Name:
THE WIND AND THE SUN
Read this well-known Aesop’s fable with a partner. This fable is often called a myth. A
myth is a made-up story that explains the existence of a natural phenomenon.
The wind and the sun were arguing about who was stronger.
Spotting a man man traveling on the road, they sported a challenge to see which
one could remove the coat from the man’s back the quickest.
The wind blew strong gusts of air so strong that the man could barely walk against
them. The wind blew until he was exhausted, but he could not remove the coat
from the man’s back.
The sun gently sent his beams upon the man. He quietly shone upon the man’s
head and back until the man became so warm that he took off his coat and headed
for the nearest shady tree.
© e-classroom 2015 www.e-classroom.co.za
Grade 5 English Home Language Term 2 Weeks 7&8: Unit 9 “Let’s explore folktales” Revision
GRADE 5
Direct and Indirect Speech
GRADE 5
•Direct Speech uses the exact words of the speaker. (In a comic
these words are enclosed in a speech bubble as shown above).
•Direct Speech is indicated by inverted commas.
• A new paragraph is indicated for each speaker.
• The first word in Direct Speech starts with a capital letter.
•Words such as said, replied, asked, thought, exclaimed and
shouted are used. For example: The moon said, “The sun and the
wind are quarrelling again.”
Write the words of the wind, the sun and the man in the comic in Direct Speech,
using quotation marks and the correct punctuation.
2. Indirect Speech
Rewrite the words in the speech bubbles in the comic strip in Indirect Speech.
Many changes occur when we convert a sentence from Direct Speech to
Indirect Speech.
Remove the inverted commas, question marks, and exclamation marks.
Pronouns change so that the sentence keeps its meaning.
The word that links the introductory words to the spoken words.
The tense of the introductory verb sometimes changes.
For example. The moon said that the sun and the moon were quarrelling again.
3. Add quotation marks and other important punctuation in the correct places
in these sentences.
a) The wind said I will blow so hard that he will take off his coat.
b) The sun said I will beat down gently on the man until he gets too hot for that coat.
c) The man said the wind is blowing very strongly today.
d) The man said now the sun is making me very hot.
e) The moon said I knew the sun would win.
f ) The moon said the moral of this story is that persuasion is better than force.
© e-classroom 2015 www.e-classroom.co.za
Grade 5 English Home Language Term 2 Weeks 7&8: Unit 9 “Let’s explore folktales” Revision
1. Direct speech
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© e-classroom 2015 www.e-classroom.co.za
GRADE 5
Grade 5 English Home Language Term 2 Weeks 7&8: Unit 9 “Let’s explore folktales” Revision
4. Change the sentences above which are written in Direct Speech into Indirect
Speech. Remember to look at the rules for Indirect Speech before you start.