*Dear Dennis et al,

Unfortunately we are all limited to being _'prisoners of our own
experience'_.

Since we are teaching English for Business, that rather glib dismissal
**of Reported Speech** (/if I may say so Dennis/), overlooks a necessary
application to, for example:

The Minutes of all Board Meetings, Audit Committee Meetings, Special and
Annual General Meetings of Shareholders etc etc.

Those who have business experience at Boardroom level, and/or teach
students at that level of management, will appreciate that the primary
skill of the role of Company Secretary is the translation of the
decisions of a boards of directors etc., into the operational rules to
implement those decisions within companies. I believe the Americans
nowadays call them 'Standard Operating Procedures'.

Think of this for example, as a genuine communication:

"The Chairman proposed that all admministrative staff and employees
should receive an annual increase in salary of 5%, with effect from the
1st April 2008. However, the Human Resources Director suggested that
as employees had foregone the customary productivity bonus in 2007, this
should be amended to increments of 4.5% for administrative staff and
5.5% for employees. **
IT WAS AGREED THAT: the Chairman's proposal, as **amended by the H.R.
Director's suggestion, be implemented for the forthcoming financial year."

As we used to say in England, before it was politically incorrect to do
so, 'Put that in your pipe and smoke it !'

John Nicholas
_____________________________________________________________

*
Dennis Newson wrote:
>
> Branka,
>
> It is years since I taught Reported Speech but it always seemed to me that
> it was something that was taught really because it was teachable, not
> because it was necessary. There appeared to be strict rules and one could
> present them and then get learners to practice them. But exercises were
> invariably dull and mechanical and had nothing to do with genuine
> communication.
>
> Stand up! Walk to the wall! Now sit down.
>
> He told me to stand up, walk to the wall and then sit down.
>
> What possible point could there be to that kind of work?
>
> If examination requirements and the instructions of your superiors
> allow it,
> I'd say forget Reported Speech and assist your students to learn what they
> really need to learn - whatever that is.
>
> Dennis
>
> On 2/2/08, branka.meic@... <mailto:branka.meic%40halpet.hr>
> <branka.meic@... <mailto:branka.meic%40halpet.hr>> wrote:
> >
> > Dear colleagues
> >
> > I'm just struggling with some issues concerning reported speech and
> > instead of browsing through various grammars and the like decided to
> > use you :).
> >
> > Applying reported speech rules is one of the 'achievements' that
> > differentiates more proficient language users from those who are less
> > proficient. But to make them change the word order and shift tenses
> > requires a lot of drilling and consumes a large portion of valuable
> > classroom time. It often results in frustration: 'why should we bother
> > about that when people understand us anyway?' (the perennial issue of
> > fluency against accuracy especially in the view of the 'globalisation'
> > of the 'English' language). What is more, in real-life situations we
> > sum up and report the gist of what someone has said rather than
> > reporting word by word. I also have the impression that people often
> > imply inverted commas by the tone of their voice or (signal them with
> > their hands) and just repeat the exact words (if they remember them).
> >
> > So is it the right approach to teach and drill students the rules and
> > tell them they can bend and break them only when they have mastered
> > them well?
> >
> > And the last point: reporting things which are still or always true
> > such as: It was Heraclites who said there IS (not was) nothing
> > permanent except change.
> >
> > I look forward to hearing how you handle these 'issues'.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Branka
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> Dennis Newson (retired)
> University of Osnabrück
> GERMANY
> Webhead,
> Discussion Moderator IATEFL YL SIG
> Moderator of a number of other TEFL e-lists
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>