1. When it all goes wrong
Intermediate Lesson 28

2. Today we are going to learn:
How to explain what happened on holiday
How to use reporting verbs
How to express sympathy

3. Glossary: It was a disaster To book a transfer A double bed/single bed
A twin room

4. - Can you tell me about your May holiday. You said it was a disaster
- Can you tell me about your May holiday? You said it was a disaster! - It was! It all started at the airport. We’d booked a transfer from the airport and they told us they’d meet us at arrivals, but after 40 minutes there was still no one there. - That’s not a good start, is it?

5. - So we got that very expensive taxi, but they refused to compensate us at the hotel. - You must have been really annoyed. - Well, that wasn’t all. When we got to our room, it had a double bed and we’d asked them to give us two single beds. My grandmother doesn’t want to share a bed, you know. - Aha, I understand.

6. - Anyway, we told the receptionist to get us a twin room and he said it was impossible because they were fully booked. - How awful!

7. Indirect speech
They told us they’d meet us at arrivals. They refused to compensate us. We asked them to give us two single beds. We told the receptionist to get us a twin room. He said it was impossible.

8. Indirect
Direct
They told us they’d meet us at arrivals.
‘We’ll meet you at arrivals.’
They refused to compensate us.
‘We won’t give you any compensation.’
We asked them to give us two single beds.
‘Could you give us two single beds, please?’
We told the receptionist to get us a twin room.
‘Get us a twin room.’
He said it was impossible.
‘I’m afraid, I can’t.’

9. Indirect speech They told us (that) they’d meet us at arrivals.
They told + me/him/her/us/them + (that) + sentence
He said (that) it was impossible.
He said + (that) + sentence
Example
They said
They told me
the hotel was fully booked.
they didn’t have any cars available.
the next train was at 6 o’clock.
no one had called them about us.

10. Backshifting They SAID/THEY TOLD ME ‘The hotel is booked’
If you use they said or told us in the Past, you also need to change the pronouns and the tenses to the past.
They SAID/THEY TOLD ME
‘The hotel is booked’
‘We don’t have any cars available’
‘The next train is at 6 o’clock’
‘No one called us about you’
The hotel was fully booked. They didn’t have any cars available. The next train was at 6 o’clock. No one had called them about us.

11. Reporting verbs Person + reporting verb + to do something
They refused to compensate us.
The receptionist promised to sort this out.
Person + reporting verb + to do something
We asked them to give us two single beds.
We told the receptionist to get us a twin room.
Person + reporting verb + who + to do something

12. Two meanings of ‘tell’ We told them to get us a twin room.
It is the same as ‘we asked them to do it’, but more direct.
We told them they had forgotten about the twin room we had booked.
Told means ‘said’ here. We are just explaining what happened. We are not asking for anything directly.

13. More reporting verbs
We can also use ‘they suggested’, ‘they offered’ as reporting verbs.
They suggested we move to another hotel.
They suggested + we/I/he + do(does) something
They offered us a free dinner.
They offered + me/us/him/her/them + something (usually an object, a noun, not an action)
They proposed us a free dinner

14. Practice 1. I asked (they/bring dinner to my room).
Complete the sentences with the correct patterns.
1. I asked (they/bring dinner to my room).
2. They promised (refund my money).
3. I suggested (we/go to another restaurant).
4. I refused (sleep in a dirty room).
5. I said (I am a vegetarian).
6. I told (they/clean the room).

15. Answers 1. I asked them to bring dinner to my room.
Complete the sentences with the correct patterns.
1. I asked them to bring dinner to my room.
2. They promised to refund my money.
3. I suggested we go to another restaurant.
4. I refused to sleep in a dirty room.
5. I said I was a vegetarian.
6. I told them to clean the room.

16. Expressing sympathy
You must have been really annoyed! It must have been awful! I understand. How awful! I’m sorry to hear that.

17. Learn more about say and tell in Intermediate 17
Today we have learned:
How to explain what happened on holiday
How to use reporting verbs
How to express sympathy
Learn more about say and tell in Intermediate 17