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This unit had a lot of complex material and it was mentioned numerous times that students would struggle with conditionals and direct/reported speech. It was emphasized that these topics should be taught very slowly. The unit discussed the different types of conditionals and how they are used. These include: zero, first, second, third, and mixed conditionals. It presented formulas to help teach each type. These formulas helped me to understand the differences between each type. For example, third conditionals use the word 'have' plus past participles in their forms, which separates them from second conditionals. Also, second conditionals make use of past simple forms instead of past perfect forms as third conditionals do. Furthermore, zero and first conditionals do not make use of past tenses at all therefore making them easy to identify from second and third conditionals. That being said, the text mentioned that there are numerous mixed conditionals that can cause confusion. Therefore, the rules are guidelines more than anything. The unit then went on to discuss the differences between direct speech and reported speech and how students can report direct speech. The text discussed what needed to be changed when direct speech was reported, which mainly consisted of something called backshifting - the changing of present tenses to past tenses. This is one main way in which direct speech is reported apart from the use of \"he/she said...\". Another topic covered in this unit was how to express time when reporting direct speech. This includes the changing of such terms as today, yesterday, and tomorrow to such things as 'that day', 'the previous day', and 'the next day', among other forms. Finally, the unit suggested ways in which to teach conditionals and direct/reported speech. When teaching conditionals a teacher could create an activity in which they split up sentences and have the students match them correctly - conditional form to matching conditional form; or, when teaching direct/reported speech, the teacher could sort the students into groups of three and have them role-play a fighting couple who will not talk to each other and instead only talk through a third party.
