AGENDA

Grammar Vocabulary
8a Reported speech (1) 8d say, tell, talk, speak, et
Reported speech (2) 8e -ed and -ing adjecti
8c -ing forms and infinitives after verbs

IffUtry test
Q Choose the correct answer.
1 'Let's go to the cinema/ Amy suggested / announced.
2 She told / explained that she had been feeling unwell.
3 Sue insisted/begged John to help her.
4 They warned the children not to go / do not go near the river.
5 She said she was/had been trying to phone you all day.
Now look at on pages 130-133.

Q Choose the correct answer, A, B, C or D.

6 The judge asked the witness give her more information.
A that he B if he could C that he could D whether he
7 They asked if always wanted to be a doctor.
A did she B has she C had she D she had
8 Mark asked going to lend them the money.
A that I was B if I was C was I D whether was I
9 They wanted to know what the money on.
A she'd spent B had shespent C did she spend D she did spend
10 I asked J o ........... in a flat.
A if she live B does she live C whether she lived D did she live
Now look at on pages 134-136.
Q Choose the correct answer, A, B, C or D.
11 The car swerved to avoid ........... the pedestrian.
A hit B to hit C hitting D that it hit
12 Emily admitted know the answer to the question.
A to not B not to C of not D that she didn't
13 Would you like with us tonight?
A you come B to come C coming, D to coming
14 Jamie is hoping law at Harvard.
A he studies B to study C studying D to studying
15 I'd rather the children decide for themselves.
A I let B that I let C let D letting
Now look at on pages 137-139. ffKfjfl /5

Q Choose the correct answer, A, B, C or D.

16 What did the newspaper about the accident?
A tell B refer C say D speak
17 I was persuaded on the trip at the last minute.
A to go B me to go C that I go D for going
18 She convinced the court innocent.
A to be B for being C being D that she was
19 The suspect that he had been to the bank that day.
A refused B rejected C denied D told
20 We made her an excellent offer but sh e it.
A refused B rejected C denied D accepted
(■ n
Now look at ( J ) on pages 140-142. /5

Q Choose the correct answer.

21 I'm sorry but I don't find her jokes at all amused / amusing.
22 We were all really disappointed /disappointing when the concert
was cancelled.
23 He's got some really annoyed / annoying habits!
24 The lecture was so bored / boring I nearly fell asleep.
25 She has the most charmed / charming little cottage I've ever seen.
Now look at on pages 143-145. ____ / 5

TOTAL SCORE / 25
Grammar
Reported sp@(ae!h 0 )

Direct speech Reported statements

• When we quote someone’s actual words, we o In reported speech, we report what someone
can use reporting verbs like say, reply, suggest, said earlier, without quoting their actual words.
shout, etc.: « When we report someone’s words, we often
‘Let’s go swimming, ’ Peter suggested. use a past tense reporting verb like said, told,
o The speaker’s words can come before or after suggested, etc.:
the reporting verb: She said (that) she knew the answer.
‘I knew the answer, ’ she said. • After a past tense reporting verb, we usually
She said, T knew the answer. ’ make changes to verb tenses, pronouns and
° Notice the punctuation in direct speech: the possessive adjectives, as well as place and time
speaker’s words are put in inverted commas. references:
The comma, full stop, question mark or ‘I ’m visiting my cousins tomorrow, ’ Penny said.
exclamation mark come before the closing Penny said that she was visiting her cousins the
quotation mark: following day.
‘You mustn’t give up,’ his m other insisted.
‘Do you take sugar?’ she asked.
‘H elp!’ she shouted.

Changes in reported speech

• In reported speech, tenses and modal verbs change as follows:

r Direct s p e e c h > Reported speech Example

present simple —►past simple ‘I want to buy it.’ He said (that) he wanted to buy it.

present continuous —>past continuous ‘I’m leaving.’ He said (that) he was leaving.

past simple —>past perfect simple ‘I saw her.’ He said (that) he had seen her.

past continuous —►past perfect continuous ‘I was working.’ He said (that) he had been working.

present perfect simple —>past perfect simple ‘I’ve finished. ’ He said (that) he had finished.

present perfect continuous —►past perfect ‘I’ve been running.’ He said (that) he had been running.
continuous
am/is/are going to —>was/were going to ‘I’m going to stay. ’ He said (that) he was going to stay.

will —>would ‘I’ll help you. ’ He said (that) he would help me.

can —y coidd ‘I can do it.’ He said (that) he could do it.

may —y might ‘I may do it.’ He said (that) he might do it.

must —y had to ‘I must go. ’ He said (that) he had to go.

