Indirect speech grammar. Indirect speech in English. Indirect speech or reported speech. Questions in indirect speech

Direct speech- these are the words of a person, transmitted literally as they were spoken. In writing, direct speech is highlighted in quotation marks, and after words introducing direct speech, a comma is placed.

The postman said, "I will deliver this letter tomorrow" - The postman said: "I will deliver this letter tomorrow."

Indirect speech- this is speech that is not conveyed word for word, but only in content, in the form of additional subordinate clauses.

The postman said he would deliver that letter the next day - The postman said that he would deliver this letter the next day.

Table of direct and indirect speech (by times)

When turning direct speech into indirect speech English language The rule for coordinating times applies. If the main clause is in present form (Present Simple or Present Perfect) or future tense (Future Simple), then the verb is in indirect speech (in a subordinate clause) remains in the same tense as it was in direct speech.

If the verb in the main clause is in Past Simple, Past Continuous or Past Perfect, then the verb in the subordinate clause is replaced by another time, in accordance with the rule of time coordination.

Direct speech
Present Simple -> Past Simple
He said, "I am hungry!" - He said: "I'm hungry!"	He said that he was hungry - He said that he was hungry.
Present Continuous -> Past Continuous
Mother said, "I am cooking the dinner now"	Mother said that she was cooking the dinner then - Mom said that she was preparing dinner.
Present Perfect -> Past Perfect
She said, "I have worked hard today" - She said: "I worked hard today."	She said that she had worked hard that day - She said that she worked hard that day.
Present Perfect Continuous-> Past Perfect Continuous
I said, "My colleague has only been working here for 3 months" - I said, "My colleague has only been working here for 3 months."	I said that my colleague had only been working there for 3 months - I said that my colleague worked there for only 3 months.
Past Simple -> Past Simple or Past Perfect
Please note that the Past Simple can remain unchanged in indirect speech (which is typical for colloquial speech, as well as situations where the time of action is indicated). When using such temporary designations as the day before (the day before), two years before (two years before), etc. It is preferable to use the Past Perfect.
They said, "We went to the cinema and watched a film" - They said: "We went to the cinema and watched a film."	They said that they went to the cinema and watched a film - They said that they went to the cinema and watched a film.
She said, "I had a cold a week ago" - She said: "A week ago I had a cold."	She said that she had had a cold a week before - She said that a week before that she had a cold.
Past Continuous -> Past Continuous or Past Perfect Continuous
Please note that the Past Continuous can also remain unchanged in indirect speech.
He said, "I was playing tennis when she called me."	He said that he was playing tennis when she called him - He said that he was playing tennis when she called him.
Tom said, "I was watching the football match" - Tom said: "I watched the football match."	Tom said that he had been watching the football match - Tom said that he watched the football match.
Past Perfect -> Past Perfect
Please note that the Past Perfect in indirect speech remains unchanged.
My friend said to me, "I had known you before we were introduced to each other" - My friend told me: "I knew you before we were introduced to each other."	My friend told me that he had known me before we were introduced to each other - My friend told me that he knew me before we were introduced to each other.
Past Perfect Continuous -> Past Perfect Continuous
Please note that the Past Perfect Continuous in indirect speech remains unchanged.
My wife said, "We had been dating for 3 years before we got married."	My wife said that we had been dating for 3 years before we got married - My wife said that we dated for 3 years before we got married.

Difference between say and tell.

If the verb to say is used in a sentence introducing direct speech without addition(indicating the person to whom the speech is addressed), then the verb to say is retained. If there is such an addition, then the verb to say changes to the verb to tell.

He said, "Our team lost the game" - He said: "Our team lost."
He said that their team lost the game - He said that their team lost.
She said to me, "I will wait for you outside" - She told me: "I'll wait for you outside."
She told me that she would wait for me outside - She said she would wait for me outside.

