Conditionals from teachermercedes
Reported Speech
First steps for writing a narrative essay:
Writing about the experience:
Steps for Writing a Descriptive Essay
Key Points to Consider
Dos and Don’ts
Common Mistakes
Reported Speech
There are two ways of relating what a person has said: direct and indirect. In direct speech we repeat the original speaker’s exact words.
He said,” I have missed my bus”
These thoughts, believes or remarks are written between the inverted commas, and a comma or colon is placed immediately before the remark.
In indirect speech we give the exact meaning of a remark, or a speech, without necessarily using the speaker’s exact words. We make somebody’s words or thoughts part of our own sentence.
He said that he had missed his bus.
When we turn direct speech into indirect, some changes are usually necessary. These are most easily studied by considering: statements, questions and commands separately.
A. STATEMENTS
When reporting a statement we may find many different changes:
1. Verb tense changes.
DIRECT SPEECH
| INDIRECT SPEECH |
Simple Present
I train every day
Present Continuous
I’m having a shower
Simple Past
I met her at
Present Perfect
We haven’t seen it yet.
Present Perfect Continuous
I’ve been waiting for ages.
Imperative
Be quiet
| Simple Past
He said (that) he trained every day.
Past Continuous
He said (that) he was having a shower.
Past Perfect
He said he had met her at
Past Perfect
They said (that) they hadn’t seen it yet.
Past Perfect Continuous
He said (that) he had been waiting for ages.
Infinitive
He told us to be quiet.
|
DIRECT SPEECH | INDIRECT SPEECH |
Can
I can’t swim.
Will
I’ll send you a postcard.
Must/ have (got)
You must study more
May
It may be true.
| Could
He said (that) he couldn’t swim
Would
He said (that) he would send us a postcard.
Had to
He said (that) we had to study more.
Might
He said (that) it might be true.
|
The other modal verbs don’t change: would, should, ought to, had better, might, used to, could …
2. Pronouns and possessive adjectives normally change from first or second person to third person, except when the speaker is reporting his own words.
DIRECT SPEECH | INDIRECT SPEECH |
Personal pronouns subject | |
I
|
He, she
|
we
|
They
|
Personal pronouns object
| |
me
|
Him, her
|
us
|
them
|
Possessive adjectives
| |
my
|
His, her
|
our
|
their
|
Possessive pronouns
| |
mine
|
His, hers
|
ours
|
theirs
|
3. Demonstratives also change, based on the rule that words denoting “nearness” become the corresponding words denoting “remoteness”.
DIRECT SPEECH
|
INDIRECT SPEECH
|
this
|
That
|
These
|
those
|
4. Adverbs and adverbial phrases of time and the adverb here
DIRECT SPEECH
|
INDIRECT SPEECH
|
Now
|
Then
|
Today
|
That day
|
Yesterday
|
The day before
|
Tomorrow
|
The next day, the following day
|
Next week, year …
|
The following week, year …
|
Last week, year…
|
The week / year before or
the previous week, year
|
Adverb of place
| |
here
|
there
|
The introductory verb is usually “said” (he said to me…), “tell” ( he told me…).See some examples:
He said, “I saw the boy here in this room today”
R.S.: He said (that) he had seen the boy there in that room that day.
He said, “I’ll go to the office tomorrow”
R.S.: He said (that) he would come to the office the next day. (in this case the speaker is in the office)
B. QUESTIONS
When we turn direct questions into indirect speech, the following changes are necessary:
- The changes in tense, pronouns, possessives and adverbial phrases of time and place, noted in indirect statements, apply also to indirect questions.
- The interrogative construction of the direct question is replaced by the statement construction in the indirect questions. So, the interrogative form of the verb changes to the affirmative (or negative). The question mark (?) is therefore omitted in indirect questions.
- The introductory verb in the main clause is “say”, it must be changed to a verb of inquiry, e.g. “ask, inquire, wonder, and want to know…”
There are two types of interrogative sentences:
a) Wh questions: These are questions beginning with an interrogative word (when, where, why, how, who….). These interrogative words are the connective in the indirect questions:
e.g. He said, “how will you do it?”
He asked how she would do it.
b) Yes/ no questions: The connective words to join the indirect questions to the main clause are: “if” or “whether”. There is not much difference in meaning between whether and if . Usage generally favours if. Whether usually expresses a doubt and an alternative possibility or choice between two alternatives, and so is often followed by the correlative “or”
e.g. He said, “Did she go yesterday?”
He asked if she had gone the day before.
C. COMMANDS.
When a direct command is turned into an indirect one, the following changes will be noticed:
1. The introductory verb, “say” is changed to a verb of command or request,
such as “tell, order, command, ask, request…”
2. Commands could be:
a) Affirmative: introductory verb + person addressed + to + infinitive.
E.g. He said “Open the door, Mary”
He told Mary to open the door.
b) Negative: introductory verb + person addressed + not + to + infinitive.
