Chapter- 02, Narration, English Practice Book, DAV Class VIII, The Best Solutions.

Worksheet 1

1. Read the sentences given in the two boxes.
2. Read the examples given below and note the difference between direct and indirect speech.
3. Look at the following examples.

Read all these carefully.

Worksheet 2

1. Look at the following table about change in tenses in reported speech.
2. Change of words expressing time and place.
3. Now read the following table carefully.

Read all these carefully.

Worksheet 3 –

Change the following assertive sentences into reported speech.

1. The reporter said that the Prime Minister had announced a relief package for the farmers.
2. Mohit says that he will invite all his friends to his birthday party.
3. Amar told Priya that his class teacher had agreed to grant him two weeks’ leave.
4. Rajesh told Kusum that he had lost his mobile phone the previous day.
5. Ritu told Aman that he had not finished his homework yet.
6. Pawan said that they had bought a new house and they were shifting to the new house the following week.
7. Mother said that she was glad I had reached home in time and that the weather was getting really bad.
8. Maanya says that she loves staying at her grandma’s house, who tells her nice stories, takes her to the park and also cooks her favourite pasta.
9. The cricketer told the reporter that he had always played earnestly for his country, had put his country’s honour and his team’s interests above everything else, and was thankful to the people of the country who had always shown faith in his abilities.
10. Ramit told Ashu that he was sorry he could not give him the book that weekend. He added that he had given the book for photocopying on Thursday but the shopkeeper had said he would take at least five days to photocopy the whole book.

Worksheet 4 –

Change the following interrogative sentences into reported speech.

1. The teacher asked the students if they had understood the question.
2. Ritu asked Rohit how he would complete the assignment in two days.
3. The child asked his mother why the stars in the sky didn’t fall down.
4. Namita asked Aruna which of the two sarees was better.
5. Tisha asked Suman if she could teach her French.
6. The worried father asked his son which train he had boarded and if he had checked his ticket number.
7. The manager asked the candidate what his qualifications were and in what way he could benefit their company.
8. Rimi asked Monika how she had liked the state of Florida and if, given a chance, she would like to go there again.
9. My mother asked me what had happened to my hand, why it was bandaged, if I had fallen from the bicycle, and if it hurt.
10. Rahul’s friend asked him why he had left his job, if they hadn’t paid him well, if he hadn’t been happy doing that job, and if he would look for a new job now.

Worksheet 5 –

Change the following imperative sentences into reported speech.

1. The teacher told the children to open their books at page 10.
2. Manish requested the people standing on the road to help him remove the broken tree from the road.
3. Ruchi prayed to God to bless her parents with health and happiness.
4. Shipra advised Preeti to read newspapers and magazines to boost her vocabulary.
5. The coach advised the players not to overdo that exercise.
6. The major ordered his cadets to stand straight and listen attentively to what he said.
7. The mother advised her son to accept the job offer and not to leave that opportunity.
8. The doctor told the patient not to worry, and to take the medicine on time and take proper rest.

Worksheet 6 –

Change into Reported Speech (Exclamatory/Optative Sentences)

A. Read it carefully.

B. Read it carefully.

C. Read it carefully.

D. Working in pairs, report the following exclamatory sentences spoken by each of the characters. The first one has been done as an example.

1. The lion unhappily exclaimed that he was ruined.
2. The lion regretted that he had not been more careful.
3. The hunter exclaimed proudly that he was very clever.
4. The hunter’s friends exclaimed with praise that he had done well.
5. The lion prayed to God to help him.
6. The rat exclaimed that it was not fair.
7. The rat exclaimed how cruel the hunter was.
8. The rat exclaimed that humans were a nuisance.
9. The rat wished that he were strong enough to chase them away.
10. The rat exclaimed that it was a pity their foes were so strong.

Worksheet 7 –

Advait’s uncle flew to Singapore last year. He had never been on a plane before, and he did quite a few things wrong.