Features of the use of some verbs in direct and indirect speech

Direct speech	Indirect speech
Will -> Would
The doctor said, "You will get the result of your blood test tomorrow" - The doctor said, "You will get the result of your blood test tomorrow."	The doctor said that I would get the result of my blood test the next day - The doctor said that I would get the result of my blood test the next day.
Can -> Could
The assistant said, "I can check it for you" - The employee said: "I can check it."	The assistant said that he could check it for me - The employee said that he could check it.
May -> Might
She said to me, "I may come, too" - She told me: "I, too, may come."	She told me that she might come too - She told me that maybe she would come too.
Shall -> Should (suggestions, request for advice, etc.) Shall -> Would (when talking about the future tense)
Somebody said, "I shall be there at this time" - Someone said, "I will be there at this time." She asked, "Shall I open the window?" “She asked: “Maybe I’ll open the window?”	Somebody said that he would be there at that time - Someone said that he would be there at this time. She asked if she should open the window - She asked if she should open the window.

note that the following verbs in indirect speech remain unchanged:

Modal verbs in the past tense ( would, could, had to, might)
They said, "There was nothing we could do about that."
They said that there was nothing they could do about that - They said that they could not do anything about it.
Modal verbs ought to,needn"t And must
He said, "They must be late" - He said: "They must be late."
He said that they must be late - He said that they must be late.

Changing time and place indicators

Direct speech	Indirect speech
this (this)	that (that, this)
these (these)	those (those, these)
now (now)	then (then)
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, two days later)
yesterday (yesterday)	the day before (the day before)
the day before yesterday (the day before yesterday)	two days before (two days before, two days earlier)
ago (back)	before (before)
next year (next year)	the next year, the following year (next year)
here (here)	there (there)

Cases when tenses remain unchanged

Direct speech	Indirect speech
1. Words introducing direct speech are in tenses groups Present or Future.
She says, "I want to go for a walk" - She says: "I want to go for a walk."	She says that she wants to go for a walk - She says she wants to go for a walk.
2. If at the time of transmitting someone’s words, the situation has not changed and relates either to the present or to the future (in this situation, you can also use the coordination of tenses, this will not be a mistake).
He said, "It will rain" - He said: "It will rain."	He said that it will rain - He said that it will rain. He said that it would rain - He said that it would rain.
She said to me, "The sun is a star" - She told me: "The sun is a star."	She told me that the sun was a star - She told me that the sun is a star. She told me that the sun is a star - She told me that the sun is a star.

Interrogative sentences

General issues

General questions in indirect speech are attached to the main sentence using conjunctions if or whether. Word order interrogative sentence changes to the word order of the declarative sentence.

She asked, "Do you have any plans for the weekend?" “She asked, “Do you have plans for the weekend?”
She asked if I had any plans for the weekend - She asked if I had plans for the weekend.

They asked, "Will you visit us tomorrow?" - They asked: “Will you come to us tomorrow?”
They asked whether we would visit them the next day - They asked if we would come to them the next day.

She asked, "Can you give them a call?" “She asked, “Can you call them?”
She asked if I could give them a call – She asked if I could call them.

When turning answers to general questions into indirect speech, words yes And no go down.

She asked, "Do you want another cup of tea?" “She asked: “Do you want another cup of tea?”
I said, “No, I don’t” – I answered: “No, I don’t want to.”

She asked if I wanted another cup of tea - She asked if I wanted another cup of tea.
I answered that I didn’t - I answered that I don’t want to.

Special questions

When turning special questions into indirect speech, it is necessary to put the words in the same order as in narrative sentence, and the question word serves to attach a subordinate clause to the main one.

She asked, "What time does the train arrive?" “She asked: “What time does the train arrive?”
She asked what time the train arrived - She asked what time the train arrives.

He asked, "When did you come?" - He asked: “When did you come?”
He asked when I came - He asked when I came.

I asked him, "How old are you?" – I asked him: “How old are you?”
I asked him how old he was - I asked how old he was.

Imperative mood in indirect speech

The imperative mood in indirect speech is replaced by an infinitive (in negative sentences - an infinitive with the particle not).

If direct speech expresses an order, then the verb to say is replaced by the verbs to tell, to order. If direct speech expresses a request, then the verb to say is replaced by the verb to ask.

Mother said, "Be careful!" – Mom said: “Be careful!”
Mother asked to be careful - Mom asked to be careful.

He said, "Listen to what I am saying!" - He said: “Listen to what I say!”
He told to listen to what he was saying - He told to listen to what he says.

She said, “Please, don”t laugh at him!” – She said, “Please don’t laugh at him!”
She asked not to laugh at him - She asked not to laugh at him.

Replacing pronouns and adverbs

Personal, possessive and demonstrative pronouns, as well as adverbs of place and time, when moving from direct speech to indirect speech, change in meaning, just as in the Russian language.

