English Grammar Online Exercises and Downloadable Worksheets
Online exercises.
- Reported Speech
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Reported speech - 1
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Worksheets - handouts
Exercises: indirect speech
- Reported speech - present
- Reported speech - past
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- Reported speech - imperatives
- Reported speech - modals
- Indirect speech - tenses 1
- Indirect speech - tenses 2
- Indirect speech - write 1
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- Reported speech - tenses
- Indirect speech – reported speech
- Reported speech – indirect speech
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FREE Reported Speech Worksheets
Busyteacher.org says, “we’ve got 195 reported speech worksheets just for you” and once you’ve tried some of them in your classroom, we’re sure you’ll agree with thousands of other teachers all over the world, who’ve said, “busyteacher.org is a great site for esl resources” all cheesiness aside, reported speech can be a little confusing for some esl students, but it’s simple to teach if you have the right tools. just about every language involves some form of reported speech - so once your students get the general idea, they should be off and running with any activities you give them. the question is, how can you make sure you give them a solid foundation in english reported speech by starting with busyteacher.org worksheets, of course when you use some of these 195 worksheets along with the more rigorous exercises in your textbook, your students will quickly gain experience in all the ways english can be used to report speech. then it’s time to turn them loose on some of the fun activities and games you’ll find on this page, so they can start using reported speech in sentences and descriptions. it doesn’t matter if you’re teaching basic reported speech to esl level-one beginners, or practicing advanced reported speech with your level-five students - you’ll find worksheets here that are perfectly adapted for your students’ skill and experience. and whether you want to quiz them with some fill-in-the-blank or multiple-choice worksheets, help them analyze reported speech in english-language movies and tv shows, or get them up and active with some reported speech games, busyteacher.org has got the right worksheets for you. working through a special themed unit we love that we’ve got worksheets based on work and school vocabulary, animals, cartoon characters, emotions, movies, and much more. busyteacher.org even has worksheets that target specific aspects of reported speech, like direct speech, reporting verbs, and impersonal report structures. we’ve got a reported speech worksheet for everybody, from esl beginners to advanced students; from classes full of kids to business english seminars. not sure where to start with our 195 reported speech worksheets try looking through the top ten most popular ones, or searching using the bar at the top of the page. or if you’d prefer to just browse, all our worksheets are easy to preview as thumbnail images, or with our handy “quick view” feature, which lets you get a one-click preview of each worksheet before you download it. and just so you know, every worksheet you’ll find here is totally free to download, share, and duplicate. that’s thanks to our international community of esl teachers, who’ve created each of these worksheets themselves, and tested them in their own classrooms. want to say thanks why not share a worksheet of your own just click the “submit a worksheet” button at the bottom of this page to get started. busyteacher.org’s 195 reported speech worksheets await - so start scrolling we’re sure your students will love the worksheets you find. read more... ...less.
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Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
Exercises on reported speech.
If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.
When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
- present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
- place and time expressions
- tenses (backshift)
→ more on statements in reported speech
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
Also note that you have to:
- transform the question into an indirect question
- use the interrogative or if / whether
→ more on questions in reported speech
→ more on requests in reported speech
Additional Information and Exeptions
Apart from the above mentioned basic rules, there are further aspects that you should keep in mind, for example:
- main clauses connected with and / but
- tense of the introductory clause
- reported speech for difficult tenses
- exeptions for backshift
- requests with must , should , ought to and let’s
→ more on additional information and exeptions in reported speech
Statements in Reported Speech
- no backshift – change of pronouns
- no backshift – change of pronouns and places
- with backshift
- with backshift and change of place and time expressions
Questions in Reported Speech
Requests in reported speech.
- Exercise 1 – requests (positive)
- Exercise 2 – requests (negative)
- Exercise 3 – requests (mixed)
Mixed Exercises on Reported Speech
- Exercise on reported speech with and without backshift
Grammar in Texts
- „ The Canterville Ghost “ (highlight direct speech and reported speech)
Search form
- B1-B2 grammar
Reported speech
Daisy has just had an interview for a summer job.
Instructions
As you watch the video, look at the examples of reported speech. They are in red in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, reported speech correctly.
Sophie: Mmm, it’s so nice to be chilling out at home after all that running around.
Ollie: Oh, yeah, travelling to glamorous places for a living must be such a drag!
Ollie: Mum, you can be so childish sometimes. Hey, I wonder how Daisy’s getting on in her job interview.
Sophie: Oh, yes, she said she was having it at four o’clock, so it’ll have finished by now. That’ll be her ... yes. Hi, love. How did it go?
Daisy: Well, good I think, but I don’t really know. They said they’d phone later and let me know.
Sophie: What kind of thing did they ask you?
