Direct speech converted into indirect speech examples. Topic: Indirect speech
When communicating with people, we constantly receive some information from them, which we subsequently pass on to someone else. Several options can be used to transmit it. Of course, you can simply explain the idea in your own words the way you understood it. Or you can make it clear that the idea is not yours. In such cases, direct or indirect speech is used. And if direct speech is quite easy to use, indirect speech in English has a number of features that are worth taking into account. We will talk about them today.
First, let's figure out the difference between direct and indirect speech in English. Direct speech or direct speech expresses a person’s phrase verbatim. This is a quote of its own that cannot be changed in any way. As in Russian, direct speech is framed with quotation marks. But instead of a colon before the words of the author at the beginning or a comma with a dash at the end, one simple comma is usually used:
Please note that the period at the end of the sentence in the first case is placed before the quotation mark, and not after it, as in Russian. In addition, quotation marks in English are always placed on top.
Examples:
- She asked, “Do you feel comfortable here?” “She asked: “Are you comfortable here?”
- “I will not accept his apology,” she said. “I won’t accept his apology,” she said.
Please note that question marks and exclamation marks are not used in indirect speech.
All sentences can be translated from direct speech to indirect speech. Indirect speech or indirect speech (literally “indirect speech” or Reported speech) in turn expresses the content of the phrase without preserving literalness and stylistic features. All sentences that have indirect speech are complex, where the author’s words are used in the main clause, and indirect speech itself is used in the subordinate clause. As a rule, the main clause comes first, and after it comes the subordinate clause, which in such speech constructions is often introduced by a conjunction or pronoun.
- She asks when you'll be free. — She asks when you will be free.
- He said (that) they liked everything very much. — He said (that) they liked everything very much.
At first glance, everything is simple, then what’s the catch?
Indirect speech in English: coordination of tenses
The point is that if the main clause is in the past tense , the subordinate clause will also have to change its tense to the appropriate one. This is where timing comes into play. This probably didn’t explain anything to you at all, so let’s turn to examples for clarity.
Let's say you have a sentence with direct speech:
Its main part is used in time Past Simple. Indirect is formed in Present Perfect. As long as both of these parts are used in a sentence with direct speech, everything is fine, because the present tense is used in quotation marks and conveys the person's phrase word for word. However, if you remove the quotation marks and turn direct speech into indirect speech, you will not be able to maintain the Present Perfect, at least it will be considered an error.
"Why?" - you ask. Yes, because in English there is such a rule: if the verb in the main sentence is used in the past tense, subordinate clauses are formed only by forms of the past or future in the past. Accordingly, by converting the sentence above into an indirect one, you get:
- First, the pronoun was changed to accommodate tenses.
- Secondly, the verb from the Present Perfect moved to.
At first, you will probably have difficulty translating sentences. However, this process will not take up your time later. To make this topic easier for you to understand, let's look at all the possible options for coordinating tenses. Table for clarity:
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
| Present Simple changes to Past Simple | |
| He answered, “I want to go to the theater.” (He replied: “I want to go to the theater.”) |
He answered that he wanted to go to the theater. (He replied that he wanted to go to the theater.) |
| Present Continuous changes to Past Continuous | |
| Jim said, “I’m doing English exercises now.” (Jim said: “I'm doing English exercises now.”) |
Jim said that he was doing English exercises then. (Jim said he was doing English exercises.) |
| Present Perfect changes to Past Perfect | |
| My son said, “I have read the book twice.” (My son said, “I read this book twice.”) |
My son said that he had read the book twice. (My son said he read this book twice.) |
| Present Perfect Continuous changes to Past Perfect Continuous | |
| Bruce confirmed, “She has been living here for 2 years.” (Bruce confirmed: "She's been living here for 2 years.") |
Bruce confirmed that she had been living there for 2 years. (Bruce confirmed that she has lived there for 2 years.) |
| Past Simple changes to Past Perfect | |
| He said, “I worked yesterday.” (He said: “I worked yesterday.”) |
He said that he had worked the day before. (He said he was working the day before.) |
| Past Continuous changes to Past Perfect Continuous | |
| She said, "He was sleeping." (She said, “He was sleeping.”) |
She said that he had been sleeping. (She said he was sleeping.) |
| Past Perfect does not change | |
| Mom said, “Tom was tired because he had studied hard.” (Mom said: “Tom is tired because he has been studying a lot.”) |
