When communicating with people, we constantly receive some information from them, which we subsequently pass on to someone else. Several options can be used to transmit it. Of course, you can simply explain the idea in your own words the way you understood it. Or you can make it clear that the idea is not yours. In such cases, direct or indirect speech is used. And if direct speech is quite easy to use, indirect speech in English has a number of features that are worth taking into account. We will talk about them today.
First, let's figure out the difference between direct and indirect speech in English. Direct speech or direct speech expresses a person’s phrase verbatim. This is a quote of its own that cannot be changed in any way. As in Russian, direct speech is framed with quotation marks. But instead of a colon before the words of the author at the beginning or a comma with a dash at the end, one simple comma is usually used:
Please note that the period at the end of the sentence in the first case is placed before the quotation mark, and not after it, as in Russian. In addition, quotation marks in English are always placed on top.
Examples:
- She asked, “Do you feel comfortable here?” “She asked: “Are you comfortable here?”
- “I will not accept his apology,” she said. “I won’t accept his apology,” she said.
Please note that question marks and exclamation marks are not used in indirect speech.
All sentences can be translated from direct speech to indirect speech. Indirect speech or indirect speech (literally “indirect speech” or Reported speech) in turn expresses the content of the phrase without preserving literalness and stylistic features. All sentences that have indirect speech are complex, where the author’s words are used in the main clause, and indirect speech itself is used in the subordinate clause. As a rule, the main clause comes first, and after it comes a subordinate clause, which in such speech constructions is often introduced by a conjunction or pronoun.
- She asks when you'll be free. — She asks when you will be free.
- He said (that) they liked everything very much. — He said (that) they liked everything very much.
At first glance, everything is simple, then what’s the catch?
Indirect speech in English: coordination of tenses
The point is that if the main clause is in the past tense , the subordinate clause will also have to change its tense to the appropriate one. This is where timing comes into play. This probably didn’t explain anything to you at all, so let’s turn to examples for clarity.
Let's say you have a sentence with direct speech:
Its main part is used in the Past Simple tense. Indirect is formed in Present Perfect. As long as both of these parts are used in a sentence with direct speech, everything is fine, because the present tense is used in quotation marks and conveys the person's phrase word for word. However, if you remove the quotation marks and turn direct speech into indirect speech, you will not be able to maintain the Present Perfect, at least it will be considered an error.
"Why?" - you ask. Yes, because in English there is such a rule: if the verb in the main sentence is used in the past tense, subordinate clauses are formed only by forms of the past or future in the past. Accordingly, by converting the sentence above into an indirect one, you get:
- First, the pronoun was changed to accommodate tenses.
- Secondly, the verb from the Present Perfect moved to.
At first, you will probably have difficulty translating sentences. However, this process will not take up your time later. To make this topic easier for you to understand, let's look at all the possible options for coordinating tenses. Table for clarity:
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
| Present Simple changes to Past Simple | |
| He answered, “I want to go to the theater.” (He replied: “I want to go to the theater.”) |
He answered that he wanted to go to the theater. (He replied that he wanted to go to the theater.) |
| Present Continuous changes to Past Continuous | |
| Jim said, “I’m doing English exercises now.” (Jim said: “I'm doing English exercises now.”) |
Jim said that he was doing English exercises then. (Jim said he was doing English exercises.) |
| Present Perfect changes to Past Perfect | |
| My son said, “I have read the book twice.” (My son said, “I read this book twice.”) |
My son said that he had read the book twice. (My son said he read this book twice.) |
| Present Perfect Continuous changes to Past Perfect Continuous | |
| Bruce confirmed, “She has been living here for 2 years.” (Bruce confirmed: "She's been living here for 2 years.") |
Bruce confirmed that she had been living there for 2 years. (Bruce confirmed that she has lived there for 2 years.) |
| Past Simple changes to Past Perfect | |
| He said, “I worked yesterday.” (He said: “I worked yesterday.”) |
He said that he had worked the day before. (He said he was working the day before.) |
| Past Continuous changes to Past Perfect Continuous | |
| She said, "He was sleeping." (She said, "He was sleeping.") |
She said that he had been sleeping. (She said he was sleeping.) |
| Past Perfect does not change | |
| Mom said, “Tom was tired because he had studied hard.” (Mom said: “Tom is tired because he has been studying a lot.”) |
Mom said that Tom was tired because he had studied hard. (Mom said Tom was tired because he studied a lot.) |
| Past Perfect Continuous does not change | |
| She said, “We had not been traveling till he graduated from the university.” (She said, "We didn't travel until he graduated from university.") |
She said that they had not been traveling till he graduated from the university. (She said they didn't travel until he graduated from university.) |
| In all future tenses, will changes to would, forming the future in the past | |
| He said, "I will be with you whatever." (He said: “I will be with you, no matter what happens.”) |
He said that he would be with me whatever. (He said he would be with me no matter what.) |
| Modal verbs that have a past tense also change: | |
| Can to Could; Will on Would; |
Have to on Had to; Shall on Would (about the future); Shall on Should (advice). |
| She said, "He can do it." (She said, "He can do it do».) |
She said that he could do it. (She said he could do it.) |
| Should, must, might, ought to, need, had to do not change | |
| The teacher said, “You must consider the translation rules doing the task.” (The teacher said: “You must take into account the rules of translation when completing the task.”) |
The teacher said that we must consider the translation rules doing the task. (The teacher said that we must take into account the rules of translation when completing the task.) |
That is, you need to use the same group, but at a different time. Typically this "other" tense is located on the timeline before the tense used in direct speech. The exceptions are the Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous tenses, since there are no tenses before them. The Past Simple and Past Continuous tenses may also not change in colloquial speech, and also when the Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous is used in a sentence, as in the examples above.