Work with your partner. First read how people reacted to his strange behaviour and then report it. The first one has been done as an example. Use the variety of reporting verbs given in the box below.

1. The air hostess exclaimed that he could not carry liquids on the plane.
2. Uncle regretted that he had arrived so early.
3. The steward requested him to check his seat number.
4. The co-passenger grumbled that it was foolish of him to use the phone at that time.
5. Uncle wondered what strange people they were, who couldn’t carry their own sandwiches.
6. The steward warned him to stop smoking.
7. The man sitting next to Uncle exclaimed that he was a peculiar man.

Worksheet 8

1. Look at the picture of Beauti land given below. Imagine that your friend and you went for a picnic there but were rather disappointed. This is the conversation you had.

Read the conversation

1. Once home, you report your experiences and the conversation you had with your friend to your mother. Complete the report.

The place was a disappointment. The park that was recommended to be an attraction of the city turned out to be repulsive. My friend was so shocked to see the filth all around, and I couldn’t believe how careless people were. Garbage was strewn all over, and it seemed like no one cared about the environment. My friend said he wished people had understood the consequences of their actions. We were heartbroken to see dead creatures floating in the river. Thick black smoke was coming out of the factory, and the sight was truly disgusting. I was furious at the greed of people cutting down trees recklessly. My friend commented sadly that this is what people call development today. It was one of the most disappointing outings we’d ever had.

Worksheet 9

1. Read the sentences in the given boxes.
2. Dialogue Reporting Practice

Worksheet 10

1. Read the dialogues given below and report them.

The receptionist asked Mrs Sharma if she was speaking to her. Mrs Sharma replied in the affirmative. The receptionist then informed her that she had won a prize in a slogan writing competition. Mrs Sharma exclaimed with joy that it was wonderful news. The receptionist told her that she would have to collect her prize from their office on Friday at 4:00 p.m. Mrs Sharma expressed regret and said that she would be out of station on Friday. She asked if she could collect the prize later. The receptionist apologized and said that in that case, the prize would have to be given to the second winner. Mrs Sharma exclaimed sadly about her bad luck and wished that they weren’t going out.

2. Reporting the Dialogue between Anmol and Kunal:

Anmol asked Kunal if he had prepared his speech for the competition. Kunal replied that he had. Anmol then asked him how he was always so confident on the stage. Kunal explained that he learned his speech thoroughly and practised it in front of his parents. Anmol wished that he could also be so confident on the stage. Kunal encouraged him not to be afraid of being on stage and said that it was not so tough. He also offered to help him. Anmol thanked Kunal and said that he would participate in the speech competition this time. He added that he was sure Kunal’s guidance would help him perform better.

Do It Yourself

1. Fill in the blanks with words from the box given below.

It was late night when I reached the city. I enquired of the bus driver if it was possible to get a taxi at that hour. He was kind and told me where I could find one. After waking up the taxi driver, I told him where I wanted to go. He refused saying it was too far off. I requested him to be kind and help me out. He agreed but warned me that he would charge twice the fare. I grumbled. On hearing me, he went back to sleep. I regretted not having planned my journey but I refused to get cheated.

2. Read the following interview. Ramanshu, a press reporter interviews Aradhika, a famous novelist who has just won a national award for her writings. Later Ramanshu writes a report. Taking help from the interview, complete the report.

Ramanshu asked Aradhika how it felt to be honoured, to which she replied that it was pure delight. Then Ramanshu went on to say that she had written many novels and poems and asked her when she had written her first one. Aradhika told him that she was seven when she wrote a poem. Ramanshu asked her what she thought about nature and whether she liked to write on it. With joy in her eyes, Aradhika said that nature was simply beautiful and that it was her favourite subject. As a parting shot, Ramanshu asked what her message to the countrymen was. Aradhika very seriously said that she would request people to conserve nature and warned that if we didn’t, we were sure to be doomed.