Reporting

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Reporting

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Introduction

• There are two main ways of
• reporting peoples words,
• thoughts, beliefs, etc.
• Direct Speech
• Indirect Speech

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Direct Speech

• We can give the exact words
• (more or less) that were said, or
• that we imagine were thought.
• Did she say, What do you want?
• And then I thought, Well, does he really mean
  it?

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Indirect Speech

• We can make a speakers words or
• thoughts part of our own sentence,
• using conjunctions (e. g. that), and
• changing pronouns, tenses and
• other words where necessary.
• Did she just ask what I wanted?
• And then I wondered whether he really meant it.

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Mixing Structures

• These two structures cannot normally be mixed.
• She said to me I have got no money and asked me
  for help.
• OR
• She said to me that she had got no money and
  asked me for help.
• NOT
• She said to me that I have got no money and asked
  me for help.

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Basic Rules for Indirect Speech

• Change of Situation
• Pronouns
• Here and Now Words
• Tenses
• Dropping that
• Questions and Answers
• Actions

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Change of Situation

• Words that are spoken or thought in one place
• by one person may be reported in another place
• at a different time, and perhaps by another
• person
• BILL (on Saturday) I dont like this party. I
  want to go home now.
• JACK (on Sunday) Bill said that he didnt like
  the party, and he wanted to go home right away.

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Pronouns

• A change of speaker may
• mean a change of
• pronoun
• Bill said that he didnt like the party. . .
• NOT Bill said that I didnt
• like the party . . .

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Here and Now Words

• A change of place and time may mean changing
  words like here, this, now, today.

• Peter, reporting what Bill said, does not use
  this and now because he is no longer at the
  party
• Bill said that he didnt like the party . . .
• NOT Bill said that he didnt like this party . .
  . )

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Tenses

• A change of time may mean a change of tense the
  person reporting uses tenses that relate to the
  time when s/he is making the report, not to the
  time when the original words were used.

• Ex
• Bill said that he didnt like the party . . .
• NOT Bill said that he doesnt like the party . . .

NOTE
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NOTE

• It is not always necessary to change the verb
  when you use reported speech. If you report
  something and it is still true, you do not need
  to change the verb
• Tom said that New York is more lively than
  London.
• (New York is still more lively than London.)

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Dropping that

• The conjunction that is often dropped, esp. after
  common reporting verbs (e.g. say, think) in
  informal speech.
• I think (that) youre probably right.

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Questions and Answers

• Reported Questions
• Question Marks
• Yes/No Questions
• Say and Tell

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Reported Questions

• In reported questions, the subject normally comes
  before the verb. The same structure is used for
  reporting the answers to questions, and in other
  uses of question-word clauses.

• Ex
• He wanted to know when I was leaving.
• NOT . . . when was I leaving.

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Question Marks

• Question marks are not used in reported
  questions
• We asked where the money was.
• NOT . . . where the money was?

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Yes/No Questions

• Yes/no questions are reported with if or whether.
• The driver asked if/whether I wanted the town
  center.

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Say and Tell

• Say and tell are not used to report questions.
• NOT
• The driver said whether I wanted the town center.

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Actions Promises, orders, requests, advice etc.

• Speech relating to actions (e.g. promises,
  orders, etc.) is often reported with infinitives,
  or object infinitive.
  
• He promised to write. She agreed to wait for
  me.
• I told Andrew to be careful.
• The structure question word infinitive is
  common.
• Dont tell me what to do.

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Activity

• Yesterday you met Charlie. Here are some of the
  things he said to you

Im living in London now. My father isnt very
well. Sharon and Paul are getting married next
month. Margaret has had a baby. I dont know what
Fred is doing. I saw Helen at a party in June and
she seemed fine. I havent seen Diane recently.
Im not enjoying my job very much. Ill tell Ann
I saw you.

• Later that day you met Pete. How would you tell
  him what Charlie said? (Use reported speech).

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Where can you go for more exercises and advanced
points on reporting?

• R. Murphys English Grammar in Use, 2nd Edition,
  Cambridge University, 1994, pp. 92-95.
• M. Swans Practical English Usage, New Edition,
  Oxford, 1997, pp. 500-507.