Mom said that Tom was tired because he had studied hard. (Mom said Tom was tired because he studied a lot.) |
| Past Perfect Continuous does not change | |
| She said, “We had not been traveling till he graduated from the university.” (She said, "We didn't travel until he graduated from university.") |
She said that they had not been traveling till he graduated from the university. (She said they didn't travel until he graduated from university.) |
| In all future tenses, will changes to would, forming the future in the past | |
| He said, "I will be with you whatever." (He said: “I will be with you, no matter what happens.”) |
He said that he would be with me whatever. (He said he would be with me no matter what.) |
| Modal verbs that have a past tense also change: | |
| Can to Could; Will on Would; |
Have to on Had to; Shall on Would (about the future); Shall on Should (advice). |
| She said, "He can do it." (She said, "He can do it do».) |
She said that he could do it. (She said he could do it.) |
| Should, must, might, ought to, need, had to do not change | |
| The teacher said, “You must consider the translation rules doing the task.” (The teacher said: “You must take into account the rules of translation when completing the task.”) |
The teacher said that we must consider the translation rules doing the task. (The teacher said that we must take into account the rules of translation when completing the task.) |
That is, you need to use the same group, but at a different time. Typically this "other" tense is located on the timeline before the tense used in direct speech. The exceptions are the Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous tenses, since there are no tenses before them. The Past Simple and Past Continuous tenses may also not change in colloquial speech, and also when the Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous is used in a sentence, as in the examples above.
It is worth noting that if the verb in the main clause is in the present or future tense, verbs in indirect speech can be in any tense:
That is, if you want to create an indirect sentence in which the main part is used in the present or future, simply transfer the subordinate clause from a direct sentence to an indirect one, changing only the pronouns according to the meaning.
Indirect speech in English: exceptions to the rules
It is difficult to imagine the English language without exceptions. Some of them concern indirect speech. Thus, in the past tense, indirect sentences can be used in the present if in the subordinate clause:
- A well-known fact or truth is expressed:
- Exact time indicated:
- If they refer to words that were just said or that are still relevant:
Indirect speech in English: other features
In addition to the form of the verb, when using indirect speech the following changes:
- Pronouns you shouldn't forget about. They must change in meaning. More often pronouns change as follows:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
| Personal pronouns (nominative case) | |
| I | I/he/she |
| you | he/she |
| we | they |
| he/she/it/they | don't change |
| Personal pronouns (objective case) | |
| me | him/her |
| you | him/her |
| us | them |
| him/her/it/them | don't change |
| Possessive pronouns | |
| my | his/her |
| your | his/her |
| our | their |
| him/her/its/their | don't change |
| Demonstrative pronouns | |
| this | that |
| these | those |
However, this all depends on the specific situation and the time you use.
- Time indicators. For example, in direct speech you talk about “now,” but if the sentence is used in the past tense and indirect speech, then “now” is replaced by “then.” Let's look at the entire list:
| now (now) | then (then) |
| here (here) | there (there) |
| today (today) | that day (on that day) |
| tomorrow (tomorrow) | the next day (the next day) |
| the day after tomorrow (the day after tomorrow) | two days later (two days later) |
| yesterday (yesterday) | the day before (the day before) |
| the day before yesterday (the day before yesterday) | two days before (two days earlier) |
| next week / month (next week / next month) | the next week / month (next week / next month) |
| next year (next year) | the next year / the following year (for the next year) |
| last week / month (last week / last month) | the previous week / month (week / month before) |
| last year (last year) | the year before (a year before) |
| ago (back) | before (before this) |
Example:
- The verb say can change to tell. If after say there is a clarification of who exactly something was said to, then in indirect speech say will change to tell. Let's compare:
Types of sentences in indirect speech of the English language
The construction of the sentences above is not the only one. Let's consider all the options for indirect sentences:
- To form a declarative sentence in indirect speech, it is enough, as in the examples above, to use the conjunction that (that), which can be omitted if desired:
- If sentences in direct speech are imperative, then in indirect speech in English these imperative sentences are introduced by an infinitive:
If the imperative mood is negative, then the negative particle not is placed before the infinitive:
Note that in the main clause it is possible to use incentive words that express an order or request.
