If we want to
say what other people said, thought or felt, we can use the direct and indirect speech
(reported speech).
STATEMENT
The direct speech: "I like
it," he said. "Irene is late," he thought. "I will pass the
exam," she hoped.
The reported speech: He said he
liked it. He thought that Irene was late. She hoped she would pass the exam.
The reported
speech is typically introduced by verbs such as say, tell,
admit, complain, explain, remind, reply, think, hope, offer, refuse etc. in the
past tense. Example :
He said (that)
he didn't want it.
She explained
that she had been at the seaside.
If these verbs are in the past tense, we
change the following:
·
Verb tenses and verb forms.
·
Pronouns.
·
The adverbs of time and place.
Verb tenses
We change the tenses in the following way:
1. Present – Past
"I never
understand you," she told me. - She told me she never understood me.
"We are
doing exercises," he explained. - He explained that they were doing
exercises.
2. Present Perfect
- Past Perfect
"I have
broken the window," he admitted. - He admitted that he had broken the
window.
"I have
been waiting since the morning," he complained. - He complained that he
had been waiting since the morning.
3. Past - Past Perfect
"She went
to Rome," I thought. - I thought that she had gone to Rome.
"He was
thinking of buying a new car," she said. - She said he had been thinking
of buying a new car.
4. Will – Conditional
Will changes into
the conditional.
"I will
come on Sunday," he reminded me. - He reminded me that he would come on
Sunday.
Notes :
·
I shall, we shall usually become would.
"I shall appreciate it,"
he said. - He said he would appreciate it.
·
I should, we should usually changes
into would.
"We should be really
glad," she told us. - She told us they would be really glad.
·
May becomes might.
"I may write to him," she
promised. - She promised that she might write to him.
Verbs Forms
The verb forms remain the same the
following cases :
1. If the reporting
verb is in the present tense.
Bill: "I
am enjoying my holiday." - Bill says he is enjoying his holiday.
Sandy: "I
will never go to work." - Sandy says she will never go to work.
2. When we report
something that is still true.
Dan: "Asia
is the largest continent." - Dan said Asia is the largest continent.
Emma:
"People in Africa are starving." - Emma said people in Africa are
starving.
3. When a sentence is made and
reported at the same time and the fact is still true.
Michael:
"I am thirsty." - Michael said he is thirsty.
4. With modal
verbs would, might, could, should, ought to,
used to.
George: "I
would try it." - George said he would try it.
Mimi: "I
might come." - Mimi said she might come.
Steve: "I
could fail." - Steve said he could fail.
Linda: "He
should/ought to stay in bed." - Linda said he should/ought to stay in bed.
Mel: "I
used to have a car." - Mel said he used to have a car.
5. After wish, would
rather, had better, it is time.
Margo: "I
wish they were in Greece." - Margo said she wished they were in Greece.
Matt: "I
would rather fly." - Matt said he would rather fly.
Betty:
"They had better go." - Betty said they had better go.
Paul: "It
is time I got up." - Paul said it was time he got up.
6. In If-clauses.
Martha:
"If I tidied my room, my dad would be happy." - Martha said that if
she tidied her room, her dad would be happy.
7. In Time-clauses.
Joe: "When
I was staying in Madrid I met my best friend." - He said that when he was
staying in Madrid he met his best friend.
8. We do not
change the past tense in spoken English if it is clear from the situation when the action happened.
"She did
it on Sunday," I said. - I said she did it on Sunday.
We must change it, however, in
the following sentence, otherwise it will not be clear whether we are talking
about the present or past feelings.
"I hated
her," he said. - He said he had hated her.
9. We do not
usually change the modal verbs must and needn't. But must can become had to or wouldhave to and needn't can become didn't have to or wouldn't have
to if we want to express an obligation. Would/wouldn't have to are used to
talk about future obligations.Examples :
"I must
wash up." - He said he must wash up/he had to wash up.
"I needn't
be at school today." - He said he
needn't be/didn't have to be at school that day.
"We must
do it in June." - He said they would have to do it in June.
If the modal
verb must does not express obligation, we do not change it.
"We must
relax for a while." (suggestion) - He said they must relax for a while.
"You must
be tired after such a trip." (certainty) - He said we must be tired after
such a trip.
Pronouns
We have to change the pronouns to keep the same meaning of a
sentence. Examples :
"We are the best students," he said. - He said they were the best
students.
