UNIT V : REPORTED SPEECH

UNIT V : REPORTED SPEECH

V.1. REPORTED SPEECH AND DIRECT SPEECH

* When we want to quote somebody’s words or thoughts, we can do it in two ways. First of all, we can try to give the exact words that were said (or that we imagine were thought).

So he comes into the pub and says ‘I’ll have a pint’. And then I thought ‘Well, does he really mean it’.

This way of quoting is called ‘direct speech’. Usually the words quoted are introduced by one of the words say or think put before the quotation. In writing, quotation marks (‘…’ or “…”) are used. In literary writing, a large number of other verbs are used (to add variety and to give additional information); for example, ask, exclaim, suggest, reply, dry, reflect, suppose, grunt, snarl, hiss, whisper. And in literary writing the word order is more free; the reporting verb can come in the middle or at the end of the quotation.

‘Your information,’ I replied, ‘is out of date.’ ‘I suppose so,’ grunted Jack.

* The other way of quoting somebody’s words or thoughts is to use the ‘reported speech’ construction (also called ‘indirect speech’). In this case, we talk about the idea that was expressed without quoting the exact words that were used, and we connect it more closely to our own sentence (for example, by using that or whether).

So he comes into the pub and says (that) he’ll have a pint. And then I wondered whether he really meant it.

In reported speech, the tenses, word-order, pronouns and other words may be different from those in the original sentence. Compare:

He said, ‘I’m going home.’ He said he was going home.
Mum says, ‘Why aren’t you at school. Mum wants to know why you aren’t at school.
He said, ‘I love you.’ He said he loved me.
Peter said, ‘Why don’t we phone him now?’ Peter suggested phoning him straight away.

In some cases, words may disappear or be expressed in other ways (yes, no, well, exclamations and questions-tags, for example, cannot be fitted into the reported speech construction.) Compare:

‘Yes, I suppose so,’ he said. ‘It’s difficult, isn’t it?’
He agreed unenthusiastically, saying that it was difficult.

V.2. TENSES IN REPORTED SPEECH

* When the ‘reporting’ verb is past (eg she said; I thought; we wondered; Max wanted to know), we do not usually use the same tenses as the original speaker.

The verbs are ‘more past’ (because we are not talking at the same time as the speaker was). Compare:

DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH

Present Simple

‘I like peaches’

Present Progressive

‘Is it raining?’

Past Simple

‘I didn’t recognize you’

Present Perfect

‘You’ve annoyed the dog.’

Past Progressive

‘I was joking.’ about the price

Past Perfect

‘I hadn’t seen her

before that day.’

Shall / will

‘We’ll be late.’

Can, may

‘I can swim.’

‘It may rain.’

Would, could, might, ought, should

‘You could be right.’

Past simple

He said he liked peaches.

Past Progressive

He asked if it was raining.

Past Perfect

She explained that she hadn’t recognized me.

Past Perfect

I told her she’d annoyed the dog.

Past Progressive or Past Perfect Progressive

He said he was joking (or:had been joking) about the price.
Past Perfect

You said you hadn’t seen her before that day.’

Should / would

I was afraid we’d be late.

Could, might

She thought she could swim.

They said it might rain.

Would, could, might, ought, should
I felt he could be right.

‘That should be interesting.’ She said it should be interesting.

Must Must or Had to

‘I must go.’ He said he must go. (or: …had to go)

Note that we may have shall or should in direct speech, and would in reported speech (because of the difference of person).

‘I should be delighted to come.’ He said he would be delighted to come.

* When the ‘reporting’ verb is present, future, or present perfect, the tenses used are usually the same as those in the speaker’s original words. Compare:

‘Will I be in time?’
She wants to know if she’ll be in time.
‘Was your operation successful?’
He’ll certainly ask you if your operation was successful.

* Sometimes, even after past reporting verbs, the tenses are the same as the original speaker’s. This happens when we are reporting people saying things that are still true when we report them. Compare:

‘The earth goes round the sun.’
Galileo proved that the earth goes round the sun.

‘I’m only 28.’
She told me the other day that she’s only 28.

However, past tenses are also possible in these cases.

‘How old are you?’ – ‘I beg your pardon?’ – ‘I asked how old you were.’

In sentences like these, we often use present tenses if we feel that we are reporting facts; we prefer past tenses if we are not sure of the truth of what we report. Compare:

She told me she’s getting married next June. (And I believe her.)
She told me she was getting married next June. (It may be true, it may not.)

V.3. OTHER CHANGES IN REPORTED SPEECH

* Pronouns and possessive adjectives normally change from first or second person to third person except when the speaker is reporting his own words.

I said, ‘I like my new house.’
I said that I liked my own house (speaker reporting his own words.)

