Use of English

Celebrity Interviews

Magazine articles often include stories about famous people and what they have said in interviews. Journalists usually cannot repeat every word exactly, so they often use (0) REPORTED speech instead. This means they explain what a singer, actor or athlete said without using the speaker’s exact words. For example, if an actor says, "I am working on a new film," a reporter might write that he was working (1) .......... a new film. This kind of change is common when the interview happened in the past. Reporters also need to be careful with time expressions. If a singer says, "I will finish the album tomorrow," the article may say that she would finish it the (2) .......... day. Another important point is pronouns. A football player may say, "My fans support me," but a journalist could report that (3) .......... fans supported him. Reported speech is useful because it helps writers give information in a clear and organized (4) ........... It is especially common in articles about celebrities, because readers want to know what famous people said and how they (5) .......... about events in their lives. Learning this form can also help students write better summaries and talk about conversations more (6) ...........