E.g. He said “Don’t go away, Mary”
He told Mary not to go away.
3. Finally, pronouns and possessive adjectives, and adverbs of place and time
change as in statements and questions.
D. OTHER STRUCTURES.
Suggest. We can reprt suggestions or recommendations in three different ways:
a) subject + suggest + (not) + verb + -ing.
E.g. “Let’s go to the cinema”
She suggested going to the cinema.
b) subject + suggest + that + subject + should + infinitive without to.
E.g. “Why don’t you read this book?”
She suggested that I should read that book.
c) Subject + suggest + subjunctive.
E.g. “How about reusing this plastic bag?”
She suggested that I reuse that plastic bag.
E. REPORTING VERBS.
When we report the speaker’s exact words, we don’t just apply the rules mechanically, we interpret what we hear or read, so we use different reporting verbs followed by the following structures:
1. Subject + reporting verb + (not) + to + infinitive.
Verbs like: agree, offer, promise, refuse, threaten, demand etc…
E.g. “I won’t go with you!”
She refused to go with me.
2. Subject + reporting verb + object + (not) + to + infinitive.
Verbs like: advise, ask, encourage, invite, order, persuade, recommend, remind, tell, warn etc…
E.g. “You should go to the doctor”
She advised me to go to the doctor.
3. Subject + reporting verb + (not) + verb –ing.
Verbs like: apologize for, accuse sb of, complain to, deny, recommend, suggest, insist on, boast about …
E.g. “I didn’t steal your purse”
He denied stealing /having stolen my purse.
4. Subject + reporting verb + (that) + subject + verb.
Verbs like: add, admit, agree, announce, claim, complain, declare, deny, explain, insist, mention, predict, promise, reply, reveal, say, state, suggest…
E.g. “You are always talking”.
She complained that we were always talking.
5. subject + reporting verb + object + (that) + subject + verb.
Verbs like: persuade, remind, tell, warn.
E.g. “I’m going out tonight”
She reminded me that she was going out that night.
6. subject + reporting verb + if/ whether/wh-word + subject + verb.
Verbs like: ask, enquire, question, wonder, want to know…
E.g. She asked herself, “Will I win a prize tonight?”
She wondered whether she would win a prize that night.
©Mercedes Sánchez 2012
 |
| http://vividlyclear.com |
Opinion essay
Definition: An opinion essay is a formal piece of essay writing which presents the author’s point of view on a particular subject supported by reasons and examples.
The opposing viewpoint is also suggested, it goes with arguments that show that it is unconvincing.
A Successful Opinion Essay Consists of:
-An introduction where the topic and the author’s opinion are stated clearly.
-A main body where viewpoints supported by reasons are presented in several paragraphs.
-A conclusion where the main points of the essay are summarized This section has also the opposing viewpoint which is proved to be unconvincing and the author’s opinion is restated in other words.
Useful Tips for Writing an Opinion Essay:
-Decide your opinion as for the topic discussed
-Make a list of viewpoints and reasons supporting your point of view Write well-developed paragraphs
-Use linking words and phrases to join the sentences and the paragraphs within the text
-Start each paragraph with a topic sentence
Apply to the Following Techniques to Start and Finish Your Opinion Essays:
-Address to the reader directly
-Start with a quotation
-Start with a thought provoking or rhetorical question
-Refer to some striking or unusual fact, idea or situation
-Use the Following Expressions to Give Your Opinion:
- As far as I am concerned, …
- I am (not) convinced that …
- In my opinion/view …
- My opinion is that …
- I (strongly)believe …
- I (definitely) feel/think that …
- I am inclined to believe that …
Basic Doe’s in Writing Opinion Essays:
-Write in a formal style Introduce the topic clearly
-State clear topic sentences
-Use generalizations
-Use quotations
Basic Dont’s in Writing an Opinion Essay:
-Don’t use colloquial expressions
-Don’t use short forms
-Don’t use emotive vocabulary
-Don’t use over-generalizations
-Don’t use statistics without proper referencing
-Don’t give personal examples
|
| http://vividlyclear.com |
A NARRATIVE ESSAY
Basic qualities of a narrative essay:
· A narrative essay is a piece of writing that recreates an experience through time.
· A narrative essay can be based on one of your own experiences, either past or present, or it can be based on the experiences of someone else.
· In addition to telling a story, a narrative essay also communicates a main idea or a lesson learned.
First steps for writing a narrative essay:
· Identify the experience that you want to write about.
· Think about why the experience is significant.
· Spend a good deal of time drafting your recollections about the details of the experience.
· Create an outline of the basic parts of your narrative.
Writing about the experience:
· Using your outline, describe each part of your narrative.
· Rather than telling your readers what happened, use vivid details and descriptions to actually recreate the experience for your readers.
· Think like your readers. Try to remember that the information you present is the only information your readers have about the experiences.
· Always keep in mind that all of the small and seemingly unimportant details known to you are not necessarily known to your readers.
