Session 41
August 15, 2026 · Intermediate
- Reported speech (backshift: will→would, can→could)
- a patient complaint
- heat & dehydration
- lunch vs launch
1 Corrections
How you said it, the natural version, and why. These are your own sentences.
How you said it
He told me that I needed to finish the project 8 PM.
The natural version
…finish the project by 8 PM.
Use by for a deadline — "by 8 PM," "by Friday."
How you said it
I need favor.
The natural version
I need a favor.
Favor is countable here — "a favor," "do me a favor."
How you said it
I asked them did you have any problem with us?
The natural version
I asked them if they had any problem with us.
In a reported question, use if / whether + subject + verb (statement order) and backshift the verb — not the question form.
How you said it
I'm sunstroke.
The natural version
I have sunstroke (I got sunstroke).
Sunstroke is a condition (a noun) — you have or get it. You can't "be sunstroke."
How you said it
It was a nerval problem.
The natural version
It was a nerve problem (a neurological one).
"Nerval" isn't a word — say a nerve problem or neurological.
How you said it
When I reached to the hospital…
The natural version
When I reached the hospital…
Reach takes no preposition — you reach a place directly (reach the hospital, reach Yabroud). (Use "arrive at / in" if you prefer "arrive.")
1b Already right
These needed no correction at all.
He said he had lost his passport while he was traveling through Europe the month before.
Excellent reported speech — "lost" → had lost, and "last month" → the month before.
2 Grammar tips
Reported questions
Use if / whether + subject + verb (statement order) — not the question form.
I asked if they had a problem (not "did you have").
Reported speech: will → would, can → could
Modals step back too.
"I will travel" → he would travel; "I can finish" → he could finish.
reach + a place (no "to")
reach is followed directly by the place.
I reached the hospital / I reached Yabroud.
Reported speech: change time & place words
Shift the time/place to the reporter's point of view.
tomorrow → the next day; next Monday → the Monday after; last month → the month before; this → that.
say vs tell
tell + someone (tell me); say (that)… with no person.
He told me… / He said (that)…
Reported speech: backshift the tense
Move the verb one step back: present → past, past → past perfect.
"I am looking" → he was looking; "we finished" → we had finished.
by + a deadline
Use by for the latest time something must happen.
Finish it by 8 PM / by Friday.
3 New words and phrases
4 Pronunciation
- ·lunch vs launchlunch = "uh" (food); launch = "aw" (to start). Different vowel!
5 Practice sentences
01When I reached the hospital, I found his family waiting for me in my office.
02The patient began to vomit, and sadly it became a known complication.
03The family was angry and threatened to file a complaint with the ministry of health.
04I told them that our fees aren't related to the results.
05I asked them if they had any problem with our service.
06He told me that he would file a complaint the next day.
07The director said they had already signed the contract with the new suppliers.
08In the summer heat, many patients arrive dehydrated, with very low electrolytes.
09After an hour under the sun, I got sunstroke and felt completely exhausted.
10You need to finish this project by 8 PM — are you up to it?
11We're going to launch the new clinic software next Monday — that's launch, not lunch!
12Many students don't attend their lectures, even from an average neurosurgeon.
6 Model sentences
Read these out loud three times.
He told me that I needed to finish the project by 8 PM.
Ahmad told me that he was looking for a new job in the tech industry.
The director said they had already signed the contract.
He said he had lost his passport while he was traveling through Europe the month before.
They told us their company would launch a new application the Monday after.
The family threatened to file a complaint, but it was a known complication.
In this heat, drink water before you get thirsty, dehydrated, or worse — sunstroke.
Are you up to the challenge, or is the case too mentally exhausting?
7 Mini-dialogue
- A
You look mentally exhausted. What happened?
- B
A hard case. The patient began to vomit, and it became a known complication.
- A
I'm sorry. How was the family?
- B
Angry. They told me they were going to file a complaint with the ministry.
- A
Did you explain the situation?
- B
Yes. I asked them if they had any problem with our service, and I said our fees aren't related to the results.
- A
That was brave. Are you up to all this pressure?
- B
It happens to the best of us. I'm up to it.
Read A, say B's line yourself, then check.
8 Homework
- Reported speech: Change these to reported speech — "I will call you tomorrow," "We have finished the report," "I can help you today." (Remember will→would, have→had, can→could.)
- Time words: Rewrite with backshift — "I'm traveling tomorrow" → "He said he was traveling…"; do the same for "next Monday" and "last month."
- Speaking: Say these words out loud three times each and record yourself — neurosurgeon, dehydrated, electrolytes, complication, conference.
- Word pair: Write 2 sentences with launch and 2 with lunch so you never confuse them again.
- Writing: Report a real conversation you had this week in 6 sentences, using "he told me…" and "she said that…".
- Vocabulary: Use thirsty, dehydrated, and sunstroke correctly in three sentences about hot weather.
9 Self-check
The big topic was reported speech. I now remember to backshift: "will" becomes "would," "can" becomes "could," and "tomorrow" becomes "the next day." I also use "tell someone" but "say that."
Two small but useful fixes: I "reach the hospital" (no "to"), and I "have sunstroke," not "I'm sunstroke." And it's "a favor," with the article.
One thing I want to master: not confusing launch (to start something) with lunch (the meal). And I'd like more practice reporting questions with "if" and "whether."