130
 REPO RTED SPEECH (1)

° The past perfect simple and past perfect • Tell, order and ask are some common reporting
continuous don’t change in reported speech: verbs for commands and requests:
T had finished.’ —►H e said (that) he had ‘Be quiet!’ she told them. -> She told them to be
finished. quiet.
‘I had been running. ’ —>H e said that he had ‘Stop!’ the police officer told him. —> The police
been running. officer ordered him to stop.
• Could, would, might, should and ought to don’t ‘Please let m e stay, Dad, ’ Anne said. —>Anne
change in reported speech: asked her dad to let her stay.
T might join y ou .’ —►H e said (that) he might ° Note that when we report negative commands
join us. and requests, we use not before the fo-infinitive.
° When the reporting verb is in a present tense, ‘Please don ’t do it,’ she told him. —> She told him
there is no change in reported speech: not to do it.
T may be late.’ —►H e says (that) he may be late.
° We do not need to change the verb tense when
we are reporting things that are still true:
‘I’ve got a brother.’ —> H e told m e (that) he’s got
a brother.
However, after past reporting verbs, we usually
change the tenses, even if the things we are
reporting are still true.
« These words and phrases also change in
reported speech:

Direct speech Reported speech

here there
this/these that/those
this/that + noun the + noun
ago before
last week the week before, the
previous week
next week the week after, the
following week Reporting verbs
now then » We often use different reporting verbs to
summarise what someone said.
today, tonight that day, that night
‘Why don’t you stay with us?’ —►They invited
this morning that morning m e to stay with them.
tomorrow the next/following day, » Reporting verbs can describe the speaker’s
the day after intention, or tell us more about the way
yesterday the day before, the someone says something:
previous day ‘I ’ll call the police. ’ —y She threatened to call the
police.
‘I ’ll carry the books. ’ —> H e offered to carry the
Reported commands and requests books.
» When we report commands and requests, we o Different reporting verbs are used with
use the following pattern: reporting verb + sb + different structures. Below are some common
fo-infinitive: ones. Note that some verbs can be used with
‘Please stay, John,’ she said. —►She asked John more than one structure:
to stay.
 REPORTED SPEECH (1)

r Verbs Examples
verb + fo-infinitive ‘No, I won’t do it!’ —►He refused to do it.
agree, decide, demand, offer, promise, ‘Can I help youV —> She offered to help me.
propose, refuse, swear, threaten, volunteer ‘I ’ll come back. ’ —►He promised to come back.

verb + sb + fo-infinitive ‘Please don’t go!’ —>She begged him not to go.
advise, beg, encourage, forbid, instruct, ‘Don’t cross that bridge!’ —>She warned me not to cross the bridge.
invite, order, persuade, urge, warn ‘You should talk to Nikki. ’ —>He advised me to talk to Nikki.

verb + -ing ‘I stole the money,’ —>He admitted stealing the money.
admit, deny, recommend, suggest ‘I didn’t steal the money.’ —> He denied stealing the money.

verb (+ sb) + preposition + -ing ‘You stole the money.’ —►She accused me of stealing the money.
accuse sb of, agree (with sb) on/about, ‘I’m sorry I ’m late. ’ —►He apologised for being late.
apologise (to sb) for, complain (to sb) ‘You won! Well done!’ —> She congratulated me on winning.
about, congratulate sb on, insist on
verb (+ sb) + that clause ‘Yes, it’s a good idea. ’ —>He agreed that it was a good idea.
add, admit, agree, announce, boast, claim, ‘My soup is cold!’ —>She complained that her soup was cold.
complain, decide, deny, explain, inform ‘I’ll come back.’ —►He promised (me) that he would come back.
(sb), persuade (sb), promise (sb), remind ‘It’s Jane’s birthday. ’ —►She reminded me that it was Jane’s
(sb), report, suggest, threaten, warn (sb) birthday.

° Suggest can be followed by the following structures:

♦ suggest + -ing:
‘L et’s go to the cinema. ’ —►I suggested going to the cinema.
- suggest + that + past simple:
I suggested that we went to the cinema.
♦ suggest + that + sb + should + infinitive:
I suggested that we should go to the cinema.

For reported questions, see

Q Report the statements.

0 ‘Let me help you.’ 5 ‘I gave you the money last week.’
My friend offered ."ta.heJp .fllS • She insisted........................
1 ‘I wasn’t anywhere near the scene of the 6 ‘Put your hands up!’
crime.’ The man ordered m e ........................
The accused claim ed ........................ 7 ‘If I were you, I wouldn’t work so hard.’
2 ‘This spot is the best place for a picnic.’ My friend advised m e ........................
My father said ...................... 8 ‘No, I won’t lend him the money.’
3 ‘W e’re leaving tomorrow.’ Joan refused ........................
Ella said ........................
4 ‘Please answer the phone.’
He asked his s o n ........................

132
 REP ORTED SPEECH (1)

Match the statements (1-10) with the reporting verbs (a-k ).

