Что такое Reported speech?
Грамматика

Что такое Reported speech — часть 1

Что такое Reported speech? Косвенная речь возникает, когда вы рассказываете кому-то то, что сказал кто-то другой. В большинстве языков слова, о которых вы «сообщаете», не меняются по форме, но в английском они меняются. К счастью, сообщаемая речь на английском языке следует установленным правилам, и, как правило, из них нет исключений. Здесь мы рассмотрим некоторые из этих правил. Вы готовы?

A. Study this example situation:

Tom: ‘I’m feeling ill.’

You want to tell somebody else what Tom said. There are two ways of doing this:

You can repeat Tom’s words (direct speech): Tom said: ‘I’m feeling ill.’

Or you can use reported speech: Tom said that he was feeling ill.

 

Compare:

direct:         Tom said: ‘I am feeling ill.’     In writing we use quotation marks to show direct speech.

reported:     Tom said that he was feeling ill.

B. When we use reported speech, the main verb of the sentence is usually past (Tom said that… / I told her that… etc.). The rest of the sentence is usually past too:

  • Tom said (that) he was feeling ill.
  • I told her (that) I didn’t have any money.

You can leave out that:

  • Tom said he was feeling ill.
  • I told her I didn’t have any money.

In general, the present form in direct speech changes to the past form in reported speech:

  • am/is —> was
  • do/does —> did
  • will —> would
  • are —> were
  • have/has —> had
  • can —> could
  • want/like/know/go etc. —> wanted/liked/knew/went etc.

Compare direct speech and reported speech:

You met Judy. Here are some of the things she said to you in direct speech: Later you tell somebody what Judy said. You use reported speech:
‘My parents are very well.’
‘I’m going to learn to drive.’
‘John has given up his job.’
‘I can’t come to the party on Friday.’
‘I want to go away for a holiday but I don’t know where to go.’
‘I’m going away for a few days. I’ll phone you when I get back.’
Judy said that her parents were very well.
She said that she was going to learn to drive.
She said that John had given up his job.
She said that she couldn’t come to the party on Friday.
She said that she wanted to go away for a holiday but (she) didn’t know where to go.
She said that she was going away for a few days and would phone me when she got back.

C. The past simple (did/saw/knew etc.) can usually stay the same in reported speech, or you can change it to the past perfect (had done / had seen / had known etc.):

direct Tom said: ‘I woke up feeling ill, so I didn’t go to work.’

reported Tom said (that) he woke up feeling ill, so he didn’t go to work.

or

direct Tom said: ‘I woke up feeling ill, so I didn’t go to work.’

reported Tom said (that) he had woken up feeling ill, so he hadn’t gone to work.

EXERCISES

1 Yesterday you met a friend of yours, Charlie. Here are some of the things Charlie said to you:

1 I’m living in London now.
2 My father isn’t very well.
3 Sharon and Paul are getting married next month.
4 Margaret has had a baby.
5 I don’t know what Fred is doing.
6 I saw Helen at a party in June and she seemed fine.
7 I haven’t seen Diane recently.
8 I’m not enjoying my job very much.
9  You can come and stay at my flat if you are ever in London.
10 My car was stolen a few weeks ago.
11 I want to go on holiday but I can’t afford it.
12 I’ll tell Ann I saw you.

 

Later that day you tell another friend what Charlie said. Use reported speech.

  1. Charlie said that he was living in London now.
  2. He said that……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
  3. He…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
  4. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
  5. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  6. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  7. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  8. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
  9. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  10. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
  11. …………………………………………………………………………………………………..,……………………………….
  12. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

2 Somebody says something to you which is the opposite of what they said before. Write a suitable answer beginning I thought you said… .

1  A: That restaurant is expensive.
B: Is it? …I thought you said it was cheap..

2  A: Ann is coming to the party tonight.
B: Is she? I thought you said she ……………………………….

3  A: Ann likes Paul.
B: Does she? I thought…………………………………………….

4  A: I know lots of people.
B: Do you? I thought you said you………………………………

5  A: I’ll be here next week.
B: Will you? …………………………………………………………..

6  A: I’m going out this evening.
B: Are you?…………………………………………………………….

7  A: I can speak a little French.
B: Can you? ……………………………………………………………

8  A: I haven’t been to the cinema for ages.
B: Haven’t you? ………………………………………………………..

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