- Questions in indirect speech in English also have special nuances. If direct speech contains general questions, then such sentences will be introduced into indirect speech by the conjunctions whether / if:
If, for example, you are retelling a dialogue, then in addition to the question you will need to talk about the answer, which can also be used in indirect speech:
As you can see, “yes” and “no” are omitted in such cases.
- If direct speech in English contains a special question, then it is introduced into the indirect sentence by a conjunction that is identical to the question word with which the sentence begins. Despite the fact that interrogative sentences have reverse word order, direct order is maintained in indirect speech:
Introducing questions into indirect speech is used quite often, so be sure to study this point.
Bypassing indirect clauses
With the best of intentions, we’ll tell you a little secret that translators have in their arsenal. If you panic when composing sentences in indirect speech in English, or you simply don’t want to use them, sometimes the use of these sentences can be avoided. For example:
Of course, it won’t work to transform all indirect sentences into similar ones, but if such a transition is possible, feel free to use it.
We hope this topic has become clearer to you. To reinforce the material, periodically return to this article, do the exercises and create your own examples.
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>>Russian language: Direct and indirect speech as ways of transmitting someone else's speech. Punctuation marks for direct speech. Replacing direct speech with indirect speech
Direct and indirect speech as ways of transmitting someone else's speech. Punctuation marks for direct speech. Replacing direct speech with indirect speech
To convey someone else's speech in writing, the following are used:
1) sentences with direct speech(direct my own): “Happiness is within you,” the sages teach ( M. Weller). The sages teach: “Happiness is within you”;
2) sentences with indirect speech(indirectly): The sages have taught for thousands of years that happiness lies in our inner state ( M. Weller);
H) sentences with introductory words or sentences that indicate someone else's speech: According to the sages, “happiness is within you”;
4) sentences that include complements with the preposition o, indicating someone else's speech: The sages speak of happiness as an internal state.
Direct speech
- this is an accurately reproduced speech of someone else, which is transmitted on behalf of the one who speaks.
A sentence with direct speech consists of two parts:
1) words of the author (A, a)
, indicating the one who made the speech (author's introduction): The sages teach...;
2) direct speech (P, p)
- accurately reproduced someone else's speech: "Happiness is within you."
Remember what you know about punctuation marks in direct speech from the Ukrainian language you studied in your lessons.
Replacing direct speech with indirect speech
If indirect speech conveys a message, a narrative, then the sentence conveying someone else’s speech is joined by conjunctions or allied words What
,
as if
: Sasha said: “I’m not going anywhere.” - Sasha said that he won’t go anywhere.
A: "P". = , ( What...).
If indirect speech conveys a request, an order, then the sentence conveying someone else’s speech is joined by the conjunction to
: “Don’t go anywhere!” - said the mother. - The mother told her son not to go anywhere.
A: "P". = , ( to...).
If indirect speech conveys a question, then the sentence conveying someone else’s speech is joined by conjunctions What
, Who
, Which
, Where
, When
, Where
, where
, whether
(no question mark): The boy asked: “Where is the sea?” - The boy asked where the sea is.
A: “P?” = , ( Where...).
Punctuation in sentences with indirect speech
Sentences that convey someone else's speech indirectly usually come after the author's words and are separated from him by a busy sentence.
When replacing direct speech with indirect speech, personal and possessive pronouns are replaced: they are used from the point of view of the one who conveys someone else's speech.
Addresses, interjections, introductory words are not used in indirect speech
1. Explanatory letter
Expressively read sentences with direct speech, observing the intonation with which the sentences are pronounced depending on the position of the author’s words in relation to direct speech. Write down the sentences. Make sentence diagrams with direct speech.