It is worth noting that if the verb in the main clause is in the present or future tense, verbs in indirect speech can be in any tense:
That is, if you want to create an indirect sentence in which the main part is used in the present or future, simply transfer the subordinate clause from a direct sentence to an indirect one, changing only the pronouns according to the meaning.
Indirect speech in English: exceptions to the rules
It is difficult to imagine the English language without exceptions. Some of them concern indirect speech. Thus, in the past tense, indirect sentences can be used in the present if in the subordinate clause:
- A well-known fact or truth is expressed:
- Exact time indicated:
- If they refer to words that were just said or that are still relevant:
Indirect speech in English: other features
In addition to the form of the verb, when using indirect speech the following changes:
- Pronouns you shouldn't forget about. They must change in meaning. Most often, pronouns change as follows:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
| Personal pronouns (nominative case) | |
| I | I/he/she |
| you | he/she |
| we | they |
| he/she/it/they | don't change |
| Personal pronouns (objective case) | |
| me | him/her |
| you | him/her |
| us | them |
| him/her/it/them | don't change |
| Possessive pronouns | |
| my | his/her |
| your | his/her |
| our | their |
| him/her/its/their | don't change |
| Demonstrative pronouns | |
| this | that |
| these | those |
However, this all depends on the specific situation and the time you use.
- Time indicators. For example, in direct speech you talk about “now,” but if the sentence is used in the past tense and indirect speech, then “now” is replaced by “then.” Let's look at the entire list:
| now (now) | then (then) |
| here (here) | there (there) |
| today (today) | that day (on that day) |
| tomorrow (tomorrow) | the next day (the next day) |
| the day after tomorrow (the day after tomorrow) | two days later (two days later) |
| yesterday (yesterday) | the day before (the day before) |
| the day before yesterday (the day before yesterday) | two days before (two days earlier) |
| next week / month (next week / next month) | the next week / month (next week / next month) |
| next year (next year) | the next year / the following year (for the next year) |
| last week / month (last week / last month) | the previous week / month (week / month before) |
| last year (last year) | the year before (a year before) |
| ago (back) | before (before this) |
Example:
- The verb say can change to tell. If after say there is a clarification of who exactly something was said, then in indirect speech say will change to tell. Let's compare:
Types of sentences in indirect speech of the English language
The construction of the sentences above is not the only one. Let's consider all the options for indirect sentences:
- To form a declarative sentence in indirect speech, it is enough, as in the examples above, to use the conjunction that (that), which can be omitted if desired:
- If sentences in direct speech are imperative, then in indirect speech in English these imperative sentences are introduced by an infinitive:
If the imperative mood is negative, then the negative particle not is placed before the infinitive:
Note that in the main clause it is possible to use incentive words that express an order or request.
- Questions in indirect speech in English also have special nuances. If direct speech contains general questions, then such sentences will be introduced into indirect speech by the conjunctions whether / if:
If, for example, you are retelling a dialogue, then in addition to the question you will need to talk about the answer, which can also be used in indirect speech:
As you can see, “yes” and “no” are omitted in such cases.
- If direct speech in English contains a special question, then it is introduced into the indirect sentence by a conjunction that is identical to the question word with which the sentence begins. Despite the fact that interrogative sentences have reverse word order, direct order is maintained in indirect speech:
Introducing questions into indirect speech is used quite often, so be sure to study this point.