He said, ‘I’ve forgotten the combination of my safe.’
He said that he had forgotten the combination of his safe.

‘You’ve overcooked the steak again, Mary.’ he said.
He told Mary that she had overcooked the steak again.

Pronoun changes may affect the verb when it is in the future or conditional.

He says, ‘I shall be there.’ = He says that he will be there. He said, ‘I shall be there.’ = He said that he would be there.

* this used in a time expression usually becomes that. He said, ‘She is coming this week’

He said that she was coming that week.

Otherwise 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 / pearls for his mother.

V.4. ADVERBS AND ADVERBIAL PHRASES OF TIME

Direct

today
yesterday
the day before yesterday tomorrow
the day after tomorrow next week/year etc.
last week/year etc.
a year etc. ago

Indirect

that day
the day before
two days before
the next day / the following day in two days’ time

the following week/year etc.
the previous week/year etc.
a year before / the previous year

‘I saw her the day before yesterday,’ he said. He said he’d seen him two days before.

‘I’ll do it tomorrow,’ he promised.
He promised that he would do it the next day.

‘I’m starting the day after tomorrow, mother,’ he said.
He told his mother that he was starting in two day’s time.

She said, ‘My father died a year ago.’
He said that his father had died a year before/the previous year.

But if the speech is made and reported on the same day these time changes are not necessary.

At breakfast this morning he said, ‘I’ll be very busy today’
At breakfast this morning he said that he would be very busy today.

Logical adjustments are of course necessary if a speech is reported one/two days after it is made. One Monday Jack said to Tom:

I’m leaving the day after tomorrow.

If Tom reports this speech on the next day (Tuesday) he will probably say:

Jack said he was leaving tomorrow.

If he reports it on Wednesday, he will probably say:

Jack said he was leaving today.

V.5. ‘HERE’ IN REPORTED SPEECH
* here can become there but only when it is clear what place is meant.

We met at the bridge and he said, ‘I’ll be here again tomorrow.’
We met at the bridge and he said that he’d be there again the next day.

Usually here has to be replaced by some phrase. She said, ‘You can sit here, Tom’

She told Tom that he could sit beside her on the rug etc

But He said, ‘Come here, boys’ would normally be reported He called the boys.

V.6. INFINITIVE AND GERUND CONSTRUCTIONS IN REPORTED SPEECH

A) agree, refuse, offer, promise, threaten + infinitive can sometimes be used instead of say (that)… ANN: Would you wait half an hour? TOM: All right.

• =  Tom agreed to wait or Tom said he would wait.ANN: Would you lend me another £50?

  TOM: No, I won’t lend you any more money.

• =  Tom refused to lend her any more money.

or Tom said he wouldn’t lend her any more money.

PAUL: I’ll help you if you like.
= Paul offered to help her/me or Paul said that he’d help her/me.

ANN: I’ll pay you back next week. Really I will.

= Ann promised to pay him/me etc. back the following week. or Ann said she would pay him back. or Ann assured him that she would pay him back.

KIDNAPPERS: If you don’t pay the ransom at once we’ll kill your daughter.
= The kidnappers threatened to kill his daughter if he didn’t pay the ransom at once. or The kidnappers said that they would kill etc.

B) accuse + object + of, admit, deny, apologize for, insist on + gerund can sometimes be used instead of say that: ‘You took the money! might be reported by

He accused me of taking the money.
‘Yes, I took it’ or ‘I did take it’ might be reported

I admitted taking it.

‘No, I didn’t take it’ might be reported I denied taking it.

TOM: I’ll pay for both of us.
BILL: Let’s each pay or own share. TOM: No, I’ll pay.
‘No, I’ll pay’ could be reported as Tom insisted on paying.

V.7. SAY, TELL AND ALTERNATIVE 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 said 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, when the person addressed need not be mentioned: He told (me) lies. I’ll tell (you) a story.

tell used with direct speech must be placed after the direct statement: 32

‘I’m leaving at once.’ Tom told me.

Inversion is not possible with tell. B) say and tell with reported speech

Indirect statements are normally introduce by say or tell + object. say + to + object is possible but much 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 journey.

C) Other useful verbs are: add, admit, answer, argue, assure + object, boast, complain, deny, explain, grumble, observe, point out, promise, remark, remind + object, reply. These can be used with direct or indirect speech.

With direct speech they follow direct statements:

‘It won’t cost more,’ Tom assured us.

They can all introduce indirect statements. that should be placed after the verb: Tom assured us that it wouldn’t cost more.

