How to change indirect speech. Indirect speech in English

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In English, questions in indirect speech convey only the content of the question of direct speech, therefore they are not questions as such, but affirmative sentences. A period is placed at the end of indirect questions.

Remember: In indirect questions direct word order!!!

Basic rules for the transmission of interrogative sentences in indirect speech

To convey a question in indirect speech, you need to know the following:

• in indirect questions direct word order;
• personal and possessive pronouns are replaced by meaning;
• demonstrative pronouns and adverbs of time / place, if necessary, are also replaced in meaning;
  Read about the features of the replacement of demonstrative pronouns and adverbs below.
• general questions are introduced by unions if or whether, meaning "whether"; the auxiliary verbs do / did are omitted, so the word order becomes straight. Other auxiliary verbs are swapped with the subject:
  
• special questions are introduced using the interrogative word that was used in the question of direct speech: what / who / where / when / why / which / whose / how. Thus, the indirect special question has the structure:
  question word + subject + predicate
  
• the law of time matching is observed:
  Are you busy?(question of direct speech in Present Simple)
  

Examples of translating direct speech questions into indirect speech

Let's look at examples, How does the time shift happen? when transmitting questions in indirect speech, if the verb in the main clause (ask) is used in the past tense.

Direct speech	Indirect speech
present simple “Do you speak English?” "Do you speak English"?	past simple He asked me if I spoke English. He asked me if I speak English.
Present Continuous “Are you reading?” "You are reading"?	Past Continuous He asked me if I was reading. He asked me if I read.
Present Perfect “Have you written the article?” "Did you write the article"?	past perfect He asked me if I had written the article. He asked me if I had written an article.
past simple “Did you go to the theatre? "Did you go to the theatre"?	past perfect He asked me if I had gone to the theatre. He asked me if I went to the theatre.
Past Continuous “Were you reading?” "You read"?	Past Perfect Continuous He asked me if I had been reading. He asked me if I had read.
Future Simple “Will you go to the theatre? "Are you going to the theatre"?	Future-in-the-Past He asked me if I would go to the theatre. He asked me if I would go to the theatre.
can “Can you swim?” "You can swim"?	could He asked me if I could swim. He asked me if I could swim.
* If Past Perfect was in direct speech, then Past Perfect also remains in indirect speech. *Modal verbs should, ought to, must also remain unchanged.

More information about the coordination of tenses and the replacement of demonstrative pronouns and adverbs of time / place is described in the reference material.

A few more sample examples:

Direct speech Indirect speech

She said to Nick, “What are you going to do at the weekend?” She asked Nick what he was going to do at the weekend.
She said to Nick, "What are you going to do this weekend"? She asked Nick what he was going to do at the weekend.

He said to her, “How often do you go to the cinema?” He asked her how often she went to the cinema.
He said to her: “How often do you go to the cinema”? He asked her how often she goes to the cinema.

She asked me Did he arrive on time?” She asked me if he had arrived on time.
She asked me: "Did he arrive on time"? She asked me if he arrived on time.

My sister said to me Will you take me to the cinema with you tomorrow *?” my sister asked me if I would take her to the cinema with me the next day *.
My sister said to me: “Will you take me to the cinema with you tomorrow”? My sister asked me if I would take her to the cinema with me tomorrow.

She asked me Have you been here*before?” She asked me if I had been there *before.
She asked me, "Have you been here before?" She asked me if I had been there before.

Pay attention to the replacement of demonstrative pronouns and adverbs of place / time when transferring interrogative sentences in indirect speech. Such a replacement must necessarily be made with meaning. In most cases, it depends on when someone else's statement is transmitted. For example, take the last sentence “Have you been here* before?” and imagine this situation: three friends are having dinner at a restaurant. One asks the other “Have you been here* before?”. The third was distracted and did not hear the question, asked again and received the following answer:

She asked me if I had been here before. In this situation, there is no need to replace here with there, since they are still in this restaurant, that is, here - here. If they had already left the restaurant, and a similar situation repeated itself, then in this case it would be necessary to replace here with there, since they are no longer in the restaurant (that is, not here).

The table of replacement of the main adverbs of place / time is given in the material "Indirect speech in English".

Everyone has probably heard of such grammatical terms as "direct and indirect speech." In Russian, it is not difficult for us to translate direct speech into indirect speech. "Who is that girl at the window?" - "She's my sister". This is direct speech, i.e. dialogue between two people. In indirect speech, it looks like this: "Sasha asked me who this girl was at the window, and I answered that this was my sister."

