Read the following story and retell it in the reported speech (use the table given below):

Do you know → if he knew

I don’t        → he didn’t

is lost         → was lost

Can you swim → if he could swim

I can’t        → he couldn’t

is going down → was going down

 

One day a philosopher went travelling to see and learn the world better. He came to a river and asked a boatman to take him to the other side. As they were crossing the river the philosopher began to talk to the boatman.

“ Do you know mathematics, my man?” he asked.

“No, I don’t,” replied the boatman.

“That’s very bad,” said the philosopher. “A quarter of your life is lost. ”

Some minutes later the philosopher spoke again.

“ Do you know Latin, my man?”

“No, sir,” answered the man.

“That’s very bad. Half of your life is lost. ”

Another three minutes passed and the philosopher asked another question.

“ Do you know geography, my man?”

“No, I don’t,” was the answer.

“That’s very, very bad. Three quarters of your life is lost. ”

At that moment the boat struck a rock under the water. Now it was the boatman who asked the philosopher a question.

“ Can you swim, sir?” he asked.

“No, I can’t,” replied the philosopher. “ I can’t swim at all.”

“Oh, that’s very bad,” replied the boatman. “Your whole life is lost. The boat is going down. ”

4. Study the following information about the Reported questions and then complete the task below:

Reported questions have the word order of a statement (positive sentence) a) Questions asking for details. (What? Which? Where? Who? When?) Where was your brother yesterday? → She asked where my brother had been the day before. b) General questions, formed using conjunctions like if or whether. Are you hungry? → She asked if / whether I was hungry.

Finish up the indirect questions:

1) The salesgirl asked me if …

2) I asked a passer-by whether …

3) The tutor asked the students who …

4) The editor-in-chief asked the writer why …

5) The waiter asked us if … or …

6) The employer asked the applicant for how long …

7) The consultant asked the client when …

8) The schoolmistress asked the teacher how many …

9) The driver asked the passenger where …

10) The doctor asked the patient how often …

 

5. Choose the most appropriate answer:

1. I knew that she … Madrid before, so I asked her to recommend a good hotel.

 

a) has visited b) has been visiting c) visited d) had visited

 

2. She promised to help me if I … the answer myself.

 

a) haven’t found b) didn’t find c) won’t find d) wouldn’t find

 

3. He said that they … each other for many years.

a) know b) have known c) knew d) had known

 

4. I saw that she … to hold back her tears.

a) tries b) is trying c) has been trying d) was trying

 

5. He knew that she … as her eyes were red.

a) is crying b) has been crying c) was crying d) had been crying

 

6. I asked her whether she … there with me, but she said no.

a) goes b) is going c) will go d) would go

 

7. She said that the robber … her when she was opening the door to her apartment.

a) attacked b) has attacked c) was attacking d) had attacked

 

8. I wanted to see her but I didn’t know if she … in town.

a) is b) was c) were d) had been

 

9. He told me that he would visit them when he … from Spain.

a) has returned b) returned c) will return d) would return

 

10. My younger daughter learned in class yesterday that the Earth … around the Sun.

a) revolves b) is revolving c) revolved d) was revolving

 

 (From http://usefulenglish.ru/grammar/tenses-exercise-nine)

6. Use the verb in the correct form:

1) They noticed they (fly) for three hours already.

2) Tom said that it (take) him an hour to get to the station.

3) She asked them if they (play) tennis in the afternoon.

4) Mary asked her brother if he (can) tell her the way to the shop.

5) Peter and John told me they (go) to the Kremlin the day before yesterday.

6) Mother said she (have) a bad headache. Don’t bother her.

7) Dorothy asked Margaret if she (be) going to buy a new dress in the nearest future.

8) They told us they (visit) the Tretyakovskaya gallery next Sunday.

9) Jack said that he already (write) the letter.

10) They asked if the work (finish) by tomorrow.  

 

(From http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-48482.php)

Discussion

Discuss the following quotations about problem solving with your partner. Which one do you consider to be the wisest?

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”

Albert Einstein

“It’s so much easier to suggest solutions when you don’t know too much about the problem.”

Malcolm Forbes

 “Do not focus on money, instead focus on a problem that needs to be solved for the world. Money will follow you as a bi-product.”

Manoj Arora

 “You cannot fix a problem in the world unless you’ve already resolved the underlying conflict within yourself.”

Auliq Ice

“A problem well put is half solved.”

John Dewey

Reading

Read the text and decide which of the following problems is not touched upon in it:

1) CorporateCommunications

2) SocialInteraction

3) Personal Communications

4) Distance Learning

5) Forms of Expression

6) InternetProliferationandGlobalization