ENGLISH GRAMMAR (UNIT 6)

DIRECT & INDIRECT SPEECH

QUOTE

Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” = direct speech (directe rede)

Nelson Mandela said that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. = indirect / reported speech (indirecte rede)

DIRECT → INDIRECT

Tense change: DS: “Come on, Robin, to the Bat Cave! There isn’t a

moment to lose!” – Batman IS: Batman said to Robin there wasn’t a moment to lose.

DIRECT → INDIRECT

Note: the tense of the verb need not to be adapted when the introducing verb is in the present tense

Batman says to Robin there isn’t a moment to lose. in the present perfect tense

Batman has said to Robin there isn’t a moment to lose. in the future tense:

Batman will say to Robin there isn’t a moment to lose.

DIRECT → INDIRECT

Tense change: DS: “Come on, Robin, to the Bat Cave! There isn’t a moment

to lose!” – Batman IS: Batman said to Robin there wasn’t a moment to lose.

With the introducing verb in the past tense and the two speakers speaking in a different time frame, the following adaptations have to be made: present tenses → past tenses past and present perfect tenses → past perfect tenses

DIRECT → INDIRECT

Modals change: DS: “Come on, Robin, to the Bat Cave! We can not lose time!”

– Batman IS: Batman said to Robin they could not lose time.

When there is a modal inside a quote... will becomes would shall becomes should can becomes could must becomes had to may becomes might

DIRECT → INDIRECT

Pronoun change: DS: “I just thought of something even funnier than 24… 25!”

- Spongebob IS: Spongebob said he just thought of something even

funnier than 24, namely 25!

DIRECT → INDIRECT

Note: We usually change first-person personal pronouns (I, we) to third person (he, she, they). This depends completely on the context of the sentence!

DIRECT → INDIRECT

Time and place expressions (adverbials) DS: Yesterday my friend said: “I’ll come and see you here at

8 o’clock tomorrow for relationship day.” IS: Yesterday my friend said s/he would come and see me

there at 8 o’clock the next/following day.”

If there are time or place elements in a quote, you must change it to fit the time of the reporting.

DIRECT → INDIRECT

Time Expressions for direct speech

Use in indirect speech

now then

today that day, last Monday, etc.

yesterday the day before, the previous day

tomorrow the next day, on Saturday, etc.

this week that week

last week the week before

an hour ago an hour before

DIRECT SPEECH

Punctuation:

Put “he said,” etc. before, in the middle, or after the quote.

Place commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points before the closing quotation mark.

Mandela said,“Education is the most powerful weapon.’

“Education is the most powerful weapon,” Mandela said.

“Is education the most powerful weapon?” Mandela asked.

(IN)DIRECT SPEECH: VERBS

OTHER VERBS

Present Tense Past Tenseanswer answereddeclare declaredreply repliedsay saidstate statedtell [+ direct object] told [+ direct object]utter uttered

REPORTED QUESTIONS

Example 1 (verb structure) DS: Bob Marley asked: “Did you shoot the sheriff?” IS: Bob Marley asked if you shot the sheriff.

Example 2 (linking word in a yes/no-question) IS: Bob Marley asked if you shot the sheriff. IS: Bob Marley asked whether I shot the sheriff with a pistol

or a shotgun. (when there’s a choice between two items)

IMPERATIVES

When reporting commands or requests, instead of using that, use the infinitive to + verb instead. DS: Pharrell says: “Clap along if you feel like a room without

a roof.” IS: Pharrell says to clap along if you feel like a room without

a roof.

CHECKLIST (DS – IS)

change in verb tense change in modals change in pronouns change in place and time signifiers change in demonstrative pronouns (this, that,

these, those, etc.)

EXERCISES

see hand-outsee TB. pp. 119 – 123 - 124