Учебно-методическое пособие для студентов гуманитарных специальностей вузов Втрех частях (стр. 17 из 41)
4. Reported Speech commonly occurs in continuous paragraphs of reported language, not in unrelated sentences. To hold it together such phrases and words as she went on to say, he continued, he added that, and, as, because, but, since, while, then, etc. are used:
“I’m really tired,” she said to him. “Can you make me a cup of coffee?”
She exclaimed that she was tired and asked him to make her a cup of coffee.
We can report:
– statements
– questions
– commands, requests, suggestions, etc.
E x e r c i s e s
1. Report the following utterances. Use the reporting verbs best suited to the sense of the utterance.
1) Mike: I’m sure Ann will be an excellent guide. Helen: Yes, she will.
2) Jim to his boss: I’ll finish this report by the end of the day.
3) Henry: I won’t stay at this hotel. The room service is awful here.
4) Victor to Diana: You must go to the bank tomorrow. Don’t you remember?
5) Jack to Jane: If you don’t take a taxi you won’t catch the next train.
6) Roger: How about coming to a party with me tonight? Ann: I’ll be delighted.
7) Nina: I have a terrible headache. Steve: Would you like me to buy some medicine for you?
8) Jim to Harry: I’m late because I missed my bus.
9) Martha: It was me. I ate all the cake yesterday.
10) Adrian: I’m sorry I was rude.
11) Peter: I really must leave.
12) Helen to Nick: I’ll let you know about my arrival. I’ll send you a telegram.
13) Sue: Mum, please let me go to the carnival. I’ll be all right!
14) Tom to Kate: You betrayed me!
2.Put in tell or say.
1) All the experts … the Earth is getting warmer.
2) Did you … Mark and Roger how to find our house?
3) The sales manager is going to … everyone about the meeting.
4) Nora, why don’t you just … what the matter is.
5) They … they’re going to build a new Disney World here.
6) What did he … about his holiday plans?
7) Could you … me the way to the train station, please?
8) The company should … its employees what’s going on.
9) You shouldn’t … lies, you know, James.
10) Did you … anything to Bob about the barbecue?
UNIT 3 REPORTED STATEMENTS
1. To report statements a reporting verb (say, tell, explain, etc.) followed by a that-clause is used. In spoken English that can be omitted: He said, “I feel sick. He said (that) he felt sick.
2. Pronouns and possessive adjectives change according to the context.
Direct Speech: Reported Speech:
He said, “I’ll lend you my car”. He said he would lend me his car.
3. Verb Tenses and time expressions change in Reported Speech:
a) when the introductory verb is in a past tense: She said that she was leaving the following week.
b) in out-of-date reporting: When I saw Alec he said he was going to England the next month.
c) when there is a difference between what was said and what is really true: You said you liked (not ‘you like’) chocolate, but you aren’t eating any.
4. When the reporting verb is in the past, the verb tenses change according to the rules of Sequence of Tenses as follows:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
| Present Indefinite Þ | Past/Present Indefinite |
| “He likes walking,” she said. | She said he liked/likes walking. |
| Present Continuous Þ | Past Continuous |
| “He is watching TV,” he said. | He said he was watching TV. |
| Present Perfect Þ | Past Perfect |
| “He has just left,” she said. | She said he had just left. |
| Past Indefinite Þ | Past Indefinite/Past Perfect |
| “I went home early,” she said. | She said she went/had gone home early. |
| Future Þ | Future-in-the-Past |
| “He’ll be back in an hour,” she said. | She said he would be back in an hour. |
| Present Perfect Continuous Þ | Past Perfect Continuous |
| “I’ve been typing since night,” she said. | She said she had been typing since night. |
NOTE 1:
a) If the statement is still up to date when reported, then there is a choice. You can either leave the tense the same, or you can change it:
John said he is/was going to Rome in April.(a future event is expressed)
Sarah told me that her father owns/owned a racehorse. (it is possible to say that her father owns a racehorse because it is still true)
Peter told me today that he lost his watch some days ago. (recent report)
Mary said her mother is seriously ill. (the situation hasn’t changed, it’s relevancy at the present moment is emphasized)
b) If the statement is no longer up to date, then the tense is changed.