Daisy: They asked if I had any experience with people, so I told them about helping at the school fair and visiting old people at the home, that sort of stuff. But I think they meant work experience.
Sophie: I’m sure what you said was impressive. They can’t expect you to have had much work experience at your age.
Daisy: And then they asked me what acting I had done, so I told them that I’d had a main part in the school play, and I showed them a bit of the video, so that was cool.
Sophie: Great!
Daisy: Oh, and they also asked if I spoke any foreign languages.
Sophie: Languages?
Daisy: Yeah, because I might have to talk to tourists, you know.
Sophie: Oh, right, of course.
Daisy: So that was it really. They showed me the costume I’ll be wearing if I get the job. Sending it over ...
Ollie: Hey, sis, I heard that Brad Pitt started out as a giant chicken too! This could be your big break!
Daisy: Ha, ha, very funny.
Sophie: Take no notice, darling. I’m sure you’ll be a marvellous chicken.
We use reported speech when we want to tell someone what someone said. We usually use a reporting verb (e.g. say, tell, ask, etc.) and then change the tense of what was actually said in direct speech.
So, direct speech is what someone actually says? Like 'I want to know about reported speech'?
Yes, and you report it with a reporting verb.
He said he wanted to know about reported speech.
I said, I want and you changed it to he wanted .
Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could ; will changes to would ; etc.
She said she was having the interview at four o’clock. (Direct speech: ' I’m having the interview at four o’clock.') They said they’d phone later and let me know. (Direct speech: ' We’ll phone later and let you know.')
OK, in that last example, you changed you to me too.
Yes, apart from changing the tense of the verb, you also have to think about changing other things, like pronouns and adverbs of time and place.
'We went yesterday.' > She said they had been the day before. 'I’ll come tomorrow.' > He said he’d come the next day.
I see, but what if you’re reporting something on the same day, like 'We went yesterday'?
Well, then you would leave the time reference as 'yesterday'. You have to use your common sense. For example, if someone is saying something which is true now or always, you wouldn’t change the tense.
'Dogs can’t eat chocolate.' > She said that dogs can’t eat chocolate. 'My hair grows really slowly.' > He told me that his hair grows really slowly.
What about reporting questions?
We often use ask + if/whether , then change the tenses as with statements. In reported questions we don’t use question forms after the reporting verb.
'Do you have any experience working with people?' They asked if I had any experience working with people. 'What acting have you done?' They asked me what acting I had done .
Is there anything else I need to know about reported speech?
One thing that sometimes causes problems is imperative sentences.
You mean like 'Sit down, please' or 'Don’t go!'?
Exactly. Sentences that start with a verb in direct speech need a to + infinitive in reported speech.
She told him to be good. (Direct speech: 'Be good!') He told them not to forget. (Direct speech: 'Please don’t forget.')
OK. Can I also say 'He asked me to sit down'?
Yes. You could say 'He told me to …' or 'He asked me to …' depending on how it was said.
OK, I see. Are there any more reporting verbs?
Yes, there are lots of other reporting verbs like promise , remind , warn , advise , recommend , encourage which you can choose, depending on the situation. But say , tell and ask are the most common.
Great. I understand! My teacher said reported speech was difficult.
And I told you not to worry!
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Reported Speech
Reported Speech – Our ESL resources are free for everyone. We have collected the best ESL grammar practice handouts for all levels. The handouts and activities are online-friendly and flexible to meet all of your needs.
Reported Speech Lesson
This handout can be used to introduce and practice making “he said she said” statements.
Time: 30 -45 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Grammar Worksheet – Reported speech
This handout is provided by allthingsgrammar.com .
Reporting speech quiz
Time: 20 – 30 minutes
Level: Pre-intermediate/Intermediate
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ESL Games, Activities, Lesson Plans, Jobs & More
in Listening · Reading · Speaking
Reported Speech Games, Activities, Worksheets and Lesson Plans
If you’re looking for some of the best reported speech games and activities, then you’re certainly in the right place. Keep on reading for our top picks, along with worksheets, lesson plans and more.
Reported speech activities
ESL Reported Speech Games
Let’s get into the best activities and games for English learners.
#1: Reported Speech Board Game
I love to play board games in real life which is why I also like to play them with my students! It’s super easy to make your own to use for just about any grammatical point, including this concept.
In this case, fill the board with a bunch of statements like the following:
- Sister-has boyfriend
- Friend-fired from job
- Dad-playing golf tomorrow
Then, students have to make a reported speech statement using the information. It’s fun, engaging and a nice way to give students some practice with this important concept.
Check out this simple ESL board game so you can see how easy it is to make your own:
ESL Board Game .
#2: Ball Toss
This is a simple but versatile activity that’s perfect for reported speech. I write down a number of questions on the beach ball. Then, students take turns tossing the ball to each other and the person that catches it has to answer the question under their right thumb.