0 ‘If you do that again, I’ll leave,’ she told me. 0 a ask
1 ‘I’m going to retire soon,’ he said. □ b beg
2 ‘Please bring us the wine list,’ she told the waiter. □ c explain
3 ‘Our team will easily beat yours,’ he told us. □ d warn
4 ‘Please, please give me another chance,’ she told him. □ e remind
5 ‘I’m innocent, Your Honour,’ he told the judge. □ f advise
6 ‘I was late because I missed my bus,’ she said. □ g claim
7 ‘Why don’t we play a game?’ he said. □ h announce
8 ‘Don’t forget to phone Alex,’ she told him. □ i threaten
9 ‘Careful! The water’s deep!’ he said. n j suggest
10 ‘You should be more careful in the future,’ she told the student. □ k boast

Report the statements in Exercise 2.

0 S h e . threatened 4+<?. _leave, i-f, X did ....... 5
that .................. 6
1 ...................................................................................... 7
2 ........................................................................... 8
3 .......................... 9
4 ...................................................................................... 10

Complete the text. Use one word in each gap.

Monday, 17 October
A new teacher
The first day back at school. We were waiting for our new teacher and I
wondered what he or she would be like. Suddenly, the door opened and a
tall thin man walked in. He looked at us, smiled and told <0) IAS
to sit down and be quiet. Billy O'Reilly (1)........... , 'Good morning,
sir! What's your name?' in his loud cheery voice but the new teacher
121........... him to put his hand up and <3)........... to shout out
without permission. He told us that his name 141........... Mr John
Walker. Billy giggled. 'What are you laughing at?' (5>........... Mr
Walker. Billy said he <s)........... a cough and he followed this with a
loud cough; the whole class laughed. The teacher smiled and said we
<7)........... call him John. He explained <8)........... he wanted us
to work hard and play hard. He said that the text we (9>........... do
together for the English exam was Shakespeare's R o m e o a n d J u l i e t . He said
we (10)........... to read the first two scenes before the (11)...........
week's lesson. He smiled again and said he <12)........... sure we would
get on very well. Then he asked if we had any questions.

133
 R e p o r t e d speech ( 2 )

Reported questions
• In reported questions, the word order is the same as in statements:
‘Can I leave the room?’ I asked. —►I asked i f I could leave the room.
She asked m e where I was from . /
She asked m e where was I from . X
« We do not use the auxiliary do/does/did in reported questions:
‘W hat do you want?’ he asked me. —> H e asked what I wanted.
° We do not use a question mark in reported questions:
‘H ow is Johnny getting on at school?’ she asked. —►She asked how Johnny was getting on
at school.
• Some reporting verbs we often use in reported questions are: ask, inquire, wonder,
want to know.
She wanted to know where I was going.
» In reported questions, the tense changes and the changes to place/time references are
the same as those for reported statements:
‘Are you OK?’ —y She asked i f I was OK.
‘Is Jam ie here?’ —►H e asked i f Jam ie was there.

Yes/No
° When we report questions that can be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (e.g. Are you happy
here? Do you live in aflat?), we use i f or whether after the reporting verb:
‘Are you happy here?’ he asked, —yHe asked if/whether I was happy there.
‘Does he live in a big flat?’ she asked. —> She asked if/whether he lived in a big flat.
° We can use i f and whether in the same way:
‘Are the summers very hot there?’ he inquired, —yH e asked if/whether the summers were
very hot there.
‘Have you always lived in the old town?’ she asked him. —►She asked him if/whether he
had always lived in the old town.
» However, when we are asking someone to make a choice, we usually use whether:
‘Do you want coffee or tea?’ they asked me. — y They asked m e whether I wanted coffee or
tea.
° We use whether (not if) when the reported question includes the phrase or not:
‘Are you going to tell m e the answer or not?’ she asked. —►She asked whether I was going
to tell her the answer or not.
‘Is he coming or not?’ I asked. —>I asked whether he was coming or not.

Wh-
° When we report questions that begin with a question word {who, where, why, what,
when, how, how long, etc.), we use the question word in the reported question:
‘Who built that castle?’ she asked, —yShe wanted to know who had built the castle.
‘Where did you go this summer?’ he asked. —> He asked where we had gone that summer.
‘Why are you laughing?’ she asked us. -> She asked us why we were laughing.

134
 REPO RTED SPEECH (2)

Choose the correct answer.

0 The interviewer wanted to know where I was)/was I from.
1 He also asked if I had /did I have any work experience.
2 He asked how old am 111 was.
3 He wanted to know what have 111 had been doing since I left school.
4 He asked when /whether I had had a nice trip down from Liverpool.
5 He also asked how long the journey had taken /did the journey take.
6 He asked me what I liked /did I like most about my job.
7 He wanted to know who had told /had they told me about their company.
8 He asked me what I thought /did I think the qualities of a good manager were.
9 He told /inquired how much money I was hoping to earn.
10 Finally, he asked me when can I I I could start work.

