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Abortion rights activists rally outside the Supreme Court, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Key moments in the Supreme Court’s latest abortion case that could change how women get care

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FILE - A man carries a Free TikTok sign in front of the courthouse where the hush-money trial of Donald Trump got underway April 15, 2024, in New York. The House has passed legislation Saturday, April 20, to ban TikTok in the U.S. if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake, sending it to the Senate as part of a larger package of bills that would send aid to Ukraine and Israel. House Republicans’ decision to add the TikTok bill to the foreign aid package fast-tracked the legislation after it had stalled in the Senate. The aid bill is a priority for President Joe Biden that has broad congressional support. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

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• English Grammar
• Reported Speech

Reported Speech - Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

Reported speech or indirect speech is the form of speech used to convey what was said by someone at some point of time. This article will help you with all that you need to know about reported speech, its meaning, definition, how and when to use them along with examples. Furthermore, try out the practice questions given to check how far you have understood the topic.

Table of Contents

Definition of reported speech, rules to be followed when using reported speech, table 1 – change of pronouns, table 2 – change of adverbs of place and adverbs of time, table 3 – change of tense, table 4 – change of modal verbs, tips to practise reported speech, examples of reported speech, check your understanding of reported speech, frequently asked questions on reported speech in english, what is reported speech.

Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message.

Now, take a look at the following dictionary definitions for a clearer idea of what it is.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

Reported speech is a little different from direct speech . As it has been discussed already, reported speech is used to tell what someone said and does not use the exact words of the speaker. Take a look at the following rules so that you can make use of reported speech effectively.

• The first thing you have to keep in mind is that you need not use any quotation marks as you are not using the exact words of the speaker.
• You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech.
• You can use verbs like said, asked, requested, ordered, complained, exclaimed, screamed, told, etc. If you are just reporting a declarative sentence , you can use verbs like told, said, etc. followed by ‘that’ and end the sentence with a full stop . When you are reporting interrogative sentences, you can use the verbs – enquired, inquired, asked, etc. and remove the question mark . In case you are reporting imperative sentences , you can use verbs like requested, commanded, pleaded, ordered, etc. If you are reporting exclamatory sentences , you can use the verb exclaimed and remove the exclamation mark . Remember that the structure of the sentences also changes accordingly.
• Furthermore, keep in mind that the sentence structure , tense , pronouns , modal verbs , some specific adverbs of place and adverbs of time change when a sentence is transformed into indirect/reported speech.

Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech

As discussed earlier, when transforming a sentence from direct speech into reported speech, you will have to change the pronouns, tense and adverbs of time and place used by the speaker. Let us look at the following tables to see how they work.

Here are some tips you can follow to become a pro in using reported speech.

• Select a play, a drama or a short story with dialogues and try transforming the sentences in direct speech into reported speech.
• Write about an incident or speak about a day in your life using reported speech.
• Develop a story by following prompts or on your own using reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written. Check them out.

• Santana said that she would be auditioning for the lead role in Funny Girl.
• Blaine requested us to help him with the algebraic equations.
• Karishma asked me if I knew where her car keys were.
• The judges announced that the Warblers were the winners of the annual acapella competition.
• Binsha assured that she would reach Bangalore by 8 p.m.
• Kumar said that he had gone to the doctor the previous day.
• Lakshmi asked Teena if she would accompany her to the railway station.
• Jibin told me that he would help me out after lunch.
• The police ordered everyone to leave from the bus stop immediately.
• Rahul said that he was drawing a caricature.

Transform the following sentences into reported speech by making the necessary changes.

1. Rachel said, “I have an interview tomorrow.”

2. Mahesh said, “What is he doing?”

3. Sherly said, “My daughter is playing the lead role in the skit.”

4. Dinesh said, “It is a wonderful movie!”

5. Suresh said, “My son is getting married next month.”

6. Preetha said, “Can you please help me with the invitations?”

7. Anna said, “I look forward to meeting you.”

8. The teacher said, “Make sure you complete the homework before tomorrow.”

9. Sylvester said, “I am not going to cry anymore.”

10. Jade said, “My sister is moving to Los Angeles.”

Now, find out if you have answered all of them correctly.

1. Rachel said that she had an interview the next day.

2. Mahesh asked what he was doing.

3. Sherly said that her daughter was playing the lead role in the skit.

4. Dinesh exclaimed that it was a wonderful movie.

5. Suresh said that his son was getting married the following month.

6. Preetha asked if I could help her with the invitations.

7. Anna said that she looked forward to meeting me.

8. The teacher told us to make sure we completed the homework before the next day.

9. Sylvester said that he was not going to cry anymore.

10. Jade said that his sister was moving to Los Angeles.

What is reported speech?

What is the definition of reported speech.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

What is the formula of reported speech?

You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech. Subject said that (report whatever the speaker said)

Give some examples of reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written.

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• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: reporting verbs

Do you know how to tell someone what another person said using reporting verbs? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how reporting verbs are used.

direct speech: 'You should come, it's going to be a lot of fun,' she said. indirect speech: She persuaded me to come. direct speech: 'Wait here,' he said. indirect speech: He told us to wait there. direct speech: 'It wasn't me who finished the coffee,' he said. indirect speech: He denied finishing the coffee.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Reported speech 3 – reporting verbs: 1

Grammar explanation

When we tell someone what another person said, we often use the verbs say , tell or ask . These are called 'reporting verbs'. However, we can also use other reporting verbs. Many reporting verbs can be followed by another verb in either an infinitive or an -ing form. 

Reporting verb + infinitive

Verbs like advise , agree , challenge , claim , decide , demand , encourage , invite , offer , persuade , promise , refuse and remind can follow an infinitive pattern.

'Let's see. I'll have the risotto, please.' He decided to have the risotto. 'I'll do the report by Friday, for sure.' She promised to do the report by Friday. 'It's not a good idea to write your passwords down.' They advised us not to write our passwords down.

We can also use an infinitive to report imperatives, with a reporting verb like tell , order , instruct , direct or warn .

'Please wait for me in reception.' The guide told us to wait for her in reception. 'Don't go in there!' The police officer warned us not to go in there.

Reporting verb + -ing form

Verbs like admit , apologise for , complain about , deny , insist on , mention and suggest can follow an -ing form pattern.

'I broke the window.' She admitted breaking the window. 'I'm really sorry I didn't get back to you sooner.' He apologised for not getting back to me sooner. 'Let's take a break.' She suggested taking a break.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Reported speech 3 – reporting verbs: 2

Language level

Would you consider the following structure to be reported speech?

The original sentence went as follows:

- After the procedure the doctors confirmed it was the right thing to have done.

Why am I asking? As far as I know the top notch phrasing should go like this:

- After the procedure the doctors confirmed it HAD BEEN the right thing to have done.

I think so because at that time the doctors must have said something like:

- Doctors confirming after the procedure - It was the right thing to have done, Dominik.

Would you be so kind to comment on this one, please :)

• Log in or register to post comments

Hello Dominik992,

The version that you propose is correct, and, as you mention, is what is taught as best practice in most grammars.

The other version is also fine, however. Especially in more informal speaking and writing, we often use a past simple form when a past perfect form doesn't add any additional or important meaning.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hello! I would like to know whether this two sentences are correct. I think they are both correct, but I am not sure.