1. Epikhodov came out, his voice was heard outside the door: “I will complain about you.” (A. Chekhov). 2. I looked at her and thought: “How many more fairy tales and memories remain in her memory?” (Maxim Gorky). 3. Father shouted: “Careful!” 4. “It’s still a strange thing, our memory,” he thought (M. Yudenich). 5. “Hello!” - answered the class (Ch. Aitmatov). 6. “Did anything happen?” - he asked (Ch. Aitmatov). 7. “His eyes were,” I will write, “like the sky.” 8. “Give it back,” he said, “otherwise it will be bad.” (Ch. Aitmatov). 9. “Tell me, what’s the matter?” the younger brother began to pester me, “honestly, I won’t tell anyone.” (Ch. Aitmatov). 10. “Be quiet,” Mishka hissed at me. “You’ll scare away all the fish!” (V. Medvedev). 11. “Stop! - he shouted. “Don’t you see that your horse is lame?” (Ch. Aitmatov). 12. “A miracle can reveal itself in everything,” he says. “In a smile, in fun, in every right word spoken at the right time.” (M. Weller).
2. Restoring offers
Copy the sentences using punctuation marks and inserting the words of the author in brackets in place of the gaps. Place quotation marks around direct speech and separate it from the words of the author with appropriate marks. Mark interjections (viguki) and addresses (zvertannya) with signs. Create proposal outlines.
1. ... Hey hunter, come to us (The guys started screaming) (Ch. Aitmatov). 2. Are you a son... (asked the mother) (A. Kuznetsova). 3. A big hello to all of you guys... (she said) (Ch. Aitmatov).4. Hey guys... what are we doing? (said Igor) (A. Rybakov). 5. Come on, buddy, quickly... otherwise the dog might not follow us (the forester asked) (S. Ivanov). 6. Get off, son, we’ve arrived... . The journey is over (says the father). 7. Yes, the conversation is important.... Sit down, guys (confirmed by the head teacher) (Ch. Aitmatov). 8. Guys, it’s me.... It’s me who says (he said, raising his head) (Ch. Aitmatov). 9. Oh, catchy.... No, you won’t get bored with him (said the driver) (O. Gonchar). 10. No stop…. The main thing is not to panic (Seraphim told herself) (V. Krapivin).
3. Constructing sentences
I. Read the statements given in the exercise expressively. What theme are they united by?
II. Formulate these statements in the form of direct speech. To introduce direct speech, use different verbs: spoke, wrote, warned, believed, was convinced, noticed, came to a conclusion etc.
1. Translators are the post horses of enlightenment (A. Pushkin). 2. A translator in prose is a slave, a translator in verse is a rival (V. Zhukovsky). H. Translation is a self-portrait of the translator (K. Chukovsky). 4. Translation is always a comment (Leo Beck). 5. There are many ways to translate a book; the best way is to entrust this task to a translator (D. Pashkov). 6. Few things in the world can compare with the boredom that literal translation causes in us. (Mark Twain). 7. Only having mastered our native language as perfectly as possible will we be able to perfectly master a foreign language, but not before (F. Dostoevsky).
Dictionary:
Post horses- horses used at postal stations in Russia in the 19th century. for transporting mail.
Self-portrait- a portrait made with one’s own hand, i.e. by the author himself.
4. Analysis of educational material
I. Write sentences with direct and indirect speech in pairs. Describe the type of sentence containing direct speech according to the purpose of the statement. Underline the conjunctions that join these sentences in indirect speech.
II. Underline pronouns and verbs in sentences containing direct and indirect speech, indicate their person and number. Check whether addresses and introductory words are used in indirect speech.
Sample. Maxim said: “I want to consult with you (narrative). - Maxim said, What he wants to consult with me.
Direct speech
Indirect speech
The father said: “I liked the project.” The father said that he liked the project.
“Undoubtedly, no one is to blame here,” said my mother. Mom said that no one is to blame here.
I shouted: “Run faster, Mishka!” I shouted to Mishka to run faster.
The woman asked Mishka: “Where do you live, boy?” The woman asked Mishka where he lived.
Mom asked: “What happened, son?” Mom asked her son what happened.
5. Punctuation work
I. Read the sentences with indirect speech. Indicate the author's words and indirect speech. Write down the sentences. Place punctuation marks. Underline the conjunctions (conjunctive words) that join indirect speech.