Report the questions.

0 ‘Can I have some more pocket money?’
The boy asked .w o v se y . ................
1 ‘Are you still living in London?’
I asked h im .............................................................................................................................
2 ‘Do you work in the central branch or in the provinces?’
She asked m e ..........................................................................................................................
3 ‘Are you going to give me the money or not?’
She asked h im ........................................................................................................................
4 ‘Has he brought the book back?’
I wanted to know ..................................................................................................................
5 ‘Is it snowing in Manchester?’
He asked..................................................................................................................................
6 ‘Are you married?’
The man asked m e ...............................................................................................................
7 ‘Have you been eating properly?’
The doctor asked h im .........................................................................................................
8 ‘Would you like to join us tomorrow?’
They asked m e .......................................................................................................................
9 ‘Do you speak French?’
She asked the g irl..................................................................................................................
10 ‘Have you finished?’
The teacher asked h im ........................................................................................................
 REP ORTED SP EECH (2 )

@ Report the questions.

0 ‘Where were you born?’ I asked Emmy.
X. .Asked. .where, s h e . had . beer botrvv
1 ‘How far is the stadium?’ the man asked us.

2 ‘Who bought the Picasso painting?’ she asked.

3 ‘What were they doing?’ Mrs Fox asked.

4 ‘How long have you lived here?’ Jo asked Ben.

5 ‘How often do you visit your cousins?’ I asked Pam.

6 ‘Why are you laughing?’ she asked me.

7 ‘How long have you been waiting?’ I asked them.

8 ‘What did she say?’ Harry asked.

9 ‘What should I do?’ she asked her friend.

10 ‘Where are you going to stay?’ I asked them.

Q Complete the text. Use one word in each gap.

Mrs Evans, our history teacher, decided to give us an oral test about the American
War of Independence yesterday. I hadn’t done my homework because I had had a
stomachache the night before and I (0) W ardered if I would be able to answer any
of her questions. First, she asked when the war (1)..................... started - I had no idea.
Then she (2)..................... to know if we knew the name of the English king at the
time. Then she (3)..................... who the author o f the Declaration of Independence
(4). .................. She asked me if I 4(5)....................... the answer. By then, I wasn’t feeling
very well again, so I asked Mrs Evans if I (6)..................... be excused. She didn’t hear
me though and continued with the next question, so I got up and walked towards
the door; Mrs Evans asked me (7)..................... I was going. I asked her (8).......................
I could leave the room and she said I had to wait till the test was over. I explained I
wasn’t feeling well and asked how long the test was (9)..................... to take. Luckily, it
only took five more minutes! I was so glad when the lesson ended!

136
 -Ing te m s and iDufOonO^nwes a te r werbs

Verbs can be followed by an infinitive (with or Verb + -in g f o r m / t h a t clause

without to), an -ing form, a noun or a that clause:
I want to tell you something. ° Here are some verbs that are followed by an
I must go now. -ing form or a that clause:
They started laughing. adm it . deny ~ report
I fancy an ice cream. consider imagine f suggest
She adm itted that she had been wrong. H e admitted lying to the police.
H e admitted that he had stolen the goods.
Verb + - in g form • These verbs can also be followed by a noun:
H e adm itted his crimes.
° Here are some verbs that are followed by an
« We cannot use an infinitive after these verbs:
-ing form:
H e denied doing it. /
avoid feel like miss H e denied to do it. X
be worth finish postpone
° When these verbs are followed by a that clause,
delay involve practise
we can omit that:
dislike keep propose
H e admitted he had stolen the goods.
enjoy mention risk
fancy mind
I avoid going to noisy bars. Verb + to-infinitive
The castle is worth visiting. ° Here are some verbs that are followed by a
o We always use the -ing form after verbs that are to-infinitive:
followed by prepositions (e.g. insist on, succeed agree hope prom ise
in, apologise for): appear intend refuse
She insisted on coming with m e to the lawyer. can afford learn seem
H e succeeded in breaking the world record. choose m anage threaten
H e apologised for letting m e down, decide offer want
o Phrasal verbs (e.g. keep on, p ut off, look forw ard expect plan wish
to) are also followed by an -ing form: fail prepare
They were looking forward to meeting him. hesitate pretend
° Some verb phrases that are followed by I agreed to stay with her.
prepositions are also followed by an -ing form. The anim al appears to be dead.
Here are some examples: be good at, be keen on, We can’t afford to go on holiday this year.
be fe d up with, be tired of. ° Some o f these verbs can also be followed by a
She’s good at getting people to do things. noun, an adjective or a that clause:
H e’s very keen on travelling. She failed the exam.
• The verbs above can also be followed by a noun: H e seems frightened.
I avoid noisy bars. I agree that it is difficult.
They were looking forw ard to their holiday.
° Remember: we always use the -ing form o f a
verb after prepositions.
 -ING FORMS AND IN FINITIVES AFTER VERBS