"He apologized for letting me down." Or: "He apologized for having let me down"

Thank you in advance! GabDip

Hello GabDip,

Yes, both sentences are correct. There is a slight difference in meaning:

Sentence 1 ( for letting ) could be about a particular situation or it could be about his general habit of being unreliable.

Sentence 2 ( for having let ) describes an issue in the past which is not true any more.

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello, i have 2 questions, firstly is the same use advise with verb + object + infinitive that use it with + gerund, it changes the meaning or no? secondly, when we use warn + object + infinitive it has the same meaning that warn somebody against?

Hi facundo62,

For  advise , the meaning is the same with those two structures. For example:

• I'd advise resting as much as you can.
• I'd advise you to rest as much as you can.

However, the structure  advise  + - ing form is less commonly used than the advise + object + to + infinitive structure. 

About  warn , the two structures you mentioned do also have the same meaning. But just to be clear, it's  warn  + object + not + to  + infinitive that has that meaning. For example:

• The doctor warned me not to eat too much.
• The doctor warned me against eating too much.

I hope that helps.

LearnEnglish team

what is the diffrence beetween he suggested to ask andi for some ideas and he suggested asking andi for ideas

"He suggested to ask ..." is not grammatically correct. 

The verb "suggest" is followed by either:

• an - ing  verb form -->  He suggested asking ...  OR
• a  that  clause -->  He suggested  that we ask   ...

"Suggest" is not in the group of verbs that is followed by an infinitive ( to  + verb).

it helped alot thanks

Why can't we say "Katie suggested us going for a walk" but instead should say "KATIE SUGGESTED THAT WE GO FOR A WALK" whilst "The man warned us not to park in this street" is correct. It's unclear why "She suggested us" isn't correct but "The man warned us...." is.

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108 arrested at pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University

Over 100 people were arrested and issued summonses for trespass — including Rep. Ilhan Omar ’s daughter — after protesters set up an encampment at New York’s Columbia University in support of Gaza, police said.

The demonstrators occupied the space on the university's South Lawn for 30 hours, Mayor Eric Adams said after the arrests Thursday. Columbia asked the NYPD for help and said the students had been suspended and were refusing to leave, police said.

“Columbia University’s students have a proud history of protests and raising their voices,” Adams said, but he said that they don’t have the right to violate university policies.

“We will not be a city of lawlessness,” Adams said.

Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, 21, who attends neighboring Barnard College in Manhattan, said on social media platform X that she was suspended for “standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide,” along with at least two other students.

Hirsi, an organizer with a student group that advocates for Palestinians, said this was her first time being punished as a student activist in her three years at the New York City school. 

"Those of us in Gaza Solidarity Encampment will not be intimidated,” she wrote.

More than 108 were arrested and given summonses for trespass, including Hirsi, police said. Two of those people were also charged with obstruction of governmental administration, according to authorities.

The students that were arrested were peaceful, did not resist “and saying what they wanted to say in a peaceful manner,” NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said.

But around 500 other students left class and surrounded the quad “and were telling us that we’re the KKK,” among other insults, Caban said. Video from the scene obtained by NBC News shows crowds chanting “shame on you!” but does not capture the entire incident.

Columbia University’s president, Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, said in a memo to police earlier Thursday that more than 100 people were occupying the area.

"I have determined that the encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University," the memo said.

Shafik said the demonstrators were trespassing, refusing to disperse and damaging campus property, among other violations.

In a statement Thursday, Shafik said she authorized police to clear the encampment “out of an abundance of concern” for safety on campus. 

By late Thursday afternoon, police had disassembled the original tent encampment, but protesters were beginning to build a new one on an adjacent lawn.

"Columbia is committed to allowing members of our community to engage in political expression — within established rules and with respect for the safety of all," the memo said.

Barnard said its staff identified its students who were at the encampment Wednesday and told them to leave or face sanctions. Those still there Thursday morning were placed on interim suspension, the university said . The camp was set up during the early morning hours of Wednesday, it said.

Barnard did not say how many students were suspended or confirm that Hirsi was among them. It did not say how long the suspension would last but said it would continue to suspend students who stay. 

“Now and always, we prioritize our students’ learning and living in an inclusive environment free from harassment,” the school said in a memo about the suspensions.

Hirsi could not be immediately reached for comment. 

Omar did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Democrat, who represents Minnesota, is a Somali refugee who made history as one of the first two Muslim American women elected to Congress.

On Wednesday, Omar questioned Shafik about protests on campus during a congressional hearing in which Shafik strongly denounced antisemitism.

Omar told Shafik she was "appalled" to learn that Columbia suspended six students this month for their involvement in a pro-Palestinian panel event on campus.

“There has been a recent attack on the democratic rights of students across the country," Omar said.

At a news conference by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine held outside Columbia University President Minouche Shafik's residence, student Layla Saliba condemned the clearing of the camp.

"What happened today at Columbia University was an act of violence towards Arab, Muslim, Palestinian students, Jewish students and just anybody who supports Palestinian liberation,” she said.

Saliba, in the school of social work, and others criticized Shafik, including for her testimony before Congress Wednesday. The arrests are part of an effort on campus to attack those with pro-Palestinian views, she said.

Tensions over free speech have erupted on some U.S. college campuses since the war between Hamas and Israel started in October.

This week, the University of Southern California canceled a Muslim student's valedictorian speech out of security concerns. Last week, a University of California, Berkeley, professor  confronted a Muslim student  during a dinner for graduating law students.

Melissa Chan is a reporter for NBC News Digital with a focus on veterans’ issues, mental health in the military and gun violence.

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.

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Donald Trump’s rally speech in Wisconsin examined

By CHRISTINA ANAGNOSTOPOULOS , SOFIA PAREDES and SEANA DAVIS

Filed April 20, 2024, 10 a.m. GMT

Reuters examined 11 statements made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at his rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 2. While Reuters monitored the 58-minute speech in its entirety, the news agency did not examine opinions, rhetorical or direct questions, anonymous sourcing and information that could not be independently verified.

The statements are listed in chronological order with the timestamps in Central Daylight Time (CDT).

CLAIM  17:09 CDT

Trump says he won Wisconsin by “a lot,” referring to the 2020 presidential election

WHAT WE KNOW

This is false. Joe Biden won the state of Wisconsin in the 2020 presidential election with 49.4% of the vote over Trump’s 48.8%.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to take up a case by Trump challenging the election results.

CLAIM  17:11 CDT

Trump says Biden declared Easter Sunday to be Transgender Visibility Day

This is misleading. Biden made public remarks about Transgender Day of Visibility, but he did not say Easter Sunday would become Trans Visibility Day.

Transgender Day of Visibility has been celebrated on March 31 for 14 years, according to the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD . It happened to be the same day as Easter Sunday in 2024. Read more.

CLAIM  17:12 CDT

While talking about crime during the Biden administration, Trump says crime in Venezuela is down by 67%

The source of the 67% figure is unclear. A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a Reuters request for the data supporting the figure.

According to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory , a Caracas-based research organization, violent deaths declined 25% last year from 2022.

CLAIM  17:18 CDT (again at 17:37-17:39 and 17:45 CDT)

Trump repeats his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen or illegitimate

This is false. State governments, courts and members of Trump’s administration have repeatedly rejected the former president’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen .

