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Direct Speech and Indirect Speech

The document discusses direct and indirect speech, including imperatives, statements, questions, and embedded questions. 1. It provides examples of direct and indirect speech for imperatives, statements, yes/no questions, and Wh- questions. Verb tenses and pronouns change between direct and indirect speech. 2. Embedded questions are discussed as questions included within other sentences. Embedded questions can be used to express uncertainty or ask politely for information. 3. Guidelines are provided for introducing different types of embedded questions and maintaining statement word order within embedded questions.

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146 views11 pages

Direct Speech and Indirect Speech

The document discusses direct and indirect speech, including imperatives, statements, questions, and embedded questions. 1. It provides examples of direct and indirect speech for imperatives, statements, yes/no questions, and Wh- questions. Verb tenses and pronouns change between direct and indirect speech. 2. Embedded questions are discussed as questions included within other sentences. Embedded questions can be used to express uncertainty or ask politely for information. 3. Guidelines are provided for introducing different types of embedded questions and maintaining statement word order within embedded questions.

Uploaded by

luquitha
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Universidade Federal de So Carlos

Departamento de Letras
Licenciatura em Letras

Direct speech and Indirect speech

Profa. Dra. Rita de Cssia Barbirato Thomaz de Moraes


Alunos (as): Gssica
Amanda
Filipe

Direct and Indirect Speech: Imperatives

Subject

DIRECT SPEECH
Reporting Verb

He

said,

Subject
He

Direct Speech
Drink milk.
Dont drink coffee

INDIRECT SPEECH
Reporting
Noun/Pronoun
Verb
told
her
said

1. Direct speech states the


exact words a speaker used.
In writing, use quotation
marks.

Indirect
Speech
to drink milk
not to drink
coffee.

Come early and bring


your insurane cardsaid
th dotor.
The doctor told hr to ome
arly and bring hr
insurance ard.

Indirect speech reports


what a speaker said without using
the exact words. There are no
quotation marks.
Direct Speech
2. The reporting verb (such
Drink warm milk, he
as say or tell) is usually in
said.
the simple past tense for
Indirect Speech
both direct and indirect
speech.
He told her to drink
warm milk.
Be careful! Use say when the
He said to call him in
listener is not mentioned. Do not
the morning.
use tell.
3. Direct speech imperatives
Direct Speech
use the base form of the
Come early, he said.
verb. Indirect speech
Wait.
imperatives use the
Could you please arrive by
infinitive to report:
8:00?
Could you join us for lunch?
a. Instructions
b. Commands
Indirect Speech
c. Requests

He said to come early.


He told me to wait.
She asked him to arrive by 8:00.
She invited me to join them for
lunch.

d. Invitations

4. Use a negative infinitive


(not + infinitive) to report
negative imperatives.

Direct Speech
Dont go.
Indirect Speech
He told her not to go.

5. In indirect speech, make


changes to keep the
speakers original meaning.
a. Change pronouns and
possessives.
b. Change time phrases.
c. Change this and here.

He said to Ann, Tell


me your problem.
He told Ann to tell him
her problem.

Call me tomorrow.
She said to call her the
next day.

Sign this from here.


She told him to sign
that form there.

Indirect Speech: Statements (1)

Subject

DIRECT SPEECH
Reporting Verb

She

said,

Subject

INDIRECT SPEECH
Reporting
Noun/Prono
Verb
un

Direct Statement
I like the dress.
I bought it on sale.
Ive worn it twice

Indirect Statement

Jim
me

told
She

said

1. Na indirect speech
statement reports what a
speaker said without using
the exact words. The word
that can introduce the
indirect statement.
Be careful! Use say as the
reporting verb when the listener is
not mentioned. Do not use tell.
2. When the reporting verb is
in the simple past tense,
the verb in the indirect
speech statement is often in
a diferente tense from the
verb in the direct speech
statement.
Direct Speech
Indirect
Speech
Simple presente
Simple
Past
Present Progressive Past
Progressive
Simple Past
Past
Perfect
Present Perfect
Past
Perfect
3. In indirect speech the verb
tense change is optional
when reporting:

(that)

she liked the


dress.
She had
bought it
ons ale.
She had
worn it
twice.

Direct Speech
Its a great dress,
he said.
Indirect Speech
He told her that it
was a great dress.
He told her it was a
great dress.
He said that it was a
great dress.

Direct Speech
He said, Its great.
Im leaving.
I made it.
He said to her,
Ive never lied.
Indirect Speech
He said it was great.
She said she was leaving.
He said that he had made it.
He told her that
he had never lied.

A: What did you just say?


B: I said Im tired. Or I said I was
tired.
Rick said the bank

a. something someone has just


said
b. something that is still true
c. a general truth or
scientific law

4. When the reporting verb is


in the presente tense, do
not change the verb tense in
indirect speech.

