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Reporting Verbs Bingo

This bingo game helps to revise sixteen different reporting verbs and use them to practice reported speech. There is also a bonus gap fill activity included.  Suitable for intermediate, upper-intermediate, and FCE students. It works best with bigger groups.

The Task

Distribute Bingo cards among your students. There are 12 different ones in the set so depending on the class size, some students might end up using the same card. In this case, make sure they won’t sit next to each other.

Each student has 7 different reporting verbs on their card. They need to listen to the sentences read by the teacher and cross out the verb which corresponds with the sentence; example: “What time is it?”  –> I ASKED what time it was; the reporting verb is ASK. The first one to cross out all seven verbs says bingo and wins. You should keep track of the sentences you have read by crossing them out on your teacher’s board. You might follow the order of the sentences or read them randomly.

The follow-up activity involves students selecting 5 sentences you have read (you might distribute the teacher’s handout or display it on the board) and writing them using reported speech; example: “Sorry I’m late” –> She apologised for being late.

Another variation: students work in pairs. One person reads a sentence (“Sorry I’m late”) and the other transforms it using reported speech (Maria apologised for being late). Students take turns to work through all 16 sentences.

If you wish to assign some reported speech homework, there is a gap fill activity to be downloaded below.

For more reported speech activities see this speaking activity.

Personal Experience

Reported speech has been one of the most challenging grammar points I have been dealing with in my upper-intermediate / First Certificate courses, and I have been looking for a more playful way of revising what we had already practised using traditional exercises. Using a simple and familiar game format to revise a pretty complex grammar point was an entertaining way to conclude yet another lesson focusing in reported speech, injected some fun into the classroom and lightened the mood. Pair work that followed was a good opportunity for students to practice speaking and using grammar in a slightly more natural way. I have been using it at the end of class, but it could just as well serve as a nice warmer.

Materials 

Reporting Verbs Bingo_cards

Reporting Verbs Bingo_teacher

Reported verbs gap fill_homework

11 Comments

  1. Pingback: Teaching articles
  2. This is a great activity, my students enjoyed it a lot and even asked for the bingo paper completely empty, to complete all the verbs themselves. Complete success. Thank you.

    • Thanks so much for letting me know, Oana. It’s wonderful to hear the lesson was a blast!

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