Federal and state judges have dismissed more than 50 lawsuits alleging election fraud or other irregularities related to the 2020 presidential election brought by Trump or his allies. Read more .

CLAIM  17:19 CDT

Trump quotes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as saying, “The only way you’re going to clean up this world is if Trump becomes president again”

This is in line with past statements Hungary’s nationalist prime minister has made about Trump. Orban said in a meeting with the former president in Florida last month that only Trump could bring peace to Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.

“We need leaders in the world who are respected and can bring peace. He is one of them! Come back and bring us peace, Mr. President!,” Orban said in a post on X after that meeting.

CLAIM  17:26 CDT

Trump says he built 571 miles of border wall. He did not specify which land border but since 2016 he has campaigned for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

This is not accurate. The Trump administration completed around 458 miles of barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to January 2021 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

The majority were barriers that were built during previous administrations and replaced during Trump’s tenure. In areas where no structures existed prior to Trump taking office in January 2017, his administration constructed a total of 52 miles of primary wall.

A January 2021 CBP report obtained by Factcheck.org shows 33 miles of new secondary wall were built during Trump’s tenure.

CLAIM  17:27 CDT

Trump says illegal immigration into the U.S. fell to its lowest point “in history” during his presidency

This is mostly true, based on available government data.

During Trump’s administration, the number of apprehensions by the U.S. Border Patrol at the southwest border (an indicator of attempts of illegal border crossings) for a single month fell to their lowest point on record in April 2017, according to monthly CBP data that goes back to fiscal year 2000 .

CBP has yearly data for nationwide apprehensions by all land, air and sea routes since fiscal year 1925.

Going by these figures, Trump’s aren’t the lowest on record but they are the lowest in over four decades. In fiscal year 1971, during Richard Nixon’s administration, total apprehensions dipped to 302,517, which is below Trump’s lowest tally of 310,531 in fiscal year 2017.

CLAIM  17:30 CDT

Trump says wages rose during his presidency without any inflation

Nationwide wages rose 3.1% during Trump’s presidency, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Cost Index inflation-adjusted constant dollar estimates.

Inflation was not at zero, but it was lower than during the Biden administration.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) during the Trump administration varied from a high of 2.9% in July 2018 to a low of 0.2% in May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic’s first wave.

It is true that inflation significantly increased during Biden’s tenure; it stood at 1.4% when he took office and rose to 9% in June 2022, following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Inflation rates have remained below 3.6% since October 2023.

CLAIM  17:34 CDT

The U.S. has more oil and gas than any country in the world

Venezuela has the largest proven crude oil reserves as of 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) while Russia has the largest natural gas reserves, per the International Energy Agency.

As for recoverable oil resources, the expected amounts in existing fields, Saudi Arabia leads the way followed by the U.S. and Russia, according to a 2023 report by oil analysts Rystad Energy.

In terms of production, the U.S. became the world’s largest crude oil producer in 2018 during Trump’s presidency and has remained the top producer since.

The U.S. is also the top producer of natural gas. Since 2017, U.S. natural gas exports have exceeded imports. The latest rankings available (2022) from the EIA show the U.S. produces more energy from petroleum and other liquids than any other country.

The U.S. oil and gas industry has also boomed under Biden’s presidency by almost all metrics, even if he has pushed to transition the economy toward a greener future, hitting record levels of crude oil production in 2023. Read more.

CLAIM  17:36-17:37 CDT

Talking about immigration, Trump says that under the Biden administration, the U.S. has taken in “at least 15 million people”

It’s not clear what Trump meant by the U.S. having “taken in” 15 million people. While it is true that the number of encounters reported by the CBP at the U.S.-Mexico border reached record levels during the Biden administration, it isn’t 15 million.

CBP data compiled between January 2021 and February 2024 show 7,522,711 encounters at the southwest land border.

In terms of nationwide encounters , CBP registered 9,139,037 encounters between January 2021 and February 2024.

Encounter figures include data for Title 8 apprehensions and inadmissibles . This policy grants some migrants the chance to seek asylum in the U.S. or be processed for deportation.

Between March 2020 and May 2023, encounters also included expulsions under the now-expired Title 42 , a COVID-era restriction that allowed border agents to quickly expel migrants without allowing them to seek asylum.

CLAIM  17:50-17:51 CDT

Trump says he was the first president in decades who started no new wars

Defining wars can be difficult. If we consider the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, Trump joins former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower in not having officially brought the U.S. into a new war since 1945.

Trump’s tenure, however, did involve military hostilities overseas and the threat of new ones. The Pentagon said Trump ordered a 2020 drone strike in Iraq that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani , triggering Iranian retaliation that threatened to spiral into open conflict, but did not.

The United States in 2017 launched a missile attack on a Syrian army airbase, marking an escalation of the U.S. military’s role in Syria.

Trump threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea in 2017 but eventually de-escalated tension with Pyongyang.

A Trump spokesperson did not respond to several requests for comment about the statements examined.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.

By Christina Anagnostopoulos, Sofia Paredes and Seana Davis

Photo editing: Corinne Perkins

Art direction: John Emerson

Edited by Stephanie Burnett, Suzanne Goldenberg and Christine Soares

• Follow Reuters Investigates

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USC cancels appearance by director Jon Chu, others amid valedictorian controversy

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USC called off an appearance from director Jon M. Chu and other commencement honorees in the wake of growing controversy over its decision to cancel valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s graduation speech amid security concerns, the university announced Friday .

In a letter posted on its website, the university wrote that “given the highly publicized circumstances surrounding our main-stage commencement program,” it made the decision to “release our outside speakers and honorees from attending this year’s ceremony.”

“We’ve been talking to this exceptional group and hope to confer these honorary degrees at a future commencement or other academic ceremonies,” the unsigned letter said.

USC valedictorian’s grad speech is canceled: ‘The university has betrayed me’

Asna Tabassum was selected as USC valedictorian and offered a slot to speak at graduation. The university canceled her speech after pro-Israel groups criticized her Instagram.

April 16, 2024

In March, the university announced that Chu, a USC alumnus and director of “Crazy Rich Asians,” would deliver the May 10 commencement speech at its main ceremony, which draws over 65,000 attendees.

Along with Chu, tennis legend Billie Jean King, National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson and National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt were set to receive honorary degrees.

King will still be the keynote speaker for the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s satellite ceremony.

The university cited unspecified security threats in canceling the traditional valedictorian speech by Tabassum after pro-Israel groups launched a campaign against her because she posted a link on Instagram to a pro-Palestinian website criticizing Israel. The link contained content the groups considered antisemitic.

But in Friday’s round of cancellations, USC did not indicate there was any safety issue. Instead, it said it wanted to “keep the focus on our graduates.” There did not appear to be wide backlash against Chu, King or others.

USC declined to offer an interview about the unraveling commencement with President Carol Folt, who a representative earlier this week said had the “final decision” on the Tabassum cancellation and security matters.

Erroll Southers, the university’s associate senior vice president of safety and risk assurance, also declined to comment Friday.

Representatives for Chu and King did not respond to requests for comment. Jackson did not reply to a phone call and text message. McNutt did not reply to an email.

On Friday afternoon, graduating seniors posed for photos in their caps and gowns by the Tommy Trojan statue in the center of campus as other students walked about. Many said they were surprised and confused by the news.