But Bill objected/pointed out that it would take longer.
D) murmur, mutter, shout, stammer, whisper can precede or follow direct statements or questions. Noun

subjects can be inverted as shown above:

‘You are late,’ whispered Tom / Tom whispered

They can introduce indirect statements. that is usually necessary:

Tom whispered that we were late.

There are, of course, a lot of other verbs describing the voice or the tone of voice, e.g. bark, growl, snarl, sneer, roar, scream, shriek, yell. But these are more common with direct speech than with reported speech.

V.8. REPORTED QUESTIONS

* Reported questions do not have the same word-order (auxiliary verb before subject) as direct questions often have. Do is not used. Questions marks are not used.

The nurse asked how I fell.
I wondered why my mother was driving so fast.
Rosemary couldn’t understand where all the people were living.

* Before questions which do not have a question-word (like who, where, why), if or whether is used in reported speech. Although normally we can use either, if is more usual than whether.

The bus driver asked if / whether I wanted the town centre. I don’t know if/whether I can help you.

Whether can emphasize that a choice has to be made.

‘Do you want to go by air or sea?’ the travel agent asked. The travel agent asked whether I wanted to go by air or sea.

Note whether or not.

‘Do you want to insure your luggage or not?’ he asked. He asked whether or not I wanted to insure my luggage.

Whether + infinitive is possible after wonder, want to know.

Shall / Should I wait for them or go on?’ he wondered.

He wondered whether to wait for them or go on.
or He wondered whether he should wait for them or go.

* Say can be used to introduce direct questions, but not reported questions. Compare: She said, ‘Do you want me to help you?’

She asked if I wanted her to help me. (Not: *She said…)

V.9. QUESTIONS BEGINNING SHALL I / WE?
AND WILL YOU / WOULD YOU / COULD YOU?

* Questions beginning shall I / we? can be of four kinds.

1) Speculations or requests for information about a future event:

‘Shall I ever see them again?’ he wondered.
‘When shall I know the result of the test?’ she asked.

These follow the ordinary rule about shall / will. Speculations are usually introduced by wonder: He wondered if he would ever see them again.

She asked when she would know the result of her test.

2) Requests for instructions or advice:

‘What shall I do with it?’ = ‘Tell me what to do with it.?
These are expressed in indirect speech by ask, inquire etc., with should or the be + infinitive construction.

Requests for advice are normally reported by should. ‘Shall we sent it to your flat, sir?’ he said.

= He asked the customer if they were to send/if they should send it to his flat.

‘What shall I do, mother?’ she said.
She asked her mother what she should do. (request for advice)

When a choice is required we normally use whether in indirect speech, whether + infinitive is sometimes

‘Shall I lock the car or leave it unlocked?’ he said.
He asked whether he should/was to lock the car or leave it unlocked. He asked whether to lock the car or leave it unlocked.

‘Shall I bring you some tea?’ could be reported He offered to bring me some tea.

4) Suggestions:

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

* Questions beginning with will you / would you / could you? may be ordinary questions but may also be requests, invitations, or, very occasionally, commands:

He said, ‘Will you be there tomorrow?’ (ordinary question) = He asked if she would be there the next day.

But He said, ‘Will you help me, please?’ (request)

• =  He asked me to help him.He said, ‘Will you have a drink / Would you like a drink? (invitation)
• =  He offered me a drink.

or He asked if I would have / would like a drink.

He said, ‘Will you have lunch with me tomorrow?’
or ‘Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?’ he said or Could you have lunch with me tomorrow? (invitations)

• =  He invited me/asked me to lunch with him the following day.’Will you post this for me?’ he said.
• =  He asked if I would post it for him.

or He asked me to post it for him.

‘Could you/would you wait a moment?’ he said. = He asked me to wait a moment.

V.10. 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 / advise + object + infinitive.

A) Tell and ask are the reporting verbs normally used. As an alternative to these we can also use: advise, beg, command, encourage, entreat, forbid, implore, invite, order, recommend, remind, request, urge, warn. (Note that say is not normally used).

He said, ‘Get your coat, Tom!’ = He told Tom to get his coat.
‘You had better hurry, Bill!’ she said. = She advised Bill to hurry.

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.
forbid can also be used for prohibitions, but is more common in the passive than in the active:

The boys were forbidden to swim out too far.

C) Examples of indirect commands, requests, advise.

‘If I were you, I’d stop taking tranquilizers,’ I said.

• =  I advised him to stop taking tranquilizers.’Why don’t you take off your coat?’ he said.
• =  He asked me to show him my passport. (He asked me for my passport/He asked to see my passport.)

‘You might post some letters for me,’ said my boss.

