Unit 16 reported speech

Đây là một trong những bài giảng thuộc loạt các bài giảng về ngữ pháp tiếng Anh cơ bản cho người mới học tiếng Anh. Bài giảng được tổng hợp và lựa chọn từ các nguồn trên Internet và được dịch hoặc chú giải bằng tiếng Việt.

Reported Speech - Indirect Speech

Indirect Speech (also referred to as 'reported speech') refers to a sentence reporting what

someone has said It is almost always used in spoken English

• If the reporting verb (i.e said) is in the past, the reported clause will be in a past form This form is usually one step back into the past from the original

For example:

• He said the test was difficult

• She said she watched TV every day

• Jack said he came to school every day

• If simple present, present perfect or the future is used in the reporting verb (i.e says) the tense is retained

For example:

• He says the test is difficult

• She has said that she watches TV every day

• Jack will say that he comes to school every day

• If reporting a general truth the present tense will be retained

For example:The teacher said that phrasal verbs are very important

Changing Pronouns and Time Signifiers

When changing from direct speech to indirect speech, it is often necessary to change the pronouns to match the subject of the sentence

For example:

• She said, "I want to bring my children." BECOMES She said she wanted to bring

her children

• Jack said, "My wife went with me to the show." BECOMES Jack said his wife

had gone with him to the show

It is also important to change time words (signifiers) when referring to present, past or future time to match the moment of speaking

For example:

• She said, "I want to bring my children tomorrow." BECOMES She said she

wanted to bring her children the next day

• Jack said, "My wife went with me to the show yesterday." BECOMES Jack said

his wife had gone with him to the show the day before

Indirect Questions

When reporting questions, it is especially important to pay attention to sentence order When reporting yes/ no questions connect the reported question using 'if' When reporting questions using question words (why, where, when, etc.) use the question word

For example:

• She asked, "Do you want to come with me?" BECOMES She asked me if I

wanted to come with her

• Dave asked, "Where did you go last weekend?" BECOMES Dave asked me where

I had gone the previous weekend

• He asked, "Why are you studying English?" BECOMES She asked me why I was

studying English.

He said, "I live in Paris." He said he lived in Paris

He said, "I am cooking dinner." He said he was cooking dinner

He said, "I have visted London twice." He said he had visited London twice

He said, "I went to New York last week." He said he had gone to New York the week

before

He said, "I had already eaten." He said he had already eaten

He said, "I am going to find a new job." He said he was going to find a new job

He said, "I will give Jack a call." He said he would give Jack a call.

Introduction

Many times in English we want to tell someone what someone has said Saying exactly what someone has said is called quoted speech For example, (The teacher said, "There will be a test tomorrow.") is an example of quoted speech English speakers prefer to use reported speech, such as in the following sentence The teacher told us that there would

be a test tomorrow

This lesson will show you how to change quoted speech to reported speech

Formal Tense Shift Rules

When changing from quoted speech to reported speech, several changes occur In all sentences, the quotation marks and the comma immediately before the first quotation mark are removed Next, the word "that" is usually inserted after the reporting verb (say, ask, told, etc.) Then, the subject pronoun is changed so that the meaning of the quote is not changed Lastly, the tense of the verb is changed, or shifted A list of how the verbs are changed, or the formal tense shift rules, and examples are given below

• Simple Present >Simple Past

Rosa said, "I am happy."

Rosa said that she was happy

*** The I became she because Rosa was talking about herself

• Present Continuous > Past Continuous

Sheila said, "Thao is studying."

Sheila said that Thao was studying

• Present Perfect > Past Perfect

Vin said, "Harold has left already."

Vin said that Harold had left already

• Simple Future (Will) > Past Future (Would)

Keila said, "I will be here tomorrow."

Keila said that she would be here tomorrow

Future Continuous (Will) > Past Future Continuous (Would)

Emily said, "I will be visiting my family in Cambodia."

Emily said that she would be visiting her family in Cambodia

Future Perfect > Past Future Perfect

Sunshine said, "I will have lived in Long Beach for ten years by the year 2010." Sunshine said that she would have lived in Long Beach for ten years by the year

2010

Future Perfect Continuous > Past Future Perfect Continuous

Patricia said, "I will have been living in Long Beach for five years by the year 2005."

Patricia said that she would have been living in Long Beach for five years by the year 2005

Simple Future Substitute (Be Going To) > Past Future Substitute Pam said, "I am going to go to the store later."

Pam said that she was going to go to the store later

• Simple Past > Past Perfect

Cindy said, "The students had problems with the computers."