Franco Gutierrez, a USC junior, called the move “awful” and “heartbreaking.”

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“It’s ridiculous,” said a recent graduate — who did not give her name — as she walked on campus with enrolled students.

Christina Dunbar-Hester, a professor of communication, said in an email that “administrators have already embarrassed USC considerably and they owe Asna and the entire campus community an apology.”

“Many including myself are hoping to hear a fuller explication (including details about security concerns) and a path forward from our President, Carol Folt,” said Dunbar-Hester, who is the acting president of the American Assn. of University Professors USC chapter.

Friday’s move capped a week of intense debate over USC’s cancellation of Tabassum’s speech that included a campus protest that hundreds attended Thursday and criticism of USC by civil rights groups and politicians, including Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

The saga began Monday, when USC Provost Andrew T. Guzman released a campus-wide letter citing unnamed threats that poured in shortly after the university announced Tabassum as valedictorian and scheduled speaker. Guzman said attacks against the student had reached an “alarming tenor” and “escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.”

The complaints focused on a link on Tabassum’s Instagram profile to a pro-Palestinian website that said, “Zionism is a racist settler-colonialist ideology,” and “One Palestinian state would mean Palestinian liberation and the complete abolishment of the state of Israel” so that “both Arabs and Jews can live together.”

Guzman did not indicate what the threats were or against whom they were directed. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department, Capt. Kelly Muniz, told The Times the agency had no crime reports regarding violent threats targeting Tabassum or the commencement ceremony.

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“The university has betrayed me and caved in to a campaign of hatred,” Tabassum said.

On Friday, Tabassum — who still plans to attend graduation — declined to comment on the additional cancellations.

Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.

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Angie Orellana Hernandez is a 2023-24 reporting fellow at the Los Angeles Times. She previously worked at The Times as an arts and entertainment intern. She graduated from USC, where she studied journalism and Spanish. Prior to joining The Times, she covered entertainment, as well as human interest, legal and crime stories at E! News. Her writing can also be found in USA Today, the Boston Globe, CNN and KCRA3.

Jaweed Kaleem is a national correspondent at the Los Angeles Times. Based in L.A. with a focus on issues outside of California, he has traveled to dozens of states to cover news and deeply reported features on the complexity of the American experience. His articles frequently explore race, religion, politics, social debates and polarized society. Kaleem was previously based in London, where he was a lead news writer on Russia’s war on Ukraine and spearheaded European coverage for the Times, including the Global California initiative. Before joining The Times in 2016, he reported on religion for HuffPost and the Miami Herald, where he was a member of a Pulitzer Prize finalist team recognized for coverage of Haiti. His reporting has also received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Society for Features Journalism, the Asian American Journalists Assn., the South Asian Journalists Assn. and the National Headliner Awards.

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Breaking News English Lesson: Mosquito Bites

Home     |     help this site, mosquitoes bite some people more than others    (11th august, 2022).

• 27-page lesson  (40 exercises)
• 2-page MINI lesson
• All 4 graded readings
• North American & British English
• 20 questions
• Listen & spell
• 3-speed reading
• Text jumble
• The / An / A
• Prepositions
• Missing letters
• Initials only
• Missing words

The Reading / Listening - Mosquito Bites - Level 3

Why are some people bitten by mosquitoes more than other people? A website has discovered some answers to this question. Researchers from the site Medical News Today (MNT) looked into what parts of us mosquitoes like. They found out some interesting things. A professor of public health, Dr Jagdish Khubchandani, told MNT what he thought mosquitoes liked. He said: "Studies suggest that pregnant women, people with high body temperature and sweat…and those with darker skin could be [bigger targets]." Blood type could be another factor. Studies found that mosquitoes are not so attracted to people with blood group A. However, they find people with blood group O a little tastier. Medical News Today reported that there are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes worldwide. Only a fraction of these bite people. Only the females of the species bite. They need blood to provide protein for their eggs. Mosquito bites are an annoyance for most people. The bite becomes itchy and can swell. However, millions of people have died from the diseases mosquitoes spread. These include malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, yellow fever and Zika, among others. To avoid getting bitten, it is best to cover your skin with clothing. It is also a good idea to use insect repellent (day and night, indoors and outdoors) on any exposed skin. Sleeping under a mosquito net can also reduce the chances of being bitten.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

     Mosquito Bites - Level 0 ,  Mosquito Bites - Level 1   or  Mosquito Bites - Level 2

• https://www. medicalnewstoday.com /articles/why-do-mosquitoes-always-bite-me#Avoiding-the-bites
• https://www. cnet.com /health/are-some-people-more-prone-to-mosquito-bites-than-others/
• https://www. gov.uk /government/publications/mosquito-bite-avoidance-for-travellers/mosquito-bite-avoidance-advice-for-travellers--2

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities, and more.

Take a look...

"Much has been said and written on the utility of newspapers; but one principal advantage which might be derived from these publications has been neglected; we mean that of reading them in schools." The Portland Eastern Herald (June 8, 1795)

"News is history in its first and best form, its vivid and fascinating form, and...history is the pale and tranquil reflection of it." Mark Twain, in his autobiography (1906)

"Current events provide authentic learning experiences for students at all grade levels.... In studying current events, students are required to use a range of cognitive, affective, critical thinking and research skills." Haas, M. and Laughlin, M. (2000) Teaching Current Events: It's Status in Social Studies Today.

• E-mail this to a friend

--> 1. MOSQUITO BITES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about mosquito bites. Change partners often and share your findings. 2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?        mosquitoes / website / public health / interesting / pregnant / body / temperature /        worldwide / fraction / bite / protein / annoyance / itchy / malaria / skin / insect / skin Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently. 3. UNNCESSARY: Students A strongly believe mosquitoes are unnecessary; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations. 4. BITES AND STINGS: What do you know about these bites and stings? How should we treat them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.   What I Know Treatment Mosquito bites     Bee stings     Hornet stings     Scorpion stings     Bedbug bites     Spider bites     MY e-BOOK See a sample 5. BITE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "bite". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories. 6. BUGS: Rank these with your partner. Put the most worst bugs at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings. Mosquitoes Cockroaches Stink bugs Flies Centipedes Slugs Spiders Moths   Vocabulary     Paragraph 1       1. discovered a. Of a woman with a baby growing inside her.       2. public b. Became aware of a fact or situation.       3. pregnant c. How hot or cold something is.       4. temperature d. The water that comes out of our skin when we are hot, exercise or have a fever.       5. sweat e. About all of the people in a country.       6. factor f. Caused to come to a place or join something because of something nice.       7. attracted g. Something that is one reason for another thing happening.     Paragraph 2       8. species h. A small or tiny part of something.       9. fraction i. Being uncomfortable enough that you want to scratch your skin to make the feeling go away.       10. protein j. A group of living things that are all in the same group of animal, insect, fish, etc.       11. annoyance k. The thing in meat, fish and other food that help to give us bigger muscles.       12. itchy l. Keep away from.       13. avoid m. Something that makes us a little angry.       14. skin n. The outer layer of tissue that covers our whole body.   Before reading / listening 1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F). A mosquito website found out why mosquitoes like different people.      T / F Mosquitoes like to sting people with a high body temperature.      T / F Lighter-skinned people get bitten more than darker-skinned people.      T / F Mosquitoes like people with blood group A the best.      T / F Most species of mosquito do not bite.      T / F Only male mosquitoes bite us.     T / F Mosquitoes spread Zika virus.      T / F The article says we should wear insect repellant indoors.      T / F 2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article. discovered like studies target tastier worldwide provide annoyance insect chances research nuisance more delicious prey give bug found likelihood (be) fond of globally 3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.) discovered some answers pregnant those with darker mosquitoes are not so attracted to people they find people with blood group O there are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes Only a fraction Mosquito bites are an diseases mosquitoes reduce the chances skin a little tastier of being bitten of these bite people to this question annoyance spread with blood group A women worldwide Gap fill Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below. skin answers tastier health attracted other pregnant parts

