📘 Lesson 68 – Special Uses: Was Born, Have to, Had Better

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Use “was born” to report birth in direct and indirect speech.

2. Apply “have to/has to” for obligations.

3. Use “had better” for giving advice.

4. Convert sentences using these expressions from direct → indirect and indirect → direct.

5. Practice in writing and speaking.

📖 Introduction (5–7 minutes)

• Special expressions are commonly tested in HSC English grammar.

• Understanding their direct/indirect forms is essential for board exams.

Examples of Direct Speech:

1. Was Born: “I was born in Dhaka,” said Ali.

2. Have to: “I have to submit the assignment today,” said Mina.

3. Had Better: “You had better study for the test,” said the teacher.

Indirect Speech Examples:

1. Was Born: Ali said that he was born in Dhaka.

2. Have to: Mina said that she had to submit the assignment that day.

3. Had Better: The teacher said that I had better study for the test.

🔎 Board Work – Rules & Usage (10–12 minutes)

1. Was Born

• Use to indicate birth.

• Verb “was/were born” does not change tense in indirect speech.

Examples:

1. Direct: “I was born in 2005,” said Farhana.
   Indirect: Farhana said that she was born in 2005.

2. Direct: “He was born on 1st January,” said Rafiq.
   Indirect: Rafiq said that he was born on 1st January.

3. Direct: “We were born in the same village,” said the twins.
   Indirect: The twins said that they were born in the same village.

2. Have to / Has to

• Express obligation or necessity.

• Have to/Has to → had to in indirect speech if reporting verb is past.

Examples:

1. Direct: “I have to finish my homework,” said Ali.
   Indirect: Ali said that he had to finish his homework.

2. Direct: “She has to attend the meeting,” said the manager.
   Indirect: The manager said that she had to attend the meeting.

3. Direct: “We have to submit the form today,” said the students.
   Indirect: The students said that they had to submit the form that day.

3. Had Better

• Used to give advice or warning.

• No tense change in indirect speech; maintain structure.

Examples:

1. Direct: “You had better take an umbrella,” said the mother.
   Indirect: The mother said that I had better take an umbrella.

2. Direct: “He had better complete the project on time,” said the teacher.
   Indirect: The teacher said that he had better complete the project on time.

3. Direct: “You had better revise for the test,” said Samina.
   Indirect: Samina said that I had better revise for the test.

📝 Extended Practice Examples (20+ sentences)

Was Born

1. “I was born in Chittagong,” said Tanvir. → Tanvir said that he was born in Chittagong.

2. “She was born in 2004,” said Rina. → Rina said that she was born in 2004.

3. “We were born in the same hospital,” said the twins. → The twins said that they were born in the same hospital.

Have to / Has to

4. “I have to attend the seminar,” said Samira. → Samira said that she had to attend the seminar.

5. “He has to submit the report today,” said the manager. → The manager said that he had to submit the report that day.

6. “We have to leave now,” said the students. → The students said that they had to leave then.

7. “I have to buy some groceries,” said Fatema. → Fatema said that she had to buy some groceries.

8. “She has to complete the assignment by Monday,” said the teacher. → The teacher said that she had to complete the assignment by Monday.

Had Better

9. “You had better start your homework,” said the mother. → The mother said that I had better start my homework.

10. “He had better attend the class regularly,” said the teacher. → The teacher said that he had better attend the class regularly.

11. “You had better check the answers twice,” said Rahim. → Rahim said that I had better check the answers twice.

12. “She had better take her medicine on time,” said the doctor. → The doctor said that she had better take her medicine on time.

Mixed Practice

13. Direct: “I was born on 10th July,” said Ali. → Indirect: Ali said that he was born on 10th July.

14. Direct: “I have to attend the meeting,” said Tanvir. → Indirect: Tanvir said that he had to attend the meeting.

15. Direct: “You had better revise your lessons,” said the teacher. → Indirect: The teacher said that I had better revise my lessons.

16. Direct: “We were born in Dhaka,” said the children. → Indirect: The children said that they were born in Dhaka.

17. Direct: “She has to complete the form today,” said Rina. → Indirect: Rina said that she had to complete the form that day.

18. Direct: “You had better not be late,” said the principal. → Indirect: The principal said that I had better not be late.

19. Direct: “I was born in April,” said Farhana. → Indirect: Farhana said that she was born in April.

20. Direct: “He has to prepare for the exam,” said Samina. → Indirect: Samina said that he had to prepare for the exam.

📝 Class Activity (15–20 minutes)

1. Convert 5 sentences for each expression (was born, have to, had better) from direct → indirect speech.

2. Pair activity: Students speak sentences aloud, partner converts to indirect.

3. Group discussion: Identify mistakes and correct them.

Extra Sentences for Practice:

• “I have to wake up early,” said Karim.

• “You had better take notes,” said the teacher.

• “We were born in the same year,” said the twins.

🗣 Speaking Practice (5–10 minutes)

• One student gives a direct sentence, another reports it in indirect speech.

• Encourage using different tenses, pronouns, and expressions.

• Example:

  • Direct: “I have to submit the assignment today.”

  • Indirect: She said that she had to submit the assignment that day.

📚 Homework

1. Write 5 sentences each for was born, have to, had better in direct speech and convert to indirect speech.

2. Optional: Take a short story and report at least 10 sentences using these expressions.

3. Practice speaking: Report sentences from classmates using indirect speech.