Cindy said that the students had had problems with the computers

***The verb, to have, causes problems for many students Simple past tense verbs become past perfect tense verbs when shifting from quoted to reported speech

"Had" is the past tense of to have The past perfect of "had" is had had This is probably more easily seen in another sentence

Cindy said, "The students saw a movie."

Cindy said that the students had seen a movie

In the above example, the past tense verb, saw, becomes the past perfect tense verb, had seen

Past Continuous >Past Perfect Continuous

Borath said, "I was watching television."

Borath said that she had been watching television

Past Perfect >Past Perfect (No Change)

Narin said, "I had already eaten."

Narin said that she had already eaten

Past Perfect Continous >Past Perfect Continuous (No Change)

Sophanara said, "I have been cooking."

Sophanara said that she had been cooking

• Present/Future ability or possiblity (Can) > Past ability or possibility (Could) Rose said, "I can work on Saturday."

Rose said that she could work on Saturday

• Present/Future Possibility (May) > Past Possibility (Might)

Sina said, "I may buy a new car."

Sina said that she might buy a new car

• Present/Future Possibility (Might) > Past Possibility (Might, no change) Dennis said, "I might teach ESL 844 next semester."

Dennis said that he might teach ESL 844 next semester

• Present/Future Necessity (Must, Have to, Have got to) >Past Necessity (Had to) Teresa said, "You must do your homework."

Teresa told us that we had to do our homework

David said, "You have to be ready for class."

David told us that we had to be ready for class

Jan said, "You have got to study to pass the final."

Jan told us that we had to study to pass the final

• Present/Future Advisablity (Should, Ought to) >Past Advisability (Should, Ought to)

Cindy said, "You should go see this movie."

Cindy said that we should go see this movie

• Imperative/Command > Infinitive

His father said, "Go to your room."

His father told him to go to his room

• Yes/No Questions > If Noun Clauses

Harold asked, "Would you like to take a break."

Harold asked if we would like to take a break

Information Questions (Where, When, Why, Who, What, How,

etc.) > Noun Clauses headed by these interrogative words

Loretta asked Tooran, "How long have you lived in the United States?"

Loretta asked Tooran how long she had lived in the United States

Dora asked Anh, "Where do you live?"

Dora asked Anh where she lived

Syva asked Sophanara, "When does the next semester start?"

Syva asked Sophanara when the next semester started

Malinda asked Shaoxia, "Why did you come to the United States?"

Malinda asked Shaoxia why she had come to the United States

Narin asked Emily, "What time is it?"

Narin asked Emily what time it was

Patricia asked Sunshine, "Who is going to teach ESL 146?"

Patricia asked Sunshine who was going to teach ESL 146.

GRAMMAR - REPORTED SPEECH CHOOSE THE BEST WAY TO COMPLETE THE SENTENCES BELOW:

1) I asked her xxx

what is the answer

what the answer

what was the answer

what the answer was

2) Can you tell me xxx? what that is

what that be

what it is that

what is that

3) Do you remember xxx? when is her birthday

when her birthday is

when her birthday

when be her her birthday 4) I told them xxx

what he mean

to not go there

they not go there

they not to go there

5) He asked me xxx

what is my name

what was my name

what my name was

was she sure

she was sure or not

if she sure

if she was sure

8) He said xxx

he will study for the exam

he would study for the exam

he had study for the exam

he study for the exam

9) Joan asked xxx

if there was coffee

there was coffee

was there coffee

where was the coffee

The formation is mostly form of: To tell + to + Verb (infinitive)

Affirmative commands: Farther:” Do your homework!"

Father told me to do my homework

Negative commands: Teacher:” Don’t talk to your neighbours!"

Teacher told me not to talk to my neighbours.

Part II: Indirect Questions

GRAMMAR

Unit 66 - Indirect Questions

Indirect questions are polite, longer forms of normal questions For example:

- Where's the department store? - Direct question

- Could you tell me where the department store is, please? - Indirect question

- What's his name? - Direct question

- Do you know what his name is? - Indirect question

Form

Indirect questions are formed of two parts: a polite expression, and a question which has

no subject/verb inversion like a normal question For example:

- What's his name? >>

- Do you know what his name is? - Indirect question

Here the polite expression is "Do you know ", and the question part is " what his name is?" Note that the subject and verb have not changed place in the question part So if you

said "Do you know what is his name?", this would be incorrect.

Another example:

- What's the time? >>

- Do you have any idea what the time is? - Indirect question

The polite expression is "Do you have any idea ?", and the question is " what the time is?"

The question is not " what is the time?" - You don't invert the subject and verb kike a normal question.

Auxiliary Verb "To do"

The auxiliary verb "to do” is used in questions when there is no other auxiliary verb For example:

- You like Chinese food >>

- Do you like Chinese food?

