Celebrations in reported speech

Which words describe a holiday in your country? 🗣️

“The ceremony was beautiful, and we exchanged traditional gifts.”

She said that the ceremony had been beautiful and that they had exchanged traditional gifts.

Report the message accurately

Choose the best reported form. First, identify the reporting verb and any time or place words. ✍️

1. He said, “We are decorating the hall now because the annual festival begins tomorrow and many guests are arriving early.”

Reported form: [___] .

1. Maria told me, “I visited the parade yesterday after my cousins had joined the procession near the city centre.”

Reported form: [___] .

1. The guide says, “The ceremony is today, although the musicians have prepared for the celebration since early morning.”

Reported form: [___] .

1. Amir said, “People wear costumes here when the evening parade passes through the square during the autumn festival.”

Reported form: [___] .

1. Sofia said, “The feast was very popular because local families had prepared dishes that visitors could taste during the evening.”

Reported account: [___] .

1. They told us, “We have exchanged traditional gifts since our grandparents began this family custom many years ago.”

Reported account: [___] .

1. The organiser said, “We will perform tomorrow after the children have finished the opening ceremony in the main square.”

Reported account: [___] .

1. Leo says, “I am proud of this tradition because it brings our whole community together every winter.”

Reported account: [___] .

Interview: Las Fallas in Valencia

Last week, I spoke to Elena, a university student from Spain, about Las Fallas in Valencia. The city’s annual event combines art, music, family meals, and carefully planned safety measures. “The festival begins in March,” she said. “People are building enormous figures in the streets now.” Elena explained that families meet for meals and that bands play every day. “My grandmother taught me how to make traditional sweets,” she told me. She added, “We celebrated at my aunt’s house last year, and everyone stayed until midnight.” According to Elena, the final night is especially exciting. “They burn the figures here,” she said, “but the event is safe because firefighters are nearby.” She believes the festival brings generations together. “Today, young people are learning the old customs,” Elena says.

Report four things Elena said. Include:

• one sentence with then or there
• one sentence with the present reporting verb says

Check the article

1. When does Las Fallas begin?
2. What did Elena’s grandmother teach her to make?
3. Why does Elena say that the final event is safe?

Difficult words

• enormous figures — very large models or sculptures
• annual event — an event that happens every year
• traditional sweets — sweet food connected with a culture or celebration
• final night — the last evening of an event
• firefighters — people whose job is to stop fires
• nearby — close to a particular place
• generations — groups of people of different ages in one family or community
• old customs — long-established traditional ways of doing things

Your reported account

Write one connected paragraph of 40–80 words about a real or imagined conversation about a tradition or celebration.

Include:

• My friend told me that…
• She said that…
• She also mentioned that…
• at least one celebration word
• at least two backshifted verbs
• then, there, or that day

Useful phrases:

• My friend told me that the celebration had...
• She said that people were...
• She also mentioned that they would...
• He said that the parade had taken place there.
• They told us that the ceremony was happening that day.

Check before you finish:

• Grammar: correct say/tell pattern; accurate tense and reference changes.
• Vocabulary: clear use of celebration language.