{"id":74324,"date":"2020-04-28T06:29:50","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T06:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/?p=74324"},"modified":"2020-04-28T06:29:50","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T06:29:50","slug":"direct-and-indirect-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/direct-and-indirect-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Direct And Indirect Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Reporting verb<\/h2>\n<p><b>Reporting\u00a0<\/b>verb is the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/how-to-identify-verbs\/\">verb<\/a>\u00a0which reports the speech.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>She\u00a0<b>said,\u00a0<\/b>&#8220;I am fine.&#8221; (Reporting verb: said)<\/li>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>asked,\u00a0<\/b>&#8220;Can I have more of that cheese?&#8221; (Reporting verb: asked)<\/li>\n<li>She\u00a0<b>says,\u00a0<\/b>&#8220;I am going.&#8221; (Reporting verb: says)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Said\u00a0<\/b>is preferred when there is no object.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>said\u00a0<\/b>that he was fine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><a href=\"http:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/say-vs-tell\/\">Tell\/told<\/a><\/b>\u00a0is used when you say who is\/was being spoken to.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>told me\u00a0<\/b>that he was fine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We use\u00a0<b>talk\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0<b>speak<\/b>\u00a0when we are referring to the action of communicating.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>talked\u00a0<\/b>to us.<\/li>\n<li>She was<b>\u00a0speaking\u00a0<\/b>on the telephone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To report a promise, hope or intention we use an appropriate reporting verb followed by a\u00a0<b><a href=\"http:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/that-clauses\/\">that-clause<\/a><\/b>\u00a0or a\u00a0<b><a href=\"http:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/infinitive-phrases\/\">to-infinitive<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He said, &#8220;I will pay you the money tomorrow.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>promised to pay\u00a0<\/b>me the money the next day.<\/li>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>promised that he would<\/b>\u00a0pay me the money the next day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Other verbs used to report hopes, intentions, and promises include:\u00a0hope, propose, threaten, guarantee and swear.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I will be back by lunch time,&#8221; he said.<\/li>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>promised to be back\u00a0<\/b>by lunchtime.<\/li>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>promised that he would\u00a0<\/b>be back by lunchtime.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;We would arrive in London before nightfall,&#8221; they said.<\/li>\n<li>They\u00a0<b>hoped to\u00a0<\/b>arrive in London before nightfall.<\/li>\n<li>They\u00a0<b>hoped that they would\u00a0<\/b>arrive in London before nightfall.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Give me the money or I will shoot you.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>threatened to shoot\u00a0<\/b>me if I didn&#8217;t give him the money.<\/li>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>threatened that he would\u00a0<\/b>shoot me if I didn\u2019t give him the money.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Verbs that can be followed by either a\u00a0<b>that-clause\u00a0<\/b>or a\u00a0<b>to-infinitive<\/b>\u00a0include: decide, expect, guarantee, hope, promise, swear, and threaten.<\/p>\n<h2>Reporting questions<\/h2>\n<p>In\u00a0reported questions\u00a0the subject normally comes before the verb. It is not necessary to use\u00a0<b>do\u00a0<\/b>or\u00a0<b>did<\/b>. Question marks are not used in reported questions.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He said, &#8220;When\u00a0<b>are you leaving?&#8221;<\/b><\/li>\n<li>He asked me when\u00a0<b>I was leaving.\u00a0<\/b>(NOT When was I leaving?)<\/li>\n<li>I said, &#8220;Where\u00a0<b>are you staying?&#8221;<\/b><\/li>\n<li>I asked her where\u00a0<b>she was staying.<\/b><\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Where\u00a0<b>does John live?<\/b>&#8221; she asked me.<\/li>\n<li>She asked me where\u00a0<b>John lived.<\/b><\/li>\n<li>John asked, &#8220;Where\u00a0<b>did you go<\/b>\u00a0last weekend?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>John asked where I\u00a0<b>had gone\u00a0<\/b>the previous weekend.<\/li>\n<li>He asked, &#8220;Why\u00a0<b>are you\u00a0<\/b>staring at me?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>He asked me why I\u00a0<b>was staring\u00a0<\/b>at him.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Yes\/No\u00a0<\/b>questions are reported with<b>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/whether-vs-if\/\">if\/whether<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Do you speak English,&#8221; she asked him.<\/li>\n<li>She asked him<b>\u00a0if he spoke\u00a0<\/b>English.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Are you British or French?&#8221; they asked me.<\/li>\n<li>They asked me\u00a0<b>whether I was\u00a0<\/b>British or French.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Did you come by train?&#8221; she enquired.<\/li>\n<li>She enquired\u00a0<b>if I had come\u00a0<\/b>by train.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We do not normally use\u00a0<b><a href=\"http:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/say-vs-tell\/\">say or tell<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>in reported questions.<\/p>\n<p><b>Wh-questions\u00a0<\/b>are reported by using\u00a0<b><a href=\"http:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/ask-vs-ask-for\/\">ask<\/a>\u00a0(or another verb like ask) + question word + clause.\u00a0<\/b>We use normal word order.