Indirect questions do not use the auxiliary verb "to do" in the main question For

example:

- When does the next train arrive? - Direct question

- Do you know when the next train arrives? - Indirect question

- Do you know when does the next train arrive? - Incorrect

Another example:

- When does the restaurant close? - Direct question

- Could you tell me when the restaurant closes? - Indirect question

- Could you tell me when does the restaurant close? - Incorrect

There are infinite ways to make indirect questions Not all indirect questions are

questions at all, rather they are polite statements which encourage some kind of response Some common polite expressions include:

- I wonder if/whether ?

- I can't remember if/whether ?

- Could you tell me if/whether ?

- Would you mind telling me if/whether ?

- Would it be possible for you to ?

- Is there any chance you could ?

- I don't suppose you could

- I'd like to know if/whether

- I can't remember

A TOEFL book says "In a clause of indirect question, avoid using do, does, or did after the question word".

For example,

I didn't understand what did he say (Wrong)

I didn't understand what he said (Correct)

Does the rule imply that the word do/does/did shouldn't be used immediately after the question word but can be used anywhere in the indirect question clause?

Q: What do you do now?

A: I really don't know what I do.

Based on the rule, Is the above answer grammatically correct?

Indirect questions can refer to two different things:

Questions in reported speech

Questions within questions

Questions in reported speech

When we report questions, we use the word order of an affirmative statement In other words, the subject

usually comes before the verb, and the auxiliary "do" is not used

Tense and time changes are the same as for other types of reported speech (see grammar definitions:

reported speech )

We use "if" or "whether" to report "yes/no" questions.

We do not put a question mark at the end of reported questions

• What do you like doing in your free time?

• He asked me what I liked doing in my free time

• Are you going to the film tomorrow?

• She asked if/whether we were going to the film the next day

Questions within questions

We sometimes avoid asking direct questions to people, especially if we wish to be polite In more formal

speech, this type of structure is quite common

• Do you know if/whether she is coming with us?

• Could you tell me when the film begins?

• Would you be so good as to tell me if the Director has arrived yet?

They are "questions within questions" because although we are asking, for example, "Do you know? ", we

really want some other information

Notice that in the "Do you know …", "Could you tell me …", etc., part of the question, the auxiliary verb, e.g

"do" or "could", comes before the subject In the "real" question, however, the same word order rules apply

as for questions in reported speech Finally, we must put a question mark at the end /Bristish Councel at

http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/grammar/archive/indirect_questions.html

REPORTED SPEECH

a QUESTIONS

1 Normal word order is used in reported questions, that is, the subject comes before the

verb, and it is not necessary to use 'do' or 'did':

"Where does Peter live?" She asked him where Peter lived

2 Yes / no questions: This type of question is reported by using 'ask' + 'if / whether +

clause:

a "Do you speak English?" He asked me if I spoke English.

b "Are you British or American?" He asked me whether I was British or

American.

c "Is it raining?" She asked if it was raining.

d "Have you got a computer?" He wanted to know whether I had a

computer.

e "Can you type?" She asked if I could type.

f "Did you come by train?" He enquired whether I had come by train.

g "Have you been to Bristol before?" She asked if I had been to Bristol

before.

3 Question words:

This type of question is reported by using 'ask' (or another verb like 'ask') + question word + clause The clause contains the question, in normal word order and with the necessary tense change.

Examples:

a "What is your name?" he asked me He asked me what my name was.

b "How old is your mother?", he asked He asked how old her mother was.

c The mouse said to the elephant, "Where do you live?" The mouse asked the

elephant where she lived.

d "What time does the train arrive?" she asked She asked what time the

train arrived.

e "When can we have dinner?" she asked She asked when they could have

dinner.

f The elephant said to the mouse, "Why are you so small?" The elephant

asked the mouse why she was so small.

Sources: http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/rep4.cfm

Demanding Explanations

Sometimes, things happen that we would like explained and we must demand

explanations For example, if you have just bought a new computer and there is a

problem, but the shop assistant says that the guaranty does not cover the problem There are a number of formulas used when demanding explanations in English Here are some of the most common:

• Can you tell me why

• I don't understand why

• Can you explain why

• Why is it that

• Does this mean

• Do you really expect me to believe

Construction

Can you tell me why it

has taken you so long to

respond?

Use 'Can you tell me why' + a full clause in the positive statement form (S + V + O) Notice that this is an indirect question and requires a question mark (?)

I don't understand why

it has taken you so long to

respond

Use 'I don't understand why' + a full clause in the positive statement form (S + V + O) Notice that this is a statement and does NOT require a question mark (?)

