Reporting on meetings: mastering reported speech

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for B2 learners explores Reporting on meetings: mastering reported speech through a real audio recording. Across 11 interactive exercises, you'll develop listening comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, practical communication, speaking skills — all built around authentic English content.

What you'll practise:

• 5 key vocabulary items with definitions and usage notes
• Grammar focus: Reported speech with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for clarifying information in a meeting
• Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
• Matching exercise to connect terms with their meanings
• Error correction to sharpen grammar awareness
• A reading passage to practise newly learned language

Lesson activities (11 exercises)

Each exercise builds on the previous one. Work through them in order for the best learning experience.

1. Warm-up — Discussion questions to activate what you already know about the topic.
2. Comprehension — Answer questions to check your understanding of the main ideas and supporting details.
3. Vocabulary — Learn key words and expressions from the audio recording, with definitions and usage notes.
4. Matching — Connect words, phrases, or concepts to their correct counterparts.
5. Grammar — Study Reported speech — explanation, examples, and key rules.
6. Error correction — Find and fix the mistake in each sentence — a great grammar workout.
7. Practical English — Learn phrases for clarifying information in a meeting — ready to use in real conversations.
8. Fill the gaps — Complete sentences with the correct vocabulary. Drag and drop or type your answers.
9. Reading — Read a short passage on the topic and answer comprehension questions.
10. Discussion — Reflect on the topic and share your opinions using the language you've learned.

Vocabulary

This lesson introduces 5 key terms drawn directly from the audio recording:

• To be on the same page — to have a shared understanding or agreement about a situation.
• Action items — specific tasks assigned to a person or group to be completed, usually as a result of a meeting.
• Key takeaways — the most important points or conclusions to remember from a discussion or meeting.
• To circle back to (something) — to return to a topic or question at a later time.
• A sticking point — an issue in a negotiation that is difficult to agree on and is blocking progress.

Grammar

This lesson focuses on Reported speech.

Reported speech (or indirect speech) is used to communicate what someone else said without using their exact words. It's essential in business for summarizing meetings, passing on messages, and writing follow-up emails. When we report what was said, we often 'backshift' the verb tense one step into the past.

Examples from the lesson:

• Direct speech: "We will factor in the new budget." Reported speech: The finance director said they would factor in the new budget. — Notice how 'will' changes to 'would' in reported speech. This is a common tense shift.
• Direct speech: "I am working on the project timeline now." Reported speech: He mentioned that he was working on the project timeline then. — The present continuous ('am working') shifts to the past continuous ('was working'), and time references like 'now' change to 'then'.
• Direct speech: "Did you receive the agenda?" Reported speech: She asked if I had received the agenda. — When reporting a yes/no question, we use 'if' or 'whether' and the verb tense shifts back (past simple to past perfect).

Key rules:

• Verb tenses usually move one step back into the past (e.g., present simple becomes past simple).
• Pronouns often change to reflect the new speaker's perspective (e.g., 'I' might become 'he' or 'she').
• Time and place words may also need to change (e.g., 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day'; 'here' becomes 'there').

Practical English

clarifying information in a meeting

In any professional discussion, it's crucial to make sure everyone understands the same thing. Use these phrases to politely check your understanding, ask for more detail, and confirm decisions without interrupting the flow of the conversation.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "Just to make sure I've got this right..." — a polite way to paraphrase what you heard to check your understanding.
• "Could you elaborate on that point?" — a direct but polite way to ask for more details.
• "So, if I'm hearing you correctly, the next step is to..." — a phrase for confirming an action or decision.
• "I'm not sure I follow. What do you mean by [specific term]?" — a soft way to say you don't understand and to ask for a specific clarification.
• "Let me just play that back to you to ensure we're aligned." — a slightly more formal way to paraphrase and confirm a shared understanding.