Third Assignment

ASSIGNMENT No: 3

DIRECT AND INDIRECT (OR REPORTED) SPEECH.

 Introduction:

There are two ways of relating what a person has said: direct and indirect.

In direct speech we repeat the original speaker’s exact words:

He said, “I have lost my umbrella.”

Remarks thus repeated are placed between inverted commas, and a comma is placed immediately before the remark. Direct speech is found in conversations in books, in plays and in quotations. In indirect speech we give the exact meaning of a remark or a speech, without necessarily using the speaker’s exact words:

He said (that) he had lost his umbrella.

There is no comma after say in indirect speech. That can usually be omitted after say and tell + object. But it should be kept after other verbs: complain, explain, object, point out, protest etc. Indirect speech is normally used when conversation is reported verbally, though direct speech is sometimes here to give a more dramatic effect.

When we turn direct speech into indirect, some changes are usually necessary.

PRONOUNS AND ADJECTIVES: CHANGES NECESSARY

A. First and second person pronouns and possessive adjectives normally change to the third person except when the speaker is reporting his own words. (I = he, she; me = him, her; my = his, her; mine = his, hers; we = they...)

She said, “he’s my son”.  She said that he was her son.

“I’m ill”, she said.  She said that she was ill.

B. THIS / THESE

This used in time expressions usually becomes that.

She said, “She’s coming this week”.

She said that she was coming that week.

This and that used as adjectives usually change to the.

He said, “I bought this pearl/these pearls for my mother”.

He said that he had bought the pearl/the pearls for his mother.

This, these used as pronouns can become it, they/them.

He came back with two knives and said, “I found these beside the king’s bed”.

 He said he had found them beside the king’s bed.

He said, “We will discuss this tomorrow”.

 He said that they would discuss it (the matter) the next day.

EXPRESSIONS OF TIME AND PLACE IN INDIRECT SPEECH

A. Adverbs and adverbial phrases of time change as follows:

DIRECT SPEECH	INDIRECT SPEECH
today	that day
yesterday	the day before
the day before yesterday	two days before
tomorrow	the next day/the following day
the day after tomorrow	in two days’ time
next week/year etc.	the following week/year etc.
last week/year etc.	the previous week/year etc.
a year etc. ago	a year before/the previous year

All those changes represent the distancing effect of the reported speech. Common sense, together with the time aspect from the speaker’s point of view, are more important than the rules when making the usual changes.

QUESTIONS IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct question: He said, “Where is she going?”

Indirect question: He asked where she was going.

A. When we turn direct questions into indirect speech, the following changes are necessary:

a. tenses, pronouns and possessive adjectives, and adverbs of time and place change as in statements.

b. the interrogative form of the verb changes to the affirmative form.

c. the question mark is omitted in indirect questions.

B. If the introductory verb is say, it must be changed to a verb of inquiry, e.g. ask, wonder, want to know etc.

He said, “Where is the station?” è He asked where the station was.

C. ask can be followed by the person addressed (indirect object):

He asked, “What have you got in your bag?” è He asked (me) what I had got in my bag.

But wonder and want to know cannot take an indirect object, so if we wish to report a question where the person addressed is mentioned, we must use ask.

He said,”Mary, when is the next train?” è He asked Mary when the next train was.

D. If the direct question begins with a question word (when, where, who, how, why etc.) the question word is repeated in the indirect question:

He said, “Why didn’t you put on the brake?” è He asked (her) why she hadn’t put on the brake.

She said, “What do you want?” è She asked (them) what they wanted.

E. If there is no question word, if or whether must be used:

“Is anyone there?” he asked

He asked if/whether anyone was there.

COMMANDS, REQUESTS, ADVICE IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct command: He said, “Lie down, Tom”.

Indirect command: He told Tom to lie down.

Indirect commands, requests, advice are usually expressed by a verb of command/request/advice + object + infinitive.

A. The following verbs can be used: advise, ask, beg, command, order, remind, tell, warn etc.

He said, “Get your coat, Tom!”

He told Tom to get his coat.

B. Negative commands, requests etc. are usually reported by not + infinitive:

“Don’t swim out too far, boys”, I said

I warned/told the boys not to swim out too far.

EXCLAMATIONS IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Exclamations usually become statements in indirect speech. The exclamation mark disappears.

a. Exclamations beginning What (a) ... or How ... can be reported by:

- exclaim/say that:

He said, “What a dreadful idea!” or “How dreadful!”