TENSES
A narrative describes an event that happened in the past. We use the past continuous, the simple past, and sometimes the past perfect to describe what happened.
Past Continuous The past continuous is good for setting the scene
Past Perfect You can use the past perfect to describe something that happened before another thing in the past.
Use connectors to organize information in narratives
Sequence connectors
|
Time expressions
|
Time connectors
|
At first, firstly, first of all, to begin with,
secondly, thirdly, finally, in the end, afterwards, after that, then, next |
Last winter/summer, a month/year later,
the next morning, that afternoon, on the following/previous day ... |
when, while, before, after,
until, during, as soon as, by the time, once |
Note:
♦ use sequence connectors to show the sequence of events in a story or a report of an event. They introduce a sentence and take a comma immediately after the connector.
♦ use time expressions to tell exactly when these events happened. They introduce sentences.
♦ use time connectors to show the connections between the events in the story. A complete clause follows these connectors
 |
| http://vividlyclear.com |
How to Write a Description of a Person
A descriptive essay is a form of academic writing that is built around a detailed description of a person, building, place, situation, notion, etc. The main purpose of a descriptive essay is to describe something in a vivid and particular manner, so that the readers can easily picture the described object, person or state, in their mind.
Steps for Writing a Descriptive Essay
1. Choose a subject on which you want to write and decide what, or who, you will describe.
2. Do an outline or a sketch, listing the facts, characteristics and peculiarities you will develop throughout your essay.
3. Gather information for the introductory paragraph, if necessary (in case you choose to write about a certain holiday, historical event, building, place or well-known figure).
4. Decide upon the main idea for each of your paragraphs in the Main Body section.
5. Write each of the paragraphs, starting from an introductory sentence and then going into details as you develop your thoughts.
6. Write a conclusion.
7. Lay your work aside for some time and then do a thorough proofreading.
Key Points to Consider
· A descriptive essay, as with any other successfully written piece, needs to have a clear well-balanced structure. Normally, you should start with an Introduction of the object, person or place you plan to describe. You should specify your relation to the person, the location of the place, the purpose of the object, etc.
· In the Main Body, you should focus on specific qualities of the chosen subject, and go into details of each of the most peculiar qualities in the following paragraphs. For instance, if you chose to write about a person, you could include a paragraph about their appearance, another one about their personality, traits and justification, and the third paragraph of the main body can be about the person’s hobbies, talents and interests.
· Your Conclusion should focus on your personal feelings about the chosen subject, justifying why it had such an influence on you that you decided to write about it.
· A descriptive essay focuses on details, so make sure to be specific in your descriptions. Including as many colorful adjectives as you can is always a good idea. Another tip is to introduce some peculiar facts, situations and words that you associate with the person, place or object you are describing. The more innovative and unique you get, the better.
· When going into the details of your description, group similar and opposing qualities together to make your writing sound more versatile. For similar qualities, use “also”, “as well as”, “in addition to”; for opposite qualities use “”at the same time”, “in spite of this”, “nevertheless”, “although”, “however”.
Dos and Don’ts
Dos
- Do use a variety of connective words to make your descriptions more logical and connect one idea with another.
- Do use comparisons to make your descriptions more vivid and brighter. For example, when describing an object, say what its shape reminds you off; when talking about a person, compare their characteristics with that of an animal, flower, or whatever you associate with the person.
- Do use your emotions, analyze how you feel about the described person, place or object and do not be afraid to include your subjective opinion.
- Do be creative in your descriptions.
- Do not be afraid to approach your description from an innovative angle.
- Do use a variety of techniques to express your thoughts: build your ideas into subjective clauses and compound sentences.
|
Don’ts
- Don’t begin all your sentences in a similar way as it will make your essay sound boring and template-like.
- Don’t switch from present tense to the past and back. If you chose to describe an event that occurred in the past (your visit to some place, a person you used to be close with etc.), then only write in the past tense throughout your essay. Similarly, if you chose to describe everything in the present or future form, be consistent throughout.
- Don’t write too generally or too sketchily. Go underneath the surface in your descriptions to make your essay sound more realistic.
- Don’t write about everything you can think of. Whether it is a person or building that you chose to describe, think of the most peculiar and interesting characteristics that distinguish and highlight this particular person or building for you.
-Don’t focus on what is generally known, believed or considered about your subject. Write about things that matter to you personally.
|
Common Mistakes
· Absence of a general idea. Your essay should focus around one main idea that needs to be transparent. Students often forget about this rule and get lost in separate striking descriptions, which make the whole essay sound abrupt and inconsistent.
· Usage of too many banal and trivial adjectives which make your writing sound mediocre. Instead, try to describe the object or person from a personal perspective, using your emotions and feelings.
· Applying an out-and-out approach when you include negative adjectives in your description. Try to use mild language in such cases. For example, you can replace “John is arrogant” with “John can sometimes be rather arrogant”.
Thanks to Academic Help