1. The girl thought that she needed to move somewhere (L. Petrushevskaya). 2. I noticed to a friend that we were distracted from the topic of conversation. 3. The girl suddenly replied that she couldn’t remember where she got this book from. 4. Mom told us to prepare everything for the meeting of guests. 5. The coach told us to run two more laps. 6. Father ordered us to get ready. 7. We often ask ourselves what is most important to us in life. 8. The boys asked when the competition would start.
II. Replace sentences with indirect speech with sentences with direct speech, write them down.
6. Homework
Option 1 . Add the words of the author to the direct speech. Place punctuation marks and justify your choice.
1. ... “This is something new.” 2. “Get away from the computer!” ... . 3. “You’ll go tomorrow” ... . 4. “Yes... this is a success.” 5. “I thought... you forgot.” 6. “Make sure... don’t fall.” 7. “She's coming! ...Tell everyone!” 8. “Here... . Choose what you want."
Option 2 . Choose 2-3 stories from several authors (Russian and Ukrainian), make observations: what verbs that introduce someone else’s speech are used in the texts? Write down these verbs. What can you tell about the hero, his mood, state of mind, cultural level, based only on the verbs that introduce his speech? Write down your reasoning.
Option 3 . Write down the diary entries of Edik Gradov, the hero of V. Vasiliev’s story “Everything is clear with me,” in the third person. You can use reference materials as reference phrases.
Reference. In his diary the young man writes that... . He believes that there is no need... . He thinks it's better... The young man believes that... .
A.N.Rudyakov, T.Ya. Frolova.Russian language 9th grade
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The subordinate clause, conveying someone else's speech, is attached to the main one by various conjunctions, the choice of which depends on the purpose of the statement contained in direct speech. If direct speech is a declarative sentence, conjunctions are used what, it's like; if incentive, union to, if interrogative, then the role of subordinating conjunctions is played by interrogative pronouns, adverbs, particles that were in direct speech. Personal and possessive pronouns of the 1st and 2nd persons are put in the form of the 3rd person singular and plural. Pronouns and verbs are used not on behalf of the one who pronounces these words, but on behalf of the one who conveys someone else's speech. Addresses, words-sentences Yes And No, introductory words, particles, interjections are usually omitted when replacing direct speech with indirect speech. The content of direct speech in indirect speech can be conveyed with greater or less accuracy.
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
| Narrative sentence. The coachman got off his horse and, straightening the harness on the horses with his whip, said: “The ferry is on the other side” (K. Paustovsky)(Direct speech comes after the author’s words, there are no personal pronouns, no verbs.) | The coachman got off his horse and, adjusting the harness on the horses with his whip, said that the ferry was on the other side.(The location of the parts does not change, the main thing is connected with the subordinate clause by the conjunction What.) |
| Incentive offer. “Don’t blame me,” the old woman said in fear (K. Paustovsky.) The author's words come after direct speech. (Direct speech is a personal sentence, there is an imperative verb.) | The old woman told him [Baulin] not to blame her. The arrangement of parts of the sentence and the order of words in the main sentence changes. (Indirect speech is joined by the conjunction to, the 2nd person pronoun is replaced by the pronoun He, the subject is suggested by the context, the imperative mood of the verb is replaced by the indicative form of the past tense.) |
| Interrogative sentence. “How are you feeling?” - He looked at Alexei with curiosity. (B. Polevoy.)(Direct speech is a definitely personal sentence; in the author’s words there is no verb denoting the speech process.) | The doctor looked at Alexei with curiosity and asked how he was feeling.(In the main sentence, the pronoun he is replaced by the name of the person to whom the speech belongs, in order to avoid repetition of the same pronoun He; the verb asked is added; a definite personal sentence in indirect speech is replaced by a two-part sentence with a subject He and the corresponding verb form.) |
| “Have you read it?” - the commissioner asked slyly. (B. Polevoy.)(An interrogative sentence in direct speech is not formalized by a question word.) | The commissioner slyly asked Meresyev if he had read the article. In the absence of a question word, a function word is introduced into indirect speech whether, in the main and subordinate clauses - the missing members of the sentence. |
Note:
Dialogue can also be conveyed through indirect speech. In this case, a complex sentence with different types of connection is used: It's hard to convey what they were talking about. About theater school, about the trip to Kazan, about meeting Leontiev, about his hometown, until Kolya said that they should never, never be separated for a long time, and Anfisa replied that there was no need to even talk about it. (K. Paustovsky.)
