to work all day.” She said
 	→ She said if she had a lot of money, she wouldn’t go to work all day.
 	Eg2: “If you had gone to my house, you would have met some of your old friends.” Mike said to me.
 	→ Mike said to me If I had gone to her house, I would have met some of my old friends.
2.4. Words expressing nearness in time or places are generally changed in to words expressing distance.
 Direct speech 
 Indirect speech
 Examples
now
then
Eg: “I am going now.” She said
→ She said that she was going then
today
that day
Eg: “I will do it today.” He said
→ He said he would do it that day.
yesterday
- the day before
- the previous day 
Eg: “I was at Hue yesterday.”
→ She said she had been at Hue the day before.
tomorrow
- the next day
- the following day
Eg: “We will wait until tomorrow.”
→ They said they would wait until the following.
ago
before
Eg: “I was at DaLat three weeks ago.”
→ He said he had been at DaLat three weeks before.
next week
- the week after
- the following week
Eg: “I will come to see her next week.”
→ He said he would come to see her the following week.
last week
- the week before
- the previous week
Eg: “I went to Ha Noi last week.”
→ She said she had gone to Ha Noi the week before.
last month
- the month before
- the previous month
Eg: “I went to Ha Long Bay last month.”
→ He said he had gone to Ha Long Bay the month before.
next month
- a month after
Eg: “I will finish next month.”
→ She said she would finish a month after.
this
that
Eg: “I need this book.” He said
→ He said that he needed that book.
these
those
Eg: “I will take these with me.” He said to her
→ He said that he would take those with her.
here
there
Eg: “I will return here at 3 o’clock.”
→ She said that she would return there at 3 o’clock.
3. Classify.
3.1. Statements in reported speech.
- Form.
S + V, “ S + V +(O) + adv”
→ S + said (that) + S + V (changed) + (O) + .
Eg: She said, “She has learnt English for 3 years”.
 	→ She said she had learnt English for 3 years.
Note: 
- In reported speech, you often have to change the pronouns depending on who says what.
Eg: She says, “My Mum doesn’t have time today”
 	→ She says that her Mum doesn’t have time that day.
- Don’t change the tense if the introductory clause is in simple present (eg: He says.). However, that you might have to change the form of the present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
Eg: He says: “I speak English.”
 	→ He says he speaks English.
- You must change the tense if the introductory clause is in simple past (eg: He said..). This is called backshift of tenses in reported speech.
Eg: He said: “I am happy”
 	 → He said that he was happy.
- For place and time expressions you’ve to check whether place and time are the same indirect and reported or not.
3.2. Commands in reported speech.
* Affirmative commands.
- Form: 
 “ V + O/ A”
→ S + told / ordered + O + to + V-infinitive + O/A.
Eg1: “Clean your house” Mr Nam said to me
 	→ Mr Nam told me to clean my house.
Eg2: “Be careful” said he to her.
 	→ He ordered her to be careful.
* Negative commands.
- Form: 
 “ Don’t + V + O/A”
→ S + told/ warned .+ O + not to + V-infinitive + O/A.
Eg1: “Don’t go out tonight” my father said to me.
 	→ My father told me not to go out that night.
3.3. Requests in reported speech.
* Affirmative requests.
- Form: 
 “ please + V + O/A” Or “V + O/A, please”.
→ S + asked/ begged ..+ O + to + V-infinitive + O/A.
Eg: “Please turn on the lights” Miss Dung said to Lan
 	→ Miss Dung asked Lan to turn on the lights.
* Negative requests.
- Form: 
“Don’t + V + O/A, please” Or “Please + don’t + V + O/A”
→ S + asked / begged + O + not to + V-infinitive + O/A.
Eg: “Don’t make a noise here, please” He said to me.
 	→ He asked me not to make a noise there.
3.4. Advice in reported speech.
- Form: 
- “S + should/ ought to / had better + V-infinitive + O/A”
- “Why don’t + S + V-infinitive + O/A”
 → S + advised/ recommended + O(not) + to + V-infinitive + O/A.
Eg: “You had better work hard for the exam” he said to me.
 	→ He advised me to work hard for the exam.
3.5. Yes/No-questions in reported speech.
- Form: 
- “Do/ Does/Did + S + V-infinitive + ..?
- “Am/ Is/ Are /Was/ Were + S + O + ? 
 → S + asked + O/wanted to know/ wondered+ if / whether + S + V(changed) + O +
Eg: “Are you a student?”
