🎬
Title: Family Catch-Up
Scene 1 – At
the Family Dinner (Direct Speech)
(The whole
family is seated around the table, eating and chatting.)
Mom:
Where are you working now, Anna?
Aunt Carol:
What kind of company have you joined?
Grandpa:
Why haven’t you visited me recently, Ben?
Grandma:
How are you managing with your studies and work?
Uncle Peter:
Who taught you to cook that pasta dish, Anna?
Dad:
What ingredients did you use for that sauce?
Mom (again,
smiling): And when are you planning to settle down, Ben?
(Everyone
laughs. The dinner continues with small talk and jokes.)
Scene 2 –
Later That Night in the Kitchen (Reported Speech)
(Anna and
Ben are having coffee after dinner.)
Anna:
Dinner was endless! Everyone kept asking me questions.
Ben:
Yeah, Mom told me she had asked you where you were working now.
Anna:
Exactly. And Aunt Carol wanted to know what kind of company I had joined.
Ben:
Grandpa wasn’t any better. He asked me why I hadn’t visited him recently.
Anna:
Oh, Grandma also asked how you were managing with your studies and work.
Ben:
(Smiling) I didn’t even know she remembered that!
Anna:
Uncle Peter wanted to know who had taught me to cook that pasta dish.
Ben: And
Dad asked me what ingredients you had used, as if he wanted to copy your
recipe.
Anna:
(Laughs) Typical Dad! And Mom said she’d asked you when you were planning to
settle down.
Ben:
(Sighs) Oh yes… that question again. I told her she should ask who would be
willing to marry me first!
(They both
laugh and clink their coffee mugs.)
📘
Grammar Chart: Reported Wh-Questions
Reporting
verb + wh-word + subject + verb (backshifted)
✅
Example:
Mom asked where
I was working.
Aunt Carol wanted to know what kind of company I had joined.
🧠
Key Notes
- ❌ No auxiliary do / does
/ did in reported questions.
- ❌ No question mark.
- 🔁 Backshift the
tense one step into the past (if reporting verb is in past).
- 👤 Adjust pronouns
and time expressions (now → then, today → that day, etc.).
- 💬 Common reporting
verbs: ask, want to know, wonder, say, tell (someone), inquire.
Individual Exercise of Reported Wh- quesitons
https://www.engblocks.com/grammar/exercises/reported-speech/reported-wh-questions-exercise-1/
Individual Online Exercise on Topworksheets.
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercise-6.html
🎬 Game: “Interview with a
Celebrity — The Reported Questions Challenge”
Level: C1
Focus: Reported wh- and yes/no questions
Skills: Speaking, listening, grammar, note-taking, creativity
Time: 35–50 minutes
Group Size: 10–25 students
🎯 Learning Objectives
- Use reported
questions accurately and fluently in context.
- Develop
speaking and summarizing skills through interviews.
- Practice
backshifting, pronoun adjustment, and indirect word order.
- Encourage
spontaneity and role play in authentic communicative
settings.
🧑🎤 Game Setup
Scenario:
Students are invited to a live talk show where several “famous guests”
(played by classmates) are being interviewed. The rest of the class acts as journalists
or reporters from different media outlets.
Examples of possible characters:
|
Type
|
Examples
|
|
🧑🎨 Artists
|
Taylor Swift, Frida Kahlo, Van Gogh, Banksy
|
|
⚽ Athletes
|
Lionel Messi, Serena Williams, Simone Biles
|
|
🧠 Scientists
|
Marie Curie, Elon Musk, Albert Einstein
|
|
👑 Historical Figures
|
Cleopatra, Napoleon, Princess Diana
|
|
🎬 Fictional Characters
|
Harry Potter, Iron Man, Barbie, Sherlock Holmes
|
🎭 Phase 1 – Direct
Question Interview
- Divide
the class into groups of 4–5.
- One
student becomes the celebrity.
- The
others are journalists.
- Give
5–10 minutes for journalists to prepare creative direct questions.
- What
inspired you to become a scientist?
- Who
supported you during your career?
- Are
you planning to write another book?
- Each
group conducts a short live interview (3–5 minutes) in front of the
class.
Encourage expressive delivery — like a real TV show! 🎤
✍️ Phase 2 – Reported Question
Round
Now comes the key grammar focus.
After each interview:
- Journalists
must report the questions they asked, not the answers.
- “I
asked her what had inspired her to become a scientist.”
- “We
asked if she was planning to write another book.”
- The
“host” (teacher or another student) checks or awards points for correct
grammar and fluency.
💡 Tip: Have each
journalist write three correct reported questions to hand in or present
orally.
🧩 Phase 3 – Press
Conference Recap
To consolidate, form new groups.
Each student must summarize what another group asked during their
interview — again using reported questions:
“The journalists asked Messi how he had felt after winning
the World Cup.”
“They also asked him if he had ever considered retiring.”
This reinforces memory, paraphrasing, and reported speech
accuracy.
🏆 Scoring & Feedback
Give points for:
- ✅
Correct grammar in reported questions
- 🎙️
Pronunciation and fluency
- 💡
Creativity of questions
- 🎭
Acting performance (for the “celebrity”)
Optional fun categories:
- “Best
Journalist Question”
- “Most
Convincing Celebrity”
- “Grammar
Detective Award”
✍️ Optional Written Extension
Ask students to write a press article summarizing the
interview:
“During the talk show, journalists asked the singer how she
had started her career and whether she planned to collaborate with new
artists.”
This reinforces written accuracy and advanced transformation
skills.
💬 Sample Transformation
Chart
|
Direct Question
|
Reported Question
|
|
“Where were you born?”
|
The journalist asked me where I had been born.
|
|
“Do you like fame?”
|
They asked if I liked fame.
|
|
“What inspired your latest album?”
|
Someone asked what had inspired my latest album.
|
|
“Who helped you in your career?”
|
The reporter asked who had helped me in her career.
|
Oral Review Exercise of Reported Questions
https://wordwall.net/resource/11113375/english/reported-questions-yes-no-wh-and-do-did
Reported Commands, orders, and Requests
🎬
Scene: Family Dinner Preparation
(The family
is gathered in the kitchen before dinner.)
Mom (direct
speech):
“Tom, set the table, please.”
“Anna, don’t use your phone while we eat.”
“Dad, help me bring the dishes.”
Dad:
“All right. Tom, put the glasses on the table carefully.”
“And Anna, don’t forget to wash your hands before dinner.”
Tom:
“Mom, could you tell Grandma to come downstairs now?”
Anna:
“Please don’t make me peel the vegetables again!”
🎭
Scene 2: Later That Evening – Reported Speech
(Grandma
joins them and asks what everyone was told to do.)
Grandma:
“What did your parents ask you to do?”
Tom:
“Mom told me to set the table and Dad ordered me to put the glasses carefully
on it.”
“She also asked Dad to help her bring the dishes.”
“Oh, and she told Anna not to use her phone while eating.”
Anna:
“Dad reminded me to wash my hands before dinner and Mom told me not to complain
about peeling the vegetables.”
Grandma:
“So many instructions! Your parents always know how to keep things running
smoothly.”
Mom
(smiling):
“Well, I just want everyone to cooperate and not start arguing again.”
Grandma
(reported later to a friend):
“During dinner, my daughter asked everyone to cooperate and told them not to
argue again. She sounded like a general, but a loving one.”