5. Remenber! Change
pronouns, time expressions,
this, and here in indirect
speech to keep the speakers
original meaning.

wants a check.
Rick said the bank
wanted a check.
She said that everyone
lies sometime.
She said that everyone
lied sometime.
I run a mile every
day
She says that she runs
a mile every day.
Ann told Rick, I
bought this dress
here.
Ann told Rick that she
had bought that dress
there.

Indirect Speech: Statements (2)

Subject

DIRECT SPEECH
Reporting Verb

He

said,

Subject

Direct Statement
Ill leave now.
Im going to drive.
Traffic may be bad.
She might move.
He can help.
They have to stay.
You must be
careful.
They ought to buy
batteries.
We should have left
sooner.

INDIRECT SPEECH
Reporting
Noun/Pron
Indirect Statement
Verb
oun

told

Jim
me
them

He

(that)

said

1. When the reporting


verb is in the simple
past tense, in the
indirect speech
statement the verb tense
often changes.
Modals often change in
indirect speech too.
Direct Speech
Indirect speech
Will
would
Can
could
May
might
Must
had to

he would
leave then.
He was
going to
drive.
Traffic
might be
bad.
She might
move.
He could
help.
They had to
stay.
I/we had to
be careful.
They ought
to buy
batteries.
They should
have left
sooner.

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

She said, Its windy.

Direct speech
I said, the winds
strong.

She said It

will

be

They told us you can stay with


us.

Indirect Speec
I said the winds
They told us we
them.
He said that the

all night.
He said, the storm may last all
night.

She told us, You must leave.

2. Some verbs do not


change in indirect
speech.
a) Do not change
should, could,
might, and ought
to in indirect
speech.
b) Do not change the
past perfect in
indirect speech.
c) Do not change
verbs in present
and past unreal
conditional
sentences in
indirect speech.
d) Do not change
past modals in
indirect speech.
3. Remember! Change
pronouns, time phrases,
here, and this in indirect
speech to keep the
speakers original
meaning.

She told us we

Indirect Questions

Subject
He

Subject

He

Subject
He

Subject

He

DIRECT SPEECH: YES/NO QUESTIONS


Reporting Verb
Direct Question
Do you have any
experience?
asked,
Can you use a
computer?

INDIRECT SPEECH: YES/NO QUESTIONS


Reporting
(Noun/Pron
Indirect Question
Verb
oun)
she had
any
experience.
(Melissa)
if
asked
she could
(her)
whether
use a
computer.

DIRECT SPEECH: WH - QUESTIONS


Reporting Verb
Direct Question
Who told you about
the job?
asked,
When do you want
to start?

INDIRECT SPEECH: WH - QUESTIONS


Reporting
(Noun/Pronou
Indirect
Verb
n)
Question
who had told
her about the
(Melissa)
job.
asked
(her)
when she
wanted to start.

Embedded Questions
MAIN CLAUSE
Im not sure
Can you remember

I dont know
Do you know

1. You learned to use indirect


questions to report another
persons words.
Indirect questions are kind of
embedded question one that is
included in another sentence. This
unit discusses embedded
questions that do not report
another persons words.
2. If the embedded question is
in a statement, use a
period at the end of the
sentence. If the embedded
question is in a question,
use a question mark at the
end of the sentence.

EMBEDDED QUESTION
If I left the right tip.
whether it was enough.
How much it was?
Where we ate?

whether to tip
How much to tip
Where to leave the tip?

Direct Question
Should I tip?
Indirect Question
He asked if he should tip.
Embedded Question
Do you know whether I should
tip?
Main Sentence = Statement
I dont know who our
server is.
Main Sentence = Question
Do you know who our
serve is?


3. We often use embedded
questions to
a. express something we do not
know.
b. Ask politely for information.
Usage Note: With strangers or in
a formal situation, na embedded
question is considered more polite
than a direct question.

I wonder why he
didnt tip the
mecahanic.
Can you tell me if the
tip is included?

Less Formal
Does our bill include
a tip?
More Polite
Can you tell me if
our bill includes a
tip?

4.Introduce embedded yes/no


questions with if, whether, or
whether or not.
Usage Note: Whether is more
formal than if.
Introduce embedded whquestions with a question word.
You can also use the infinitive
after a question word or whether.

Many tourists
wonder how much
they should tip
their restaurant
server.

Many tourists
wonder how much
to tip.
Some wonder
whether to tip at
all.

Be careful! Do not use the


infinitive after if or why.

5. Be careful! Use statement


word order in all embedded
questions.
Do not leave out if or whether
in embedded yes/no questions.
Do not use do, does, or did in
embedded questions.

Do you know if he
tips?
Do you know
whether (or not)
he tips?

We wondered why
we should leave a
tip.

Could you tell me


where they are?

Could you tell me if


it is 6:00 yet?

I dont know when


the pizza came.

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