How to translate direct speech into indirect

We translate direct speech in English without difficulty, but how can we turn it into indirect? There are certain rules for this. As usual, such sentences begin with a main clause, such as "he says, she said, I was asked, she asked, etc.", followed by a subordinate clause.

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He says she is sick

In this case, “he says” is the main clause, and “that she got sick” is a subordinate clause. There are no particular difficulties with the translation of declarative sentences into indirect speech: the words of the author become the main sentence, and direct speech becomes a subordinate clause, which is introduced by the union that : He says she has fallen ill.

Mary says: “Yesterday I saw a new film with Brad Pitt”	Mary says that yesterday she saw a new film with Brad Pitt.
Mr. Smith says: “I like traveling. I have been to many countries”	Mr. Smith says that he likes traveling and he has been to many countries.

Question in indirect speech

When we translate interrogative sentences into indirect speech, it is necessary to take into account some nuances.

1. Word order in an English indirect direct question , that is, as in the affirmative sentence:

• Sentences with let's are translated into indirect speech in two ways: 1) using a verb suggest - suggest and union that + should :
• Let's watch a new film on TV. — He suggested that we should watch a new film on TV. - Let's watch a new movie on TV - He suggested watching a new movie on TV.
  Let's go to the beach - She suggested that we should go to the beach. - Let's go to the beach - She suggested going to the beach.

2) using a verb suggest - suggest + ING form of the verb

The statements that a person utters are transmitted in writing in two ways: direct or indirect speech. This is typical for both Russian and English.

Differences between direct and indirect speech

Direct speech or Direct Speech - verbatim transmission of someone's speech (phrases, sentences) in writing. Therefore, it is enclosed in quotation marks.

Cyril said, "I've never been to London."

Cyril said: "I've never been to London."

Indirect speech or Indirect or Reported Speech - is not a literal speech transmission. Indirect speech retains the content, but can change form, conveying the message inaccurately, in other words. Quotation marks in this case are not put, and the sentence becomes a subordinate clause.

Fam said that she had never been to London.

Pham said she had never been to London.

Direct speech in English

Direct speech in English is somewhat different from Russian in writing: upper quotation marks (“) are used instead of the usual Russian “Christmas trees”. At the same time, in English, a dot at the end of a sentence is placed before quotation marks, like other signs, while in Russian, on the contrary, after quotation marks.

She answered, “No, I can't.”

She replied, "No, I can't."

After the introductory construction “He said”, “She answered”, “Someone exclaimed”, etc. a colon or comma is inserted.

I said: "I don't like fruit."

I said, "I don't like fruit."

Direct speech includes not only affirmative sentences, but also interrogative, exclamatory or incentive sentences. Punctuation marks are always stored inside quotation marks.

We exclaimed, “It's so easy!”

We exclaimed, "It's so easy!"

To convey direct speech in English, the following verbs are usually used:

Say - to speak

tell - to tell

Ask - to ask

answer - answer

Explain - to explain

Exclaim - exclaim

Whisper - to whisper

Scream - scream

As well as many other verbs, the meaning of which is associated with the transfer of information.

Transformation of direct speech into indirect

Indirect speech is used more often than direct speech, especially in oral speech. But in English, the transformation from direct speech to indirect speech is not limited to omitting quotes. It is also necessary to observe the rule of coordinating times, as well as a number of other rules. Also, in indirect speech, parts of a sentence are not separated by a comma.

Personal and possessive pronouns are replaced depending on the context.

Boris said, “We should work.”

Boris said they should work.

He said they should work.

Demonstrative pronouns also change:

this - that

these - those

She said to Moris, “Give me this shawl.”

She asked Moris to give her that shawl.

Adverbs of time are replaced:

today - that day

ago-before

tomorrow - the next day

He said, “I'll call it off tomorrow.”

He promised to call it off the next day.

If the predicate in the main clause is in the past tense (which happens most often), the subordinate clause in indirect speech also requires the transition of the predicate into the past tense.

They said, “We are working.”

They said they were working.

Indirect speech in English is considered a real stumbling block. In fact, the devil is not so "terrible as he is painted." If you want to make sure of this, then our material will come in handy for you.

There are 2 types of speech: direct (Direct Speech) and indirect (Indirect Speech or Reported Speech). The direct is transmitted using ordinary quoting, and the indirect is transmitted using special constructions and introductory verbs.