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;What is your name?&#8221; he asked me.<\/li>\n<li>He asked\u00a0<b>what my name was.<\/b><\/li>\n<li>&#8220;How old is your mother?&#8221; he asked her.<\/li>\n<li>He asked her\u00a0<b>how old her mother was.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When we report questions constructed with\u00a0<b>who\/what\/which + be + complement,\u00a0<\/b><b>be\u00a0<\/b>can be put before or after the complement.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>She asked, &#8220;<b>Who is\u00a0<\/b>the best player here?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>She asked me\u00a0<b>who\u00a0<\/b>the best player\u00a0<b>was.<\/b><\/li>\n<li>She asked me\u00a0<b>who was\u00a0<\/b>the best player.<\/li>\n<li>He asked, \u201c<b>What is\u00a0<\/b>the matter?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>He asked\u00a0<b>what<\/b>\u00a0the matter\u00a0<b>was.<\/b><\/li>\n<li>He asked\u00a0<b>what was\u00a0<\/b>the matter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Reporting orders, requests and advice<\/h2>\n<p>To report orders, requests and suggestions, we normally use a reporting verb like\u00a0<b>tell\u00a0<\/b>with\u00a0<b>(object) + to infinitive.<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Be careful,&#8221; I told him.<\/li>\n<li>I\u00a0<b>told him to be<\/b>\u00a0careful.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Go away,&#8221; he said.<\/li>\n<li>He\u00a0<b>told me to go\u00a0<\/b>away.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Call the first witness,&#8221; said the judge.<\/li>\n<li>The judge\u00a0<b>ordered them to call\u00a0<\/b>the first witness.<\/li>\n<li>She told him, &#8220;Please wait here till I return.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>She\u00a0<b>requested him to wait\u00a0<\/b>there till she returned.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Stop smoking,&#8221; the doctor said.<\/li>\n<li>The doctor\u00a0<b>told me to stop\u00a0<\/b>smoking.<\/li>\n<li>The stranger said to me, \u201c<b>Please help\u00a0<\/b>me.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>The stranger\u00a0<b>requested me to help\u00a0<\/b>him.<\/li>\n<li>The clerk said to the officer, \u201c<b>Kindly grant\u00a0<\/b>me leave for two days.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>The clerk\u00a0<b>requested the officer to grant\u00a0<\/b>him leave for two days.<\/li>\n<li>The teacher said to the students, \u201cWork hard.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>The teacher\u00a0<b>advised the students to work\u00a0<\/b>hard.<\/li>\n<li>I said to the child, \u201cDo not look down into the well.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>I\u00a0<b>warned<\/b>\u00a0the child\u00a0<b>not to look\u00a0<\/b>down into the well.<\/li>\n<li>The doctor said to the patient, \u201c<b>Please\u00a0<\/b>come in.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>The doctor\u00a0<b>allowed (or asked) the patient to come in.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Requests for objects are reported using the structure\u00a0<b>ask\u00a0+ for + object.<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>She asked, &#8220;Can I have an apple?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>She\u00a0<b>asked for an apple.<\/b><\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Sugar, please,&#8221; she said.<\/li>\n<li>She\u00a0<b>asked for sugar.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Other verbs used in this way include:\u00a0<i>command, order, warn, ask, advise, invite, beg, teach\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0<i>forbid<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>Verbs that can be followed by object + to-infinitive include:\u00a0<i>advise, ask, beg, command, forbid, instruct, invite, teach, tell\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0<i>warn<\/i>.<\/p>\n<h3>Reporting Suggestions<\/h3>\n<p>Suggestions are normally reported with a\u00a0<b>that-clause<\/b>.\u00a0<b>That\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0<b><a href=\"http:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/using-ought-to-and-should\/\">should<\/a><\/b>\u00a0are optional and can be left out.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;You\u00a0<b>should\u00a0<\/b>consult a doctor,&#8221; she said.<\/li>\n<li>She\u00a0<b>suggested that I should\u00a0<\/b>consult a doctor.<\/li>\n<li>She\u00a0<b>suggested I consult\u00a0<\/b>a doctor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note that\u00a0<b>suggest\u00a0<\/b>cannot be followed by a<b>\u00a0to-infinitive<\/b>. However, it can be followed by an\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/gerunds-ing-forms\/\"><b>-ing\u00a0<\/b>form<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>My mother\u00a0<b>suggested seeing\u00a0<\/b>a dentist.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Other reporting verbs used this way are:\u00a0<i>insist, recommend, demand, request\u00a0<\/i>and<i>\u00a0propose<\/i>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The dentist said, &#8220;I\u00a0<b>think\u00a0<\/b>you should change your toothpaste.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>The dentist\u00a0<b>recommended that I should\u00a0<\/b>change my toothpaste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reporting verb Reporting\u00a0verb is the\u00a0verb\u00a0which reports the speech. She\u00a0said,\u00a0&#8220;I am fine.&#8221; (Reporting verb: said) He\u00a0asked,\u00a0&#8220;Can I have more of that cheese?&#8221; (Reporting verb: asked) She\u00a0says,\u00a0&#8220;I am going.&#8221; (Reporting verb: says) Said\u00a0is preferred when there&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[251],"tags":[2479,288,2810],"class_list":["post-74324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grammar","tag-direct-and-indirect-speech","tag-reported-speech","tag-reported-speech-rules"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74325,"href":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74324\/revisions\/74325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/perfectyourenglish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}