Exercise 1
Read the options (this or that) and tick the one you
prefer. Compare and discuss the answers with
your partner.
THIS THAT
• hear a painful truth • hear a comforting lie
• tell a small lie • tell an awful truth
• be friends with a person • be friends with a person
who never lies but has a who’s always kind but
terrible personality can lie
• lie and have good • tell the truth and hurt
relationships someone’s feelings
• tell a white lie • keep quiet
Exercise 2
Take a look at the list of most popular lies teenagers tell
their parents and answer the questions.
- Why do you think teenagers tell such lies?
- Do you consider them white lies?
- Have you ever told your parents similar lies?
1. I didn’t hear the call. (when they didn’t answer the call) - Speaker 6
2. I’m at home/at my friend’s. (when they’re somewhere else) - Speaker 4
3. I will clean my room tomorrow, I promise. (when they won’t do it)
4. I was at home at 9 pm! (when they broke the curfew) - Speaker 6
5. I’m going to study/work late today! (when they were going on a date) - Speaker 2
6. I’ve never even seen alcohol at a party! (when they were actually wasted) - Speaker 1
7. Can I go? Jake is a really good driver! (when their friends can’t drive at all)
8. Everything’s ne! (when everything’s not ne) - Speaker 5
9. I don’t work! I just study! (when they actually work to get more money) - Speaker 3
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Exercise 3
Watch the video [https://drive.google.com/ le/d/1dVtm-
VoSESa4_tpy1AVad3jF_asQK0Mo/view?usp=sharing] and
match the lies to the speakers.
Speaker 1 Speaker 2 Speaker 3
Speaker 4 Speaker 5 Speaker 6
Exercise 4
Watch the video again and complete the
sentences with the correct form of the verbs.
1. I got really drunk and wasted and I just said that my friends couldn’t
drive me home because of the weather.
2. I told my parents that the parents of the kid I was babysitting asked
me to stay a little longer.
3. I told my parents I was going to quit after the summer.
4. I told my parents that I was going there to see some college friends.
5. When they ask how I’m doing and I just don’t want to get into it, so I
just say, "oh, I’m doing ne!"
6. I just told that I had fallen asleep but I had not.
Which of the sentences in Exercise 4 is in direct speech? Which
ones are in the reported speech? - sentence 5 is in direct speech,
all the other sentences are in the reported speech.
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Exercise 5
Match the sentences in the direct speech below with the
sentences in the reported speech from Exercise 4.
A. I just told them, "I fell asleep." - 6
B. I got really drunk and wasted and I just said, "My friends
can’t drive me home because of the weather." - 1
C. I told my parents, "I’m going to quit after the summer." - 3
D. I told my parents, "I’m going there to see some college
friends." - 4
E. I told my parents, "The parents of the kid I’m babysitting
ask me to stay a little longer." - 2
Highlight the verbs in the sentences and complete the table.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
can could
future simple (will) would
present simple past simple
present continuous past continuous
past simple past perfect
present perfect past perfect
am/is/are going to was/were going to
Exercise 6
Put the sentences into reported speech.
1. Emma said, "I'm going to the library with friends."
Emma said she was going to the library with friends.
2. Liam said, "I can't talk right now, I'm busy studying."
Liam said he couldn't talk right then because he was busy studying.
3. Emma said, "I'm just going to a friend's house to study."
Emma said she was just going to a friend's house to study.
4. Noah said, "I have already done all my chores."
Noah said he had already done all his chores.
5. Ava said, "I'm not feeling well, so I'm staying home."
Ava said she wasn't feeling well, so she was staying home.
6. James said, "I'm just going out to get some fresh air."
James said she was just going out to get some fresh air.
7. Mia said, "I’m not on my phone, I'm studying."
Mia said she wasn't on her phone, she was studying.
8. Lucas said, "I’ll be back before curfew."
Lucas said he would be back before curfew.
9. Sophia said, "I'm not skipping class, I have a doctor's appointment."
She said she wasn't skipping class, she had a doctor's appointment.
10.Oliver said, "I don't have any homework to do."
He said he had no homework to do.
Exercise 7
Work in pairs.
Student A: You are an interviewer from the video. You’re going
to interview one of the speakers from the video again. (You can
choose the story together with Student B).
Prepare 5 more questions to nd out more about their story
and their opinion about telling lies.
Student B: You are one of the speakers from the video. The
interviewer will ask you a couple of questions about your story.
Exercise 8
When you have completed the interview, change the partners
and tell them the complete story using reported speech.
LIES
TRUTH
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