Transmitting someone else's speech in a simple sentence.
The speech of someone else can be conveyed in a simple sentence. In this case, only the topic of the speech is often indicated, what the conversation was about. The content of someone else's speech is conveyed by an addition expressed by a noun in the prepositional case, a direct object: I began to ask about the way of life on the waters and about remarkable persons (M. Lermontov.); I was here; the conversation started about horses, and Pechorin began to praise Kazbich’s horse. (M. Lermontov.)
Someone else's speech can be conveyed in a simple sentence with introductory words and sentences. In this case, the content of someone else’s speech is conveyed by the sentence itself, and introductory words and sentences replace the words of the author: The roach took as fishermen say, almost on a bare hook (Yu. Nagibin.); Our affairs according to him, were in excellent condition. (L. Tolstoy.)
Work on the topic of the lesson
Ex. 262.
What do you know about quotes? (Quotes are a type of direct speech and are verbatim excerpts from any statements or writings.)
How can citations be formatted?
When quoting a poetic text with exact adherence to the lines and stanzas of the original, quotation marks are usually not used. For example: Addressing Chaadaev, Pushkin wrote:
Comrade, believe: she will rise,
Star of captivating happiness,
Russia will wake up from its sleep,
And on the ruins of autocracy
They will write our names!
4. Ex. 261 (7-10). Write down the statements in the form of quotes.
Homework
Execute exercise 261 (1-7), 263.
Lesson objectives:
Lesson progress
I. Work on the topic of the lesson
1. Teacher's word:
On the one hand, this term refers to features of the punctuation design of texts that are of an individual nature, inherent in a particular writer (the set of signs he uses, the predominant use of one of them, the expansion of the functions of this sign), which generally do not contradict the rules adopted in a given period.
On the other hand, this term is interpreted as a conscious deviation from the current norms of punctuation and the special use of punctuation marks in literary texts. Indeed, in printed and handwritten texts one often encounters punctuation that does not fall within the accepted rules and is not justified by the style, genre, or context of the work.
Thus, A. I. Efimov analyzed the widespread use by M. E. Saltykov of such a relatively rare punctuation mark as brackets (in the “Rules of Russian Spelling and Punctuation” only four cases of their use are given).
E. A. Ivanchikova claims that “in the system of intonation-syntactic pictorial means that characterize Dostoevsky’s writing style, the technique of using the dash sign after a conjunction undoubtedly occupies its definite place.”
2. Text analysis L. Leonova (texts are written under dictation without indicating the author's punctuation marks).
a) In the tenth and twelfth centuries, the entire Kiev land was covered with forest and some, now naked, rivers right up to the sea were dressed in noisy emerald silks; Even now, countless black oak trees lie idle in the Dnieper bed near Kherson... And if so, why even sing about it! Wander even for a thousand days in any direction - and the forest will relentlessly follow you, like a faithful shaggy dog.
b) Meanwhile, the steppe has already begun its victorious advance towards the northerners; suddenly the alarming voice of Pososhkov, the first guardian for the time being only for the Orenburg and the Volga forests in general, is heard throughout the whole country. It was the people’s conscience of the century, touching all aspects of civil life, and, to tell the truth, Pososhkov’s advice about sowing forests, incidentally, around bare Russian villages is not outdated to this day.
c) There are still forests in Rus'... but noticeably not in the same quantity; Thus, during Elizabeth’s trip to Kyiv, she had to abandon the construction of palaces at the stations due to the lack of timber in Ukraine, and limit herself to the construction of drinking cellars (1743).
After writing down the texts, students justify the placement of punctuation marks. Then the teacher indicates the location of the author's mark (ellipsis) and asks to explain what purpose the author pursued by choosing this particular punctuation mark when punctuating the text - as an indicator of a pause, as a signal of a connecting connection.
Homework
Execute exercise 266.
Lesson 49 (option 1)