To add a reported speech element, have another student (the one who threw the ball?) report on that student’s answer. It’s simple but effective! Check it out:
Ball Toss Activity .
#3: Is that Sentence Correct
If you want to focus on forms, then consider using this simple error correction activity. Write some sentences that use the target grammar. Some have errors while others do not. Students have to find the incorrect ones and make the required changes.
It’s possible to do this in class, or for a homework activity. Have a look here:
Is that Sentence Correct?
#4: Running Dictation
#5: Mixed Up Sentences
Making good sentences using reported speech can be a little bit tricky. If you want to focus on forms, consider using this simple activity.
Write some sentences on the board of PowerPoint, but mix them up in terms of the order. Students have to work quickly to put them in the correct order and the first time to finish is the winner. It also makes a nice homework assignment. Try it out for yourself:
Mixed Up Sentences .
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- 137 Pages - 09/27/2020 (Publication Date)
#6: Man/Woman on the Street Interview Activity
If you want to level up the typical ESL interview activity, consider using Man or Woman on the Street. Then, to make it into a reported speech activity, have students tell someone else about what they heard. It’s fun, engaging, and lends itself well to this grammar point. Find out more:
Man/Woman on the Street Activity .
#7: Concentration
This is a fun memory game that’s ideal for a whole bunch of different grammar or vocabulary points. On one card, write down a statement, and then on the other, write down the correct form.
- I have a boyfriend (She told me that she has a boyfriend).
Make a number of these sets. I usually do 8 of them per group of 4. Then, students play a matching memory game. Learn more here:
Concentration Game .
#8: Vocabulary Auction
#9: Find Someone Who Bingo Game
This is a nice icebreaker activity that can also be used for some practice with this grammar point. Students have to circulate around the class, asking their classmates questions to find people to fill their Bingo grid.
To make this into a reported speech activity, have students report some of the things they learned about their classmates to a partner (bigger classes) or to the entire class (smaller classes). Find out more about it:
Find Someone Who Bingo Game .
#10: More Ideas for Teaching English
#11: dictogloss and reported speech.
This is a challenging ESL activity that’s perfect for developing listening skills. It also lends itself to almost any vocabulary set or grammatical point, including this one.
Find (or write) a passage of people talking about something that they heard.. Then, put students into pairs and read it out at a faster than normal pace. Students take notes and then attempt to recreate what they heard. Repeat the process again. Finally, they can compare what they have with the original. Check it out:
Dictogloss Activity .
#12: Surveys and Reported Speech
I love to use surveys and questionnaires in my classes. They’re engaging, student-centred and cover a range of skills in a single activity. They’re also great for working on this concept if you get each student to tell their partner some of the things they learned about their classmates.
This is a simple way to cover a new concept but have a quick review of this grammar point as well. Take a look at this activity:
ESL Surveys .
ESL games and activities
#13: Brochure Scanning Activity
This is a nice activity if you have a bunch of different travel brochures. Have students quickly scan them to find important information. For example:
- number of days
Then, have students use reported speech to tell their partner about the trip. Find out more:
Brochure Scanning Activity .
#14: ESL Review Games and Activities
#15: Daily Routine Activities and Reported Speech
In terms of topics to combine with this concept, daily routine is one of the best. It’s very simple to set up activities that lead to sentences like the following:
- Tim told me that he gets up at 7 am.
- Jenny said that she usually sleeps in on the weekends.
For some more ideas, have a look here:
Daily Routine ESL Activities .
#16: Error Correction Relay Race
This is a simple activity that takes something old (error correction) and makes it new again. Students have to work in teams to fix errors in a number of reported speech sentences. The first team to make all the corrections is the winner!
Want to give it a try? Learn more:
Error Correction Relay Race .
#17: Dialogue Substitution
#18: News Reporting
Provide students with news headlines or short news articles. Ask them to transform from direct speech (quoted speech) to reported speech (indirect speech) when retelling the news. This activity helps students practice the appropriate changes in verb tenses, pronouns, and time and place references.
#19: Interview and Report
Pair students up and ask them to conduct mock interviews. Afterward, have them report the interview to a different partner using reported speech. This activity allows students to practice converting direct speech into reported while maintaining the meaning and context of the conversation.
#20: Picture Stories
Provide students with a series of pictures that depict a sequence of events. Ask them to create a story using reported speech to describe what is happening in each picture. This activity encourages students to use this language in a narrative context and practice converting direct speech into reported speech.
#21: Role Plays
Create role play scenarios where students take on different roles and engage in conversations. Afterward, ask them to report the conversations to another person using reported speech. This activity allows students to practice converting direct speech into reported speech in a context that mimics real-life situations.
