73 Questions

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Practice listening comprehension and reported speech grammar by accurately paraphrasing rapid spoken responses.

Use it when: Use in language training or listening workshops when learners need structured practice converting direct speech into reported speech.

Skip it when: Skip if video playback is unavailable, if participants are beginner language learners, or if the group needs original idea generation rather than listening analysis.

Group arrangement: Individual listening, then pairs with one trio if the total is odd, followed by brief whole-group reporting

Timing: ESL Active suggests 20 to 30 minutes; this plan standardizes a 20-minute flow.

Materials and tools

• Video screen and audio playback equipment
• Internet access to play a selected Vogue '73 Questions' interview clip (approx. 3 to 5 minutes)
• One notebook or piece of blank paper per participant
• One pen or pencil per participant
• Remote or hybrid: a video-call platform with screen sharing, shared computer audio, captions and breakout rooms
• One internet-connected device and headset per remote participant, plus one for each in-room participant in a mixed-location pair; a quiet, separate speaking position for each such in-room participant

Before participants arrive

1. Select and cue a 3 to 5 minute segment of a Vogue '73 Questions' video featuring a speaker familiar to participants.
2. Test room audio and video playback.
3. Ensure all participants have writing materials ready.
4. For remote or hybrid delivery, test video sharing, computer audio and breakout rooms. Confirm mixed-location partners can hear one another from separate speaking positions with headsets. If that equipment or space is unavailable, use a fully in-person or fully remote format.

Say this to open

Today we will practice reported speech using a short video interview. You will watch a rapid-fire interview. As you watch, write down at least three questions asked and the answers given. Afterwards, you will work with a partner to turn those direct quotes into reported speech, such as 'She said that she preferred coffee over tea.'

How to run it

1. Introduce task and play clip 6 minutes

   Use up to one minute for the opening script. Play the selected 3 to 5 minute excerpt once while participants note at least three questions and answers. If time remains, replay only a brief missed passage. Keep the introduction, playback and any replay within six minutes; then begin individual writing.

2. Draft reported speech 4 minutes

   Give participants four minutes individually to convert their raw notes into full reported speech sentences. For example, change 'I love waking up early' into 'He stated that he loved waking up early.'

3. Compare in pairs 6 minutes

   Pair participants. Partners take turns reading their reported speech sentences aloud without showing their notes. The listening partner verifies whether the grammar shift (tense backshift, pronouns, reporting verbs) was accurate. If an odd number is present, create one trio where each member shares two statements.

4. Debrief and grammar check 4 minutes

   Gather the whole room. Call on 3 or 4 volunteers to share one reported statement each. Review tense shifts and alternative reporting verbs (e.g., claimed, mentioned, explained, admitted).

Debrief questions

• Which reporting verbs were most useful for capturing the speaker's tone?
• What was the most challenging part of shifting fast spoken answers into reported speech?
• How did your sentence structures change when shifting from present tense to past reported speech?

Finished output: Completed written notes containing at least three direct quotes converted accurately into reported speech.

Remote

Use the same timed steps. Screen-share the video with computer audio and captions. For the six-minute comparison, form pairs; if the total is odd, form one trio whose members each share two statements. Return everyone to the main call for the four-minute debrief.

Hybrid

Share the video on the room screen and the call with computer audio and captions. For an odd total, first form one trio at a location with at least three people. Pair the remaining participants within each location. If one remains at each location, join them in a mixed-location pair using individual devices and headsets, with the in-room partner in a quiet, separate speaking position. All pairs compare reported speech for six minutes; the trio follows the same two-statements-each rule from step 3. Return everyone for the four-minute debrief.

Access and participation choices

• Turn on closed captions on the video to support listening accessibility.
• Participants may choose how many statements to share with their partner and may pass during the whole-room debrief.

If the session gets stuck

The video pace is too fast for participants to catch questions and answers.

Enable English subtitles. Replay only a brief missed passage within any time remaining in the six-minute first phase; do not replay the entire clip or extend this phase. For future sessions, select a slower or easier excerpt if needed.

Participants use only 'He said' or 'She said' for every sentence.

Provide a quick list of alternative reporting verbs on the board, such as stated, claimed, answered, noted, and revealed.

Terms used here

• Reported speech: Grammatical structure used to communicate what someone else said without quoting them directly (e.g., 'She said that she was tired').
• Backshift: The grammatical rule in reported speech where verb tenses shift back into a past form when the reporting verb is in the past tense.