Bypassing indirect clauses
With the best of intentions, we’ll tell you a little secret that translators have in their arsenal. If you panic when composing sentences in indirect speech in English, or you simply don’t want to use them, sometimes the use of these sentences can be avoided. For example:
Of course, it won’t work to transform all indirect sentences into similar ones, but if such a transition is possible, feel free to use it.
We hope this topic has become clearer to you. To consolidate the material, periodically return to this article, do the exercises and create your own examples.
In spoken and written speech there is often a need to convey the words of another person; this can be done in two ways:
- Direct speech- the statement of another person is conveyed verbatim, with an exact quotation. In English, as in Russian, direct speech in writing is enclosed in quotation marks.
- Indirect speech- words are conveyed in retelling, in the form.
For example:
Direct speech is a separate sentence enclosed in quotation marks. It can be narrative, interrogative, imperative. In terms of punctuation, as you can see from the example above, there are slight differences from direct speech in Russian:
- In English, direct speech is preceded by a comma rather than a colon.
- At the end of direct speech, the period is placed before the closing quotation mark, not after.
- In English, “upper quotation marks” are used.
Transition from direct speech to indirect speech (declarative sentence)
First, let's remember how indirect speech is constructed in Russian.
In Russian, when we want to translate direct speech into indirect speech, we omit the quotation marks, add the conjunction “what” and, as it were, retell the content of direct speech from the third person.
As you can see, we replaced the meaning of “I” with “she”, and “I think” with “thinks”, so that indirect speech does not sound like a quotation, like speech in the first person.
In English, direct speech is translated into indirect speech in approximately the same way.
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
| Victoria said, “I don’t think so.” | Victoria said that she did not think so. |
The main difference is that between the main and subordinate parts of the sentence is observed (see paragraph 6 below).
These are the changes that occur when direct speech transitions to indirect.
- The quotation marks are omitted and the comma before direct speech is removed.
- A union is added that, introducing a subordinate clause with indirect speech (she did not think so). In colloquial speech, the conjunction that is often omitted: Victoria said (that) she didn’t think so.
- Personal pronouns change in meaning. In the example above, for example, we replaced I with she because we are talking about Victoria in the third person.
- If in the main sentence the verb introducing direct speech is in the present or future tense, then the verb in the subordinate clause does not change.
- If in the main sentence the verb introducing direct speech is in one of the past tenses, then in indirect speech in the subordinate clause the verb changes in accordance with the rules, that is, it takes the appropriate form of the past tense. That is, if there was Present Simple in direct speech, the tense changes to Past Simple; if it was Present Perfect, it changes to Past Perfect; if Present Continuous, changes to Past Continuous. If there was a future tense in direct speech, it is changed using the verb would to the corresponding form “future in the past” ().
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
| → | |
|---|---|
|
Anna said, “I work as a sales manager.” Anna said: “I work as a sales manager.” |
Anna said that she worked as a sales manager. Anna said that she works as a sales manager. |
| → | |
|
Martin said, “I am working on an interesting project.” Martin said: "I'm working on an interesting project." |
Martin said that he was working on an interesting project. Martin said he was working on an interesting project. |
| → | |
|
Lily said, “I have discussed my working schedule with my supervisor.” Lily said, “I discussed the work schedule with my supervisor.” |
Lily said that she had discussed her schedule working with her supervisor. Lily said she discussed the work schedule with her supervisor. |
| → (will changes to would) | |
|
He told me, “You willl never get promoted.” He told me: “You will never be promoted.” |
He told me that I would never get promoted. He told me that I would never be promoted. |
- If the verb introducing direct speech is used in the past tense, in indirect speech must, can, may change to the corresponding forms (or synonym, like must) of the past tense: must – had to, can – could, may – might. The verbs should and ought do not change.
- If the verb to say in the main part of the sentence it is used without a direct object, then in indirect speech it does not change. If with an addition, for example “she said to me”, then in indirect speech it changes to a verb to tell.
- As in Russian, in direct speech they change within the meaning of And , if circumstances require it.
Such a replacement is appropriate if Maria lost her keys at a gas station, and is told about it at home. Accordingly, it would be appropriate to say that she lost the keys “there” and not “here”, because “here” will already mean “at home”, that is, in the place where the conversation takes place.
However, if Maria lost her keys at a gas station and the conversation also takes place at a gas station, then you can say this: “Maria said that she lost her keys here.”
Interrogative sentence in indirect speech
If direct speech is an interrogative sentence, then in indirect speech it becomes a subordinate clause, while direct word order is used and the question mark is omitted.
You can complete the exercises for this lesson on the Puzzle English website.