"They called us," he said. - He said they had called them.
"I like your jeans," she said. - She said she liked my jeans.
"I can lend you my car," he
said. - He said he could lend me his car.
Sometimes we have to use a noun instead of
a pronoun, otherwise the new sentence is confusing.
"He killed them," Kevin said. -
Kevin said that the man had killed them.
If we only make mechanical changes (Kevin said he
had killed them), the new sentence can have a different
meaning - Kevin himself killed them.
·
This and these are usually
substituted.
"They will finish it this
year," he said. - He said they would finish it that year.
"I brought you this book,"
she said. - She said she had brought me the book.
"We want these flowers,"
they said. - They said they wanted the flowers
TIME AND PLACE
Let's suppose that we talked to our friend
Mary on Friday. And she said: "Greg came yesterday." It means that
Greg came on Thursday.
If we report Mary's sentence on Sunday, we
have to do the following:
Mary: "Greg came yesterday." -
Mary said that Greg had come the day before.
If we say:
Mary said Greg had come yesterday, it is not
correct, because it means that he came on Saturday. The time
expressions change as follows :
·
today - that day
·
tomorrow - the next day/the following day
·
the day after tomorrow - in two days' time
·
yesterday - the day before
·
the day before yesterday - two days before
·
next week/month - the following week/month
·
last week/month - the previous week/month
·
a year ago - a year before/the previous
year
Bill: "She will leave tomorrow."
- Bill said she would leave the next day.
Sam: "She arrived last week." -
Sam said she had arrived the previous week.
Julie: "He moved a year ago." -
Julie said he had moved a year before.
Note :
If something is said and reported at
the same time, the time expressions can remain the same.
"I will go on holiday tomorrow,"
he told me today. - He told me today he would go on holiday tomorrow.
"We painted the hall last
weekend," she told me this week. - She told me this week they had painted
the hall last weekend.
On the other hand, if something is
reported later, the time expressions are different in the reported speech. Example
:
Last week Jim said: "I'm playing
next week." If we say his sentence a week later, we will say:
Jim said he was playing this week.
Here usually becomes there. But sometimes
we make different adjustments.
At school: "I'll be here at 10
o'clock," he said. - He said he would be there at 10 o'clock.
In Baker Street: "We'll meet
here." - He said they would meet in Baker Street.
QUESTIONS
·
Questions become statements. The reporting
verb say changes into ask, want to
know, wonder ... .
"Where have you been?" he
said. - He asked me where I had been.
"What time did it start?"
he said. - He wanted to know what time it had started.
"Why won't he do it?" she
said. - She wondered why he wouldn't do it.
·
In yes/no questions we use if or whether in questions. If is more common
and whether is more formal.examples :
"Will you come?" she asked
me. - She asked me if/whether I would come.
Did he marry Sue?" she said. -
She wondered if/whether he married Sue.
COMMANDS,
REQUESTS AND ADVICE
·
The commands, requests and advice mostly
have the same form in English:
verb + object +
infinitive (advise, ask, beg, forbid, order,
persuade, recommend, tell, urge, warn etc.).
Unlike the direct speech the person
addressed must be mentioned in the indirect speech. Examples:
"Get up!" he said. - He
told me to get up.
"Please, revise for the
test," he said. - He urged me to revise for the test.
"Put on your coat," I said.
- I advised him to put on his coat.
·
Negative commands, requests and advice are
made by verb + object + not + infinitive.
Examples :
"Don't hesitate," he said.
- He persuaded me not to hesitate.
"Don't smoke," the doctor
warned my father. - The doctor warned my father not to smoke.
·
Tell can introduce statements, commands,
requests or advice. The form is different, however. Statements with tell. Example :
"I'm leaving," he told me.
- He told me that he was leaving.
Commands, requests or advice with tell. Examples :
"Leave the room," he told
John. - He told John to leave the room.
"Don't give up," the
teacher told her students. - The teacher told the students not to give up.
·
Similarly ask is used in
reported questions, commands, requests or advice in different forms. Questions
with ask, example
:
"Will you make coffee?" he
said. - He asked me if I would make coffee.
Commands, requests or advice with ask. Examples :
"Make coffee, please," he
said. - He asked me to make coffee.
"Don't park in my place," Greg
told me. - Greg asked me not to park in his place.
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