1. Report these statements

1) My friends: ‘Come on, you can climb this mountain with us!’ (encourage)

2)Bob: ‘You should visit this museum, it’s fantastic!’ (recommend)

3)The director: ‘I feel sorry about making him redundant.’ (regret)

4)Mom: ‘Don’t forget to switch off the light!’ (remind)

5)The manager: ‘Don’t sign papers before reading the conditions carefully’ (warn)

6)The child: ‘I will not eat porridge!’ (refuse)

7)The police officer: ‘You have exceeded the speed limit.’ (accuse)

8)The students: ‘We are sorry for making so much noise’ (apologize)

9)Ann: ‘Why don’t we go to the cinema?’ (suggest)

10)Paul: ‘It was my brother’s fault that we got lost’ (blame)

2. Correct the mistakes

1) He apologized of sending the wrong file.

2) They blamed their boss of inviting the guests too early.

3) We regret to sign the contract.

4) The manager persuaded us working overtime.

5) The presenter suggested to have a short break and offered to help us sort out the materials.

6) I insist to see the original photos.

7) My colleague encouraged me coming up with some fresh ideas for the campaign.

8 )We hope finishing on time.

9)They expected signing the agreement.

10) He offered helping us sort out the materials for the presentation.

3. Read the extract from ‘3 Men in a Boat’ by J.K. Jerome, find reporting verbs and explain them.

It was Mrs. Poppets that woke me up next morning.

She said:

“Do you know that it’s nearly nine o’clock, sir?”

“Nine o’ what?” I cried, starting up.

“Nine o’clock,” she replied, through the keyhole.  “I thought you was a-oversleeping yourselves.”

I woke Harris, and told him.  He said:

“I thought you wanted to get up at six?”

“So I did,” I answered; “why didn’t you wake me?”

“How could I wake you, when you didn’t wake me?” he retorted.  “Now we shan’t get on the water till after twelve.  I wonder you take the trouble to get up at all.”

“Um,” I replied, “lucky for you that I do.  If I hadn’t woke you, you’d have lain there for the whole fortnight.”

We snarled at one another in this strain for the next few minutes, when we were interrupted by a defiant snore from George.  It reminded us, for the first time since our being called, of his existence.  There he lay—the man who had wanted to know what time he should wake us—on his back, with his mouth wide open, and his knees stuck up.

I don’t know why it should be, I am sure; but the sight of another man asleep in bed when I am up, maddens me.  It seems to me so shocking to see the precious hours of a man’s life—the priceless moments that will never come back to him again—being wasted in mere brutish sleep.

There was George, throwing away in hideous sloth the inestimable gift of time; his valuable life, every second of which he would have to account for hereafter, passing away from him, unused.  He might have been up stuffing himself with eggs and bacon, irritating the dog, or flirting with the slavey, instead of sprawling there, sunk in soul-clogging oblivion.

It was a terrible thought.  Harris and I appeared to be struck by it at the same instant.  We determined to save him, and, in this noble resolve, our own dispute was forgotten.  We flew across and slung the clothes off him, and Harris landed him one with a slipper, and I shouted in his ear, and he awoke.

“Wasermarrer?” he observed, sitting up.

“Get up, you fat-headed chunk!” roared Harris.  “It’s quarter to ten.”

“What!” he shrieked, jumping out of bed into the bath; “Who the thunder put this thing here?”