The speech of a person, transmitted as his original words, is called direct.
If only its content is conveyed, for example, in the form of additional subordinate clauses, then it is called indirect speech.
Direct speech is highlighted in quotation marks and is considered a separate sentence. Please note that, unlike Russian, quotation marks in English are written at the top of the line. Words introducing direct speech are usually followed by a comma, and the first word of direct speech is capitalized. At the end of direct speech, a period or other punctuation mark is placed inside quotation marks:
He said, “I need my glasses.”
He said, “I need my glasses.”
She told me, “It’s snowing.”
She told me: "It's snowing."
Transition from direct speech to indirect speech
In order to convert direct speech into indirect speech, you need to omit the comma after the words introducing direct speech and the quotation marks. Often indirect speech in English is introduced by the conjunction that, which, however, can be omitted:
I said, “It is June.”
I said, “It’s June.”
I said that it was June. (I said it was June.)
I said it was June.
All personal and possessive pronouns must be modified depending on the person from whom the story is being told:
Tom and Bob told me, “ We need your dictionary.”
Tom and Bob said, “We need your dictionary.”
Tom and Bob told me that they need my dictionary.
Tom and Bob said they needed my dictionary.
All demonstrative pronouns and adverbs of time and place in the subordinate clause must be changed according to the meaning of the sentence:
these —> those
today —> that day
tomorrow —> next day
the day after tomorrow —> 2 days later
yesterday —> the day before
the day before yesterday —> 2 days before
She told me, “I will come to see you tomorrow.”
She told me: “Tomorrow I will come to see you.”
She told me she would come to see me the next day.
She said that she would come to see me the next day.
If the predicate in the main clause is expressed by a verb in the past tense, then the form of the verb in the subordinate clause must also be changed to one of the past tenses. This process is called tense coordination.
Questions in indirect speech
In indirect speech, questions have direct word order, and the question mark at the end of the sentence is replaced by a period.
General issues are introduced by unions if And whether:
I asked, “Have you seen my pen?”
I asked, “Have you seen my pen?”
I asked him if he had seen my pen. (I asked him whether he had seen my pen.)
I asked if he had seen my pen.
Special questions are introduced with question words:
He wondered: “Who on earth will buy this junk?”
He was surprised: “Who would buy this junk?”
He didn't wonder who on earth would buy that junk.
He wondered who would buy this junk.
A short answer to the question of indirect speech is introduced by the conjunction that without words yes / no.
Indirect and direct speech in Englishare used to transmit information received from another person. Thisdirect and indirect speech in Englishdo not differ from their counterparts in Russian. However, they differ in other respects.
Direct speech
Direct speech, or direct speech, expresses a person’s phrase verbatim; it is a quotation or conveyance of the essence of a phrase spoken by another person on his behalf.
As in Russian, direct speech in English is framed by quotation marks, but “upper” quotation marks, called English double quotation marks, are used. Instead of a colon before the words of the author at the beginning or a comma and a dash at the end, in English one simple comma is used. The period at the end of the sentence is placed before the closing quotation mark, and not after, as in Russian.
Sentence schemes with direct speech:
Examples
The postman said, “I will deliver this letter tomorrow.” - The postman said: “I will deliver this letter tomorrow.”
She asked, “Do you feel comfortable here?” - She asked: “Are you comfortable here?”
“I will not accept his apology,” she said. “I won’t accept his apology,” she said.
Indirect speech
Reported speech (Indirect speech), or indirect speech, is speech that is not conveyed word for word, but only in content, in the form of additional subordinate clauses, without preserving the author’s style.
All sentences that have indirect speech are complex, where the author’s words are used in the main clause, and indirect speech itself is used in the subordinate clause. Question and exclamation marks are not used in indirect speech. There is no comma after the words of the author in English.
Sentence diagram with indirect speech:
Examples
The postman said he would deliver that letter the next day. - The postman said that he would deliver this letter the next day.
She asks when you'll be free. - She asks when you will be free.
He said (that) they liked everything very much. - He said (that) they liked everything very much.
All offers indirect speech in Englishcan be translated into sentences in indirect speech. But if the main clause is in the past tense, the subordinate clause must also change its tense to the appropriate one. The rule for coordinating times works here.
Example
A sentence with direct speech needs to be translated into a sentence with indirect speech:
He said, “I have never been to South Korea.” “He said, 'I've never been to South Korea.'
The main part of this sentence is in the Past Simple, the subordinate clause is in the Present Perfect. In indirect speech, it will be translated into Past Perfect according to the rule of the English language: if the verb in the main clause is used in the past tense, subordinate clauses are formed only by past or future forms in the past.