Why are some people bitten by mosquitoes more than (1) _____________________ people? A website has discovered some (2) _____________________ to this question. Researchers from the site Medical News Today (MNT) looked into what (3) _____________________ of us mosquitoes like. They found out some interesting things. A professor of public (4) _____________________, Dr Jagdish Khubchandani, told MNT what he thought mosquitoes liked. He said: "Studies suggest that (5) _____________________ women, people with high body temperature and sweat...and those with darker (6) _____________________ could be [bigger targets]." Blood type could be another factor. Studies found that mosquitoes are not so (7) _____________________ to people with blood group A. However, they find people with blood group O a little (8) _____________________.

females malaria chances worldwide itchy insect fraction avoid

Medical News Today reported that there are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes (9) ___________________. Only a (10) _____________________ of these bite people. Only the (11) _____________________ of the species bite. They need blood to provide protein for their eggs. Mosquito bites are an annoyance for most people. The bite becomes (12) _____________________ and can swell. However, millions of people have died from the diseases mosquitoes spread. These include (13) _____________________, dengue fever, West Nile virus, yellow fever and Zika, among others. To (14) _____________________ getting bitten, it is best to cover your skin with clothing. It is also a good idea to use (15) _____________________ repellent (day and night, indoors and outdoors) on any exposed skin. Sleeping under a mosquito net can also reduce the (16) _____________________ of being bitten.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) A website has discovered some answers ______      a.  to this quest on      b.  too this question      c.  to these question      d.  to this question 2)  Dr Jagdish Khubchandani told MNT what he ______      a.  thought mosquitoes alike      b.  thought mosquitoes liked      c.  thought mosquitoes liken      d.  thought mosquitoes licked 3)  pregnant women, people with high body ______      a.  temperature and sweat      b.  temperature end sweet      c.  temperature end sweat      d.  temperature and wets 4)  Studies found that mosquitoes are not so attracted to people with ______      a.  bloods group A      b.  blooded group A      c.  brood group A      d.  blood group A 5)  However, they find people with blood group O ______      a.  a little taste tier      b.  a little taster      c.  a little tastier      d.  a little Taser

6)  Medical News Today reported that there are over 3,500 species ______      a.  of mosquitoes world widen      b.  of mosquitoes world wider      c.  of mosquitoes worldwide      d.  of mosquitoes world weed 7)  Only the females of ______      a.  the species biter      b.  the species bite      c.  the species bites      d.  the species byte 8)  The bite becomes itchy ______      a.  and can swell      b.  and can swill      c.  and can swirl      d.  and can swollen 9)  It is also a good idea to ______      a.  use insect ripper lent      b.  use insect repellent      c.  use insect reap pedant      d.  use insect repel lent 10)  Sleeping under a mosquito net can also reduce the chances ______      a.  of been bitten      b.  of be in bitten      c.  off bean bitten      d.  of being bitten

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Why are some (1) ____________________ mosquitoes more than other people? A website has discovered some answers to this question. Researchers (2) ____________________ Medical News Today (MNT) looked into what parts of us mosquitoes like. They (3) ____________________ interesting things. A professor of public health, Dr Jagdish Khubchandani, told MNT what he thought mosquitoes liked. He said: "Studies (4) ____________________ women, people with high body temperature and sweat...and those with (5) ____________________ be [bigger targets]." Blood type could be another factor. Studies found that mosquitoes are not so attracted to people with blood group A. However, they find people with blood group O (6) ____________________.

Medical News Today reported (7) ____________________ over 3,500 species of mosquitoes worldwide. Only a (8) ____________________ bite people. Only the females of the species bite. They need blood to provide protein for their eggs. Mosquito bites are (9) ____________________ most people. The bite becomes itchy and can swell. However, millions of people have died from the diseases mosquitoes spread. (10) ____________________, dengue fever, West Nile virus, yellow fever and Zika, among others. To avoid getting bitten, it is best to cover your skin with clothing. It is also a good idea to (11) ____________________ (day and night, indoors and outdoors) on any exposed skin. Sleeping under a mosquito net can also (12) ____________________ of being bitten.

Comprehension questions

• What website found out some answers about mosquitoes?
• What is Dr Jagdish Khubchandani a professor of?
• What kind of women do mosquitoes like?
• What kind of skin do mosquitoes like?
• Which blood group do mosquitoes find the tastiest?
• How many different species of mosquito are there?
• What do female mosquitoes need blood for?
• What can mosquito bites do (besides swell up).
• What should people use day and night?
• What can people sleep under to cut the risks of being bitten?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What website found out some answers about mosquitoes? a) CNN b) Mosquito.com c) Medical News Today d) www.mosquito.bite 2) What is Dr Jagdish Khubchandani a professor of? a) public health b) a mosquito expert c) diseases d) viruses 3) What kind of women do mosquitoes like? a) older women b) pregnant women c) tall women d) younger women 4) What kind of skin do mosquitoes like? a) chicken skin b) leathery skin c) wrinkled skin d) darker skin 5) Which blood group do mosquitoes find the tastiest? a) A b) B c) O d) Z

6) How many different species of mosquito are there? a) exactly 3,500 b) over 3,500 c) just fewer than 3,500 d) around 3,500 7) What do female mosquitoes need blood for? a) their bites b) to fly c) to fight disease d) their eggs 8) What can mosquito bites do (besides swell up). a) spread b) itch c) hurt d) throb 9) What should people use day and night? a) a light b) insect repellent c) a death bat d) a newspaper 10) What can people sleep under to cut the risks of being bitten? a) a mosquito net b) the stars c) a neon light d) a thick blanket

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'mosquito' ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ and 'bite' . ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

• Share your findings with your partners.

• Make questions using the words you found.

• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

answers parts things women factor O worldwide blood itchy among idea reduce

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion - Mosquito Bites

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

• What did you think when you read the headline?
• What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'mosquito'?
• What do you think of mosquitoes?
• How do you feel when a mosquito buzzes around your ear?
• Why do mosquitoes like some people more than others?
• What do you do when a mosquito bites you?
• What is the purpose of mosquitoes?
• What three adjectives best describe mosquitoes?
• What do you now about mosquitoes?
• Why does blood group change the taste of blood?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

• Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
• What do you think of when you hear the word 'bite'?
• What do you think about what you read?
• What do you think of there being 3,500 species of mosquitoes?
• How annoying are mosquitoes?
• Are mosquitoes useful in any way?
• What do you do when a mosquito bite itches?
• What do you know about malaria?
• What do you think of insect repellent?
• What questions would you like to ask a mosquito expert?

