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ADVANCED GRAMMAR FOR IELTS SPEAKING (Reported Speech) | IELTS Grammar
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Feb 9, 2024
This video talks about the use of reported speech in IELTS Speaking Part 2. Learning to differentiate between direct and indirect speech is essential in English, especially when you are telling a story. It is best to use indirect speech when telling a story in the IELTS speaking part 2 because it is more natural and spontaneous. Study how the verb tenses and time expressions transformed when using indirect speech in your answers. By understanding how to construct sentences in indirect speech, you will surely be able to speak more confidently in your IELTS speaking exam or in everyday English conversation. #ieltsgrammar #ieltsspeakingtips
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0:00
When we tell someone what the other person said, we can either use direct speech or indirect speech
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So, direct speech and indirect speech are the two types of reported speech
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Take a look at the examples. Direct speech. The boy said, I can't find my mom
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Direct speech is commonly used in novels, news reports, or scripts. Quotation marks are used in this type of speech
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In other words, direct speech is the repeat of the exact words uttered
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On the other hand, we change the original words uttered by the speaker in indirect speech
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For example, the boy said that he couldn't find his mom. Can you see the difference between the two sentences
0:59
When we tell a story in IELTS Speaking Part 2, it's way better to use indirect speech. Why
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Well, observe the given examples below. Which do you think sounds better
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First example. I'd like to talk with you about my recent experience of helping a boy who was lost in the supermarket
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Well, I saw him crying in the corner of the supermarket. I asked him, Are you okay? Are you lost? Where is your mom
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And the boy replied, I cannot find my mom. Second example. I'd like to talk with you about my recent experience of helping a boy who was lost in the supermarket
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Well, I saw him crying in the corner of the supermarket. I asked him, Are you okay? Are you lost? Where is your mom
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And he replied that he couldn't find his mom. So, which sounds better
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Of course, the second one. The first one sounds odd, off, and it isn't smooth
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Whereas the second one sounds pretty natural and spontaneous. Using indirect speech can surely help you make your story sound more natural
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My name is Julius. Welcome to IELTS Dragon. So today, let us learn how to use indirect speech in our monologue in Part 2
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so we can develop a better story. And this can also help us achieve a higher mark in the criterion grammatical range and accuracy
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Let's begin. Now, let me give you a clear example so you can understand better
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This is an actual conversation between you and the boy. Let us use the cue card, Describe a time you helped a child
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This is you, and this is the boy whom you offered help
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And let's imagine that today is Monday. You see the boy crying in the supermarket, so you approach him
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You. Are you okay? Are you lost? Where is your mom? Boy. I can't find my mom
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You. Don't worry. We will find your mom. Can you please tell me your name and your mom's name
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Boy. I'm John. My mom is Mae Peters. So this is your actual conversation with the boy
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The exact words uttered by you and the boy. Now, let's imagine that you take the IELTS speaking test on Friday
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four days after you helped that boy. And you get the cue card about Describing a time you helped a child
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So you will talk about your experience of helping that boy last Monday to your examiner
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So this is the time that you apply indirect speech to your story
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So you can say, I'd like to talk with you about my recent experience of helping a boy who was lost in the supermarket
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Well, I saw him crying in the corner of the supermarket. I asked him if he was okay, if he was lost, and where his mom was
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And he replied that he couldn't find his mom. This is an example of indirect speech
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You might be wondering what happened to the questions. You have to remember this
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Once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a question anymore
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We change the grammar to a normal positive sentence in indirect speech
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For example, Where is your mom? becomes I asked him where his mom was
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And if the question can be answered with a yes or no
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we use if. For example, Are you okay? becomes I asked him if he was okay
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Are you lost? becomes I asked him if he was lost. So how do we know what verb tense or time expression should we use when using indirect speech
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This is easy. First, let's start with the present tense. I have three people here
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Mary, Frank, and David. And let's imagine that today is Monday. Let us change the present tense into the past tense
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Mary talks with Frank. I am so tired today. And then, later that day, Frank tells David what Mary said to him
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Mary said she was so tired today. Notice the present tense changes to the past tense
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Now, imagine that it's Tuesday now. Frank tells David what Mary said to him
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So it becomes Mary said that she was so tired yesterday. The time expression today becomes yesterday
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Let's have present continuous changes to past continuous. Mary is talking with Frank
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I am feeling tired today. And then, later that day, Frank tells David what Mary said to him
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Mary said she was feeling tired today. Notice the present continuous tense changes to the past continuous tense
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Now, imagine it's now Tuesday. And Frank tells David what Mary said to him
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So it becomes Mary said that she was feeling tired yesterday. The time expression today becomes yesterday
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Let's have past simple tense changes to past perfect tense. Mary to Frank
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I borrowed money from my parents yesterday. And then, later that day, Frank tells David about what Mary said to him
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Mary said she had borrowed money from her parents yesterday. Notice the past simple changes to the past perfect tense
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Now, imagine it's now Tuesday. And Frank tells David what Mary said to him
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So it becomes Mary said she had borrowed money from her parents the day before yesterday
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The time expression yesterday becomes the day before yesterday. Let's have past simple continuous tense becomes past perfect continuous tense
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Mary to Frank. I was exercising in the gym this morning. And later that day, Frank tells David what Mary said to him
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Mary said she had been exercising in the gym this morning. Notice the past simple continuous changes to the past perfect continuous tense
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Now, imagine it's now Tuesday. Frank tells David what Mary said to him
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So it becomes Mary said that she had been exercising in the gym yesterday morning
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The time expression this morning becomes yesterday morning. Next, present perfect tense changes to the past perfect tense
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Mary to Frank. I have eaten fruits and vegetables. And then Frank tells David what Mary said to him
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Mary said she had eaten fruits and vegetables. Notice the present perfect tense changes to the past perfect tense
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Now, let me share with you a complete monologue for the cue card
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Describe a time you helped a child. I want you to observe how I use the reported speech in my story
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Let's begin. I want to share with you my experience of how I helped a child in the supermarket
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Well, that happened a month ago when I went to the supermarket to buy my daily needs
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While I was picking fruits, I could hear a cry from a boy coming from the corner of the fruit stand where I was picking apples and oranges
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Deep down inside, I knew that the boy really needed help. And his way of crying really reminded me of the time when I was also a little boy who was lost in a supermarket
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So that memory of mine urged me to check on the boy
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So I immediately walked towards him and asked him if he was okay, if he was lost, and where his mom was
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He replied that he couldn't find his mom. I knew then that he was lost
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So I gave him assurance that I would find his mom so he could stop crying
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Then I asked him what his name was and what his mother's name was as well
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Fortunately, he knew the complete name of his mother. So it was so easy for me to ask for help from the customer service
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So I immediately went to the customer service booth and asked one of the staff to page the name of the boy's mother
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After a couple of minutes, a woman came rushing to the customer service booth where we were seated
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She immediately hugged the boy and I was very happy looking at them
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After that, I introduced myself to her and narrated how I found her child
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She was very grateful to me and offered me dinner. Now, do you think this is enough for you to get a band 7 or band 8
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The answer is no. You must identify your other weaknesses that stopped you from achieving your target band score
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But how? You must watch this video because I talked about how I helped my student get a band 8 from band 6
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by identifying her weaknesses and addressing them very seriously. Don't miss it