He said, “You have been listening to this music for a long time already.”
He said that they had been listening to that music for a long time already - He said that they had been listening to this music for quite a long time.

Everyone has probably heard about direct and indirect speech in Russian lessons. In the English language it also exists, and if so, then there are rules. If you've forgotten a little what it is:

Direct speech is a person’s words, without any changes, written in quotation marks. Pay attention to the format of direct speech in English:

‘I want to buy a new car', said my friend. ( Look, after direct speech, here the predicate comes first, and then the subject: this happens when direct speech precedes the words of the author).

or

My friend said, ' I want to buy a new car’. (Here, as you can see, the author’s word order is normal)

By the way, read about word order in English sentences. Now let’s move on to the theory with clear examples and explanations.

Content:

Indirect speech in English is also someone’s words, but not spoken personally, but conveyed by another person (by the way, this is how rumors are born, someone said something, someone misunderstood, and off we go...:- )). To prevent this from happening to you, you need to follow certain rules, this is especially true of times. But more on that later. Read carefully.

Sonya always asks me to help her...

In indirect speech we often use the words: answer, reply, tell, suggest, mention, ask, promise and others. The most commonly used are say and tell. It is with these two verbs that confusion often occurs.

When to choose tell, and when say ?

In direct speech it is used say(to smb.).

I always say (to him), ‘ Be careful!’

And in indirect speech, when we mention the person we are addressing, we take tell . For example,

My teacher told me (that) I could finish the work later.

Note: word that V English version you can calmly release, and the proposal will also be correct. When translated into Russian, this word is still more often present.

Also tell used in fixed expressions such as: tellastory,tellthetruth,tella lie.
Say used when we do not name the person to whom direct speech was addressed. For example:

The teacher said I could finish the work later.

Replacing words

When translating direct speech into indirect speech, we replace the following words:

I ⇒ he/she(depending on context)

My ⇒ his/her(depending on the context)

Here ⇒ there

This ⇒ that

These ⇒ those

Now ⇒ then, at that time

Today ⇒ that day

Yesterday ⇒ the day before, the previous day

The day before yesterday ⇒ two days before

Tomorrow ⇒ the next/following day

The day after tomorrow ⇒ two days later

Next year ⇒ the following year

This week ⇒ that week

Last week ⇒ the week before, the previous week

An hour ago ⇒ an hour before / earlier

Bob said: ' I"d prefer these cards’⇒ Bob said that he"d prefer those cards.

But we must remember that all replacements occur within the meaning of the phrase or sentence. Here it would be a good idea to turn to the Russian translation of the sentence in order to correctly change the necessary words.

How to translate direct speech into indirect speech, or the rule for coordinating tenses

To convey the meaning of what another person said, we add introductory part, For example, he (say) said, What... or she (ask) asked about so-and-so... etc., i.e. we seem to distance ourselves from the words of the other person, and then we retell what we heard.

If this the introductory part is in the present tense, then from time to time everything is simple: as it was in direct speech, we leave it in indirect speech.

BUT when we use past tense, i.e. said / told and other verbs, then it begins to act tense agreement rule , i.e. We replace the tense (and therefore the verb) from direct speech with another. The table below lists the tenses of direct speech and their analogues in indirect speech:

Present Simple ⇒ Past Simple	‘I am happy’ ⇒ He said he was happy.
Present Continuous ⇒ Past Continuous	‘I am reading’ ⇒ He said he was reading.
Present Perfect ⇒ Past Perfect	‘I have written’ ⇒ He said he had written.
Past Simple ⇒ Past Perfect	‘I went to the theatre’ ⇒ He said he had gone to the theater.
Past Perfect ⇒ Past Perfect ( does not change)	‘I had gone home’ ⇒ He said he had gone home.
Future Simple ⇒ Future in the Past	‘I will go home’ ⇒ He said he would go home.

Modal verbs are also subject to change:

Can ⇒ could	'I can do it' ⇒ He said he could do it.
May ⇒ might	'You may leave' ⇒ He said she might leave.
Must ⇒ had to	‘I must go home’ ⇒ Sue said she had to go home.

If the modal verbs were already in the form could, ought to, should, would, then they remain in this form.

‘I couldn't know anything about it’ ⇒ He said he couldn’t know anything about it.