#22: Song Lyrics Transformation
Choose a song that contains direct speech and ask students to rewrite the lyrics using reported speech. This activity helps students practice converting direct speech in songs into reported speech while exploring the meaning and context of the lyrics.
Online Practice for Reported Speech
There are a number of sites for online practice and quizzes that cover this. They are excellent resources to recommend to students who want a little bit of extra practice. Check it out here:
Perfect English Grammar
Exam English
My English Pages
Reported Speech ESL Lesson Plans
There are lots of nice lesson plans. Here are some of the best ones to consider using:
Lingua House
Reported Speech Worksheets
If you’re a busy teacher then you’re going to know what a huge time saver it can be to use worksheets that other teachers have made. Here are some of the top picks:
ISL Collective
English Grammar
There are a number of common questions that people have about using this method of speech. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.
What is reported speech ESL?
Reported speech ESL is when we tell someone what another person said. You often have to use a tense that is further back in time (backshift) and may also need to change the pronouns.
What are some examples of reported speech?
Some examples of reported speech are the following:
- They said you didn’t want to come.
- My mom told me that she was angry at my dad.
- I asked her what her plans were.
How do you teach reported speech?
To teach reported speech, first set the context with a short video clip, discussion question, etc. Then, explain the grammar rules for it and do some controlled practice. Finally, use an ESL game or activity that allows students to practice further.
What are the types of reported speech?
The types of reported speech are direct speech and indirect speech.
Tips for Teaching Reported Speech To English Learners
Teaching reported speech to ESL learners can be challenging, as it involves a shift in verb tense and pronoun usage. Here are some tips to make the teaching process more effective and engaging.
Start with Direct Speech
Begin by introducing and reviewing direct speech, which is the original statement or question spoken by someone. Ensure students are familiar with the use of quotation marks and the appropriate verb tenses in direct speech.
Introduce Reporting Verbs
Teach students a variety of reporting verbs such as say, tell, ask, explain, suggest, etc. Explain the different patterns that follow these reporting verbs, including the use of direct objects, indirect objects, and prepositions.
Present Tense Changes
Demonstrate how to change verb tenses when reporting speech. Provide clear examples of how present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous, and so on. Reinforce the importance of maintaining accuracy in verb tense changes.
Practice Conversion of Pronouns
Show students how pronouns change when reporting speech. Explain the transformation from the speaker’s pronouns (I, you, we) to the appropriate pronouns in reported speech (he, she, they). Emphasize the use of possessive pronouns when necessary.
Provide Contextualized Examples
Use authentic materials, such as dialogues, interviews, or news articles, to provide meaningful examples of reported speech. This helps students understand the purpose and practical application in real-life situations.
Use Reporting Structures
Teach students reporting structures, such as reporting statements, reporting questions, and reporting commands. Practice transforming direct speech into reported speech using these structures and provide opportunities for students to generate their own examples.
Focus on Reporting Verbs of Perception
Highlight reporting verbs of perception like see, hear, feel, notice, etc., which require a change in verb tense but do not require reporting the exact words. Provide examples to help students understand the difference between reporting statements and reporting verbs of perception.
Incorporate Speaking and Writing Activities
Encourage students to practice reported speech through role-plays, interviews, or storytelling activities. Assign writing tasks where students report a conversation or summarize an article using reported speech.
Address Common Errors
Be aware of common errors students make when learning reported speech, such as incorrect verb tense changes or pronoun usage. Provide corrective feedback and offer opportunities for targeted practice to overcome these challenges.
Review and Reinforce
Regularly review with students and provide opportunities for reinforcement through quizzes, games, or interactive exercises. Repetition and reinforcement are key to solidifying understanding and application of this language.
Did you like these Reported Speech Activities?
- 87 Pages - 10/24/2019 (Publication Date)
Yes? Thought so. Then you’re going to love this book on Amazon: 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Grammar Activities for Teenagers and Adults . It’s the book you need if you want to have more engaging and interactive grammar lessons.
You can find the book in both digital and print formats. Keep a copy on the bookshelf in your office to use as a handy reference guide. Or, take the e-version with you to your favourite coffee shop for some lesson planning on the go.
Whatever the case, get ready for some ESL grammar teaching awesome in your life. Head over to Amazon to find out more about it:
Have your Say about Reported Speech Games and Activities
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Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
About Jackie
Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 15 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.
Jackie is the author of more than 60 books for English teachers and English learners, including Business English Vocabulary Builder and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults . She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.
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English Practice Downloadable PDF Grammar and Vocabulary Worksheets
Reported speech (b1).