Verb + bare infinitive Here are some of them:

» The verbs m ake, let, would rather, would sooner Verb Meaning Example
and had better are followed by a bare infinitive
remember + not forget sth I remembered to
(= infinitive without to):
fo-infinitive you must do turn off the oven.
They let us leave early.
They made us wait fo r two hours. remember + have a I remember turning
I ’d rather go to Italy this year. -ing form memory of off the oven.
sth you did
I’d sooner die than give the secret away!
in the past
° In the passive, we use a fo-infinitive after make:
We were made to wait fo r two hours. forget + not remember I forgot to phone
fo-infinitive sth you Kevin.
° We do not use let in the passive. We use allow
must do, get
instead:
or bring
We were allowed to leave early.
forget + not remember I’ll never forget
° We also use a bare infinitive (= infinitive
-ing form sth you did visiting Venice for
without to) after modal verbs:
in the past the first time.
I can’t help you.
We might be a bit late. try + make an effort They tried to help
fo-infinitive her.
Verb + -in g form/fo-infinitive with try + do sth to Try closing the file
no change in meaning -ing form see what and then opening
happens it again.
° Some verbs can be followed by an -ing form stop + stop in order I stopped to tie up
or a fo-infinitive without a change in meaning. fo-infinitive to do sth my shoelace.
Here are some of these verbs:
stop + no longer do He stopped wearing
begin continue love
-ing form sth ties years ago.
can’t bear hate prefer
can’t stand like start go on + do sth after He told us about
I began training as soon as I heard about the fo-infinitive you’ve his childhood.
hockey match. finished Then he went on
doing sth to describe his
I began to train as soon as I heard about the
else experiences in the
hockey match.
army.
° These verbs can also be followed by a noun:
I began French when I was twelve. go on + continue She went on talking
-ing form doing sth for hours!
I don’t like pop music very much.
° C an’t bear and can’t stand both mean ‘not be regret + feel sorry or We regret to inform
able to accept or not like something’. C an’t bear fo-infinitive sad about you that we
is common in both written and spoken English. sth you have cannot offer you
to do the post.
C an t stand is more common in spoken English.
Both can’t bear and can’t stand can be followed regret + feel sorry She regretted
by an -ing form, a fo-infinitive or a noun: -ing form about accepting the job.
I can’t bear/can’t stand listening to this music! something
I can’t bear/can’t stand to hear them arguing! you have or
I can’t bear/can’t stand TV commercials! haven’t done
mean + intend I didn’t mean to
Verb + -in g form/to-infinitive with fo-infinitive hurt you.
change in meaning mean + involve sth His new job will
-ing form or have a mean travelling
Some verbs can be followed by an -ing form or a particular a lot.
fo-infinitive but with a change in meaning. result
138
 -INC FORMS AND INFINITIVES A FTER VERBS

Q Complete the second sentence so that it

has a sim ilar meaning to the first sentence,
using the word given. Use between two and
^ Choose the correct answer. five words. Do not change the word given.
0 He denied to lie /(lying) 0 We were forced to give them the money.
1 I learnt to drive / driving when I was twenty. „ MADE
2 They suggested to postpone /postponing the They . w s . g iv e . the money.
basketball match. 1 Unfortunately, we cannot accept your
3 The bad weather delayed that they application. ^
arrived / their arrival. INFORM
4 I can’t bear see / to see children suffer.
We regret ...................... your application has
5 We really can’t afford to buy / buying a new not been accepted.
washing machine.
2 I’d prefer to work in an office.
6 I look forward to see / seeing you at the party. RATHER
7 I’d rather stay / to stay at home if that’s ok. I ......................in an office.
8 I don’t remember to see /seeing A1 at the gym.
3 We were not allowed to enter the lab.
9 His mum always makes him tidy / to tidy his LET
room before he goes out.
T h ey ...................... the lab.
10 I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to
4 I said it would be a good idea to start our own
upset / upsetting you.
website.
Q Complete the article. Use the correct form SUGGESTED

of the verbs in brackets. I ......................our own website.

5 She managed to get a place at York University.
Pablo Picasso SUCCEEDED

From the age o f seven, Picasso started S h e ......................a place at York University.

