Transcript in Reported Speech

Unit 12 – Presentation 1
• What is Direct Speech (D.S.)?
“the exact words sb said in quotation marks”
• And what is Reported or Indirect Speech (R.S.)?
Somebody’s words quoted at a later time (usu. by
someone else)
To transform a D.S. sentence into an R.S. one,
we make a number of changes, explained as 5
different cases for ease of reference.
1. Person/ Time & Place Reference Changes
2. (Changes to) Reported Statements
3. (Changes in) Reported Questions
4. (Changes in) Reported Commands & Requests
5. (Use of) Reporting Verbs
1.a) Person Changes
• When transforming a D.S. sentence into an
R.S. one, the person references change
perceptively (i.e., by observing the sentence
and paying particular attention to the speaker
outside the quotation marks).
1.b) Time & Place Changes
When transforming a D.S. sentence into an R.S.
one, the time and place references change from
proximate to distant, as follows:
1.b) Time & Place Changes
Direct Speech
Reported Speech
today, tonight, this morning/ that day, that night, that morning/ etc
evening/ etc
now
then, at the time, immediately
yesterday, last week
the previous day/ week, the day/ week
before
last month
a month before
tomorrow
the following day, the next day, a day later
next week
the following week, the week after
the day after tomorrow
in two days’ time
expressions with ‘ago’
expressions with ‘before’
here
there
come
go
2) Reported Statements
RULE: ‘Backshift’ (i.e. verb tenses moving one step
backwards, except for futures, which simply change
‘will’ to ‘ would’).
This rule concerns all the verbs in the sentence
(sequence of tenses) but is only necessary when the
introductory verb of the reported sentence is in
the past tense.
3) Reported Questions
RULE: Reported questions are AFFIRMATIVE in form (i.e.
S. + V.)
Backshift applies here, too, and
a) for yes/ no D.S. questions, introduce the R.S.
question by if/ whether,
b) for wh- D.S. questions, keep the wh- word.
c) Introductory Verb: asked or an expression along
the same lines (e.g. he wanted to know, he
enquired, etc).
4) Reported Commands & Requests
RULE: D.S. Imperative sentences change their
bare infinitive to a full one while the Negative
Imperative form changes ‘don’t’ to ‘not to’ in
R.S.
Introductory Verbs: told, ordered.
The same rule applies to reported requests
(D.S. Imperative with ‘please’) but with
different introductory verbs: asked, begged.
5.a) Reporting Verbs
•Verbs that are placed at the beginning of a
reported sentence to convey the ambience
(function) of the direct sentence without
transcribing it word for word.
•Apart from the classic cases of say (in D.S. whether
followed by a person or not, and in R.S. only when
not followed by a person) & tell (in R.S. only when
followed by a person) there are many more of them:
5.b) Reporting Verbs
List of Commonest Reporting Verbs
offer
deny
ask
greet
invite
exclaim
reply
boast/ brag
advise
explain
urge
complain
suggest
inform
claim
remark
recommend
order
demand
point out
accuse
promise
threaten
assure
admit
refuse
allow
announce
agree
remind
forbid
insist
beg
warn
apologise
plead
Notes on Reported Speech 1
The Subjunctive in Reported Speech
The note concerns the Past tenses, which, if
used for non-fact, do not undergo backshift.
e.g. “I wish I lived closer to work,” she said.
She said (that) she wished she lived closer to
work.
Notes on Reported Speech 2
The Modal Verbs in Reported Speech
Those of the Modal Verbs that possess a past
tense or a related phrase and are used in their
primary Function (i.e. literally), do have
backshift.
Those that are used in figurative Functions or do
not possess a Past tense or related phrase stay
the same in R.S.
Notes on Reported Speech 3
Punctuation in Reported Speech
When quoting sb’s words, use inverted commas OR
quotation marks (“ ”) and place the comma,
question mark or exclamation mark that concerns
the direct quotation within the inverted commas
when the person is at the end.
When the person is at the beginning, use a colon or
a comma before the quotation and a full stop at
the end, outside the inverted commas.
Notes on Reported Speech 4
Saying ‘Yes’ & ‘No’ in Reported Speech
If the D.S. sentence contains affirmative and
negative answers, report them by using an
appropriate auxiliary or introductory verb.
Notes on Reported Speech 5
Building Sentences Using Reported Speech
We link sentences together rather than make new
ones all the time by using reporting verbs, links,
participles, relative clauses & explanations, i.e.
e.g. “How do you propose to go about it?” I asked.
“I’ll play it by ear and see where it gets me,”
he said.
I asked him how he proposed to go about it, to
which he replied that he would play it by ear
and then he would see where it got him.