Discussion — Write your own questions

(a) ________________ (b) ________________ (c) ________________ (d) ________________ (e) ________________

(f) ________________ (g) ________________ (h) ________________ (i) ________________ (j) ________________

Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

Why are some people bitten by mosquitoes more than (1) ____ people? A website has discovered some answers to this question. Researchers from the site Medical News Today (MNT) looked into what (2) ____ of us mosquitoes like. They found out some interesting things. A professor of public health, Dr Jagdish Khubchandani, told MNT what he (3) ____ mosquitoes liked. He said: "Studies suggest that pregnant women, people with high body temperature and (4) ____...and those with darker skin could be [bigger targets]." Blood type could (5) ____ another factor. Studies found that mosquitoes are not so (6) ____ to people with blood group A. However, they find people with blood group O a little tastier.

Medical News Today reported that there are over 3,500 species (7) ____ mosquitoes worldwide. Only a fraction of these bite people. Only the females of the species bite. They need blood to provide protein (8) ____ their eggs. Mosquito bites are an annoyance for most people. The bite becomes (9) ____ and can swell. However, millions of people have died from the diseases mosquitoes spread. These include malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, yellow fever and Zika, (10) ____ others. To avoid getting bitten, it is best to cover your (11) ____ with clothing. It is also a good idea to use insect repellent (day and night, indoors and outdoors) on any exposed skin. Sleeping under a mosquito net can also reduce the chances of (12) ____ bitten.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a)     other     (b)     others     (c)     the others     (d)     another     (a)     pert     (b)     ports     (c)     parts     (d)     port     (a)     thoughts     (b)     thinking     (c)     thought     (d)     think     (a)     swift     (b)     swathe     (c)     sweet     (d)     sweat     (a)     be     (b)     do     (c)     have     (d)     bite     (a)     attract     (b)     attracted     (c)     attraction     (d)     attractive     (a)     by     (b)     at     (c)     on     (d)     of     (a)     for     (b)     of     (c)     at     (d)     by     (a)     itches     (b)     itch     (c)     itchy     (d)     itching     (a)     simply     (b)     gathered     (c)     between     (d)     among     (a)     costs     (b)     share     (c)     bites     (d)     skin     (a)     been     (b)     being     (c)     is     (d)     be

Paragraph 1

• A sroeorfps of public health
• nargtepn women
• people with high body eetrarutepm
• those with darker skin could be bigger tegtras
• mosquitoes are not so tdtcreata
• people with dolob group A

Paragraph 2

• 3,500 peiscse of mosquitoes
• Only a facitron of these bite people
• provide rpintoe for their eggs
• Mosquito bites are an cennnyaoa
• aivdo getting bitten
• a good idea to use insect eptrnelle

Put the text back together

(...)  thought mosquitoes liked. He said: "Studies suggest that pregnant women, people with high body (...)  of these bite people. Only the females of the species bite. They need blood to provide protein for their (...)  group A. However, they find people with blood group O a little tastier. (..1 .) Why are some people bitten by mosquitoes more than other people? A website has (...)  died from the diseases mosquitoes spread. These include malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, yellow (...)  temperature and sweat...and those with darker skin could be [bigger targets]." Blood (...)  eggs. Mosquito bites are an annoyance for most people. The bite becomes itchy and can swell. However, millions of people have (...)  Medical News Today reported that there are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes worldwide. Only a fraction (...)  type could be another factor. Studies found that mosquitoes are not so attracted to people with blood (...)  of us mosquitoes like. They found out some interesting things. A professor of public health, Dr Jagdish Khubchandani, told MNT what he (...)  fever and Zika, among others. To avoid getting bitten, it is best to cover your skin (...)  discovered some answers to this question. Researchers from the site Medical News Today (MNT) looked into what parts (...)  outdoors) on any exposed skin. Sleeping under a mosquito net can also reduce the chances of being bitten. (...)  with clothing. It is also a good idea to use insect repellent (day and night, indoors and

Put the words in the right order

• by   Some   people   than   more   others   .   mosquitoes   bitten
• answers   question   .   discovered   website   this   A   to   some
• parts   like   .   Researchers   mosquitoes   looked   into   what
• darker   with   be   could   Those   skin   bigger   targets   .
• so   to   Not   with   people   attracted   blood   group   A   .
• are   over   3,500   species   of   There   mosquitoes   worldwide   .
• the   of   females   Only   the   species   bite   .
• bites   are   an   annoyance   for   Mosquito   most   people   .
• have   the   from   died   diseases   People   mosquitoes   spread   .
• mosquito   can   A   reduce   also   net   the   chances   .

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

Why are some people biting / bitten by mosquitoes more than other people? A website has discovered some answers to these / this question. Researchers from the site / sight Medical News Today (MNT) looked into what parts of them / us mosquitoes like. They found out some interesting things. A professor of public health / healthy ,  Dr Jagdish Khubchandani, told MNT what he thought mosquitoes liked. He said: "Studies suggestion / suggest that pregnant women, people with high body / bodies temperature and sweat...and those with darker skin / skinny could be [bigger targets]." Blood type could be another factory / factor . Studies found that mosquitoes are not so attracted to people with blood group A. However, they eat / find people with blood group O a little tastier.

Medical News Today reported that there are more / over 3,500 species of mosquitoes worldwide. Only a friction / fraction of these bite people. Only the females of the species / specials bite. They need blood to provide protein for their eggs / egg . Mosquito bites are an annoyance / annoy for most people. The bite becomes itchy and can well / swell . However, millions of people have died from the diseases mosquitoes spread. These include malaria, dengue fever, West Nile viral / virus , yellow fever and Zika, between / among others. To avoid getting bitten, it is best to cover your skin with clothing. It is also a good idea to use / abuse insect repellent (day and night, indoors and outdoors) on any exposed skin. Sleeping under a mosquito net can also reduce the chances of been / being bitten.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

Why  _r_  s_m_  p__pl_  b_tt_n  by  m_sq__t__s  m_r_  th_n  _th_r  p__pl_?  _  w_bs_t_  h_s  d_sc_v_r_d  s_m_  _nsw_rs  t_  th_s  q__st__n.  R_s__rch_rs  fr_m  th_  s_t_  M_d_c_l  N_ws  T_d_y  (MNT)  l__k_d  _nt_  wh_t  p_rts  _f  _s  m_sq__t__s  l_k_.  Th_y  f__nd  __t  s_m_  _nt_r_st_ng  th_ngs.  _  pr_f_ss_r  _f  p_bl_c  h__lth,    Dr  J_gd_sh  Kh_bch_nd_n_,  t_ld  MNT  wh_t  h_  th__ght  m_sq__t__s  l_k_d.  H_  s__d:  "St_d__s  s_gg_st  th_t  pr_gn_nt  w_m_n,  p__pl_  w_th  h_gh  b_dy  t_mp_r_t_r_  _nd  sw__t..._nd  th_s_  w_th  d_rk_r  sk_n  c__ld  b_  [b_gg_r  t_rg_ts]."  Bl__d  typ_  c__ld  b_  _n_th_r  f_ct_r.  St_d__s  f__nd  th_t  m_sq__t__s  _r_  n_t  s_  _ttr_ct_d  t_  p__pl_  w_th  bl__d  gr__p  _.  H_w_v_r,  th_y  f_nd  p__pl_  w_th  bl__d  gr__p  _  _  l_ttl_  t_st__r.

