These reported speech activities give learners a fun and practical way to practise reporting what someone else said. Instead of drilling rules, students use real or imagined conversations, mini speeches, and bizarre questions to explore how reported speech works. These activities are especially useful at B1 level and above, where learners already have some control over tenses.
Reported Speech Listening and Speaking Activity
This activity is a great way to practise reported speech in a meaningful and engaging way. Students listen to short speeches, take notes, and then report what was said using reported speech. It’s perfect for B1 learners and can be adapted for pair, group, or whole-class use.
How it works
- Read aloud one of the short model speeches.
- Students listen and take notes. Don’t give them the transcript yet — the aim is to focus on listening for key details.
- In pairs or small groups, students report what was said using reported speech.
- Example: “I’ve worked here for three years” → She said she had worked there for three years.
- Review as a class, discussing any interesting variations or grammar points.
Optional Extension
Ask students to write their own short speech based on a given theme (e.g. leaving a job, accepting an award, political campaign).
Have students read their speeches aloud, while others take notes and later report back.
Printables
Crazy Questions
This is just a quick exercise to check understanding of reported speech questions.
Put some examples on the board:
Do you eat bananas in the shower?
Do you drive with your eyes closed?
Do you wear socks on your head?
Are you married to a ghost?
Have you ever eaten a lion?
Ask students to try and come up with a few more examples.
Then, going around the class each student, in turn, asks the person on their left a crazy question.
Now ask the person who was asked What did he/she ask you?
He asked me if I ate bananas in the shower!
Haha, an amazing activity