Translating questions from direct speech to indirect speech

Any questions in English are translated into indirect speech using verbs askwanttoknowwonder...

Translating questions from question words, Question words are retained. And here the rule of timing also applies.

‘Why is she crying?’ ⇒ He asked why she was crying.

When transferring general questions in indirect speech, we must add words such as: if /whether (=whether). Don't be confused whether And weather !

‘Can you help me?’ ⇒ She asked me if /whether I could help her.

Word order

When we translate question into indirect speech, it ceases to be a question, therefore The word order also changes, no auxiliary verbs required(note that exactly auxiliary, for example, did, and those that are originally part of the predicate, they, of course, are preserved).

‘When did you come home?’ ⇒ His mother wanted to know when he had come . (We see that after the question word, the word order changes to normal, as in a sentence, and of course, an auxiliary verb is no longer required. In addition, we also observe here the coordination of times)

Incentive offers are also easily transformed into indirect speech, namely by turning a verb into an infinitive with the particle to. Wherein tell means "command", ask - « ask". Verbs are also possible order, forbid, allow and etc.

‘Be careful!’ ⇒ Her mother told the child to be careful.

The negative form is formed through not.

‘Please don’t call me late’ ⇒ She asked him not to call her late.

Here is such a theory, which at first glance seems sophisticated and incomprehensible. But I think after doing a couple of exercises everything will fall into place. Therefore, I suggest you start practicing right now!

Direct speech and indirect speech (Reported speech) is one of the most complex grammatical topics in the English language. The difficulty lies in the fact that in this section for each type of speech there is a large number of rules, nuances and subtleties that must be learned for a normal understanding of this language.

But don’t despair right away! Better be patient and start learning speech.

Table of direct and indirect speech

The peculiarity of translating direct speech into indirect speech is that it is not the formula that changes, but the time itself. That is, if we want to translate the first type of speech into the second, we need to take a “step back”.

Examples:

This is not noticeable when translated into Russian, but in English time When transmitting someone else's statement, it is necessary to put it back one step. This is a mandatory rule for constructing indirect speech, which can only be violated in very rare cases.

Conversion table:

Direct speech	Indirect speech


Present Continuous	Past Continuous

Present Perfect



Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
	He had been/they had been
	Future in the Past

Examples:

I go to the school. – Tom said he went to the school. I am going to school. Tom said that he goes to school.
Mary is listening to the music right now. – Mary said that she was listening to the music right away. Mary is listening to music right now. Mary said that she listens to music.
My sister has lived since the childhood in our father’s house. – I said that my sister had lived since the childhood in our father`s house. My sister has lived in our father's house since childhood. – I said that my sister has lived in our father’s house since childhood.
I went to the cinema yesterday evening. – Peter said that he had gone to the cinema the day before. Yesterday evening I went to the cinema. Peter said that he went to the cinema yesterday.
Parents were making a birthday cake for my little brother. – My granny said that my parents had been making a birthday cake for my little brother. My parents made a birthday cake for my little brother. – Grandma said that my parents made a birthday cake for my little brother.
Alice will do this exercise tomorrow. – The teacher said that Alice would do this exercise the following day. Alice will do this exercise tomorrow. – The teacher said that Alice will do this exercise tomorrow.

Note! The connecting conjunction that serves to combine sentences in indirect speech; it can be omitted, which is often done in colloquial speech, but it can also be used (this is a more formal style).

Difference between say and tell

It can be very difficult to catch the difference between these two verbs in speech, but it still exists. They both refer to the action of speaking orally. But the difference lies in how and with whom to talk.

To say means simply to speak (or to say something without indicating a person); to tell is used when something is reported to a specific person.

Examples:

Peter said that he was a good musician. Peter said that he is a good musician.
Mila told her parents that she would study in the university.– Mila told her parents that she would study at the university.

Features of the use of some verbs in direct and indirect speech

Some verbs (mostly modal) have their own characteristics when constructing indirect speech, which you need to know and be able to distinguish. Below they are given with examples.

Will -> Would

Will is a modal verb that is used to construct the future tense. When translating direct speech into indirect speech, it changes and turns into Would.