• =  My boss asked me to post some letters for him.’Yes, we have a room for you,’ said the receptionist. ‘If you’d just sign the register!’
• =  The receptionist said that they had a room for him and asked him to sign the register.’Do sit down,’ said my hostess.
• =  My hostess asked/invited me to sit down.’Would you like to come for a drive with me?’ said Andrew.
• =  Andrew asked/invited her to come for a drive with him.’Please, please don’t take any risks,’ said his wife.
• =  His wife begged/implore him not to take any risks.’Forget all about this young man,’ said her parents. ‘Don’t see him again or answer his letters.’
• =  ‘His parents ordered her to forget all about the young man and told her not too see him again or his letters.In the passive we could say:

‘She was ordered to forget all about the young man and forbidden to see him again or answer his letters.

‘Don’t forget to order the wine,’ said Mrs Pitt.

• =  Mrs Pitt reminded her husband to order the wine.’Try again,’ said Ann’s friend encouragingly.
• =  Ann’s friends encouraged her to try again.’Go on, apply for the job,’ said Jack.
• =  Jack urged/encouraged me to apply for the job.

‘You had better not leave your car unlocked,’ said my friends; ‘there’s been a lot of stealing from cars’

• =  My friends warned me not to leave my car unlocked as there had been a lot of stealing from cars.’will you…?’ sentences are normally treated as requests and reported by ask:

  ‘Will all persons not travelling please go ashore, as the gangways are about to be taken away,’ said

  one of the ship’s officers over the loudspeaker.

• =  One of the ship’s officers asked all persons not travelling to go ashore…E) suggest is another useful reporting verb, but note that it cannot be followed by the infinite:

  ‘Why don’t you get a job in a bank?’ said my uncle = My uncle suggested (my/me) getting a job in a bank. or My uncle suggested that I should get a job in a bank.

  V.12. OTHER POINTS ON REPORTED SPEECH

  1. Must and Needn’t
  A) After a past reporting verb, must does 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’ve got an appointment in half an hour.

  • =  He said he had to go, because he had an..
    .
    B) needn’t can remain unchanged and usually does. Alternatively it can change to didn’t have to / wouldn’t have to just as must changes to had to / would have to:I said, ‘If you can lend me the money I needn’t go to the bank
    • =  I said that if he could lend me the money I needn’t / wouldn’t have to go to the bank.He said, ‘I needn’t be in the office till ten tomorrow morning’
    • =  He said that he needn’t / didn’t have to be in the office till ten the next morning.He said, ‘You needn’t wait.’
    • =  He said that I needn’t wait.2. Modal verbs with perfect infinitives

      ‘Past’ modal verbs (would, could, might, ought and should) do not normally change in reported speech. Do not change ordinary modal structures to modal + perfect infinitive structures after past reporting verbs.

      He said , ‘I might come.’

= He said that he might come. (Not: *… he might have come.)

3.Conditional

After a past reporting verb, we can sometimes use a ‘conditional perfect’ structure (past perfect in the main clause, conditional perfect in the other). It depends on the meaning. Compare:

1. 1  He said, ‘If you called on me tomorrow, I could see you for half an hour’. He said that if I called on him the next day he could see me for half an hour.
2. 2  He said, ‘If I had any money, I’d buy you a drink.’
   He said if he’d had any money, he’d have bought me a drink.In the first example, the speaker was talking about something that might happen, and the conditional perfect

is not possible because it is only used for ‘imaginary’ situations. In the second example, the conditional perfect is possible, because the speaker was talking about something that could not happen.

4.Exclamations and yes and no

A) Exclamations must become statements in reported speech. Various constructions are possible:
Exclamations beginning what a… and how… such as He said, ‘What a dreadful night!’ or ‘How dreadful!’ are

expressed in indirect speech by He said that it was … So this example becomes: He said that it was a dreadful night. Exclamations such as ugh! heavens! are usually reported by He exclaimed with / gave an exclamation of disgust/surprise etc.

Note also:

• He said, ‘Thank you!’ = He thanked me.
• He said, ‘Curse this wind.’ = He cursed the wind.
• He said ,’Welcome!’ = He welcomed me.
• He said, ‘Happy Christmas.’ = He wished me a happy Christmas.
• He said, ‘Congratulations!’ = He congratulated me.
• He said, ‘Liar!’ = He called me liar.
• He said, ‘Damn!’ = He swore.

B) 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 that 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.5. That

  After the commonest verbs of saying and thinking, that can be left out, particularly in a conversational style.

  I said I wanted to get drunk.
  Jane thought it was time to buy some new clothes. I suppose we ought to go.
  Deborah tells me you’re leaving.

  That is not so often left out in a more formal style, and there are also many verbs (e.g. reply, telegraph) after which that is necessary.

He replied that we ought to invest half the profits. (Not: *He replied we ought to…)