Reported Speech – Rules and Examples (JSS 2 English Lesson)

Grammar: Reported Speech – Rules Guiding the Use of Reported Speech

Subject: English Language
Class: JSS 2
Term: Second Term
Week: 1
Age: 11 – 13 years
Duration: 40 minutes

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Behavioral Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Define reported speech.
2. Differentiate between direct and reported speech.
3. Identify the rules guiding the use of reported speech.
4. Convert direct speech to reported speech correctly.
5. Use reported speech in sentences appropriately.

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Keywords

• Reported speech
• Direct speech
• Indirect speech
• Reporting verb
• Tense shift

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Set Induction

The teacher writes a direct speech sentence on the board:
“I am going to the market,” said Mary.
The teacher then asks students how they would report what Mary said to someone else.

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Entry Behavior

Students have learned about direct speech in previous lessons and are familiar with basic sentence structures.

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Learning Resources and Materials

• Flashcards with direct and reported speech sentences
• Whiteboard and markers
• Sample sentences from stories or conversations

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Building Background/Connection to Prior Knowledge

The teacher reminds students about direct speech and explains how we sometimes need to report what someone has said instead of quoting them directly.

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Embedded Core Skills

• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Listening and speaking
• Writing

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Learning Materials

• Lagos State Scheme of Work
• English Language textbook
• Sample conversation scripts

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Reference Books

• Lagos State Scheme of Work
• New Oxford English for JSS 2
• Effective English for JSS 2

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Lesson Content

Definition of Reported Speech

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is used when we tell someone what another person said, without using their exact words.

Example:

• Direct Speech: Jane said, “I love reading.”
• Reported Speech: Jane said that she loved reading.

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Difference Between Direct and Reported Speech

1. Direct Speech: The exact words of the speaker are used and enclosed in quotation marks.
   • Example: She said, “I am happy.”
2. Reported Speech: The speaker’s words are reported with necessary changes in tense, pronouns, and time expressions.
   • Example: She said that she was happy.

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Rules Guiding the Use of Reported Speech

1. Change of Pronouns

Pronouns must be changed according to the subject of the reporting clause.

• Direct: He said, “I love my dog.”
• Reported: He said that he loved his dog.

2. Change of Verb Tenses (Backshifting)

When reporting, the verb usually shifts one step back in tense.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Present Simple: “I eat rice.”	Past Simple: He said he ate rice.
Present Continuous: “I am going.”	Past Continuous: He said he was going.
Past Simple: “I visited Lagos.”	Past Perfect: He said he had visited Lagos.
Future: “I will travel.”	Conditional: He said he would travel.

3. Change of Time and Place References

Words that refer to time and place may need to be changed.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
today	that day
tomorrow	the next day
yesterday	the previous day
now	then
next week	the following week
last week	the previous week
here	there

Example:

• Direct: She said, “I will come tomorrow.”
• Reported: She said that she would come the next day.

4. Change of Modals

Some modal verbs also change in reported speech.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
will	would
can	could
may	might
must	had to

Example:

• Direct: He said, “I can swim.”
• Reported: He said that he could swim.

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Examples of Reported Speech

1. Direct: He said, “I am tired.”
   Reported: He said that he was tired.
2. Direct: She said, “I will visit my grandma tomorrow.”
   Reported: She said that she would visit her grandma the next day.
3. Direct: They said, “We have finished our homework.”
   Reported: They said that they had finished their homework.

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Evaluation (Fill in the blanks with correct reported speech)

1. She said, “I am learning English.” → She said that ________ English.
   a) she learns
   b) she was learning
   c) she is learning
   d) she has learned

2. He said, “I will call you tomorrow.” → He said that he ________ me the next day.
   a) will call
   b) would call
   c) calls
   d) can call

3. They said, “We went to the park yesterday.” → They said that they ________ to the park the previous day.
   a) go
   b) will go
   c) had gone
   d) are going

4. She said, “I can sing.” → She said that she ________ sing.
   a) will
   b) must
   c) could
   d) has

5. He said, “I love my mother.” → He said that he ________ his mother.
   a) loved
   b) loves
   c) love
   d) was loving

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Class Activity Discussion (FAQs and Answers)

1. What is reported speech?
   Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said without using their exact words.

2. What are the two types of speech?
   The two types of speech are direct speech and reported speech.

3. How do we change pronouns in reported speech?
   Pronouns change depending on the subject of the reporting clause.

4. Why do we change verb tenses in reported speech?
   Verb tenses change because reported speech usually refers to something that happened in the past.

5. What happens to time expressions in reported speech?
   Time expressions change, for example, “tomorrow” becomes “the next day.”

6. How does “can” change in reported speech?
   “Can” changes to “could.”

7. What happens to “must” in reported speech?
   “Must” changes to “had to.”

8. Do all sentences change tense in reported speech?
   No, if the reporting verb is in the present tense, the tenses remain the same.

9. How do we report questions?
   We use “asked” or “inquired” and remove question marks.

10. What is the reporting verb?
    The verb that introduces the reported speech, e.g., said, asked, told.

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Presentation Structure

1. Revision of the previous lesson
2. Introduction of reported speech with examples
3. Students contribute examples of reported speech
4. Teacher corrects and explains common errors

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Assessment (Evaluation Questions)

1. Convert the following direct speech into reported speech:
   a) She said, “I am happy.”
   b) He said, “I will come early.”
   c) They said, “We have completed our work.”
   d) John said, “I love football.”
   e) The teacher said, “You must submit your assignment.”

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Conclusion

The teacher marks students’ work, provides feedback, and asks students to write five sentences in reported speech.

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