Thus, the result of translating the example sentence from direct speech to indirect speech will look like this:
He said that he had never been to South Korea. - He said that (he) had never been to South Korea.
Changes that have taken place:
- The verb has moved from Present Perfect to Past Perfect.
- The pronoun has changed.
Indirect speech in English - tablecoordination of times
When time coordination is not required
Cases when the offer andstraight, and inremains at the same time:- If in direct speech the main sentence is in the form of present (Present Simple or Present Perfect) or future (Future Simple) tense, then the verb in indirect speech (in a subordinate clause) remains in the same tense as it was in direct speech.
Examples
She says, “I want to go for a walk.” - She says: “I want to go for a walk.”
=>
She says that she wants to go for a walk - She says she wants to go for a walk.
I will just say, “You made a huge mistake.” “I'll just say, 'You made a huge mistake.'
=>
I will just say that he made a huge mistake. - I'll just say that he made a huge mistake.
- If the subordinate clause is in the Past Pefect, then in indirect speech its tense does not change.
Examples
My friend said to me, “I had known you before we were introduced to each other.” - My friend told me: “I knew you before we were introduced to each other.”
=>
My friend told me that he had known me before we were introduced to each other. - My friend told me that he knew me before we were introduced to each other.
Mom said, “Tom was tired because he had studied hard.” - Mom said: “Tom is tired because he studied a lot.”
=>
Mom said that Tom had been tired because he had studied hard. - Mom said that Tom was tired because he studied a lot.
- If the main sentence is Past Perfect Continuous, then in indirect speech the tense of the verb does not change.
Examples
My wife said, “We had been dating for 3 years before we got married.” - My wife said: “We dated for 3 years before we got married.”
=>
My wife said that we had been dating for 3 years before we had got married. - My wife said that we dated for 3 years before we got married.
She said, “We had not been traveling till he graduated from the university.” “She said, 'We didn't travel until he graduated from university.'
=>
She said that they had not been traveling till he had graduated from the university. - She said they didn't travel until he graduated from university.
- If the main clause is in the Past Simple, then in indirect speech the tense of the verb in some cases may not change, which is typical for colloquial speech. When using such temporary designations as the day before (the day before), two years before (two years before), etc., it is preferable to use the Past Perfect.
Examples
They said, “We went to the cinema and watched a film.” - They said: “We went to the cinema and watched a film.”
=>
They said that they went to the cinema and watched a film. - They said that they went to the cinema and watched a film.
She said, “I had a cold a week ago.” - She said: “A week ago I had a cold.”
=>
She said that she had had a cold the week before. - She said that a week before she had a cold.
- If the subordinate clause is in the Past Continuous, then in colloquial speech the tense of the verb may not change.
Example
He said, “I was playing tennis when she called me.” - He said: “I was playing tennis when she called me.”
=>
He said that he was playing tennis when she called him. - He said he was playing tennis when she called him.
Translation of modal verbs fromdirect to indirect speech in English
Direct speech: Will => Indirect speech: Would
Example
The doctor said, “You will get the result of your blood test tomorrow.” - The doctor said: “You will get the result of your blood test tomorrow.”
=>
The doctor said that I would get the result of my blood test the next day. - The doctor said that I will receive the result of my blood test the next day.
Direct speech: Can => Indirect speech: Could
Example
The assistant said, “I can check it for you.” - The assistant said: “I can check this for you.”
=>
The assistant said that he could check it for me. - The assistant said he could check it for me.
Direct speech: May => Indirect speech: Might
Example
She said to me, “I may come, too.” “She told me: “Maybe I’ll come too.”
=>
She told me that she might come too. “She told me that maybe she’ll come too.”
Direct speech: Shall => Indirect speech: Should(suggestions, request for advice, etc.)
Direct speech: Shall => Indirect speech: Would(when talking about the future tense)
Examples
She asked, “Shall I open the window?” - She asked: “Maybe I’ll open the window?”
=>
She asked if she should open the window. - She asked if she should open the window.
Somebody said, “I will be there at this time.” - Someone said: “I will be there at this time.”
=>
Somebody said that he would be there at that time. - Someone said he would be there at that time.
Modal verbs that remain unchanged during translationdirect speech to indirect
- Modal verbs in the past tense:would, could, had to, might.
Example
They said, “There was nothing we could do about that.” “They said, 'We couldn't do anything about it.'
=>
They said that there had been nothing they could do about that. - They said they couldn't do anything about it.
- Modal verbsought to, needn"t, must.