Examples:

I will be a doctor. – Her daughter said that she would be a doctor. I will be a doctor. – Her daughter said that she would be a doctor.
I will go to the library tomorrow. – Mikel said that he would go to the library the following day. I'll go to the library tomorrow. Michael said he would go to the library tomorrow.
I will not (won`t) do this for me. – He said that he would not (wouldn`t) do this for me. I won't do this for you. “He said he wouldn’t do this for me.”

Can -> Could

This modal verb denotes the physical ability to be able to do something.

Example:

I can swim. I can swim.
I can bake cakes and different kinds of biscuits. I can bake cakes and different types cookies.

When direct speech changes to indirect, it is modified into a verb Could.

Examples:

May -> Might

This modal verb also denotes the ability to be able to do something, but not physically. They are often used in both types of speech.

Example:

May I come in? Can I come in?
May I borrow your pen?-Can I borrow your pen?

When translating sentences from direct speech to indirect speech, this verb undergoes changes and turns into Might.

Examples:

May I come in? – She asked if she might come in. Can I come in? – She asked if she could come in.

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Shall -> Should

The verb Shall, like Will, is used to construct the future tense, but it sounds very outdated, so it is rarely used in speech, especially colloquial. But sometimes, when translating direct speech into indirect speech, it can be used and in this case it is transformed into Should.

Examples:

What shall we give him when we come to his party? – They wondered what they should give him when they come to his party. What will we give him when he comes to his party? – They asked what they would give to their friend when they come to his house for a party.

Shall -> Would

Since this verb has the same functions as the verb Will, it can sometimes be converted into a modal verb Would and use with the future tense of indirect speech.

Examples:

My mother said “I shall go to the shop tomorrow.” – My mother said that she would go to the shop the following day. Mom said: “I’ll go to the store tomorrow.” Mom said that she will go to the store tomorrow.

Changing time and place indicators

In addition to time, when translating direct speech into indirect speech, various indicators of time and place that define a given time also change. Learning how they change is simply necessary. Otherwise, when using pointers that refer to indirect speech in direct speech, or vice versa, you will look very stupid, since you have composed a grammatically incorrect sentence.

Example:

Changing time and place indicators:

Here – there / here – there;

This – that / this – that;

These – those / these – those;

Today – that day / today – on that day;

Yesterday – the previous day; the day before / tomorrow - on the previous day; the day before;

Tomorrow – the next day; the following day / tomorrow - the next day;

Now – then; right away; at that moment / now – then, at that moment;

Tonight – that night / tonight – that night;

Last night – the previous night / last night – the previous night;

A year ago - a year before / a year ago - for the year of this.

Examples:

Cases when tenses remain unchanged

The tenses do not always change when translating direct speech into indirect speech. Some of them may remain in their original form in someone else’s speech, then the construction of direct and indirect speech coincides.

Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences when translating direct speech into indirect speech also take place. Their design is a little complicated, but if you understand this topic, then there should be no problems.

General issues

General issues- this is the easiest type of question, which is built using an auxiliary verb or modal verb, if we are talking about direct speech. But when direct speech changes to indirect, some changes occur.

For example, the order of speech remains affirmative, but if and whether particles are added, that connect two parts of a sentence. They have the same meaning and denote the interrogative particle “whether”. The question mark is not used in indirect speech.

Formula:

Main clause + if (whether) + secondary clause (speech order unchanged).

Examples:

Mother asked “Is the weather nice today?” – Mother asked If (whether) the weather was nice that day. Mom asked: “Is the weather good today?” – Mom asked if the weather was good today.
Molly asked me “Will you go to the party tomorrow?” – Molly asked me if (whether) I would go to the party the following day. Molly asked "Are you going to the party tomorrow?" – Molly asked if I was going to the party tomorrow.
The teacher asked us “Have you done your homework?” – The teacher asked us if (whether) we had done our homework. The teacher asked us “Have you done your homework?” – The teacher asked us if we had done our homework.
Tom asked his friend “Do you receive these letters every month?” – Tom asked his friend if (whether) he received those letters every month. Tom asked his friend, “Do you receive these letters every month?” Tom asked his friend if he receives letters every month.
She asked “Can I go with you?” – She asked if (whether) she could go with us. She asked "Can I come with you?" “She asked if she could come with us.”

Special questions

Special questions– these are questions that involve the use of special words, thanks to which you can learn about something in more detail. When translating a special question from direct speech to indirect speech, the order of the sentence remains affirmative, and the question word will serve as a connecting conjunction. There is also no question mark in this type of speech.

