Reported speech tends to be quite a rule heavy, unexciting grammar topic. But it doesn’t have to be! Here are some fun games and activities that I’ve tried in my own classes which have gone well. They are organized from the easiest (1) to hardest (5) to make it easy for you to choose which activities are most appropriate for your own class.

Each activity will last at least 20 minutes but can be stretched longer by including introductions or review of reported speech, grammar explanations, feedback at the end, or in some cases by printing more worksheets and repeating the activity multiple times.

1. Reported Speech Mini-Whiteboard Game

Click here for the Google Slides link for the following game.

While I recommend using the Google Slides version of the game, here is the PDF version of the same Google Slides if you need it.

How do students play?

Put students into small groups of 2-4. Give each team a mini-whiteboard (or laminated piece of white paper) and whiteboard marker. Project the Google Slides presentation on the board. Let students write down the missing reported speech words.

If they are correct, give the team a thumbs up. They can put one point on the top of the board.

After you’ve shown all of the Slides, let teams count up their points and declare the winning team.

2. Play the Owl Game

Watch the following clip from Harry Potter and ask students this.

What is Hermione doing?

Hermione is being an “owl” for Harry and Ron and passing messages back and forth.

Now your students can have a chance to be owls.

Before class print the worksheet. Cut it up so that one student will be able to read the “Direct Speech” part of the worksheet and another student in the same group will separately be able to write the “Reported Speech” section. (Don’t let the teams see the two sections simultaneously because it’ll ruin the game.)

Put students into groups of three. Designate a “speaker,” a “writer” and a “runner/owl.” If your class doesn’t divide evenly into three, then make some students “checkers” who help their teammates check their reported speech grammar as they write it down.

Separate the groups so that the speakers are all on one side of the room, writers all on the other side, and runners standing in the middle with enough clear space to run back and forth.

The speaker reads a sentence from the “Direct Speech” part of the worksheet to the runner. The runner goes to his group’s writer and tells the writer what the speaker said. The writer writes the reported speech onto the “Reported Speech” section of the worksheet.

The first team to finish changing all of their direct speech into reported speech correctly is the winner.

Here is the PDF. Be sure to cut along the dotted lines before class starts. There is also an answer sheet. (I’ve left the pronouns empty because students might interpret who “you” is differently.)

*Note: There are only four groups in the PDF, but if you have a larger class, it’s okay to have more than one Group A, more than one Group B, etc. Just make sure you don’t put two Group A’s next to each other in the classroom or they might overhear each others’ answers.

3. Partner Reported Speech Crosswords

This is a very low-prep activity to review reported speech. Teachers, just print and go to class!

Put students in partners of Student A and Student B. Student A reads their direct speech sentences to their partner. Student B fills in the blanks on their crossword.

Then Student B reads their direct speech sentences and Student A fills in their crossword.

Remind students that they need to backshift verbs for reported speech.

*Note: If you don’t trust your students not to show one another their paper and “cheat” that way, then have them sit face-to-face with some space between their desks so they’re forced to speak and not look at one another’s papers.

4. Reported Speech Bingo!

Print as many Bingo cards as you need for your class. There are 30 cards in the PDF. If you’re class is particularly large, it’s OK to have some students doing duplicate cards.

To start, read the direct speech sentences from the Teacher’s Sheet. Students mark the corresponding reported speech on their Bingo cards.

When a student calls “Bingo!”, use your Teacher’s Sheet to make sure they’ve marked the correct reported speech.

If you want to play the game multiple times, print more Bingo sheets than necessary for your class. For repeated usability, laminate the cards and use them for multiples classes.

*Note: This Bingo is designed to be intentionally tricky. Students will need to listen carefully and have a firm grasp of the rules of reported speech (including Wh- questions and Yes/No questions) in order to mark their cards correctly.

I used Classtools.net for the Bingo cards. It’s a great website for creating fun ESL games quickly.

5. Video Listening Worksheet

This activity is fairly straightforward. Print the worksheet, play the video, and let students try to copy down what was said, first into direct speech and then into reported speech. Sometimes the best activities really are the simplest.

Make sure to explain the concept of “eavesdropping” before the video starts.

Here’s the video of Fred and George using an extendable ear to eavesdrop on others. I recommend starting the video 2 seconds in to avoid a major spoiler for anyone who hasn’t seen Harry Potter. There are minor spoilers throughout the clip, so I don’t recommend showing this video to young students who might still be reading the books or haven’t watched the movies yet.

I hope you find these activities useful!

If you want more fun games that you can use in any lesson, check out these 10 fun games that incorporate a lot of movement into the ESL classroom.