Example
He said, “They must be late.” - He said: “They must be late.”
=>
He said that they must be late. - He said they must be late.
Features of translating the verb to say into indirect speech
If in a sentence introducing direct speech, the verb to say is used without mentioning the person to whom the speech is addressed, then say is retained in indirect speech. If there is such a person, then say changes to the verb tell.
Examples
He said, “Our team lost the game.” - He said: “Our team lost.”
=>
He said that their team had lost the game. - He said that their team lost.
She said to me, “I will wait for you outside.” “She told me: “I’ll wait for you outside.”
=>
She told me that she would wait for me outside. - She said she would wait for me outside.
Changing pronouns during translationdirect speech to indirect speech in English
When forming sentences in indirect speech, pronouns change according to the meaning of the phrase.
Personal pronouns (nominative case):
I => he / she
You => I / he / she
We => they
He / she / it / they => do not change
Personal pronouns (objective case):
Me => him/her
You => me / him / her
Us => them
Him / her / it / them => do not change
Possessive pronouns:
My => his / her
Your => my / his / her
Our => their
His / her / its / their => do not change
Demonstrative pronouns:
This => that
These => those
Example
He said, “I like these shoes.” - He said: “I like these shoes.”
=>
He said that he liked those shoes. - He said he liked those shoes.
How do time indicators change inindirect speech in English
It all depends on the specific situation and the time that is used. For example, in direct speech the author talks about “now,” but if the sentence is in the past tense with indirect speech, then “now” is replaced by “then.”
now (now) => then (then)
here (here) => there (there)
today (today) => that day (on that day)
tomorrow (tomorrow) => the next day (the next day)
the day after tomorrow (the day after tomorrow) => two days later (two days later)
yesterday (yesterday) => the day before (the day before)
the day before yesterday (the day before yesterday) => two days before (two days earlier)
next week / month (next week / next month) => the next week / month (next week / next month)
next year (for next year) => the next year / the following year (for next year)
last week / month (last week / last month) => the previous week / month (week / month before)
last year (last year) => the year before (the year before)
ago (back) => before (before that)
Example
He said, “We will meet next week.” - He said: “We will meet next week.”
=>
He said that they would meet the next week. - He said that they would meet next week.
Types of sentences in indirect speech in English
Declarative sentence
To summarize, it can be noted that to translate a declarative sentence with direct speech into a sentence with indirect speech, you need to take 4 steps.
- Remove the quotation marks and use the conjunction that. In colloquial speech and sometimes in writing, the conjunction can be omitted.
She said, “I will buy a dress.” - She said: “I’ll buy a dress.”
=>
She said that... - She said that...
- Change the character. In direct speech, a person speaks on his own behalf; in indirect speech, the person will be changed. So, if you need to convey the words of a girl, instead of “I” the pronoun “she” will be used.
She said that she...
- Agree the tense because in English you cannot use the past tense in the same sentence as the present or future tense. If a person’s words are being conveyed at the present moment, then there is no need to coordinate times. To reconcile the first and second parts of the sentence in the example above, we change will to would.
She said that she would buy a dress.
- Change the clarifying parts of the sentence according to the meaning.
She said, “I am driving now.” - She said: “I’m driving now.”
When conveying these words, we will not use now (now), but then (then), since we will be talking about a point in time in the past when she was driving.
She said that she was driving then.
Also in the following example:
He said, “I work here.” - He said: “I work here.”
If the person delivering this line is in the same building where he works, then there is no need to replace the word.
He said that he worked here. - He said he works here.
If the person delivering the remark talks about this in another place, then he uses there (there), and not here (here).
He said that he worked there. - He said he works there.
How can you replace say and ask in indirect speech?
Some verbs that can be used to convey indirect speech to avoid the constant repetition of the verbs say and ask:
Agree(agree)
He said, “Ok, I was wrong.” “He said, 'OK, I was wrong.'
=>
He agreed that he had been wrong. - He agreed that he was wrong.
Claim(declare)
He said, “I saw a UFO.” - He said: “I saw a UFO.”
=>
He claimed that he had seen a UFO. - He stated that he saw a UFO.
Complain(complain)
She said, “You never share any secrets with me!” - She said: “You never share secrets with me!”
=>
She complained that I never shared any secrets with her. - She complained that I never share secrets with her
.
Admit(to acknowledge)
She said, “I was really unfriendly to him.” “She said, 'I was really unfriendly to him.'
=>
She admitted that she had been unfriendly to him. - She admitted that she was unfriendly towards him.
