english grammar (unit 6) direct & indirect speech
TRANSCRIPT
ENGLISH GRAMMAR (UNIT 6)
DIRECT & INDIRECT SPEECH
QUOTE
Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” = direct speech (directe rede)
Nelson Mandela said that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. = indirect / reported speech (indirecte rede)
DIRECT → INDIRECT
Tense change: DS: “Come on, Robin, to the Bat Cave! There isn’t a
moment to lose!” – Batman IS: Batman said to Robin there wasn’t a moment to lose.
DIRECT → INDIRECT
Note: the tense of the verb need not to be adapted when the introducing verb is in the present tense
Batman says to Robin there isn’t a moment to lose. in the present perfect tense
Batman has said to Robin there isn’t a moment to lose. in the future tense:
Batman will say to Robin there isn’t a moment to lose.
DIRECT → INDIRECT
Tense change: DS: “Come on, Robin, to the Bat Cave! There isn’t a moment
to lose!” – Batman IS: Batman said to Robin there wasn’t a moment to lose.
With the introducing verb in the past tense and the two speakers speaking in a different time frame, the following adaptations have to be made: present tenses → past tenses past and present perfect tenses → past perfect tenses
DIRECT → INDIRECT
Modals change: DS: “Come on, Robin, to the Bat Cave! We can not lose time!”
– Batman IS: Batman said to Robin they could not lose time.
When there is a modal inside a quote... will becomes would shall becomes should can becomes could must becomes had to may becomes might
DIRECT → INDIRECT
Pronoun change: DS: “I just thought of something even funnier than 24… 25!”
- Spongebob IS: Spongebob said he just thought of something even
funnier than 24, namely 25!
DIRECT → INDIRECT
Note: We usually change first-person personal pronouns (I, we) to third person (he, she, they). This depends completely on the context of the sentence!
DIRECT → INDIRECT
Time and place expressions (adverbials) DS: Yesterday my friend said: “I’ll come and see you here at
8 o’clock tomorrow for relationship day.” IS: Yesterday my friend said s/he would come and see me
there at 8 o’clock the next/following day.”
If there are time or place elements in a quote, you must change it to fit the time of the reporting.
DIRECT → INDIRECT
Time Expressions for direct speech
Use in indirect speech
now then
today that day, last Monday, etc.
yesterday the day before, the previous day
tomorrow the next day, on Saturday, etc.
this week that week
last week the week before
an hour ago an hour before
DIRECT SPEECH
Punctuation:
Put “he said,” etc. before, in the middle, or after the quote.
Place commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points before the closing quotation mark.
Mandela said,“Education is the most powerful weapon.’
“Education is the most powerful weapon,” Mandela said.
“Is education the most powerful weapon?” Mandela asked.
(IN)DIRECT SPEECH: VERBS
OTHER VERBS
Present Tense Past Tenseanswer answereddeclare declaredreply repliedsay saidstate statedtell [+ direct object] told [+ direct object]utter uttered
REPORTED QUESTIONS
Example 1 (verb structure) DS: Bob Marley asked: “Did you shoot the sheriff?” IS: Bob Marley asked if you shot the sheriff.
Example 2 (linking word in a yes/no-question) IS: Bob Marley asked if you shot the sheriff. IS: Bob Marley asked whether I shot the sheriff with a pistol
or a shotgun. (when there’s a choice between two items)
IMPERATIVES
When reporting commands or requests, instead of using that, use the infinitive to + verb instead. DS: Pharrell says: “Clap along if you feel like a room without
a roof.” IS: Pharrell says to clap along if you feel like a room without
a roof.
CHECKLIST (DS – IS)
change in verb tense change in modals change in pronouns change in place and time signifiers change in demonstrative pronouns (this, that,
these, those, etc.)
EXERCISES
see hand-outsee TB. pp. 119 – 123 - 124