- RS013 - Reported Speech
- RS012 - Reported Questions and Commands
- RS011 - Reported Speech
- RS010 - Reported Speech
- RS009 - Reported Commands
- RS008 - Reported Questions
- RS007 - Reported Speech
- RS006 - Reported Speech
- RS005 - Reported Speech
- RS004 - Reported Speech
- RS003 - Reported Speech
- RS002 - Reported Speech - Mixed Exercises
- RS001 - Reported Speech - Mixed Exercises
- Adjective - Adverb
- Gerund and Infinitive
- Modal Verbs
- Reported Speech
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- Relative Clauses
- Prepositions
- Questions and Negations
- Question Tags
- Language in Use
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Privacy policy.
New Report Details How National Science Foundation is Funding AI Tools to Censor and Indoctrinate Americans Online
February 6, 2024 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released an interim staff report titled, " The Weaponization of the National Science Foundation: How NSF is Funding the Development of Automated Tools to Censor Online Speech 'At Scale' and Trying to Cover Up its Actions ." The report details the National Science Foundation's (NSF) funding of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered censorship and propaganda tools, and its repeated efforts to cover up and avoid political and media scrutiny. In the name of combatting alleged misinformation regarding COVID-19 and the 2020 election, NSF has been issuing multi-million-dollar grants to university and non-profit research teams. The purpose of these taxpayer-funded projects is to develop AI-powered censorship and propaganda tools that can be used by governments and Big Tech to shape public opinion by restricting certain viewpoints or promoting others. Non-public documents obtained by the House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government demonstrate that these federal bureaucrats, "disinformation" researchers, and non-profit groups understood that their actions—"content moderation" and combatting so-called misinformation—amounted to "censorship." And yet, NSF forged ahead, supporting new technologies that would essentially enable the censorship of online speech "at scale." From legal scholars to conservative journalists, NSF tracked any public criticism of its work in funding misinformation projects. NSF went so far as to develop a media strategy that considered blacklisting certain American media outlets because they were scrutinizing NSF's funding of censorship and propaganda tools. Read the full interim staff report here . ###
Online safety legislation is opposed by many it claims to protect
Gen z tiktokers, lgbtq organizations and free speech advocates react angrily to wednesday’s hearing.
Lawmakers who grilled the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Discord and X on Wednesday all seemed to agree that protecting children’s safety online was a priority. Many of those children were less accepting of the idea, and they let their opinions flow as they listened to the hearing through a Discord server.
“These senators don’t actually care about protecting kids, they just want to control information,” one teenager posted. “If congress wants to protect children, they should pass a ... privacy law,” another teenager said. Others in the server accused the lawmakers of “trying to demonize the CEOs to push their ... bills,” which were often described with profanity.
They’re not alone in their opposition to the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill introduced in Congress by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D‑Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R‑Tenn.), and similar efforts by state legislatures.
KOSA would require digital platforms to take “reasonable measures” to prevent harms to children, specifically enumerating sexual exploitation, mental health, substance abuse and suicide. It would also require companies to enable their strongest privacy and safety settings for kids by default, provide parents with greater control over their children’s account settings and force companies to regularly audit their products for potential risks.
The measure has twice advanced out of committee with broad bipartisan support and is now backed by nearly half the Senate, but has yet to be taken up by the full Senate and lacks a companion bill in the House, clouding its potential path to passage.
More than 100 human rights and LGBTQ groups have condemned the bill, saying it would endanger minors, especially LGBTQ youth . First Amendment lawyers and organizations focused on protecting free speech also have lambasted the proposal and similar state laws, saying they would place dire restrictions on free speech and expression.
“What we’re seeing is a rash of legislation that both doesn’t do what it thinks it’s going to do, will be used to do bad things specifically, and also will impact the First Amendment rights of adults and minors alike,” said Ari Cohn, free speech counsel at TechFreedom, a tech policy think tank. “Nothing should terrify you more than having to identify yourself before speaking online.”
Opponents say KOSA would result in the collection of more sensitive data on both children and adults, violate the First Amendment, impose legal mandates that are inherently unenforceable, and significantly limit the ability for children to access and benefit from the internet, according to a report from R Street , a policy research organization that describes itself as center right .
“The whole hearing was a joke; it was a sham,” said May, the 26-year-old Michigan activist who created the Discord server in hopes of rallying opposition to KOSA. She agreed to speak to The Washington Post on the condition that she be identified by first name only. “The way they were attacking political content that they disagree with, it’s obvious they’re using this bill to censor speech.”
Activists pointed to moments in the hearing such as when Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) claimed TikTok is “being used to basically destroy Israel” as examples of how the real issue the senators had with social media is views with which they don’t agree. LGBTQ groups also cited earlier comments by Blackburn, where she claimed KOSA would help in “protecting minor children from the transgender in this culture,” claiming that social media “is where children are being indoctrinated.”