Formula:

Main clause + question word + subordinate clause.

Examples:

Granny asked “What is your favorite subject at school?” – Granny asked what my favorite subject at school was. Grandma asked, “What is your favorite subject at school?” Grandma asked what my favorite subject at school was.
Mother asked her son “Where did you go?”– Mother asked her son where he had gone.
Mom asked her son, “Where did you go?” – Mom asked her son where he went. The teacher asked the pupils “When did you come?”
– The teacher asked pupils when they had gone. The teacher asked the students, “When did you arrive?” – The teacher asked the students when they arrived.

Imperative mood in indirect speech

My little brother Tom asked our mother “When do the stars fall?”

– My little brother Tim asked our mother when the stars fall.

Examples:

My little brother Tom asked our mother: “When do the stars fall?” – My little brother Tom asked our mother when the stars fall. The imperative mood in indirect speech also cannot be classified as an easy topic, because here each sentence has its own special rule.
But the general changes are: Mother said “Do not (don`t) do this!” – Mother told me to stop doing that.
Mom said, “Stop doing that!” “Mom told me to stop doing this.” Molly said “Tell me the truth about you.” – Molly asked me to tell the truth about me.

Replacing pronouns and adverbs

Molly said, “Tell me the whole truth about yourself.” – Molly asked me to tell the whole truth about me.

She said: “Stop laughing at my friend.” – She asked me not to laugh at her friend.

She said "Stop laughing at my friend." “She asked me not to laugh at her friend.”

In addition to indicators of time and place, when translating direct speech into indirect speech, other parts of speech such as pronouns and adverbs also change.

Replacing pronouns:

I – he, she – I – he, she;

We – they – we – they;

You – she, he – you – she, he;

Me – him, her – me – his, her;

Them – us – their – us;

You – her, him – you – her, him;

Examples:

Your - his, her - yours - his, her; I'm a very good student. – She said that she was a very good student.
We are drawing this for the competition. – They said that they were drawing that for the competition. We are drawing this for a competition. “They said they were drawing it for a competition.”
I cannot (can`t) find my books. – I knew that he could not (couldn`t) find his books. I can't find my books. “I know he can’t find his books.”

Bypassing indirect clauses

Sometimes, when translating direct speech into indirect speech, you can cheat a little and bypass indirect sentences, replacing them with similar ones in meaning. For this, there are a large number of synonymous words that can be used in this type of speech.

Examples:

Polly said “I will not (won`t) do this work.” – Polly refused to do this work. Polly said, "I won't do this work." Polly refused to do this work.
They said "Yes, we do." - They agreed. They said: "Yes." - They agreed.

Conclusion

Mastering the topic of translating direct speech into indirect speech is a very important point in learning English grammar. This part is quite difficult, and to master it well, you will need to devote more than one hour of work to it. But believe me, it's worth it.

And in the future, in order to avoid gross or stupid mistakes and inaccuracies, you need to learn all the rules given in this article and practice translating sentences at least a couple of times a day. Don't be lazy!

In order to quickly master the construction of speech: direct and indirect, you need to practice as much as possible and not give up halfway. Only this will help you overcome this difficult section of grammar.

Good luck in learning English!

While learning English, each of us inevitably encounters reading literature. Most often, the main difficulty lies precisely in retelling what has been read, when you need to turn direct speech into indirect speech (reported/indirect speech).
We have already talked about how to convey direct speech when writing using quotation marks, and now we will look at the oral nuances of its presentation.
You can often hear the question: “What did he answer you?” You start: “He said that...” Indeed, what next?
How to correctly coordinate all grammatical aspects, choose the right tense, word order, and reflect the nature of the question or narrative sentence? Today we will look at and give examples of these interesting questions.

So let's decide:

Direct speech- a literal introduction into the author’s speech of any remarks. Syntactic structures are used in accordance with the speaker's personality.

He says, " I will come."/ He says: “I will come.”

Indirect speech- a way of introducing someone else's speech into your speech. In this case, sentences are constructed in the third person.

He says that he will come./ He says he will come.

When talking about the transition from direct to indirect speech, two important factors should be taken into account: the organization of syntax and punctuation (that is, the coordination and organization of words, the abandonment of quotation marks, the introduction of auxiliary conjunctions, word order) and the coordination of tenses within the new sentence.

