Reported Speech ESL Games, Activities and Worksheets
In this entertaining reported speech speaking activity, students interview each other giving true or false answers and then use reported speech to compare what the interviewees said. First, students read ten questions on the worksheet and write one true answer and two false answers for each question. Next, students use the questions to interview three people in their group. Students note down the interviewees' answers on the worksheet and ask follow-up questions, especially if they suspect they are being given a false answer. Each time an interviewee answers a question, they give either a true answer or one of their false answers, varying the answer they give each student. When everyone has finished, students compare what different people told them using reported speech and decide which of the answers are true. Finally, the interviewees reveal their true answers.
In this free direct and reported speech game, students change direct speech into reported speech. Players take it in turns to turn over a direct speech card and read what's on the card, e.g. "I like pizza", she said. The player then changes the direct speech into reported speech, e.g. 'She said that she liked pizza'. Next, the player tries to find the sentence by turning over one of the reported speech cards. If the player turns over the corresponding card, the student keeps the pair of cards and has another turn. If the two cards don't match or the player's sentence is not the same as what's on the reported speech card, the player turns the two cards back over. The student with the most pairs of cards at the end of the game wins.
In this fun reported speech game, students have to try to remember what their classmates said. Students begin by reviewing expressions to show interest and surprise, e.g. 'Oh really?' 'Wow', etc. Next, tell the students that they are going to tell each other something interesting or surprising and that they have to try to remember what each person said. The students memorize the sentence on their card and then stand up and walk around the class, saying their sentences to each other. Students use an expression for showing interest or surprise each time they hear a sentence. When the students have all spoken to each other, they write down what their classmates told them using reported speech, e.g. 'Claire said that she was going to get married next month'. The student with the most correct sentences is the winner.
Here is an amusing reported speech game to play in class. In the activity, students play a miming game where they guess what their classmates were told to do using reported speech. One student begins by picking up an imperative card and whispering the command on the card to their partner. Their partner mimes the command to the other pair of students. The other pair watches the mime and tries to guess what the student told their partner to do. The pair then uses reported speech to say what they think the command was, e.g. 'He said to close the door'. The pair has one minute to guess what the student told their partner to do. If they manage to do this and make a suitable sentence with reported speech, they score a point. The pairs then swap roles and the process is repeated. The pair with the most points at the end of the game wins.
In this productive reported speech speaking activity, students interview a partner and then report the questions and answers from the interview to a new partner. Students take it in turns to ask a partner the questions on the worksheet and write down their answers in note form next to the questions. Next, students work with a new partner and take it in turns to report the questions and answers from the interview to their new partner using reported speech, e.g. 'I asked Sam how he came to class today and he said that he came to class by car'. Afterwards, students give feedback to the class on their interviews.
In this useful reported speech worksheet, students learn the indirect form of four modal verbs and practice using them in reported speech. First, students read a short dialogue and underline all the modal verbs. Students then write the modal verbs in the order that they are found in the dialogue and match them to their indirect forms. After that, students complete reported speech with the indirect form of the modal verbs in brackets. Next, students change direct speech into reported speech. In the last exercise, students think about a time when someone influenced them to do something new. Students then report what was said using at least four modal verbs in their response.
Here is a lively reported speech running dictation activity in which students change two phone dialogues into reported speech. One student is the 'reader' and the other is the 'writer'. The readers run to the text and read each numbered line, remember it, run back, and say it to their partner who writes it down. When pairs get halfway through, they swap roles. Once the students have written down the two dialogues, they read the two conversations and change them into reported speech. The first pair of students to successfully change the text into reported speech wins.
In this creative set of reported speech activities, students ask and answer yes/no questions in a Find Someone Who activity and then play a guessing game where they report back the information they found out. Students start by moving around the classroom asking questions and completing their worksheets with yes answers. Every time a classmate responds positively to a question, the student writes the person’s name down on the worksheet and asks a follow-up question to gain more information. In groups, students then take it in turns to report back the information they found out about their classmates using reported speech. Students do this without saying the classmate's name. Instead, they use the phrase 'Somebody told me that...' The other students in the group guess who said each thing, scoring one point for each correct guess. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins.