An open letter written in 2022 by the Electronic Frontier Foundation , a nonprofit digital rights group, has been signed by dozens of LGBTQ and human rights organizations. It outlined an extensive list of issues with the bill, saying it would require social media sites “to employ broad content filtering to limit minors’ access to certain online content” and would “threaten the privacy, safety, and access to information rights of young people and adults alike.”
A Blumenthal’s spokesperson acknowledged in an interview that the bill faces opposition, but said since the 2022 EFF letter, the bill has gone through several updates and revisions and that they are working with advocates to address their concerns, specifically around data collection and LGBTQ issues.
In a statement to The Post, Blumenthal said “urgent harms faced by young people online are one of the most common topics raised with me by constituents."
“Children and teenagers in Connecticut and across the country tell me how devastating they find toxic content like bullying and harassment, eating disorders, suicidal self-injury, and more,” he said. "The internet can be a positive place, but it is also a prevalent source of harms to feelings of self-worth. This bill gives young people choices to disconnect from algorithms with tools to take back control over their online lives. In crafting and improving the bill, we have worked with a broad group of stakeholders to address their concerns and include additional safeguards for privacy and supportive information, as well as more precise definitions of harms.”
Those revisions haven’t silenced critics.
“People have been using the idea of protecting children as the justification for authoritarian policies that actually hurt children for decades,” said Evan Greer, director of Fight for the Future, another human rights advocacy group. “KOSA is not a privacy bill; it’s a censorship bill.”
Greer listed the concerns: “KOSA, as written, would make kids less safe by cutting them off from access to lifesaving information and resources on controversial but important topics like abortion, gender-affirming care, substance abuse and even current events.” Especially concerning was the bill’s requirement that social media exhibit a “duty of care” that would cover content recommendations by a site.
“It can and will be used as a censorship bill,” Greer said. “It will force platforms to suppress a wide range of content that has nothing to do with harming kids, just to avoid possible litigation. And there’s no meaningful way to comply with it without conducting invasive age verification.”
Cohn, the free speech counsel, blasted the hearing as feeding those who believe, without evidence, that any new cultural development threatens young people.
“What we are seeing is the same exact thing as when people said comic books were causing kids to commit crime and juvenile delinquency, or when they said TV is melting kids’ brains, or that Dungeons and Dragons is causing an unprecedented mental health crisis,” Cohn told The Post. “Every new form of media has at some point been declared to be destroying the mental fabric of American youth.”
166/ It's just the latest example of Congress caring more about soundbites than careful legislation. Repeated claims that the committee is open to hearing criticism of their bills and fixing language is LAUGHABLE. They have brushed off such feedback wholesale. — Ari Cohn (@AriCohn) January 31, 2024
The evidence of social media’s impact on young people’s mental health is not supported by studies of the subject, opponents say. A 2022 Pew Research survey found that the majority of teens credit social media with “ strengthening their friendships and providing support .” LGBTQ youths specifically have more positive outcomes when they have access to social media, according to a 2023 report by the U.S. surgeon general that was mostly a warning on the harm social media may cause for children.
A 2023 Oxford study that analyzed data from close to a million people across 72 countries over the course of 12 years, found no “smoking gun” linking the internet with psychological harm. In fact, it found a potential association between Facebook use and positive well-being. “Our results do not provide evidence supporting the view that the Internet and technologies enabled by it, such as smartphones with Internet access, are actively promoting or harming either well-being or mental health globally,” Oxford researchers said in the study.
In fact, research shows that how social media makes people feel depends largely on how they use it. In a 2023 advisory, the American Psychology Association said that “using social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people. Adolescents’ lives online both reflect and impact their offline lives.”
Teenagers and Gen Z activists echoed those sentiments on Wednesday.
“The internet allows people to see different ideas,” said Nathan, a 15-year old in New York who agreed to speak to The Post on the condition that they be identified only by their first name. “They can hear different ideas. They can learn about LGBT people. They can see so many things. These bills are created to censor and hide children. They are created to cut people off from the outside world.”
Nathan, who is nonbinary, said the internet helped them overcome an eating disorder. They worried the information that helped them would no longer be accessible if social media platforms were required to wall off certain topics such as eating disorders.
TechFreedom’s Cohn agreed. “People who are anti eating disorder use the same language as people who are pro eating disorder,” he said. “It’s impossible to determine in any meaningful way at large scale whether content is pro or anti eating disorder and what kind of effect it’s going to have on viewers.”
Onyx, a 15-year-old in Tennessee who agreed to talk only if just his first name was used, said the internet had saved his life by helping to relieve the isolation of his physical environment. “I’m not really allowed to go anywhere,” he said. He worries that bills like KOSA would eliminate his access to online communities he considers essential to his ability to socialize.