(0) .™>.V'W9. (have) artistic training from his 6 It looks as if this door is locked after all.
APPEARS
painter father. He was very keen on
(1) ........... (paint) and it was obvious that This d o o r......................after all.
he was very good at it. He began (2)............... 7 We can’t wait for our holiday next month.
(miss) classes at school and insisted on FORWARD

(3)...............(paint) pictures instead. His father W e’re really ...................... on holiday next
saw the thirteen-year-old Picasso painting month.
like a master, so he gave up (4)...............(paint) 8 Tony refused to let me pay for our meal.
in order to help his son becom e a great INSISTED

artist. Picasso’s father then persuaded the art T o n y ...................... for our meal himself.
academy (5)...............(allow) his son to take
the entrance exam. Later, he decided
(6) (send) the young artist to M adrid’s
Royal Academy. Thus, at the age o f sixteen,
Picasso started (7) (go) to classes
in Madrid. However, he disliked formal
instruction, so he soon stopped (8)...............
(turn up) for classes and spent hours in the
Prado Museum instead.
 Vocabulary
s@y, te ll, ta lk , sp e a k , etc.

say t e ll
° We can use say as a reporting verb in direct ° Tell is followed by a direct object:
speech, before or after the speaker’s actual H e told us the answer.
words: • We can use tell as a reporting verb in direct
Tom said, ‘This is great!’ speech:
‘I ’m so tired, ’ she said. ‘Com e here, ’ she told me.
• We use say (that) in reported speech: She smiled and then told me, ‘O f course I ’ll
She said (that) she might he late. help you. ’
• Certain objects can ‘say’ things: ° We use tell sb (that) in reported speech:
The clock says it’s fiv e past ten. She told them (that) she might be late.
The email says w e’ve won first prize!
The newspaper says there’s been a hijacking. tell sb about sth
The label says it was produced in Argentina. Compare tell sb about sth and say sth (to sb):
• Say cannot have a person as a direct object. We She told us about her trip to North America.
(= talked about)
must use to, followed by the person:
She said goodbye to her parents. I ’d like to say something about my trip to North
America. (= talk about)
• Here are some common phrases and
She told the neighbours about the burglary.
expressions with say.
(= reported)
T Phrase Example I’m going to say something to the neighbours
about the noise. (= complain)
J say your prayers The children said their
prayers and got into tell sb to do sth
>w.ccp,[i{/) a CN?
bed. We use tell (not say) with a fo-infinitive to report
say yes/no He asked her to marry commands:
him and she said yes. The policem an told me to go with him. /
The policem an said me to go with him. X
say hello/goodbye I’ll just go and say hello ‘Close the door, ’ he said. —►H e told me to close
to Amanda.
the door.
say a few words I’d like to say a few
words. tell sb what/how/where/etc.
Tell sb what/how/where/etc. can be followed:
have sth to say I f you have something to
say, say it now. » by a clause:
Tell m e what you need.
People say ... People say he used to be I can’t tell you where he is.
a spy.
I ’ll tell you how I managed to convince him.
Let’s just say (that) ... Let’s just say he doesn’t » by a to-infinitive:
always tell the truth. Tell m e what to do.
(Let’s) say ... (that) Say they offered you the I told them where to go.
(= suppose) job - would you take it? I ’ll tell you when to stop.

140
 SAY, TELL, TALK, SPEAK, ETC.

tell ° It can also mean ‘make someone feel certain

that something is true’. When used in this
Phrase Example way, convince may be followed by a noun or
tell a lie/lies I ’ve never told a lie in my whole life. pronoun, by a that clause, or by o f + noun:
H er evidence convinced the court.
tell the truth He never tells the truth. H er arguments convinced me.
tell a story/ I f you’re quiet, I ’ll tell you a story. I convinced them that the story was true.
a joke We finally convinced them o f our innocence.
tell yourself I keep telling myself that there was
that nothing else I could have done. d e n y , re fu s e , r e je c t and tu rn d o w n
tell sb/sth It’s impossible to tell the twins
apart apart. Form Meaning Example
tell a mile You could tell a mile off that she deny + noun say that sth is He denied the
off (that) was lying. not true claims.
tell tales I didn’t do it —somebody’s been deny + that She denied that
telling tales. clause she had stolen
the money.
Be careful: we use give (not tell) with the deny + -ing She denied
following nouns: stealing the car.
give advice give information
give orders give directions refuse + noun not accept sth They refused our
help.
give an opinion give the details (o fs th )
Could you give m e some advice on how to refuse + say you will He refused to
prepare fo r the exam ? fo-infinitive not do sth apologise.
reject + noun refuse to They rejected her
ta lk a b o u t and spea k about accept, ideas.
believe in or
• Talk about means the same as discuss: agree with
Let’s talk about the problem. (= Let’s discuss sth
the problem.) turn down refuse an I turned down
• We use speak about in more formal contexts: offer, their offer.
The lecturer is going to speak about the modern request or
novel. (= give a talk on) invitation
° We often use talk about to mean ‘describe’ or
‘tell stories about’: ° Deny means ‘say that something is not true’.
She often talked about her days as a student. H e was accused o f stealing a car but he denied it.
H e denied taking the money.
° Refuse means ‘say you will not do something
p e rs u a d e and co n v in ce
that someone asks you to do’.
• Persuade means ‘make someone decide to do She refused to help us.
something, especially by giving them reasons • Reject means ‘refuse to accept, believe in or
why they should do it, or asking them many agree with something’. It can only be followed
times to do it’. by a noun (or pronoun).
I ’ll persuade her to buy m e a pony. I m ade a suggestion but they rejected it.
• Persuade is followed by a fo-infinitive: ® Turn down is a phrasal verb. W e can use it
H e finally persuaded her to go out with him. instead o f refuse or reject.
• Convince can be used in the same way as persuade: She turned down her brother’s offer o f help.
W e’ve been trying to convince H eather to come.

