The Peacock's Job Interview
Grammar: Reported speech nuance
A Level 4 English lesson exploring science.
What's in this lesson
A Level 4 (upper intermediate) ESL lesson on science, practising reported speech nuance. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: The Peacock's Job Interview
Why does a peacock drag around a tail that makes it slower, heavier, and easier for predators to catch? For decades, biologists were stuck on this question. Charles Darwin himself admitted the peacock's tail made him feel slightly sick — it seemed to break his own theory of survival of the fittest. The answer, worked out by later researchers, is startling: the tail is not for surviving. It is for being chosen.
Vocabulary
- an edge
- break the ice
- show their true colours
- size up
Grammar: Reported Speech Nuance
- Hedged reporting
- She is said to have impressed the panel instantly. — reporter distances from certainty
- Allegedly / claimed to
- He allegedly claimed to have no nerves at all. — signals doubt without stating it
Discussion questions
- Which would you trust more — a confident handshake or a confident voice?
- Would you rather hire someone instantly likeable or quietly impressive?
- In an interview, is it worse to seem nervous or to seem too relaxed?
The Peacock's Job Interview
Grammar: Reported speech nuance
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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