He exclaimed that it was a dreadful idea/was dreadful.

- give an exclamation of delight/disgust/horror/relief/surprise etc.

- if the exclamation is followed by an action we can use the construction with an exclamation of delight/disgust etc. + he/she etc. + verb.

b. Other types of exclamation such as Good! Marvellous! Splendid! Heavens! Oh! Ugh! etc. can be reported as in (b) or (c):

“Good!” he exclaimed.

 He gave an exclamation of pleasure/satisfaction.

“Ugh!” she exclaimed, and turned the programme off.

 With an exclamation of disgust she turned the programme off.

c. Note also:

He said, “Thank you!”

He thanked me.

He said, “Good luck!”

He wished me luck.

He said, “Happy Christmas!”

 He wished me a happy Christmas.

He said, “Congratulations!”

 He congratulated me.

He said, “Liar!”

 He called me a liar.

He said, “Damn!” etc.

 He swore.

YES AND NO IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Yes and no are expressed in indirect speech by subject + appropriate auxiliary verb.

He said, “Can you swim?” and I said “No”  He asked (me) if I could swim and I said I couldn’t.

He said, “Will you have time to do it?” and I said “Yes”  He asked if I would have time to do it and I said that I would.

OFFERS AND SUGGESTIONS IN INDIRECT SPEECH

A. OFFERS

“Shall I bring you some tea?” could be reported He offered to bring me some tea.

B. SUGGESTIONS

“Shall we meet at the theatre? could be reported He suggested meeting at the theatre.

INDIRECT SPEECH: MIXED TYPES

Direct speech may consist of statement + question, question + command, command + statement, or all three together. Normally each requires its own introductory verb.

“I don’t know the way. Do you?” he asked.

He said he didn’t know the way and asked her if she did/if she knew it.

He said, “Someone is coming. Get behind the screen.”

He said that someone was coming and told me to get behind the screen.

REPORTED SPEECH: OTHER POINTS

A. MUST: after a past reporting verb, must does not usually change:

He said, “It must be pretty late, I really must go”.

He said that it must be pretty late and he really must go.

had to is also possible in reported speech, but this is really the past of have to, not must.

He said, “I have to go. I have an appointment in half an hour”

He said that he had to go because he had an appointment in half an hour.

B. MODAL VERBS: Past modal verbs (could, might, ought to, should, used to, etc. ) do not normally change in reported speech.

He said, “I might come”.

 He said that he might come.

He said, “I would help him if I could”.

 He said that he would help him if he could.

He said, “You needn’t wait”.

He said that I needn’t wait.

C. CONDITIONALS: Conditional sentences type two remain unchanged.

He said, “If my children were older I would emigrate”.

He said that if his children were older he would emigrate.

SAY AND TELL AS INTRODUCTORY VERBS

A. say and tell with direct speech.

1. Say can introduce a statement or follow it.

Tom said, “I’ve just heard the news”. or “I’ve just heard the news”, Tom said.

Inversion of say and noun subject is possible when say follows the statement.

“I’ve just heard the news”, said Tom.

Say + to + person addressed is possible, but this phrase must follow the direct statement; it cannot introduce it.

“I’m leaving at once”, Tom said to me.

Inversion is not possible here.

2. tell requires the person addressed.

Tell me. He told us. I’ll tell Tom.

Except with tell lies/stories/the truth/the time, when the person addressed need not to be mentioned.

He told (me) lies. I’ll tell (you) a story.

Tell used with direct speech must be placed after the direct statement:

“I’m leaving at once”, Tom told me.

Inversion is not possible with tell.

B. say and tell with indirect speech

Indirect statements are normally introduced by say, or tell + object. Say + to + object is possible but less usual than tell + object.

He said he’d just heard the news.

He told me that he’d just heard the news.

Note also tell ... how/about:

He told us how he had crossed the mountains.

He told us about crossing the mountains.

He told us about his journeys.

Exercise: Change the following sentences from the direct into indirect speech.

1.      He said, “I have toothache.”

2.      Mani said, “I am very busy now.”

3.      “Give me a cup of water”, he told her.

4.      Geeta says, “My father is an engineer.”

5.      “Where are you going?” Govind asks Mahesh.

6.      He said, “I like this song.”

7.      “Don’t play on the grass, boys,” she said.

8.      Ram said to Tanmay, “Go away”.

9.      He said to her, “Please help me in my work today.”

10.  He said, “Don’t waste your time and work hard.”

11.  She said, “What a beautiful picture it is!”