141
 [•J
y SAY, TELL, TALK, SPEAK, ETC.

Q Complete the conversations. Use the correct form of the verbs in the box. You
can use some of the verbs more than once.
convince deny give persuade say talk tell turn down
0 A: People .. S ty . .. that he’s been all round the world.
B: Yes, he often about his travels.
1 A: I think he has ju s t ............................ us another one of his stories.
B: I know! Does he ev er ............................ the truth?
2 A: Rose is brilliant a t ............................ jokes.
B: I hope we c a n .............................her to tell us some tonight.
3 A: Why don’t you ask Dr Roberts t o .............................you a second opinion?
B: Yes, I ought t o .............................to someone else about this.
4 A: Doctor, th ey .............................it’s urgent!
B: Very w ell,.............................them I’m on my way.
5 A: Th ey.............................the Prime Minister will be talking about the new law in
Parliament today.
B: I wonder what he’s going t o ............................ this time!
6 A: Y o u .............................me you were my friend!
B: What are y o u .............................about?
7 A: I ............................ a lie when I said I believed him.
B: Really? I believe what h e ...............................
8 A: Y o u .............................him some good advice about his interview.
B: But he didn’t get the job. I wonder why he w as.............................
9 A: I accused him o f stealing and he didn’t ............................ it.
B: I think you should ............................ your boss!
10 A: I couldn’t ............................her to come with us.
B: Did y o u .............................her that Ken is coming, too?

© Choose the correct answer.

A BIG ST E P TOW ARDS A B E T T E R W O RLD ?

K ey states say they have reached an agreement at the Canberra Summit on Climate Change.
The President of the USA {0)(saidy told the agreement would be a foundation for global action. ‘Let’s
just m say /tell we have taken a big step towards a better world,’ he told reporters.
However, the deal was m rejected / denied by a number of dissatisfied nations who had earlier
0) turned down I denied a proposal by the USA to adopt a ‘carbon swap’ policy. Likewise the representative
from Venezuela w refused I denied rumours that an agreement had been reached at the last minute, while
the Chinese representative (S)told /told to reporters that there were still a lot of issues to m speak /talk
about. She admitted there were disagreements between large and small nations but they would try and
(7) refuse /persuade all countries (81to sign / o f signing the agreement. ‘We haven’t (9)turned down /convinced
everybody that we’ve got the best deal yet but we refuse <10)to accept /accepting defeat.’ The European
Union Commission President said: ‘I cannot deny in)that there are / o f a few issues with the agreement but
we will not (12)tell /give any further details at this time.’ ‘I do not want to <n>tell /give an opinion yet - the
talks are not over,’ m said /told the French representative.