Deny(deny)
He said, “I didn’t break your favorite cup!” - He said: “I didn’t break your favorite cup!”
=>
He denied that he had broken the cup. - He denied breaking the cup.
Exclaim(exclaim)
She said, “I am so happy!” - She said: “I’m so happy!”
=>
She exclaimed that she was very happy. - She exclaimed that she was very happy.
Explain(explain)
He said, “You see, there’s no point in going there right now.” “He said, 'You see, there's no point in going there right now.'
=>
He explained that there was no point in going there at that moment. “He explained that at that moment there was no point in going there.
Recommend(advise)
She said, “You’d better stay at home.” - She said: “You better stay at home.”
=>
She recommended that we stayed at home. - She advised us to stay at home.
Prove(prove)
He said, “See, the system works.” - He said: “You see, the system works.”
=>
He proved that the system worked. - He proved that the system works.
Insist(insist)
They said, “You need to be present at the meeting.” “They said, 'You must attend the meeting.'
=>
They insisted that I need to be present at the meeting. - They insisted that I should attend the meeting.
Regret(regret)
She said, “If only I could go on a vacation this year.” - She said: “If only I could go on holiday this year...”
=>
She regretted that she couldn’t go on a vacation this year. - She regretted that she would not be able to go on vacation this year.
State(approve)
Witness said, “I have never seen the young man before.” - The witness said: “I have never seen this young man before.”
=>
The witness stated that he had never seen the young man before. - The witness claimed that he had never seen this young man before.
Promise(promise)
Dad said, “I will be back no later than eight o’clock.” - Dad said: “I’ll be back no later than 8 o’clock.”
=>
Dad promised that he would be back no later than eight o’clock. - Dad promised that he would return no later than 8 o’clock.
Suggest(suggest)
He said, “Shall we spend the evening together?” - He said: “Shall we spend the evening together?”
=>
He suggested that they spent the evening together. - He suggested spending the evening together.
Assert(approve)
Scientists said, “Nuclear power is a safe and non-polluting kind of energy.” - Scientists said: “Nuclear energy is a safe and environmentally friendly form of energy.”
=>
The scientists asserted that nuclear power was a safe and non-polluting kind of energy. - Scientists have argued that nuclear energy is a safe and environmentally friendly form of energy.
Contend(declare)
Astronomers said, “The Earth may be much younger than previously thought.” - Astronomers said: “The Earth may be much younger than previously thought.”
=>
Some astronomers contend that the Earth may be much younger than previously thought. - Some astronomers argue that the Earth may be much younger than previously thought.
Interrogative sentence
General issuesGeneral questions in indirect speech are attached to the main clause using the conjunctions if or whether. The word order of an interrogative sentence changes to the word order of a declarative sentence.
Examples
She asked, “Do you have any plans for the weekend?” - She asked: “Do you have plans for the weekend?”
=>
She asked if I had any plans for the weekend. - She asked if I had plans for the weekend.
They asked, “Will you visit us tomorrow?” - They asked: “Will you come to us tomorrow?”
=>
They asked whether we would visit them the next day. - They asked if we would come to them the next day.
She asked, “Can you give them a call?” - She asked: “Can you call them?”
=>
She asked if I could give them a call. - She asked if I could call them.
When translating answers to general questions into indirect speech, the words yes and no are omitted.
Examples
She asked, “Do you want another cup of tea?” - She asked: “Do you want another cup of tea?”
I said, “No, I don't.” - I answered: “No, I don’t want to.”
=> She asked if I wanted another cup of tea. - She asked if I would like another cup of tea.
I answered that I didn't. - I answered that I didn't want to.
Special questions
Special questions begin with the question words what (what), when (when), how (how), why (why), where (where), which (which). When translating special questions into indirect speech, the word order is the same as in a narrative sentence, and the question word is used to attach a subordinate clause to the main one.
Examples
She asked, “What time does the train arrive?” - She asked: “What time does the train arrive?”
=>
She asked what time the train arrived. - She asked what time the train arrives.
He asked, “When did you come?” - He asked: “When did you come?”
=>
He asked when I had come. - He asked when I arrived.
I asked him, “How old are you?” - I asked him: “How old are you?”
=>
I asked him how old he was. - I asked how old he was.
She asks, “Where will you go?” - She asks: “Where are you going?”
=>
She asks where we will go. - She asks where we will go.
Imperative mood in indirect speech
If sentences in direct speech are imperative, then inindirect speech in EnglishThese sentences are translated using an infinitive verb.
Example
Mom said, “Go home!” - Mom said: “Go home!”
=>
Mom said to go home. - Mom said to go home.
