DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
There are two ways to report what someone says or thinks.
1. Direct speech shows a person’s exact words. Quotation marks (“. . .”) are a
sign that the words are the same words that a person used. For example:
Maria: Where are you going?
John: I’m going home.
Direct speech:
Maria asked, “Where are you going?”
John replied, “I am going home.”
2. Reported speech puts the speaker’s words or ideas into a sentence without
quotation marks. Noun clauses are usually used. For example:
Maria: Where are you going?
John: I’m going home.
Reported speech:
Maria asked John where he was going.
John said that he was going home.
Note: That is optional in reported speech. Both of the following sentences are
correct.
The boy said that he was lost.
The boy said he was lost.
You can answer the question What did he/she say? in two ways:
· by repeating the words spoken (direct speech)
· by reporting the words spoken (indirect or reported speech).
II. Reported Speech
Reported speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.
· She said, "I saw him." 
She said that she had seen him.
She said that she had seen him.
'That' may be omitted:
· She told him that she was sad.
· She told him she was sad.
'Say' and 'tell':
· Use 'say' when there is no indirect object:
· He said that he was tired.
· Always use 'tell' when you say who was being spoken to (i.e. with an indirect object)
· He told me that he was tired.
'Talk' and 'speak' are used:
- to describe the action of communicating:
· He talked to us.
· She was speaking on the telephone.
o with 'about' to refer to what was said:
· He talked (to us) about his parents.
III. Reported Speech / Mixed Type
If the questions and statements are incorporated into Reported Speech then we use the word as (because) as a connector on the sentence statement reported. In this case the sentence of the statement reported later. Consider the following examples:
Examples:
· She asked me :”What is the time ?”, my watch has stopped.
o She asked me what the time was as her watch had stopped.
· Ira asked John :”what is the matter with you ?”, You don’t look well.
o Mary asked John what the matter was with him as he didn’t look well.
· I asked her :”How long have you been studying English ?”, Your accent is very good.
o I asked her how long she had been studying English as he her accent was very good.
· He told me :”I am off to the movie,” Where are you going ?”
o He told me that he was off to the movie and asked me where I was going.
· She said :”It is cold inside,” Is the window open ?
o She said that it was cold inside and asked if the window was open.
When the direct question along with the answer Yes and No, then we use the word but as a liaison to answer No and words and as a liaison to answer Yes.
Examples:
He asked me :”Will you go out wiith me ?” No, I won’t.
- He asked me if I would go out with him but I said I wouldn’t.
- Mother asked John :”Have you had lunch ?” No, I haven’t.
- Mother asked John if he had had lunch but he said he hadn’t.
- She asked me :”Can you meet me tomorrow ?” No.
- She asked me if I could meet her the following day but I said I couldn’t.
- I asked her :”Do you like vegetables ?” Yes, I do.
- Is asked her if she liked veggetables and she said she did.
- Mary asked John :”Did you phone me last night ?” Yes, I did.
- Mary asked John if he had phoned her the night before and he said he had.
- Father asked me :”Are you going to the movie tonight ?” Yes.
- Father asked me if I was going to the movie that night and I said I was.
IV. Direct & Indirect with Auxiliaries
Consider the changes that need to be from Auxiliaries
DIRECT
|
INDIRECT
|
Was/were
|
Had been
|
Can
|
Could
|
May
|
Might
|
Must & have to
|
Had to
|
Must not
|
Wasn't to/ musn't
|
Needn't
|
Didn't have to
|
Examples:
- Wachid said :” I was sick yesterday.”
- Wachid said that she had been sick the day before.
- The man asked me :” Can you speak English ?”
- The man asked me if I could speak English.
- Wachid said to John :”You may come to my house tomorrow.”
- Wachid said to John that she might come to his house the following day.
- Mother told Wachid :”You must study harder if you want to pass the exam.”
- Mother told Wachid that he had to study harder if he wanted to pass the exam.
- The police told me :” You must not drive without license.”
- The police told me that I wasn’t to drive without license.
- The teacher told them :”You needn’t hurry.”
- The teacher told them that they didn’t have to hurry.
Of the few examples above sentence can be concluded that the indirect sentence may be formed from direct sentences. But the changes must be in accordance with the rules that have been determined as follows:
1. If the sentence has a direct reporting verb in the form of the simple present tense, future tense or present perfect tense, then when the sentence was changed to direct reporter of his word does not change the form of tenses.
A. Future continuous tense remains the future continuous tense, for example:
D : He says, “I shall be eating at six tonight.”
I : He says that he will be eating at six tonight.
B. Simple past tense remains the simple past tense, for example:
D : Wachid will say, “I was happy in that day.”
I : Wachid will say that he was happy in that day.
C. Present perfect tense remains the present perfect tense, for example:
D : Kartini has said, “I have worked hard this year.”
I : Kartini has said that she has worked hard this year.
2. If the sentence has a direct reporting verb in the form of simple past tense or past perfect tense, so when converted into indirect sentences, reported his word will experience a change in the form of time, the description of time and place information.
A. Future turns into the past continuous tense continuous tense, for example:
D : She had said, “I shall be studying at that time.”
I : She had said that she would be studying at that time.
B. Simple past tense changed into past perfect tense, for example:
D : Wachid said, “I studied English last night.”
I : Wachid said that he had studied English the previous night.
C. Present perfect tense berubah menjadi past perfect tense, misalnya :
D : Barbie had said, “My mother has gone to the market.”
I : Barbie had said that her mother had gone to the market.
NOTES
1. If the reported sentence words imply a general truth or a fact that has become a habit, then when converted into indirect sentences reported his words or remain unchanged, despite reporting its verb form of the past tense or past perfect tense, for example:
D : She said, “The sun rises in the east.”
I : She said that the sun rises in the east.
2. Besides the change in shape of the time reported his words, also be aware of the changes and the adverb of time adverb of place as follows:
Tomorrow
|
Next week
|
Next month
|
Next year
|
Next Monday
|
Here
|
Over here
|
This
|
These
|
The following day, The next day
|
The following week
|
The following month
|
The following year
|
The following Monday
|
There
|
Over there
|
That
|
Those
|
1) Mr. Aldo said to his man, “Who phoned me just now?”
a. Mr. Wachid wants to know who phoned him.
b. Mr. Wachid wanted to know who had phoned him.
c. Mr. Wachid wanted to know who phoned him.
d. Mr. Wachid asked him man who phoned him.
e. Mr. Wachid had asked his man who had phoned him.
2) As the road to Puncak had become slippery after the rain, I told the bus driver _____
a. Do not speed
b. Not to speed
c. Let us not speed
d. Not speeding
e. He does not speed
3) Mom : Girls, make up your beds!
Candy : What did mam say to you just now?
Gina : She asked us _____ our beds.
a. Makeup
b. Made up
c. To make up
d. Making up
e. Should make up
4) “Do you borrow this book from the library?” asked Wachid.
Wachid wanted to know whether I _____ that book from the library.
a. Borrow
b. Borrowed
c. Will borrow
d. Have borrowed
e. Am going to borrowed
5) Wachid said to me, ‘Do you close the windows at night?’
The indirect form is: Wachid asked me _____ at night.
a. That close the windows
b. If I closed the windows
c. Whether you closed the windows
d. When I closed the windows
e. That you closed the windows
REFERENCES