Direct and indirect speech: short examples that English offers us (with translation)

1) Julia said, “I like green leaves in early spring.” Julia said: "I love green leaves in early spring"	1) Julia said that she liked green leaves in early spring. Julia said she loves green leaves in early spring.
2) Mother told her, “Open the door, please!” The mother told her: “Please open the door!”	2) Mother asked her to open the door. The mother asked her to open the door.
3) The tutor said to me, “I have been to London this year.” The teacher told me: "This year I went to London."	3) The tutor said that he had been to London that year. The teacher said that he was in London that year.

As you can see, indirect speech and English are friends with numerous changes in sentences, the table reflects only a few of them. You will read more about the rules for translating direct statements into narrative below.

Stages of translating direct speech into indirect

1. The punctuation stage implies the omission of the quotes that enclose the replica, and the comma that separates 2 simple sentences as part of a complex one. The last one can be replaced by the union that, but this is not necessary. When sending interrogative sentences, do not forget to put a period instead of a question mark.
2. At the lexical stage, all the necessary verbal transformations take place.

Changes in adverbs

Examples of such modifications:

The boy said that he was reading at that moment. The boy said that he was reading at that moment.
(In the original, the boy said: "I am reading now.")

This woman tells me she has lost the key that week. This woman says she lost her key last week.
(In the original, the woman says: "I have lost the key this week.")

The librarian asked to return the book the following week. The librarian asked to return the book next week.
(Original "Return the book next week, please!")

Rules for coordinating tenses in indirect speech

Let's take a closer look at all the necessary changes regarding the time frame.

He says, “I swim very well.” (direct speech)
He says that he swims very well. (indirect speech)

NB! Indirect speech in English to convey what has already happened and the construction of appropriate statements can cause some difficulties. If the introductory verbs are in the past tense, the tenses of the verbs from the quotations are subject to the following modifications.

Reported Speech: Sequence of Tenses (Timing)

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Present Simple (Indefinite)“I want to buy a car”	Past Simple (Indefinite) He said (that) he wanted to buy a car.
Present Progressive (Continuous)“I am looking for a kitten”	She said (that) she was looking for a kitten.
Present Perfect“He has won this game”	past perfect She said (that) he had won that game.
Past Simple (Indefinite)“She found me at the seaside yesterday”	past perfect He said (that) she had found him at the seaside the day before.
Past Progressive (Continuous)“He was playing football”	Past Perfect Progressive (Continuous) Mother said (that) he had been playing football.
Future Simple (Indefinite)“I will catch this butterfly”	Future-in-the-Past (= Conditional Would) The boy said (that) he would catch that butterfly.
modals: “I can dive very well” “You must be here at 5 p.m.” “I may be late a bit”	modals: He said (that) he could dive very well. She told me (that) I had to be there at 5 p.m. He said he might be late

If you learn 2 main tables (temporary and adverbial changes), modifying sentences from direct speech to indirect speech will be easy and simple. There will be only nuances that will need to be monitored.

Light (upper) cloud - thought transmission in the present, dark (lower) cloud - thought transmission in indirect speech (past tense)

Indirect speech: features of the transition of various types of sentences

Get acquainted with these simple principles and easily delve into grammar: now English, in particular direct and indirect speech, will not cause any special difficulties.

1. Translation of affirmative sentences is carried out using the union that. Introductory verbs to tell (with addition), to say (without addition).

   They said, "We have never been here before." – They said (that) they had never been there before.

   He said, "I will clean the car." – He told me he would clean the car.

   He said, "I will have finished this paper by tomorrow." – He told his teacher that he would have finished that paper by the following day.

   She said, "It is very quiet here." She said that it was very quiet there.

2. When changing negative sentences, pay special attention to the particle not.

   She said, "I don't know where my shoes are." – She said that she didn’t know where her shoes were.

   He said, "They won't sleep." – He said that they would not sleep.

   “I don't speak Italian,” she says. - She says that she does not speak Italian.

   "I cannot find a book anywhere," she said to him. – She told me that she could not find a book anywhere.

3. The imperative mood is transformed with the help of the infinitive. Introductory verbs to order - to order, to ask - to ask, to tell - to order, to beg - to beg, etc.

   "Take off your shoes," she told us. – She told us to take off our shoes.

   "Stop talking, Joe," the teacher said - The teacher asked Joe to stop talking.