@sarahephilips sorry i needed a rant #KOSA #badinternetbills #bib #kidsonlinesafetyact ♬ original sound - sarah 💫
There’s also an enormous disparity in terms of which Gen Z activists get a voice and meetings with representatives and whose voices are silenced, young people said. “We have lives. We have jobs. We have stuff to do. We’re not poli-sci majors backed by billionaires and certain organizations,” May said. “Just because you’ve got a couple kids up there who can afford to go to D.C., does not mean Gen Z agrees with KOSA.”
May and other young people listening to the hearing on the Discord server were particularly incensed that some of KOSA’s biggest supporters have voted against gun-control measures or public funding for parks and other measures they feel would actually help teenagers’ mental health.
“Every person who claims to care about kids online is ignoring the fact that the internet is the only space left for kids,” May said. “In real life, you’re dealing with mass shooters, no public spaces that are free and nearby. Nobody has money to go hang out at a mall or anything.”
Activists and tech policy experts both said they sympathize with parents who believe their children have been harmed by the internet, but that doesn’t mean they support legislation they think would be damaging.
“These are real stories with real tragedy and sadness,” said Taylor Barkley, director of technology and innovation policy at the Center for Growth and Opportunity, a policy research center at Utah State University. “That makes it all the more important to find solutions that work, and a lot of major leading proposals are not going to end up helping kids and teens in the long run. It’s going to end up restricting their access to information, educational content, connection, community.”
In the hours after the hearing, members of May’s Discord group traded screen recordings they said they planned to disseminate online. Some said they’d already called their representatives’ offices to voice their anger, but were ignored. They wondered whether it was because they aren’t yet of voting age.
Adam Kovacevich, founder of the Chamber of Progress, a tech trade group, said he hopes Congress will listen to opponents of the bill. “There used to be a quaint time in American politics where politicians preached a message of personal responsibility and parental decisions,” he said. “Now, it seems the elements of both the right and left have converged on a much more heavy hand from the government.”
He also hopes that the moral panic around technology will subside.
“There is something timeless about moral panics,” Kovacevich said. “You could say they are a reflection of every parent’s worry and desire to do best by their kids. But you can respond in a variety of ways. You could say, ‘Look, I want that for my kids. And I’m going to help them navigate the rough edges of adolescence.’ Or you could say, ‘I want the best for my kids and so I’m going to go ask a politician to pass a new law.’
Reported Speech
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Reported speech online practice | Live Worksheets Search Worksheets Home Worksheets Reported speech Reported speech Gabbygrb Member for 3 years 10 months Age: 8-18 Level: Pre- intermediate Language: English (en) ID: 70308 26/03/2020 Country code: EC Country: Ecuador School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958)
RS007 - Reporting Verbs Intermediate. RS006 - Reported Speech Intermediate. RS005 - Reported Speech - Introductory Verbs Advanced. RS004 - Reported Speech Intermediate. RS003 - Reporting Verbs Intermediate. RS002 - Reported Speech Intermediate. RS001 - Reported Speech Intermediate. Reported Speech - English Grammar Exercises.
Reported speech 1. Reported speech 2. Reported requests and orders. Reported speech exercise. Reported questions - worksheet. Indirect speech - worksheet. Worksheets pdf - print. Grammar worksheets - handouts.
Here's a list of all the reported speech exercises on this site: ( Click here to read the explanations about reported speech ) Reported Statements: Present Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here) Present Continuous Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here) Past Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy)
Exercises: indirect speech. Reported speech - present. Reported speech - past. Reported speech - questions. Reported questions - write. Reported speech - imperatives. Reported speech - modals. Indirect speech - tenses 1. Indirect speech - tenses 2.
Just click the "Submit a worksheet" button at the bottom of this page to get started. BusyTeacher.org's 195 reported speech worksheets await - so start scrolling! We're sure your students will love the worksheets you find. read more... Most Popular Reference The Polite Robber - Reported Speech Reported Speech Worksheet IV Direct Speech Worksheet
Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request. Statements. When transforming statements, check whether you have to change: pronouns; present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
Unit 7 - Exercise 1 - Reported speech. Rewrite the direct speech as reported speech to complete the sentences. Use contractions where possible.
We use reported speech when we want to tell someone what someone said. We usually use a reporting verb (e.g. say, tell, ask, etc.) and then change the tense of what was actually said in direct speech. ... Worksheets and downloads. Reported speech - grammar snack 319.96 KB. Reported speech - exercises 271.44 KB. Reported speech - transcript 229. ...
1. The teacher said to the boys, 'Have you done your homework?' 2. The little girl asked the man, 'Will you help me?' 3. Janaki said, 'I have been reading this book.' 4. Mother said to the daughter, 'Go and change your dress.' 5. Susie said, 'I had read this book before I gave it to you.' 6. Mike said, 'I will bring my piano.' 7.