M_d_c_l  N_ws  T_d_y  r_p_rt_d  th_t  th_r_  _r_  _v_r  3,500  sp_c__s  _f  m_sq__t__s  w_rldw_d_.  _nly  _  fr_ct__n  _f  th_s_  b_t_  p__pl_.  _nly  th_  f_m_l_s  _f  th_  sp_c__s  b_t_.  Th_y  n__d  bl__d  t_  pr_v_d_  pr_t__n  f_r  th__r  _ggs.  M_sq__t_  b_t_s  _r_  _n  _nn_y_nc_  f_r  m_st  p__pl_.  Th_  b_t_  b_c_m_s  _tchy  _nd  c_n  sw_ll.  H_w_v_r,  m_ll__ns  _f  p__pl_  h_v_  d__d  fr_m  th_  d_s__s_s  m_sq__t__s  spr__d.  Th_s_  _ncl_d_  m_l_r__,  d_ng__  f_v_r,  W_st  N_l_  v_r_s,  y_ll_w  f_v_r  _nd  Z_k_,  _m_ng  _th_rs.  T_  _v__d  g_tt_ng  b_tt_n,  _t  _s  b_st  t_  c_v_r  y__r  sk_n  w_th  cl_th_ng.  _t  _s  _ls_  _  g__d  _d__  t_  _s_  _ns_ct  r_p_ll_nt  (d_y  _nd  n_ght,  _nd__rs  _nd  __td__rs)  _n  _ny  _xp_s_d  sk_n.  Sl__p_ng  _nd_r  _  m_sq__t_  n_t  c_n  _ls_  r_d_c_  th_  ch_nc_s  _f  b__ng  b_tt_n.

Punctuate the text and add capitals

why are some people bitten by mosquitoes more than other people a website has discovered some answers to this question researchers from the site medical news today mnt looked into what parts of us mosquitoes like they found out some interesting things a professor of public health  dr jagdish khubchandani told mnt what he thought mosquitoes liked he said studies suggest that pregnant women people with high body temperature and sweat and those with darker skin could be bigger targets blood type could be another factor studies found that mosquitoes are not so attracted to people with blood group a however they find people with blood group o a little tastier

medical news today reported that there are over 3500 species of mosquitoes worldwide only a fraction of these bite people only the females of the species bite they need blood to provide protein for their eggs mosquito bites are an annoyance for most people the bite becomes itchy and can swell however millions of people have died from the diseases mosquitoes spread these include malaria dengue fever west nile virus yellow fever and zika among others to avoid getting bitten it is best to cover your skin with clothing it is also a good idea to use insect repellent day and night indoors and outdoors on any exposed skin sleeping under a mosquito net can also reduce the chances of being bitten

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Whyaresomepeoplebittenbymosquitoesmorethanotherpeople?Awe bsitehasdiscoveredsomeanswerstothisquestion.Researchersfromth esiteMedicalNewsToday(MNT)lookedintowhatpartsofusmosquitoesl ike.Theyfoundoutsomeinterestingthings.Aprofessorofpublichealth, DrJagdishKhubchandani,toldMNTwhathethoughtmosquitoesliked.H esaid:"Studiessuggestthatpregnantwomen,peoplewithhighbodyte mperatureandsweat...andthosewithdarkerskincouldbe[biggertarge ts]."Bloodtypecouldbeanotherfactor.Studiesfoundthatmosquitoesa renotsoattractedtopeoplewithbloodgroupA.However,theyfindpeopl ewithbloodgroupOalittletastier.MedicalNewsTodayreportedthatther eareover3,500speciesofmosquitoesworldwide.Onlyafractionofthes ebitepeople.Onlythefemalesofthespeciesbite.Theyneedbloodtoprov ideproteinfortheireggs.Mosquitobitesareanannoyanceformostpeopl e.Thebitebecomesitchyandcanswell.However,millionsofpeoplehave diedfromthediseasesthatmosquitoesspread.Theseincludemalaria,d enguefever,WestNilevirus,yellowfeverandZika,amongothers.Toavo idgettingbitten,itisbesttocoveryourskinwithclothing.Itisalsoagoodid eatouseinsectrepellent(dayandnight,indoorsandoutdoors)onanyex posedskin.Sleepingunderamosquitonetcanalsoreducethechancesof beingbitten.

Free writing

Write about mosquito bites for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

We should never kill a mosquito because it's part of nature.  Discuss.

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word. 2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson. 3. MOSQUITO BITES: Make a poster about mosquito bites. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things? 4. KILLING: Write a magazine article about governments spending money on killing all mosquitoes. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s). 5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles. 6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on mosquito bites. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to deal with mosquito bites. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

• Pre-reading / Post-reading
• Using headlines
• Working with words
• While-reading / While-listening
• Moving from text to speech
• Post-reading / Post-listening
• Discussions
• Using opinions
• Using lists
• Using quotes
• Task-based activities
• Using the central characters in the article
• Using themes from the news

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(Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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Money Report

House Speaker Johnson drowned out by booing crowds at Columbia University speech on Gaza protests

By rebecca picciotto,cnbc • published 2 hours ago • updated 2 hours ago.

• House Speaker Mike Johnson was drowned out by booing crowds during a speech at Columbia University where he condemned the ongoing student protests against the war in Gaza.
• Columbia's campus has been enveloped in student protests over the war that have garnered national attention amid reports of antisemitic speech targeting Jewish students.
• Johnson called on the university's president, Nemat "Minouche" Shafik, to resign if she could not restore order to the campus and said he would urge President Joe Biden to take executive action against the protesters.

House Speaker Mike Johnson , R-La., struggled to get a word in edgewise Wednesday, battling a chorus of booing crowds during a speech at Columbia University where he condemned the ongoing student protests against Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

"Enjoy your free speech," Johnson said tersely, pausing his prepared remarks to wait for the jeering to die down.

Columbia's campus has been frozen by controversy since student protesters set up a tent encampment April 17 to protest the war in Gaza.

Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.

The demonstrations garnered national attention amid reports of antisemitic speech targeting Jewish students, and after Columbia President Nemat "Minouche"  Shafik authorized the New York Police Department to sweep the tent encampment Thursday.

Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine , a group that helped organize the protests, has said that any hate speech is not coming from its protesters but rather "inflammatory individuals who do not represent us."

During Johnson's speech Wednesday, he called on Shafik to resign if she could not get a handle on the protests.

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Meta loses $200 billion in value as Zuckerberg focuses earnings call on all the ways company bleeds cash

Johnson added that he plans to urge President Joe Biden to take executive action against the protests if necessary: "If this is not contained quickly, and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard."

Biden has so far condemned both the reported antisemitism and "those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians," as he put it to reporters Monday.

Johnson's speech Wednesday came hours after Biden officially signed into law a long-awaited foreign aid bill for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan that had been effectively shelved in the House for weeks due to political gridlock.

The measure was revived in large part due to Johnson's decision to put the proposed foreign aid to a vote on the House floor Saturday, despite ouster threats from hardline members of his party such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. The foreign aid bill passed the House on Saturday and received official Senate approval late Tuesday night.

After more than a week of bipartisan cooperation with Democrats to pass the aid bill, Johnson's Columbia speech appeared to be an attempt to bolster his conservative bona fides for his hardline GOP colleagues.

The speaker was joined by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who chairs the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.

