TUTORIAL

MECHANICS OF LANGUAGE
AMBIGOUS
SENTENCES
 AMBIGOUS SENTENCES
Definition of Ambiguous
The confusing sentences and difficult to
understand.
The sentence becomes clear when it is
restructured
 Example of Ambigous Sentences
The lady hit the man with an umbrella
- The lady hit the man using an umbrella.
- The lady hit the man who had an umbrella.

My brother and I are getting married this summer

- I am getting married this summer and my
brother is getting married this summer.
- My brother and I are getting married to each
other this summer.
Lets think together ??
ACTIVE/PASSIVE
CONSTRUCTION
 ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION
A feature of sentences in which the subject
performs the action of the verb and the direct
object is the goal or the recipient .
 Example of Active Construction
Question 1
We will be blamed by everyone.
Answer
Everyone will blame us.
Question 2
This house was built by John Mathews in 1991.
Answer
John Mathews built this house in 1991.
 Question 3
The snake was killed with a stick.
Answer
They/somebody killed the snake with a stick

Question 4
The injured were taken to the hospital by the firemen
Answer
The firemen took the injured to the hospital
 PASSIVE CONSTRUCTION
Explain is by showing the difference between
an active construction and a passive
construction
 Example of Passive Construction
Active : She waters this plant every two days.
Passive : This plant is watered by her every two
days.

1. Sometimes, though, a passive construction will add on a

bit starting with by which does make clear who did what
2. For example : in passive word ," This plant is watered by
her every two days " . In this passive word , she is the
subject . Compare from active word , she is the object.
 Definition
A speaker's words reported in subordinate
clauses governed by a reporting verb, with the
required changes of person and tense (e.G., He
said that he would go, based on I will go ).
When do we use reported speech?
Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example
I like ice cream". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the
first person said. Here's how it works in reported speech : she says she
likes ice cream.
We use a reporting verb like 'say' or 'tell'. If this
verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put
'she says.
 We don't need to change the tense, though probably
we do need to change the person from 'I' to 'she',
for example. We also may need to change words like
'my' and 'your'.
On the other hand, if the reporting verb is in the past
tense, then usually we change
the tenses in the reported speech, for example :
- Direct speech : I like ice cream.
- Reported speech: She said she liked
ice cream
 TENSE DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH

She said that she liked ice

Present simple I like ice cream
cream
She said she was living in
Present continuous I am living in London
London
She said she had bought a
Past simple I bought a car
car

I was walking along the She said she had been

Past continuous
street walking along the street

She said she hadnt seen

Present perfect I havent seen Julie
Julie

She said she had taken

I had taken English lessons
Past perfect English lessons
before
before.
 REPORTED QUESTIONS
How can we make the reported speech here? In fact, it's not so
different from reported statements. The tense changes are the
same, and we keep the question word. The very important
thing though is that, once we tell the question to someone else,
it isn't a question any more. So we need to change the
grammar to a normal positive sentence.

The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a

present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that
away. Then need to change the verb to the past simple.
 EXAMPLE :

DIRECT QUESTION REPORTED

QUESTION
Where is the Post Office, She asked me where the
please? Post Office was.
What are you doing ? She asked me what I was
doing.
Who was that fantastic man She asked me who that
? fantastic man had been.
Where is Julie ? She asked me where Julie
was.
 REPORTED REQUEST
There's more! What if someone asks you to do
something (in a polite way)? For example:
- Direct speech: Close the window, please.
- Could you close the window please?
- Would you mind closing the window please?
All of these requests mean the same thing, so we
don't need to report every word when we tell another
person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to +
infinitive.
 EXAMPLE :

DIRECT REQUEST REPORTED

REQUEST
Please help me She asked me to help her

Please dont smoke She asked me not to smoke

Could you bring my book She asked me to bring her

tonight ? book that night
Please dont be late She asked us not to be late.
 REPORTED ORDERS
How about if someone doesn't ask so politely?
We can call this an 'order in English, when
someone tells you very directly to do
something. For example:
- Direct speech: Sit down!
- Reported speech: She told me to sit down.
In fact, we make this into reported speech in
the same way as a request. We just use'tell'
instead of 'ask.
 EXAMPLE :

DIRECT ORDER REPORTED

ORDER
Go to bed ! He told the child to go to
bed
Dont worry ! He told her not to worry

Be on time ! He told me to be on time