398 Reported Speech (Indirect speech) English ESL worksheets pdf & doc SORT BY Most popular TIME PERIOD All-time estrelapolar REPORTED SPEECH - CH An easy way to teach 49393 uses dobrawaa Reported Speech - a This is a boardgame 46830 uses Zmarques Reported Speech A simple worksheet w 43493 uses dimond reported speech for 12-grade student 37943 uses
Reported Speech Exercise 1: Converting Direct Speech to Reported Speech "I am going to the market," said John. "We have finished our homework," the students said. "Will you join us for dinner?" she asked. "I can't drive you to the airport tomorrow," he told her. "I saw a strange animal in the forest," the hiker reported.
98665 uses Zmarques Reported Speech A simple worksheet with four tasks on reported Speech. 43560 uses dimond reported speech for 12-grade students 37990 uses xcharo Reported Speech Orders - Statement - Questions Six exercises + key 31768 uses missaldana Reported Speech Questions 29707 uses Ktam Reported Speech
ESL Reporting Modal Verbs Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Identifying, Matching, Gap-fill, Rewriting Sentences, Writing a Paragraph - Intermediate (B1) - 30 minutes. In this useful reported speech worksheet, students learn the indirect form of four modal verbs and practice using them in reported speech. First, students read a short dialogue and ...
Reported Speech - Free ESL handouts and worksheets for English grammar practice for everyone. Good for online and offline classes. Skip to content. Home; ... Grammar Worksheet - Reported speech. This handout is provided by allthingsgrammar.com. Reporting speech quiz. Time: 20 - 30 minutes.
Level: Intermediate. Language: English (en) ID: 56758. 17/12/2019. Country code: ES. Country: Spain. School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958) Main content: Reported speech (2013113) Grammar guide and exercises to practice.
Exercises Explanation Downloads Exercises: 1 2 3 Indirect speech - reported speech Exercise 1 Choose the correct form to complete the sentences below. 1 'I work in a bank.' ⇒ He said that he in a bank. 2 'I am working today.' ⇒ She told us she that day. 3 'I've been ill for a couple of weeks.' ⇒ He told me he for a couple of weeks.
Reported Speech Games, Activities, Worksheets and Lesson Plans. If you're looking for some of the best reported speech games and activities, then you're certainly in the right place. Keep on reading for our top picks, along with worksheets, lesson plans and more. Reported speech activities.
Reported speech Gerson Leon Member for 4 months 3 weeks Age: 10+ Level: A2 Language: English (en) ID: 7176851 12/09/2023 Country code: SV Country: El Salvador School subject: Languages (2200311) Main content: Reported Speech (2200312) Loading ad... Share / Print Worksheet Finish! Loading ad...
RS008 - Reported Questions. RS007 - Reported Speech. RS006 - Reported Speech. RS005 - Reported Speech. RS004 - Reported Speech. RS003 - Reported Speech. RS002 - Reported Speech - Mixed Exercises. RS001 - Reported Speech - Mixed Exercises. Adjective and Adverbs - Downloadable PDF Worksheets for English Language Learners - Intermediate Level (B1)
Reported speech online exercise for 4° | Live Worksheets Home Worksheets Reported speech Reported speech Romina Castrogiovanni Member for 3 years 4 months Age: 12+ Level: 4° Language: English (en) ID: 513269 18/11/2020 Country code: AR Country: Argentina School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958)
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released an interim staff report titled, "The Weaponization of the National Science Foundation: How NSF is Funding the Development of Automated Tools to Censor Online Speech 'At Scale' and Trying to Cover Up its Actions." The report details the National Science ...
Gen Z TikTokers, LGBTQ organizations and free speech advocates react angrily to Wednesday's hearing By Taylor Lorenz Updated February 1, 2024 at 7:27 p.m. EST | Published February 1, 2024 at 8: ...
REPORTED SPEECH - QUESTIONS | Live Worksheets Search Worksheets Home Worksheets REPORTED SPEECH - QUESTIONS REPORTED SPEECH - QUESTIONS btphung Member for 2 years 2 months Age: 7-14 Level: 5 Language: English (en) ID: 7366334 29/11/2023 Country code: VN Country: Vietnam School subject: ENGLISH (2346175) Main content: REPORTED SPEECH (2346176)
Direct and Reported Speech exercise | Live Worksheets Search Worksheets Home Worksheets Direct and Reported Speech Direct and Reported Speech Clarissa Leslie Member for 2 years 5 months Age: 10-13 Level: Grade 8 Language: English (en) ID: 1880176 17/02/2022 Country code: BZ Country: Belize School subject: Grammar (1061914)
REPORTED SPEECH (direct and indirect) School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1060485) Main content: English Grammar (2187315)
School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958) Main content: Reported speech (2013113)