Six Days That Stopped the World
Grammar: Reported Speech
A Business English English lesson exploring business.
What's in this lesson
A Business English ESL lesson on business, practising reported speech. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: Six Days That Stopped the World
"We had contingency plans for port delays, for weather, for political disruption," said Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, then Chief Executive of Fleet & Strategic Brands at Maersk, speaking in April 2021. "We did not have one for this." On the morning of 23 March 2021, the container vessel Ever Given — 400 metres long, carrying roughly 18,000 containers — ran aground in the Suez Canal and wedged itself diagonally across the waterway. Within hours, the knock-on effect was global. Canal authorities confirmed that over 400 ships were waiting at both ends. Logistics coordinators in Hamburg, Singapore, and Rotterdam said the blockage had already begun to hold up shipments across three continents.
Vocabulary
- canal authority
- contingency plan
- force majeure
- lead time
Grammar: Reported Speech
- Auxiliary substitution
- Maersk confirmed the route change, and so did the canal authority. — replace repeated verb phrase with auxiliary
- Negative substitution
- The CEO had no answers, and neither did the logistics team. — use neither + auxiliary for negative agreement
Discussion questions
- Have you noticed how rarely we think about how products reach us?
- Why do you think a single blocked waterway can affect prices globally?
- Have you ever had a delivery delayed without any explanation given?
Six Days That Stopped the World
Grammar: Reported Speech
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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