In this free reported speech game, students relay telephone messages to each other using reported speech. Tell the students that they are going to practice giving the contents of telephone messages by transforming the messages into reported speech, but first they have to find the person who has each message. In groups, students take it in turns to choose a question card and ask a group member if they have a message from the person or place indicated on the card, e.g. 'Have you got a message for me from the bank?' If the group member says yes, they relay the message using reported speech and then give the message card to the student. If the group member says no, the student has to wait until their next turn to ask the other group member. The first student to collect all their message cards wins the game.
In this engaging reported speech activity, students role-play an interview between a traveller who is planning a trip around the world and a journalist who is interviewing them about their trip. The two students then write a short magazine article about the interview using reported speech. In groups, the travellers think of answers to questions about their trip and write them on their worksheets. The travellers also think of two more things they can say about their trip. The journalists make questions from the prompts on their worksheet and create two questions of their own at the end. When everyone is ready, each journalist pairs up with a traveller. The journalists then interview their partner (the traveller) using the questions on their worksheet, noting down their answers on a piece of paper. After the interview, the journalist and traveller work together to write a short magazine article in reported speech, based on what the traveller said in the interview. Finally, pairs read their articles to the class.
In this rewarding reported speech game, students report back answers to questions and race to complete sentences about what people said. First, students write down the name of a student that is not in their group at the beginning of each sentence on their worksheet. Next, a student from each group reads a question and memorizes it. The student then looks at the name at the beginning of the first sentence on their worksheet (e.g. Sophia) and goes to the group where the person is located to ask them the question. The student then returns and reports back the answer to the group using reported speech, e.g. 'Sophia said that she had been studying English for five years'. Everyone in the group then writes down what the student said on their own worksheet. When all the group members have written the sentence, the next student asks the second question to the person whose name is written at the beginning of the second sentence and so on. The first group to complete their worksheets with grammatically correct sentences wins the game.
In this enjoyable reported speech speaking activity, students ask a question to everyone in the class. Students then write down in reported speech the questions they were asked and report back on the answers they received. Give each student a question card. Students go around the class, asking the other students the question on their card and making a note of the answers. In pairs, students then try to remember and write down in reported speech the questions they were asked, e.g. 'Ryan asked when my birthday was'. When the pairs have finished, check the answers with the class by asking pairs of students what questions they can remember, e.g. 'What did Ryan ask you?' The correct answer is then checked with the student who asked the question. Afterwards, students summarize the answers they received and report them back to the class using reported speech, e.g. 'Five people said their birthday was in July. Four people said their birthday was in October', etc.
In this compelling reported speech game, students practice reporting negative requests using not to. In groups, students take it in turns to swap one card with another player. Next, the student tries to form a sentence that reports a negative request with not to using three cards from their hand, comprising of two noun cards and one verb card, e.g. 'An employee at my company begged our manager not to fire him because of his mistake'. If the other players judge the sentence as correct, the student places the three cards on the desk and writes the sentence on a piece of paper. It's then the next student's turn to play. If the student is unable to form a correct sentence, play passes to the next student. The first student to get rid of all their cards wins the game.
Here is a comprehensive infinitive clauses worksheet to help students practice using infinitive clauses with reporting verbs. First, students read about the use of reporting verbs in infinitive clause sentences. Next, students underline the correct reporting verb in each sentence and then choose a suitable verb for each sentence and write it in its infinitive form. After that, students match sentence halves together to make infinitive clause sentences. Students then put words in the correct order to make infinitive clause sentences. Finally, students change direct speech to reported speech, using one of the reporting verbs provided plus an infinitive.
In this imaginative reported speech game, students use reporting verbs to write statements about what was said in different situations and then read them to a partner, who guesses each situation. First, in two groups, students read each situation and complete statements reporting what was said. Next, students pair up with someone from the other group and take turns reading each set of reported statements to their partner, who has three chances to guess the situation. For each correct guess, students put a tick. The student with the most correct guesses at the end of the game wins.