   "Don" t go out without me, "he begged her. - He begged her not to go out without him.

   "Don" t repair the computer yourself," she warned him. - She warned him not to repair the computer himself.

4. Interrogative sentences acquire direct word order. At the same time, general questions become subordinate clauses, joined by unions if or whether. Special questions are attached with appropriate question words. Introductory verbs: to ask - to ask, to wonder - to be interested, to want to know, to want to know - to want to know, to be interested - to be interested, etc.

   Helen: What does she say? – He wanted to know what Helen said.

   "Where is my umbrella?" she asked. – She wondered where her umbrella was.

   Are you going to the cinema? he asked me. – He asked me if I was going to the cinema.

   "Have you tidied up your room?" the mother asked the twins. – The mother asked the twins whether they had tidied up their room.

5. To convey replicas with an exclamation, you can use the verb to exclaim - exclaim by adding the appropriate emotion word (for example, joy - joy, sorrow - grief, wonder - surprise, etc.)

   “Hurrah! I've got the first prize!” – Tomas exclaimed with joy (that) he had got the first prize.

   “Wow! What a marvelous dress you are having on.” – She exclaimed with wonder (that) I was having a marvelous dress on.

   “Oh, my… I’ve lost my wallet!” – He exclaimed with sorrow (that) he had lost his wallet.

   “Come on! You'll cope with this task.” – She exclaimed with enthusiasm (that) I would cope with that task.

And, finally, we present to your attention the transmission of a small dialogue in indirect speech.

— Hello Mike! How are you?
— Hey Jane! I am not well, I have a sore throat. Sorry, I can't speak to you now…
— Ok, hold on then… I’ll call you in a couple of days.

Reported Speech: Jane greeted Mike and asked him how he was. Mike greeted Jane in response and explained that he was not well. He exclaimed with sorrow that he could not speak to Jane. She expressed her support and added that she would call him in a couple of days.

Admit it, now indirect speech does not seem so difficult, English is so scary, and repeated exercises will increase your skills and improve your grammatical skills.

See the video for the basic rules of indirect speech with examples.

Direct speech in English is formatted a little differently, and this should be remembered, since in serious study of the subject you will have to do this in written exercises, letters or essays. At first glance, the differences are minor, but if you start to ignore them, it will immediately give you a foreigner.

The transfer of the meaning of an utterance from direct speech to indirect speech is also quite different, and the resulting new English text obeys certain rules, which will be discussed in a separate section.

If you need a translation into direct speech in English, you will have to perform diametrically opposite actions. In this case, it is necessary to know the rules of time coordination well. For example, with such an action, it will be necessary to change some pronouns, and the aspectual forms and circumstances of the place should be moved “one step back”. It will look something like this:

Pat said that she would be ready to pass her exam next day. Pat said she would be ready to take the exam the next day.

Pat said, “I will be ready to pass my exam tomorrow.” Pat said, "I'll be ready for the exam tomorrow."

Tables will help you understand the rules of direct speech in English. We offer to compare the design of such sentences when transmitting colloquial statements in Russian and English:

If you look closely, you will notice that in Russian statements, the dot and comma are behind the quotes, and in English - vice versa. If the words of the author are brought forward, then on the left side of the table after them there is a colon, and on the right side of it there is a comma. If the words of the author are embedded inside the statement, then it is striking that both parts of the English direct speech are separated by commas.

It should also be noted that native speakers use the so-called “inverted commas” before direct speech - inverted commas. Usually they are double, but sometimes they are single. Your keyboard has a dedicated key for this.

It is very important to note that direct speech in English is transmitted literally, and examples will help you understand this:

“I'll start learning French soon,” said Steven."I will start learning French soon," Stephen said.

Unlike indirect speech, the short form of the verb is used here. “will”, which is not recommended in indirect speech. When paraphrased, the sentence would look like this:

Steven said that he would start learning French soon. Stephen said that he would soon be learning French.

According to the rule of timing, instead of he will used here he would, but this cannot be reduced as he'd.

As an exercise in direct speech in English, you can use any of the tables presented. They will have a double benefit: you will remember how direct speech is formed in your native language, and you will also become experts in English written statements. There is a little trick - try to do this exercise in Word, which has a text editing function.

As a piece of advice, we suggest using Word for both writing essays and composing monologues. In most cases, the program will react to errors and even correct some of them automatically. As for the design of direct speech, everything works flawlessly here.