142
-e d adjectives
• Adjectives ending in -ed usually tell us how a
person feels. They are the past participle forms Q Complete the article. Use -ed or -ing
o f regular verbs, used as adjectives: adjectives formed from thp verbs in
The worried parents waited anxiously fo r news. brackets.
I was exhausted, so I went straight to bed.
• We can also use the past participles o f irregular
This year's Oscars ceremony was not, in
verbs as adjectives. These do not end in -ed:
my view, one of the m o st(0). . exci+iyig..
She died o f a broken heart.
(excite) ever. Presenter Jeremy Hayman is
a first-rate entertainer, who knows how
-in g adjectives to tell (1)............. (amuse) jokes but doesn't
know when to stop. He is the kind of
• Adjectives ending in -ing usually describe the
comedian who can make introducing
effect something or someone has on us. They
someone (2)............. (interest) but I began
are the -ing forms o f verbs, used as adjectives:
to g e t (3)............. (annoy) with the less
It was a disappointing film .
than (4).............(flatter) remarks about
This gam e’s so boring.
famous stars present in the audience.
The journey was really exciting.
M y jo b is exhausting. However, there were more <5).............
• Here are some common -edl-ing adjectives. (bore) moments, particularly when the
You can check their meaning in a dictionary: speeches of thanks went on for too long.
amused/amusing fascinated/fascinating Not many people are (6).............(interest)
annoyed/annoying frightened/frightening in hearing stars making long speeches
bored/boring interested/interesting thanking their mum!
confused/confusing irritated/irritating Best Actress Jane Taylor must have
disappointed/disappointing satisfied/satisfying felt really (7)............. (embarrass) when she
disgusted/disgusting surprised/surprising forgot her director's name. Best Actor
embarrassed/embarrassing terrified/terrifying Howard Harris, however, made a
encouraged/encouraging tired/tiring (8) ..........(move) speech about his recent
excited/exciting struggle with illness. The audience were
• There are many -ed/-ing adjectives which are (9) ..........(surprise) by his frankness and
not connected with feelings. Here are some he kept his speech short, so we didn't
examples: have time to g e t (10)............. (bore).
a falling le a f a burning building But really, the m o st(11).............(annoy)
a locked door a computerised database moment of the whole evening was the
long introduction to the ten best films.
I got very (12)............. (irritate) when they
got to the fifth film after ten minutes and
were still only half way.

143
 ôED AND -ING AD JECTIVES

^ Complete the sentences. Use -ed or -ing adjectives formed from the verbs in the
box.
annoy bore confuse depress disgust embarrass
frighten interest irritate relax surprise
0 I was getting more and more ... )Y Tlf.Q f$d... at her questions - she just wouldn’t
stop asking about my private life!
1 He’s had a lot o f bad news recently and is feeling a b it ............................ - let’s go and
cheer him up.
2 Would you b e .............................in coming to the theatre this evening?
3 Can’t you fix that dripping tap? It’s getting on my nerves - it’s really
i
4 I didn’t expect to see Peter at the party - I was really.............................to see him there.
5 I don’t find horror film s ............................ ; in fact, I find them quite funny.
6 I find i t .............................to lie on the sofa and listen to music after a hard day’s work.
7 Leo was getting really.............................with doing the same thing every day.
8 The instructions were very complicated and the students w ere .........................
9 And then I dropped the cake and everybody started laughing. It was really
...!
10 No, of course I won’t eat that! It loo k s............................!

0 Answer the questions using -ed or -ing adjectives. Use your own ideas.
0 If you failed your next exam, how would you feel?
I ’d h e. y e flll.y . .d j-S A p p o iin + ed ...........................................................................................................
1 How would you feel if you climbed Mount Everest?

2 What do you think about the destruction of the rain forests?

3 What do you think o f people who drop litter?

4 What do your parents think o f your friends?

5 If you were flying to New York tomorrow, how would you feel?

6 Whenever you see a beggar, how do you feel?

7 What do you think o f sport on television?

8 When a bus or train is late, how do you feel?

9 How would you feel if you were caught cheating in an exam?

10 How would you feel if a friend organised a surprise party on your birthday?

144
 -ED AND -ING ADJECTIVES

Q Complete the sentences using -ed or -ing adjectives. Use your own ideas.
0 I find science fiction stories . y & cy . itA+eirei+itog,..
1 I’d feel..........................................if I failed my English test.
2 I’d feel really..........................................if I met my favourite singer.
3 The thought of travelling to the moon i s ............................................
4 I’d b e ..........................................if my best friend forgot my birthday.
5 I wouldn’t b e ..........................................if the economy collapsed.
6 I find lying on the beach on a hot summer day ............................................
7 I agree that television i s ..........................................
8 Football couldn’t be m ore ............................................

^ Complete the crossword. Use -ed or -ing adjectives formed from the verbs in the box.

age
amuse
interest
reward
□
arm surprise
□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
captivate terrify □ □ □
freeze touch □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
heat trust
humiliate
□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
□ □ □ □
□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
□ □ □ □
□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
□ □ □
□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
□ □
Across Down
2 I hear you want to buy a car. Would you be 1 The countess won over the nation with her
in a second-hand Honda? smile.
5 What began as a friendly discussion, soon 3 You shouldn’t have believed him - you’re
became a .............. argument. far to o ................
6 I wasn’t at a ll .............. by his jokes. I found 4 My family were deeply .............. by your offer
them rather insulting. of help and sympathy.
8 I was really .............. to see Eric there - I 7 I felt utterly ............. when you criticised me
thought he was in China! "in front o f all my friends last night.
9 It’s .............. in here! Will you turn the heater 10 The army, navy and air force are known as
on, please? th e .............. forces.
10 A re .............. aircraft, say those older than ten
years, safe to fly in?
11 Nursing can be a very .............. career, can’t it?
12 I thought someone had broken into our
house - I was absolutely .............. !