DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
DIRECT AND REPORTED SPEECH
You can answer the
question "What did he/she say?" in two ways:
· by repeating the words spoken (direct
speech)
· by reporting the words spoken (indirect
or reported speech).
Direct Speech
Direct speech
repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in
writing, we place the words spoken between inverted commas ("....")
and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's
being said NOW (for example a telephone conversation), or telling someone later
about a previous conversation
Examples:
She says "What
time will you be home?"
She said "What
time will you be home?"
and I said "I
don't know! "
"There's a fly
in my soup!" screamed Simone.
John said,
"There's an elephant outside the window."
Reported Speech
Reported speech is
usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the
words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use
the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.
She said, "I
saw him." She said that she had seen him.
a. 'That' may be omitted:
She told him that
she was happy.
She told him she
was happy.
b. 'Say' and 'tell':
Use 'say' when
there is no indirect object:
He said that he was
tired.
Always use 'tell'
when you say who was being spoken to (i.e. with an indirect object):
He told me that he
was tired.
'Talk' and 'speak'
are used:
- to describe the
action of communicating:
He talked to us.
She was speaking on
the telephone.
- with 'about' to
refer to what was said:
He talked (to us)
about his parents.
REPORTED SPEECH
HOPES, INTENTIONS,
PROMISES
When we report an
intention, hope or promise, we use an appropriate reporting verb followed by a
that-clause or a to-infinitive:
"I'll pay you
the money tomorrow."
He promised to pay
me the money the next day.
He promised that he
would pay me the money the next day.
Other verbs used in
this pattern include:
hope, propose,
threaten, guarantee, swear.
Examples:
a. "I'll be back by lunchtime."
He promised to be
back by lunchtime.
He promised that he
would be back by lunchtime.
b. "We should arrive in London before
nightfall."
They hoped to
arrive in London before nightfall.
They hoped they
would arrive in London before nightfall.
c. "Give me the keys to the safe or
I'll shoot you!"
He threatened to
shoot me if I didn't give him the keys to the safe.
He threatened that
he would shoot me if I didn't give him the keys to the safe.
REPORTED SPEECH
ORDERS, REQUESTS,
SUGGESTIONS
1. When we want to
report an order or request, we can use a verb like 'tell' with a to-clause.
Examples:
He told me to go
away.
The pattern is verb
+ indirect object + to-clause.
(The indirect
object is the person spoken to.)
Other verbs used to
report orders and requests in this way are: command, order, warn, ask, advise,
invite, beg, teach, forbid.
Examples:
a. The doctor said
to me, "Stop smoking!".
The doctor told me
to stop smoking.
b. "Get out of
the car!" said the policeman.
The policeman
ordered him to get out of the car.
c. "Could you
please be quiet," she said.
She asked me to be
quiet.
d. The man with the
gun said to us, "Don't move!"
The man with the
gun warned us not to move.
(See also section
on Verbs followed by infinitive and Verbs followed by gerund)
2. Requests for
objects are reported using the pattern
ask + for + object:
Examples:
a. "Can I have
an apple?", she asked. She asked for an apple.
b. "Can I have
the newspaper, please?"
He asked for the
newspaper.
c. "May I have
a glass of water?" he said.
He asked for a
glass of water.
d. "Sugar,
please."
She asked for the
sugar.
e. "Could I
have three kilos of onions?"
He asked for three
kilos of onions.
3. Suggestions are
usually reported with a that-clause. 'That' and 'should' are optional in these
clauses:
She said: "Why
don't you get a mechanic to look at the car?" She suggested that I should
get a mechanic to look at the car. OR She suggested I get a mechanic to look at
the car.
Other reporting
verbs used in this way are: insist, recommend, demand, request, propose.
Examples:
a. "It would
be a good idea to see the dentist", said my mother. My mother suggested I
see the dentist.
b. The dentist said,
"I think you should use a different toothbrush". The dentist
recommended that I should use a different toothbrush.
c. My manager said,
"I think we should examine the budget carefully at this meeting." My
manager proposed that we examine the budget carefully at the meeting.
d. "Why don't
you sleep overnight at my house?" she said. She suggested that I sleep
overnight at her house.
Notes:
Suggest can also be
followed by a gerund: I suggested postponing the visit to the dentist.
1. Normal word
order is used in reported questions, that is, the subject comes before the
verb, and it is not necessary to use 'do' or'did':
"Where does
Peter live?" She asked him where Peter lived.
2. Yes / no
questions: This type of question is reported by using 'ask' + 'if / whether +
clause:
a. "Do you
speak English?" He asked me if I spoke English.
b. "Are you
British or American?" He asked me whether I was British or American.
c. "Is it
raining?" She asked if it was raining.
d. "Have you
got a computer?" He wanted to know whether I had a computer.
e. "Can you
type?" She asked if I could type.
f. "Did you
come by train?" He enquired whether I had come by train.
g. "Have you
been to Bristol before?" She asked if I had been to Bristol before.
3. Question words:
This type of
question is reported by using 'ask' (or another verb like 'ask') + question
word + clause. The clause contains the question, in normal word order and with
the necessary tense change.
Examples:
a. "What is
your name?" he asked me. He asked me what my name was.
b. "How old is
your mother?", he asked. He asked how old her mother was.
c. The mouse said
to the elephant, "Where do you live?" The mouse asked the elephant
where she lived.
d. "What time
does the train arrive?" she asked. She asked what time the train arrived.
e. "When can
we have dinner?" she asked. She asked when they could have dinner.
f. The elephant
said to the mouse, "Why are you so small?" The elephant asked the
mouse why she was so small.
From :
http://www.hulya.cankaya.edu.tr/ingilizce4.htm
