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REPORTED SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH. A short guide. DEFINITION. A speaker's words reported in subordinate clauses governed by a reporting verb, with the required changes of person and tense (e.g., he said that he would go , based on I will go ).

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REPORTED SPEECH

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  1. REPORTED SPEECH A short guide

  2. DEFINITION • A speaker's words reported in subordinate clauses governed by a reporting verb, with the required changes of person and tense (e.g., he said that he would go, based on I will go ). • Reporting verbs are, for example, I told you…, I said to him…, I asked him…. • Those changes involve the verb tense, time expressions and pronouns. • ATTENTION!! The verb tense in the subordinate clause only changes when the reporting verb appears in the past tense.

  3. CHANGES IN VERBS

  4. OTHER CHANGES CHANGES IN PRONOUNS Pronouns and possessives generally change to the third person. OTHER CHANGES Words denoting “nearness” become the corresponding words denoting remoteness:

  5. A. REPORTED STATEMENTS We normally use SAY & TELL. 1.1. If you say who you are talking to, use TELL. (v.g. Sonia told me that you were ill) 1.2. Otherwise use SAY. (v.g. Sonia said that you were ill) 1.3. But you can also use “say something to somebody” (v.g. Sonia said goodbye to me)

  6. B. REPORTED QUESTIONS When a direct question is turned into an indirect question: 1. The interrogative construction of the direct question is replaced by the STATEMENT CONSTRUCTION: subject + verb + complements 2. The verb that introduces the indirect question is ASKED (or some similar verb, e.g. ENQUIRED, WONDERED, WANTED TO KNOW, according to the shade of meaning to be expressed).

  7. Reported questions • The connective joining the indirect question to the principal clause is IF or WHETHER (YES/NO QUESTIONS), except when the direct question had been one beginning with an interrogative such as WHO, WHAT, WHY, etc. (WH-QUESTIONS). In this case we use the Wh-word as the connective. For example: - YES/NO QUESTIONS • “Will you help me?”, he asked. He asked if I would help him • “Did you see John at the party?”, she asked.  She asked if I had seen John at the party - WH-QUESTIONS • “What is her name?”, he asked He asked (me) what her name was • “Where are you going?”, they wanted to know.  They wanted to know where I was going.

  8. C. REPORTED ORDERS, REQUESTS AND OFFERS • Tochangeanorder, requestoroffertoreportedspeech, wechangetheverb in imperativetoinfinitive. Beforetheinfinitive, we use a verb in thepast tense expressinganorder, requestoroffer: “I’llhelpyou” Sheofferedtohelpme. • Verbssuch as tell, order, askand beg are followedbyanindirectobject+infinitive. “Tidyyourroomnow”Mymothertold me totidymyroomthen. • In a negativesentences, weputnotbeforeto. “Don’twakeher up, please”Myfatherasked me nottowakeher up.

  9. REPORTED SUGGESTIONS Weputthesubject and theverbsuggestorrecommend in thepast tense and addwhatthepersonsaid. There are twoways: • Using a clauseformedbythat, subject and verb in the base form. “Youshouldgototheexhibition”, Peter suggested. Peter suggestedthatwegototheexhibition. • With a gerund, notspecifyinganysubject, usuallywhenthesubjectofthemain and thesubordinateclauseisthesame. “Let’splantsomeflowershere”. He suggestedplantingsomeflowersthere.

  10. OTHER REPORTING VERBS: • Statements: admit, announce, answer, complain, explain, promise. • Questions: ask, equire, want/would like to know, wonder. • Orders: demand, order, warn, instruct. • Requests: ask, beg. • Offers: offer • Sugestions: advice, recommend, suggest.

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