 	→ He asked me if I was a student.
3.6. Wh- questions in reported speech.
- Form: 
- S + V, “Wh-questions + did/do/does/can/will/should +.+ S + V- infinitive + O + .?
- S + V, “Wh-questions + was/were/am/is/are + S + O + .? 
→ S + asked + O/ wanted to know/ wondered + wh-questions + S + V(changed) + O + ..
Eg1: He asked me: “What is your name?”
 	→ He asked me what my name was.
Eg2: David said to John, “Why did not you attend the meeting yerterday?”
 	→ David asked John why he hadn’t attended the meeting the day before.
3.7. Exclamation sentence
* Rules: 
- Change the exclamatory sentence into statement or assertive.
- Remove the quotation marks and exclamatory mark.
- Use the conjunction “that”.
- Omit the interjections such as: Oh, O, Alas, How, What..
- Add the word “very” to the adjective or adverb if necessary.
- If the verb is not given, use “be” form verb (is, was, are, were, am) in its correct tense according to the subject.
- Change the reporting verb (say, said) to “exclaim joyfully”.
- Use “exclaim” sorrowfully for sorrowful incidents.
Exercise: Change the following sentences in to indirect speech. 
a. “O, what a beautiful flower that is!” said she.
 → She exclaimed joyfully that what was a very beautiful flower.
b. “What a horrible sight !” we all exclaimed.
 → We all exclaimed that it was a very horrible sight.
c. “Alas! I have broken my brother’s watch” said he.
 → He exclaimed sorrowfully that he had broken his brother’s watch.
d. “How beautiful she is !” said John.
 → John exclaimed joyfully that she was very beautiful.
4. Reported speech with gerund.
 We use reported speech with gerund in order to report feelings or suggestions. We use (suggest, admit, deny, insist on, think of, dream of, apologize for, accuse somebody of, thank somebody for, congratulate somebody on, prevent somebody from, warn somebody against.)
4.1. Structures.
 Direct speech
 Indirect speech
- Let’s + V infinitive
- suggested + Ving
- Let’s + not + V infinitive
- suggested + not +Ving
- How about/ What about + Ving.?
- Why don’t + S + V infinitive.?
- Shall we + V infinitive
→ suggest + (someone) + Ving
Eg1: “Let’s meet outside the cinema.” He said.
 → He suggested meeting outside the cinema.
Eg2: “Let’s not talk about that problem again.” He said
 → He suggested not talking about that problem again.
Eg3: “What about going to the cinema tonight ?” he said
 → He suggested going to the cinema that night.
Eg4: “Why don’t you send her some flowers ?” he said
 → He suggested me sending her some flowers.
4.2. Verb + Preposition.
 Here are some verbs plus a preposition followed by a gerund.
- to apologize for + V-ing: xin lỗi
- to dream of + V-ing: mơ ước
- to insist on + V-ing: cương quyết, khăng khăng
- to think of + V-ing: nghĩ về
- to complain about + V-ing: phàn nàn về 
- to take part in + V-ing: tham gia vào
Eg: “Sorry, I’m late” Tom said to the teacher.
 → Tom apologized to the teacher for being late.
Eg: “I have always wanted to be rich.” David said.
 → David has always dreamed of being rich.
Eg: “Please come on!. Lend me some money”
 → The women insisted on lending some money.
4.3. Verb + Object + Preposition.
 Here are some verbs plus an object plus a preposition followed by a gerund.
- to warn somebody against + V-ing: cảnh báo
- to thank somebody for + V-ing: cảm ơn ai về việc gì
- to prevent somebody from + V-ing: ngăn cản ai làm gì
- to accuse somebody of + V-ing: tố cáo, buộc tội ai
- to blame somebody for + V-ing: đổ lỗi cho ai
- to congratulation somebody on +V-ing: chúc mừng ai
Eg: “Don’t stay at the hotel near the airport.” I said to Ann.
 → I warned Ann against staying at the hotel near the airport.
Eg: “It was nice of you to help me. Thank you very much.” Tom said to you.
 → Tom thanked me for helping him.
Eg: “Stay here ! I can’t let you go out tonight.” Her mother said to John.
 → Her mother prevented John from going out that night.
Eg: “You have stolen my bike”
 → The boy accused his friend of having stolen his bike 
5. Further practice.
5.1. Exercise 1: Rewrite the dialog