Can you explain why it

has taken you so long to

respond?

Use 'Can you explain why' + a full clause in the positive statement form (S + V + O) Notice that this is an indirect question and requires a question mark (?)

Why is it that it has taken

you so long to respond?

Use 'Why is it that' + a full clause in the positive statement form (S + V + O) Notice that this is an indirect question and requires a question mark (?)

How come it has taken

you so long to respond?

Use 'How come' + a full clause in the positive statement form (S + V + O) Notice that this is an indirect question and requires a question mark (?)

Does this mean (that) it

has taken you so long to

respond?

Use 'Does this mean (that)' + a full clause in the positive statement form (S + V + O) Notice that this is an indirect question and requires a question mark (?)

Do you (really) expect

me to belive (that) you

weren't able to finish on

time?

Use 'Do you (really) expect me to belive (that)' + a full clause

in the positive statement form (S + V + O) Notice that this is

an indirect question and requires a question mark (?)

Sources: http://esl.about.com/library/grammar/blgr_demandexplanation.htm

Contrasting Ideas

There are a number of formulas used when contrasting ideas in English Here are

some of the most common:

• We'd love to stay for dinner, but we have got to get going

• They decided to stay in the area, in spite of their problems with the local

residents

• Despite the difficulties of a long journey, Peter decided to visit India

• Getting a good job is hard work, however, most people eventually find one

with patience

• There were a number of people who came, although the hotels were not

equipped to handle them all

Construction

main statement, but

Use 'in spite of' plus a noun, noun phrase or gerund

Use 'despite' plus a noun, noun phrase or gerund

Use 'however' preceded and followed by a comma (,) You can also contrast ideas in two sentences by beginning the contrasting sentence with 'However'.

Use 'although' with a subject and a verb.

• I'm sorry to have to say this but

• I'm sorry to bother you, but

• Maybe you forgot to

• I think you might have forgotten to

• Excuse me if I'm out of line, but

• There may have been a misunderstanding about

• Don't get me wrong, but I think we should

Construction

I'm sorry to have to say this but I think we need to take another approach

I'm sorry to bother you, but I think you need to refine this layout

I think you might have forgotten to finish the report on time

Excuse me if I'm out of line, but your work has not been adequate lately

There may have been a

misunderstanding about what I expected from you

Don't get me wrong, but I think we

should concentrate on the Smith account for the moment

Asking for Information

There are a number of formulas used when asking for information in English Here are some of the most common:

• Could you tell me ?

• Do you know ?

• Do you happen to know ?

• I'd like to know

• Could you find out ?

• I'm interested in

• I'm looking for

These two forms are used for asking for information on the telephone:

• I'm calling to find out

• I'm calling about

Construction

Do you happen to know where Tom lives?

I'd like to know what you think about the new project

Could you find out when she is going to arrive?

I'm looking for information on holidays in Spain

Formula used only on the

I'm calling to find out if flight AZ098 will leave on time today

Formula used only on the telphone + Noun Example Finish

I'm calling about the offer published in today's newspaper

Giving Advice

There are a number of formulas used when Giving Advice in English Here are some

of the most common:

• I don't think you should work so hard

• You ought to work less

• You ought not to work so hard

• If I were you, I'd work less

• If I were in your position, I'd work less

• If I were in your shoes, I'd work less

• You had better work less

• You shouldn't work so hard

• Whatever you do, don't work so hard

Construction

I don't think you

should work so hard.

Use 'I don't think you should' + the base form of the verb in a statement

You ought to work

You ought not to

work so hard Use 'You ought not to' + the base form of the verb in a statement

You had better work

less Use 'You had better' (you'd better) + the base form of the verb in a statement

Whatever you do,

don't work so hard Use 'Whatever you do' + the imperative.

Giving Advice

There are a number of formulas used when Giving Advice in English Here are some

of the most common:

• I don't think you should work so hard

• You ought to work less

• You ought not to work so hard

• If I were you, I'd work less

• If I were in your position, I'd work less

• If I were in your shoes, I'd work less

• You had better work less

• You shouldn't work so hard

• Whatever you do, don't work so hard

Construction

I don't think you

should work so hard.Use 'I don't think you should' + the base form of the verb in a statement

You ought to work

You ought not to

work so hard Use 'You ought not to' + the base form of the verb in a statement

Whatever you do,

don't work so hard Use 'Whatever you do' + the imperative.