If the sentence in the imperative mood is negative, then the negative particle not is placed before the infinitive.
Example
She said to me, “Don’t touch my clothes.” “She told me: “Don’t touch my things.”
=>
She asked me not to touch her clothes. - She asked me not to touch her things.
If direct speech expresses an order, then the verb to say is replaced by the verbs to tell, to order.
Examples
The officer said, “Don’t move!” - The officer said: “Don’t move!”
=>
The officer ordered not to move. - The officer ordered not to move.
He said, “Listen to what I am saying!” - He said: “Listen to what I say!”
=>
He told me to listen to what he was saying. - He told me to listen to what he said.
If direct speech expresses a request, then the verb to say is replaced by the verb to ask.
Example
Mother said, “Be careful!” - Mom said: “Be careful!”
=>
Mother asked to be careful. - Mom asked to be careful.
In a subordinate clause in direct speech, it is possible to use incentive words that express an order or request. When translated into indirect speech, they are not preserved.
She said, “Please, don't laugh at him!” - She said: "
Please
, don't laugh at him!
=>
She asked not to laugh at him. - She asked not to laugh at him.
Conveying the author's words without usingindirect speech in English
In some cases, it is possible to convey the words of another person not using indirect speech structures, but in an alternative way.
Examples
He said, “Hello everyone!” - He said: “Hello everyone!”
=>
He greeted everyone. - He said hello to everyone.
She said, “Yes.” - She said: “Yes.”
=>
She agreed. / She confirmed. - She agreed. / She confirmed.
She says, “No.” - She says: “No.”
=>
She doesn’t agree (disagrees). / She denies. - She doesn't agree. She denies.
He said, “I don’t want to answer.” - He said: “I don’t want to answer.”
=>
He refused to answer. - He refused to answer.
ALIEN SPEECH AND METHODS OF ITS TRANSMISSION
The author's narrative may include statements or individual words belonging to other persons. There are several ways to introduce someone else's speech into a sentence or text: direct speech, indirect speech, improperly direct speech And dialogue.
Punctuation marks in sentences with direct speech
Legend:
P- direct speech starting with a capital letter;
P– direct speech starting with a lowercase letter;
A– author’s words starting with a capital letter;
A– words of the author starting with a lowercase letter.
Different ways of transmitting someone else's speech that does not belong to the author preserve its content and form in different ways. Direct speech is a way of transmitting someone else’s speech in which both content and form are completely preserved.
There are four options for formatting direct speech in writing. Each of them has corresponding patterns that need to be remembered.
Scheme 1
If direct speech appears in a sentence after the author’s words, then it is enclosed in quotation marks and begins with a capital letter, and a colon is placed after the author’s words. For example:
The old priest came up to me with the question: “Will you order us to begin?”(Pushkin).
Scheme 3
Occasionally in literary texts you can find sentences in which direct speech is contained within the words of the author. In this case, it is enclosed in quotation marks, preceded by a colon, and followed by a dash. Please note that the second part of the author's words begins with a small letter. For example:
She screamed: “Ay, not him, not him!” - and fell unconscious(Pushkin).
The number of sentences within direct speech is not limited. For example:
“Thank God,” said the girl, “you came by force. You almost killed the young lady.”(According to Pushkin).
In this example, direct speech consists of two sentences, the first of which is broken by the words of the author. But if the author’s words were between two sentences that make up direct speech, then after the author’s words it would be necessary to put a period. Compare:
“Thank God, you came by force,” said the girl. “You almost killed the young lady.”.
Consider the diagrams of these proposals.
Someone else's speech, conveyed in the form of a subordinate clause, is called indirect speech.
The first, main part of the sentence in this case represents the words of the author, and the second is indirect speech. Please note: the author’s words come before indirect speech and are separated from it by a comma. This method of transmitting someone else's speech, unlike direct speech, preserves the content of someone else's statement, but does not preserve its form and intonation.
Compare the two ways of conveying the same statement in the illustration. A sentence with indirect speech does not convey the exclamatory intonation that is present in direct speech.
Indirect speech can be attached to the main part of a sentence using the conjunctions WHAT, AS WHAT, THAT, pronouns and adverbs WHO, WHAT, WHICH, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and others, as well as the particle LI. The choice of these words depends on the purpose of the statement in indirect speech. In interrogative sentences, pronouns or the particle LI will be used:
I asked, When train departs.
In incentive sentences, the conjunction SO is used, for example:
The captain ordered to raised the flag.
Declarative sentences use the conjunctions WHAT, AS WHAT, for example:
He told, as if I saw a live bear in the forest.