John said he was going to Rome in April. (now it is May)
Sarah once told me that her father owned a racehorse. (he may no longer own one)
Peter told me last month that he had lost his watch some days before. (remote past report)
Last month I met Mary. She said her mother was seriously ill. (the event is past, the situation might have changed)
NOTE 2: If the verb is Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous, it stays the same: “My money had run out.” Daniel said his money had run out.
5. Certain words can change as follows depending on the time reference.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
| tonight, today, this week/month/year Þ | that night, that day, that week/month/year |
| now Þ | then, at that time, at once, immediately |
| now that Þ | since |
| yesterday, last night/week/month Þ | the day before, the previous night/week/month/year |
| tomorrow, next week/ month/year Þ | the following day /the day after, the following/next week/month/year |
| two days/months etc. ago Þ | two days/months etc. before |
| this/these Þ | that/those |
| here Þ | there |
| come Þ | go |
| E.g. ‘Tom is leaving tomorrow,” she said. | She said that Tom was leaving the next day. |
6. There are no changes in the verb tenses in Reported Speech when the direct sentence expresses a general truth. (See Unit 3)
“The Earth is a planet,” he said. He said the Earth is a planet.
E x e r c i s e s
1. Turn the following statements into Reported Speech. Mind the changes of place and time.
Model: Rachel: I’m taking my driving test tomorrow.
You: When I saw Rachel, she said she was taking her driving test the next day.
1) Emma: I’ve only had this new computer since yesterday.
You: Emma said…
2) Matthew: I’m meeting a friend at the station later today.
You: Matthew said…
3) Mark: I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.
You: Mark said to me today…
4) Sarah: The conference was last week.
You: Sarah told me…
5) Tom: I’m having a party in my office tomorrow.
You: Tom told me…
6) Vicky: I’m leaving for Manchester in three days.
You: Vicky said…
7) Nick: I gave up smoking a week ago.
You: I saw Nick last week. He said…
8) Alice: I’ll be very busy this month.
You: Alice told me…
9) Rita: I passed the first exam a week ago!
You: Rita told me today …
10) Helen: Tom invited me to come for a drive tomorrow.
You: Helen said…
2. Put in is or was. Sometimes both are possible.
1) I heard today that the house … for sale. I wonder who will buy it.
2) I saw David yesterday. He said he … on his way to visit his sister.
3) This wallet is made of plastic not leather. Why did you tell me it … leather?
4) We had to hurry yesterday morning. Just as we arrived at the station, we heard an announcement that the train … about to leave.
5) I saw Susan just now. She said her tooth … still aching.
6) I’m surprised Mario lost. I thought he … much better in tennis than John.
7) When we spoke to reporters yesterday, Mr Campbell said that the company … now in a much better financial position.
3. Change the following sentences into Reported Speech.
1) Jack told his father, “I have lost my notebook”.
2) Henry said to me, “I didn’t throw stones at your dog”.
3) Bob said to Tom, “Henry doesn’t sit next to me in class”.
4) Nick said to her, “Jack always tells lies”.
5) Ann said seriously, “ There isn’t much sense in what you suggest”.
6) I told the policeman, “ I saw the thief in the garden”.
7) He said, “I have eaten nothing for two days”.
8) Jack’s father said to him, “You haven’t cleaned your shoes”.
9) Mary said, “ I don’t want to wear my old dress”.
10) My mother said to me, “ I feel very tired and I have a headache”.
11) My friend told me, “We have plenty of time to do our work”.
12) I said to my sister with joy, “George has written me a long letter”.
13) He said to me today, “This trip costs a lot of money”.
14) He said to me, “ I was arrested and tried for murder some years ago”.
15) She said thoughtfully, “Health is better than wealth”.
16) “I’ve never seen anything like this before”, the professor said.
17) “I’m telephoning from the US”, Peter said.
18) “I can’t live on my basic salary,” he said.
19) “The ice will soon be hard enough to skate on it,” she exclaimed.
20) “The puppy can sleep on our doormat,” said my aunt.