Guessing

There are a number of ways to guess in English Here are some of the most

common:

• I'd say he's about ready to quite his job

• It might need some oil

• He could be in the garden

• It looks like a miniature motor

• Perhaps he needs some time off work

• Maybe they want to come and visit this summer

• It's difficult to say, but I'd guess that it's used for cleaning house

• I'm not really sure, but I think they enjoy hiking in the mountains

Construction

I'd say he's about ready to quite his job Use 'I'd say' + an independent clause

It looks like a miniature motor Use the verb 'look like' + a noun

Perhaps he needs some time off work Begin the sentence with 'perhaps'

Maybe they want to come and visit this

It's difficult to say, but I'd guess that

it's used for cleaning house Use the phrase 'It's difficult to say, but I'd guess' + an independent clause

I'm not really sure, but I think they

enjoy hiking in the mountains Use the phrase 'I'm not really sure, but I think' + an independent clause

Using Vague Expressions - Being Imprecise

There are a number of ways to give imprecise information in English Here are some

of the most common:

• There are about 600 people working in this company

• There are approximately 600 people working in this company

• There are a large number of students interested in taking his course

• Management predicts up to 50% growth for the coming year

• It's kind of a bottle opener which can also be used to peel vegetables

• It's the type of place you can go to relax for a week or so

• They're the sort of people that like going bowling on Saturday evenings

• It's difficult to say, but I'd guess that it's used for cleaning house

• I'm not really sure, but I think they enjoy hiking in the mountains

Construction

There are about 600 people working

There are approximately 600 people

There are a large number of

students interested in taking his

course

Use 'a large number of' + a noun

Management predicts up to 50%

It's kind of a bottle opener which can

also be used to peel vegetables Use 'kind of' + a noun

It's the type of place you can go to

relax for a week or so Use 'type of' + a noun Use 'or so' at the end of a sentence to express the meaning 'approximately'

They're the sort of people that like

going bowling on Saturday evenings Use 'sort of' + a noun

It's difficult to say, but I'd guess

that it's used for cleaning house Use the phrase 'It's difficult to say, but I'd guess' + an independent clause

I'm not really sure, but I think

they enjoy hiking in the mountains Use the phrase 'I'm not really sure, but I think' + an independent clause

Saying 'no' nicely

Sometimes you need to say no when someone makes a suggestion, offers something

or asks you to do something for them Of course, saying just 'no' can be rather rude

Here are some of the most common ways to say 'no' nicely - or at least not rudely

• Would you like to see a film tonight?

I'm afraid I can't go out tonight I've got a test tomorrow

• Why don't we have some chinese food?

Sorry, but I don't particularly like chinese food

• How about taking a nice walk?

I'd really rather not take a walk this afternoon

• Would you like to come to the museum with us?

Thank you, but it's not my idea of a fun afternoon out

• Let's go for a drive

Sorry, I'm not really fond of driving for the fun of it

• Why don't you stay the night?

That's very kind of you, but I really have to get back to the city

NOTE: Notice how we often say 'thank you' in some way before refusing the offer

When someone makes an offer it is polite to first thank that person and then say no, often offering an excuse for not wanting or being able to do something Just saying

'no' is considered very rude behavior indeed!

Construction

I don't particularly like Use the '-ing' form of the verb with the verb 'like' in the present simple.

with 'rather'

It's not my idea of Use the '-ing' form following a preposition, or a noun

I'm not (really) fond of Use the '-ing' form following a preposition, or a noun

Thank you (thank you for asking, thank you

very much, etc.) but, I have to Use the base form the verb without 'to' following the modal form 'have to do'

Stating a Preference

Sometimes you need to state a preference when someone makes a suggestion,

offers something or asks your opinion about what to do Often people are asking for your opinion and you can state your preference freely, other times, people have

made an offer and you need to state a preference politely if you do not want to do

what has been suggested, or would rather do something else

• Would you like to see a film tonight?

I'd rather go dancing How does that sound?

• Why don't we have some chinese food?

Well, I'd prefer eating Italian What do you think?

• What do you think we should do?

If it were up to me, I'd go out for dinner

• What are we going to do today? The weather is awful!

I think we should go to a museum

Why don't we go to a museum

Let's go to a museum

How about going to a museum

Construction

If it were up to me,

I'd

Use the second conditional form followed by the base form of the verb without 'to'

I think we should Use the base form the verb without 'to' following the modal form 'should'

How about ? Use the '-ing' form of the verb after a preposition - here 'about'

Making Suggestions

There are a number of formulas used when making suggestions in English Here are

some of the most common:

• Why don't you / we go to the movies tonight?

• You / we could visit New York while you're / we're there

• Let's go to the travel agent's this afternoon to book our ticket

• What about asking your brother for help?

• How about going to Hawaii for your vacation?

• I suggest you / we take all the factors into consideration before we decide

Construction