Syntax and punctuation of indirect speech

In the case of a sentence transitioning from direct speech to indirect speech, the “loss” of quotation marks should be taken into account. By and large, from two equivalent independent sentences we get a complex sentence with a main and dependent part. Usually in English such sentences are united by the conjunction that, although its absence does not in any way disrupt the order:

She told me, "I like black coffee."/ direct speech

She told me that she liked black coffee./ reported speech
She told me she liked black coffee./ reported speech

Please note that not only the punctuation changes, but also the pronouns. We will coordinate the information by analogy with the Russian language. There is a 100% coincidence here, because we are talking more about the logic of presenting information.

Mary asks me"Will you come?"
Mary asks me, if I will come.

From this example it is clear that the pronoun you changes to I, since we are talking about me, accordingly, in the presentation, as well as in the Russian language, pronouns will be agreed upon by person.

This example is also interesting because in direct speech the sentence is a question. In English, there is a certain principle of agreeing on word order when translating questions from direct speech to indirect speech. Let us list the main features of the organization of such proposals:

Firstly, the question mark disappears and is replaced by a simple dot.

Secondly, in indirect speech, sentences again acquire direct word order. This can be explained very simply - there is a period at the end.

General question introduced by unions if or whether, which translates as " whether"in Russian languages are not related to subjunctive conjunctions:

Brian asked me, "Will you marry me?"
Brian asked me if I would marry him.

Special questions are introduced with question words:

"Why do you love me?" she said.
She said why I loved her.

We restore direct word order and omit the auxiliary verb in indirect speech.

Offers in imperative mood combined in indirect speech through a particle to. Punctuation marks (quotation marks and exclamation mark, if any) disappear:

Matthew asked me, "Play the piano, please."
Matthew asked me to play the piano.

Negative imperative sentences With don"t are introduced into indirect speech through not to:

Bobby said, "Don't smoke, Laura!"
Bobby told Laura not to smoke.

Agreement of tenses in indirect speech

Coordination of tenses can cause difficulties when the predicate of the main sentence (directly the words of the author) is used in one of the past tense forms. If predicate the main clause is expressed by a verb in present time, then the sentence in indirect speech retains verb forms in all parts of the sentence:

Dan says, "You look so fine!"
Dan says I look great.

Julia askes, "When do did you come back?"
Julia asks me when I come back.

Agreement with the predicate in the past tense

The principle applies here - the predicate of the subordinate clause (the one that was in quotation marks) will be introduced into indirect speech in time one step earlier, that is:

Present will go to Past
Future will go to Past
Past will go to Past Perfect

1. The action of the subordinate clause occurs simultaneously with the main action or expressed by a verb in the future tense. In this case, Past Simple or Past Continuous is used:

He said, "I love my wife."
He said he loved his wife.

He asked, "What are are you doing?"
He asked what I was doing.

Mike was told, "They will arrive tomorrow."
Mike was told that they would arrive the next day.

2. The action of direct speech happened before. In this case, Perfect tenses are used:

Alex asked, " Did you go to the party yesterday?"
Alex asked if I had gone to the party the day before.

Please take into account changing circumstances of the time. Yesterday, for example, according to the rules English grammar can never be used with perfect tenses. We replaced it with the day before, preserving the essence of the concept itself " yesterday", A tomorrow in the first paragraph on the next day.

You can’t do without indirect speech exceptions. The tenses will not be consistent, but will be preserved in both sentences if there is a specific date or a well-known fact is being discussed:

He said, "The tower was built in 1255 ."
He said that the tower was built in 1255 .

We wish you interesting practice and success in coordination!

Victoria Tetkina

Direct speech in English ( Direct Speech), literally quoting a statement. The response is enclosed in quotation marks on both sides, and you add the words of the author to it, e.g. He says: “I swim well”.

Indirect speech in English ( Reported Speech/ Indirect Speech), conveying the content of the conversation from a third person. In this case, the accuracy of the statement is violated: you change the tense forms and word order in the sentence.

let's consider Reported Speech rule and learn how to correctly express the opinion of your interlocutor without lying anything.

Indirect speech in English always depends on what tense is used in the author's words. If it’s real, then you can breathe out and relax: you won’t have to change almost anything. The tense in the subordinate clause will remain the same, just watch the verb form and capricious pronouns:

Melissa says: “I am a good cook.” – Melissa says thatshe is a good cook.

