TRANSFORMATION OF SENTENCES
Indirect Speech: Indirect speech or reported speech refers to the reporting of events, conversation or actions. It means reporting someone's message in our own words.
Direct Speech: Direct speech or quoted speech is spoken or written text that reports speech or thought in its original form, i.e., as phrased by the original speaker. It is usually enclosed in quotation marks.
Ø Reporting what other people have said can be done in two ways;
v Quoting
v Reporting
v Quoting is reporting what someone has said in his/her own words. This is called direct speech. We can identify direct speech with the help of punctuation.
· Leah said "I'm calling from Vancouver."
o The clause used in quotation marks is called direct speech.
v Reporting is repeating someone's message in our own words. This is called reported speech or indirect speech.
· Leah said that she was calling from Vancouver.
o In reporting statements, the reported clause begins with the subordinating conjunction that.
Ø When we report a statement, the reported clause usually begins with the word that, which is a subordinating conjunction. The subordinating conjunction can be omitted in spoken (informal) English.
· Leah said (that) she would buy a laptop in January.
· Leah agreed (that) she didn't do well on the test.
Ø The pronouns in the reported clauses have to be chosen carefully.
· Direct: Leah said to Leena: "I want to become an Accountant."
o Here 'I' refers to Leah. So, when we report this sentence, we need to use the pronoun she.
· Indirect: Leah told Leena that she wanted to become an Accountant.
o A good way to use pronouns in indirect speech is to note who said what, who is reporting to whom, and who the people mentioned are and then use the pronouns accordingly.
The following table shows changes in tense from direct speech to indirect speech:
Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
Present Simple | Past Simple |
Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
Past Simple | Past Perfect/Past Simple |
Past Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous/Past Continuous |
Past Perfect | Past Perfect |
Will/Shall/Can + Infinitive | Would/Should/Could + Infinitive |
Ø When the direct speech expresses a permanent situation or general truth, the tense in indirect speech remains the same as the tense in direct speech.
· Direct: The teacher said, "The Earth orbits the Sun."
· Indirect: The teacher said that the Earth orbits the Sun.
Ø When the situation that is described in direct speech still holds true or is assumed to be true by the speaker, the tense in the indirect speech may or may not change.
· Direct: Leah said to me, "I have passed the exam."
· Indirect: Leah told me that she has passed the exam. (The speaker believes that Leah has passed the exam…)
(or)
· Leah told me that she had passed the exam. (The speaker may or may not believe that Leah has passed the exam...)
Ø If the reporting is being done on the same day or time, change of adverbials does not take place.
· Direct: Leah said, "I will come tomorrow."
· Indirect: Leah said that she would come tomorrow (or) Leah says that she will come tomorrow.
o 'Says' is in present and so 'will' will not be changed to 'would'.
Ø The demonstrative pronouns 'this' and 'these' become 'that' and 'those' respectively in indirect speech.
· Direct: Leah said, "I have read this novel."
· Indirect: Leah said that she had read that novel.
· Direct: Leena said, "These cups have to be placed in the cupboard."
· Indirect: Leena said that those cups had to be placed in the cupboard.
Ø Time and Place adverbials also change in indirect speech.
· now -> then
· today -> that day
· tomorrow -> the following / next day
· yesterday -> the previous day
· next month/year -> the following month/ year
· here -> there
· Direct: He said, '"I saw your dad at the post office yesterday."
· Indirect: He said that he had seen my dad at the post office the previous day.
QUESTIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS
When we talk, we also report questions and instructions.
Ø Questions can be reported in the same way as statements. When a yes-no question is reported, the reported clause is introduced by either if or whether.
· Direct: Leah asked her, "Can you sing with me?"
· Indirect: Leah asked her if she could sing with her.
· Direct: The teacher asked the students, "Are you all going to turn in your homework?"
· Indirect: The teacher asked the students whether they were all going to turn in their homework.
o Note: Here, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject in direct speech but placed after the subject in indirect speech. So, when a question is reported, the indirect clause begins with if or whether and if there is any auxiliary verb, it is placed after the subject.
Ø When the word whether is used, we can continue the sentence with or not.
So, an alternative is provided for a clause beginning with whether.
But for a clause beginning with if, generally, an alternative is not provided.
· Indirect: He asked her whether she went to the mall or not. (Right)
· Indirect: He asked her if she went to the mall. (Right)
· Indirect: He asked her if she went to the mall or not. (Wrong)
Ø When a wh-question is reported, the indirect speech begins with the wh- word.
· Direct: Leah said, "Where did you go?"
· Indirect: Leah asked them where they had gone.
Ø If the direct speech begins with who, what, or which followed by a form of 'be' as the main verb, the verb is placed at the end of the sentence.
· Direct: She asked him, "Who is the examiner?"
· Indirect: She asked him who the examiner was.
Ø When do and does are used as auxiliary verbs in direct speech, they are omitted in indirect speech.
· Direct: She asked me, "Where does your mother live?"
· Indirect: She asked me where my mother lived.
· Direct: She asked me, "Do you know him?"
· Indirect: She asked me if I knew him.
· Direct: She asked me, "Why didn't you go to the party?"
· Indirect: She asked me why I had not gone to the party.
Ø When an order, a suggestion, a permission, or a request is reported, the reporting verb is followed by the word to and the base form of the verb.
The reporting verb said is often replaced by words like asked, requested, ordered, suggested, enquired, to convey the tone used in direct speech.
Words like please are omitted in indirect speech.
· Direct: She said, "Please come with me."
· Indirect: She requested me to go with her.
· Direct: The teacher said, "You may go home."
· Indirect: The teacher permitted me to go home.
· Direct: He said, "I'll take you to the theatre."
· Indirect: He offered to take me to the theatre.
· Direct: She said "Close the door, please."
· Indirect: She requested me to close the door.
· Direct: cop said, "Hands up!"
· Indirect: The cop ordered the criminal to put up his hands.
Depending on the perspective, i.e., in whose direction the speech is being directed, come will change to go in indirect speech.
· Direct: Leah said, “Will you come to my party?” (Direction is towards Leah, who is speaking.)
· Indirect: Leah asked me if I would go to her party. (Direction is away from me, because I am the one who is speaking.)
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