The Date, Reported the Next Morning — Reported Speech (B1 Grammar)

B1 - reported speech

The Date

PICTURE

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"He asked her whether her mother could cook, because these things travel down the family."

Tense backshift · *say* vs *tell* · reported questions with *if / whether* and statement word order

Reading

Speaking

LEAD-IN

Dates - quickfire questions

Answer the following questions in short form with a partner. Feel free to answer 'no comment' if you don't want to answer.

1 - How old were you when you had your first ever date? What did you do? Who was it with?

2 - What's the most creative idea for a date you've experienced (either yourself or hearing from a friend)?

3 - What's the cringiest idea for a date you've heard of?

4 - What's an awkward question you've been asked on a date?

5 - What's the worst thing you've ever said on a date?

PICTURE

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BEFORE YOU READ

The full report

A woman meets someone for a first date. The next morning her sister gets the complete account over coffee.

READ ONCE AND ANSWER

PICTURE

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1. What went wrong on the date?

2. Why is the ending a surprise?

READING

The date, reported the next morning

My sister met someone last night, and this morning I got the full report over coffee. Here is her account, faithfully retold.

She said his profile photo was ten years old — which she noticed within four seconds — but that he had a nice smile, so she stayed. He told her he worked "in finance". Later he admitted that he was between jobs, and that "in finance" meant he owed the bank money. She said she actually respected the honesty.

Then the interview began — his interview, of her. He asked her where she lived and how much her rent was. He asked her whether she wanted children, how many, and by what year. He asked her if she could cook, and — I promise this is real — whether her mother could cook, "because these things travel down the family". My sister told him that her mother was a wonderful cook and that he would never, ever find out personally.

She said she'd decided to leave at that point, but the waiter arrived, so she stayed for the pasta. Good pasta, apparently.

Over dessert, something shifted. He stopped performing. He told her that he'd been nervous all evening, that this was his first date since his divorce, and that he'd read a "dating tips" article that morning that had clearly ruined everything. He said the questions were from the article. He said he was sorry. She said this was, finally, an interesting conversation.

They talked for two more hours — about the divorce, about her disaster of a year, about nothing. He didn't ask about any follow-up date. He said he'd had a lovely evening but that she deserved someone who didn't need an article. And that — she told me, staring into her coffee — is why she's going to text him first. Today.

COMPREHENSION

Order the events 1-7 as they happened ON THE DATE.

____ He admitted he didn't really work in finance.

____ He apologised and blamed a "dating tips" article.

____ She noticed the old profile photo.

____ He asked whether her mother could cook.

____ They talked for two more hours.

____ She decided to leave, but the pasta arrived.

____ He said she deserved someone better.

GRAMMAR FOCUS

These are the words people actually said. Find each one reported in the text.

WRITE THE REPORTED VERSION

"I work in finance." → He told her ____________

"You will never find out." → She told him that he ____________

"I've been nervous all evening." → He told her that he ____________

"Where do you live?" → He asked her ____________

"Can you cook?" → He asked her ____________

GRAMMAR FOCUS (continued)

Now answer these questions.

1. When the reporting verb is past (said, told, asked), what happens to the tenses? Complete: present → ________ ; will → ________ ; past simple and present perfect → ________ ; can → ________ ; must → ________ .

2. Say or tell? Find examples of both in the text. Which one is followed directly by a person?

3. In reported questions, is the word order where do you live or where she lived? Do we keep do / did?

4. When a question has no question word (Can you cook?), which two words can introduce the reported version?

5. Why that morning and not this morning? What happens to tomorrow and here?

THE RULES

Backshift, one step back

• present simple → past simple · present continuous → past continuous · will → would · can → could · must → had to

• past simple and present perfect → past perfect · past perfect stays the same

• tell + person (he told her that...) · say + no person (he said that...) · reported questions use statement word order and no do / did.

CAREFUL

Time and place words move too: this morning → that morning · tomorrow → the next day · here → there · now → then.

PRACTICE

Report these lines from other people's disastrous dates.

1. "I'm allergic to gluten." (Then he ordered pasta.) → She told me ________ , and then he ordered pasta.

2. "I've never read a book." → He admitted ________ .

3. "My ex will always be my best friend." → She said ________ .

4. "Do you live with your parents?" → I asked him ________ .

5. "How much did your shoes cost?" → She asked me ________ .

6. "I can't stay long." (He stayed four hours.) → He said ________ — he stayed four.

7. "I must be home by ten. My cat gets anxious." → She said ________ .

8. "Will you split the bill?" → He asked me ________ .

TASK

Second-hand stories

Student A tells Student B a true two-minute story: a memorable date, interview or first meeting. B may ask two questions during it.

• B then reports the whole story to a new partner: She said she'd..., I asked her whether..., she told me that... (feel free to invent a few extra details 😊)

• Finally, A checks the retelling.

• What survived? What changed? What got better?

PICTURE

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TEACHER'S REFERENCE · HIDE OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key

GIST He interviewed her with intrusive questions taken from a "dating tips" article. The surprise: after an honest apology they talked for hours, he didn't ask for her number — and she is going to text him first.

ORDER She noticed the photo 1 · he admitted the finance lie 2 · the mother-cooking question 3 · she decided to leave but the pasta arrived 4 · he apologised and blamed the article 5 · they talked two more hours 6 · he said she deserved better 7

REPORTED VERSIONS a ...he worked in finance. b ...he would never find out (personally). c ...he had been nervous all evening. d ...where she lived. e ...if / whether she could cook.

QUESTIONS 1 present → past; will → would; past simple / present perfect → past perfect; can → could; must → had to. 2 tell + person; say without one. 3 Statement order, no do / did. 4 if or whether. 5 Reported on a different day: this morning → that morning; tomorrow → the next day; here → there.

PRACTICE 1 (that) he was allergic to gluten

2 (that) he had never read a book

3 (that) her ex would always be her best friend

4 if / whether he lived with his parents

5 how much my shoes had cost

6 (that) he couldn't stay long

7 (that) she had to be home by ten, because her cat got anxious

8 if / whether I would split the bill