Jack said:"Ilike cats.”(Present Simple) – Jack said that heliked cats.(Past Simple)

We will look at time coordination in more detail ( Sequence of Tenses) separately.

Examine the Reported Speech table. With it you will be able to express yourself grammatically correctly. And one more piece of advice - always try translate sentences into Russian, it will tell you which words will have to be replaced.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Affirmative sentences turn into complex sentences with the conjunction That (that). Please note whether it is known who we are addressing. If yes, then the verb to say needs to be changed to to tell.
They say: "Annie, we read a lot of books."	They tell Annie that they read a lot of books.
When you translate negative sentences into indirect speech in English, pay special attention to the form of the verb and do not lose the not particle.
Mark says: “I don’t like computer games.”	Mark says that he doesn’t like computer games.
Imperative sentences, namely orders and requests, become infinitives. In this case, in the main sentence, use the verbs to ask - to ask, to tell - to say, command, to order - to order, etc. and indicate the person to whom you are addressing.
Mother said: “Open the window.”	Mother asked me to open the window.
Questions become subordinate clauses with direct word order. a) General questions are introduced by a subordinate clause using the conjunctions if and whether
Jim asks me: “Do you watch TV?”	Jim asks me if I watch TV.
b) Special questions are attached to the main sentence with the interrogative words that are used in them.
Tony wonders: “What is your favorite food?”	Tony wonders what my favorite food is.

If the sentence you are translating into indirect speech in English has demonstrative pronouns or adverbs of time and place, then our table will help to replace them correctly:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
This - this	That - that

Here - here	There - there
Now - now	Then - then
Today - today	That day - on that day
Tomorrow - tomorrow	The next day - the next day
Yesterday - yesterday	The day before - the day before
The day after tomorrow - the day after tomorrow	Two days later - two days later
The day before yesterday - the day before yesterday	Two days before - two days before
Ago - ago	Before - before
Next month - next month	The next month, the following month – a month later
Last week - last week	The previous week - the week before

Sentences with direct speech do not pose any difficulty. We simply translate them using the tenses we see fit.

For example:

Cinderella said: "I will marry this prince."

Cinderella said: “I will marry this prince.”

The director said: “Yesterday you did a very good job.”

Director said: “Yesterday you worked very well.”

The writer says: “I write a new book every year.”

A writer says: “I write a new book every year.”

There's really nothing complicated about it.

It's a little more complicated with sentences in which we convey other people's words. Here, first of all, you need to pay attention to the words of the author, like "She says", "He asked", "The director will tell" and so on. If these words are in the present tense ( "she says"- now or usually), then when changing direct speech into indirect speech, we do not change the tense.

For example:

Mom often says that we are not very attentive.

Mother often says that we are not very careful.

The doctor says that at this time of year many people get sick.

Doctor says that many people get ill in this season.

She says he hasn't called her yet.

She says that he hasn’t called her yet.

But it is possible that the words that we want to convey using indirect speech were said earlier. And the author's words refer to the past ( "we said", "they asked", "He adviced" and so on.).

For example:

The store clerk said yesterday: “This bread is fresh.”

The seller said yesterday that this bread is fresh.

The teacher said last week: “Tomorrow we will write a test.”

The teacher said last week that tomorrow we will write a test.

And in this case "in Game" enters TIME CONSISTENCY RULE.

Since information about fresh bread and the test work was given in the past, there is a need to slightly change the tenses in the part that starts with the word "WHAT".

For example, if in a sentence with direct speech time was used Present Simple, then, having converted the sentence into indirect speech, we will use Past Simple.

He said: " I LIKE to read newspapers in the morning.” – He said that he LIKED to read newspapers in the morning.*

*Please note that when you change a sentence to indirect speech, the subject changes! He says:"I'm coming." - He says he's coming.

The entire sequence of changing times according to this principle is given in the table below:

Sequence of Tenses

TIME IN A SENTENCE WITH DIRECT SPEECH	TIME IN A SENTENCE WITH INDIRECT SPEECH

Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Present Perfect

Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous

All Future tenses	All Future-in the Past tenses*

* Future-in the Past tenses are formed using an auxiliary verb "WOULD", which we simply use instead of the auxiliary verb "will".

For example, “will go” (Future Simple) – “would go” (Future Simple – in the Past).