"My message to the students inside the encampment is: Go back to class," Johnson said. "Stop wasting your parents' money."

Also on CNBC

• Senate launches investigation into high prices of Ozempic and Wegovy in the U.S.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce, business groups sue FTC over ban on noncompete clauses
• DJT stock jumps, Trump Media CEO seeks stock manipulation probe

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Biden Will Speak at Morehouse and West Point Graduations

President Biden will deliver the commencement addresses in May as U.S. support for Israel fuels protests on other campuses.

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By Zach Montague

Reporting from Washington

President Biden will deliver commencement addresses next month at Morehouse College in Georgia and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point at a time when anger over U.S. foreign policy has led to an eruption of student protests at several campuses.

In addition to the relatively traditional speech at West Point, which presidents often deliver at least once during their tenure, the stop at Morehouse will give Mr. Biden an opportunity to speak to students at a historically Black college in a key battleground state as he works to shore up support among young voters.

The announcement from the White House on Tuesday came during heightened tensions at several universities, including Columbia, New York University and Yale, in which police have been called in to clear crowds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Hundreds of people have been arrested while participating in campus demonstrations in recent days, and the disruptions at Columbia prompted the school to move classes online on Monday. Reports of demonstrators targeting and harassing Jewish students at Columbia over the weekend also drew rebukes from the White House, as Mr. Biden and White House aides warned that some demonstrations had veered into antisemitism or praise for those who have expressed it.

“I condemn the antisemitic protests,” Mr. Biden told reporters on Monday. “I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”

With rumors swirling in recent days that Mr. Biden would be the commencement speaker at Morehouse this year, the college’s provost sent an email to faculty members acknowledging unease about the selection and offering to field questions and concerns, according to an NBC report on Monday.

Representatives for Morehouse College did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A White House spokesman declined to comment on “processes happening at Morehouse” but said Mr. Biden looked forward to “going there and celebrating with the graduates.”

Mr. Biden has in recent months faced protesters angry about U.S. support for Israel as the death toll mounts in Gaza.

The clashes involving Jewish and pro-Palestinian students at Columbia and other schools over the weekend have also forced the Biden administration to weigh in on larger debates about campus speech, expressing support for students’ right to protest while warning against conduct that approaches hate speech or could precipitate violence.

“While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, shameful and dangerous and they have no place on any college campus,” said Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the White House, adding that the White House would continue monitoring unrest on college campuses.

Since last fall, the Education Department has opened investigations into dozens of schools across the country over complaints related to antisemitic and anti-Arab discrimination on campus.

And in a hearing last week , Republicans in Congress grilled Columbia’s president, Nemat Shafik, over comments made by faculty that drew complaints from Jewish students and donors and resulted in five faculty members being removed from the classroom or dismissed.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs contributed reporting.

Zach Montague is based in Washington. He covers breaking news and developments around the district. More about Zach Montague

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Reported speech

Reported speech is how we represent the speech of other people or what we ourselves say. There are two main types of reported speech: direct speech and indirect speech.

Direct speech repeats the exact words the person used, or how we remember their words:

Barbara said, “I didn’t realise it was midnight.”

In indirect speech, the original speaker’s words are changed.

Barbara said she hadn’t realised it was midnight .

In this example, I becomes she and the verb tense reflects the fact that time has passed since the words were spoken: didn’t realise becomes hadn’t realised .

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words:

“I’m sorry,” said Mark. (direct)

Mark apologised . (indirect: report of a speech act)

In a similar way, we can report what people wrote or thought:

‘I will love you forever,’ he wrote, and then posted the note through Alice’s door. (direct report of what someone wrote)

He wrote that he would love her forever , and then posted the note through Alice’s door. (indirect report of what someone wrote)

I need a new direction in life , she thought. (direct report of someone’s thoughts)

She thought that she needed a new direction in life . (indirect report of someone’s thoughts)

Reported speech: direct speech

Reported speech: indirect speech

Reported speech: reporting and reported clauses

Speech reports consist of two parts: the reporting clause and the reported clause. The reporting clause includes a verb such as say, tell, ask, reply, shout , usually in the past simple, and the reported clause includes what the original speaker said.

Reported speech: punctuation

Direct speech.

In direct speech we usually put a comma between the reporting clause and the reported clause. The words of the original speaker are enclosed in inverted commas, either single (‘…’) or double (“…”). If the reported clause comes first, we put the comma inside the inverted commas:

“ I couldn’t sleep last night, ” he said.

Rita said, ‘ I don’t need you any more. ’

If the direct speech is a question or exclamation, we use a question mark or exclamation mark, not a comma:

‘Is there a reason for this ? ’ she asked.

“I hate you ! ” he shouted.

We sometimes use a colon (:) between the reporting clause and the reported clause when the reporting clause is first:

The officer replied: ‘It is not possible to see the General. He’s busy.’

Punctuation

Indirect speech

In indirect speech it is more common for the reporting clause to come first. When the reporting clause is first, we don’t put a comma between the reporting clause and the reported clause. When the reporting clause comes after the reported clause, we use a comma to separate the two parts:

She told me they had left her without any money.

Not: She told me, they had left her without any money .

Nobody had gone in or out during the previous hour, he informed us.

We don’t use question marks or exclamation marks in indirect reports of questions and exclamations:

He asked me why I was so upset.

Not: He asked me why I was so upset?

Reported speech: reporting verbs

Say and tell.

We can use say and tell to report statements in direct speech, but say is more common. We don’t always mention the person being spoken to with say , but if we do mention them, we use a prepositional phrase with to ( to me, to Lorna ):

‘I’ll give you a ring tomorrow,’ she said .

‘Try to stay calm,’ she said to us in a low voice.

Not: ‘Try to stay calm,’ she said us in a low voice .

With tell , we always mention the person being spoken to; we use an indirect object (underlined):

‘Enjoy yourselves,’ he told them .

Not: ‘Enjoy yourselves,’ he told .

In indirect speech, say and tell are both common as reporting verbs. We don’t use an indirect object with say , but we always use an indirect object (underlined) with tell :

He said he was moving to New Zealand.

Not: He said me he was moving to New Zealand .

He told me he was moving to New Zealand.

Not: He told he was moving to New Zealand .

We use say , but not tell , to report questions:

‘Are you going now?’ she said .

Not: ‘Are you going now?’ she told me .

We use say , not tell , to report greetings, congratulations and other wishes:

‘Happy birthday!’ she said .

Not: Happy birthday!’ she told me .

Everyone said good luck to me as I went into the interview.

Not: Everyone told me good luck …

Say or tell ?

Other reporting verbs

The reporting verbs in this list are more common in indirect reports, in both speaking and writing:

Simon admitted that he had forgotten to email Andrea.

Louis always maintains that there is royal blood in his family.

The builder pointed out that the roof was in very poor condition.

Most of the verbs in the list are used in direct speech reports in written texts such as novels and newspaper reports. In ordinary conversation, we don’t use them in direct speech. The reporting clause usually comes second, but can sometimes come first:

‘Who is that person?’ she asked .

‘It was my fault,’ he confessed .

‘There is no cause for alarm,’ the Minister insisted .

Verb patterns: verb + that -clause

Word of the Day

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the fact that people or animals do what they are told to do

Dead ringers and peas in pods (Talking about similarities, Part 2)

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