![[B-A] Indirect Speech](https://images.ctfassets.net/r30ratzbtbbf/37YoF1YTi3Im6xz6zTSHyH/ecc4d4aa65115e76cdc01fd2829c54eb/Indirect_Speech.png)
LET'S READ! 📖
Direction: Read the passage below then answer the questions being asked.
Amy was worried because she hadn't seen her pet cat, Bella, for nearly two days. She told her neighbor, James about it. James said he knew where Bella was and took her to a tall tree. He pointed up at a branch near the top of the tree where Bella was sitting. Amy called out to her cat but it did not budge even the slightest bit. Then, she asked James what she should do. He suggested that he should telephone the fire brigade and ask them to help.
Amy went back to her house and phoned the local fire station. She told them about the cat and asked them to come and save her. Several minutes later, a big red fire engine parked outside Amy's house. Finally, the fire officer caught the cat. Amy was very happy and thanked the officer as he was climbing down the ladder. A smile of relief was painted on her face as she held her cat and watched the officer drive away.
QUESTIONS:
1. What made Amy worried?
2. How and where did she find her cat?
LET'S UNDERSTAND! 📚
INDIRECT SPEECH
- Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken.
1. To report what was said, we can focus on the specific words or on their message.
Note the difference:
| Direct speech-specific words | Indirect speech-message |
|---|---|
| She said, "I can't believe Miles misconstrued my comments". | She said she couldn't believe Miles misconstrued her comments. |
🔺When reporting something that was said or thought in the past, we usually change verbs from present to past and from past to past perfect. This is called backshifting.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| "The poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle learned in your youth are responsible for your current health condition." | The doctor said the poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle she had learned in her youth were responsible for her current health condition. |
2. We usually backshift will, can, may, and shall to would, could, might and should. Must stays the same or changes to had to, and verbs like would, could, might, and should don't normally change.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| "If we lack the information needed for our project, we will surely be at a loose end." | John realized that if they lack the information needed for their project, they would surely be at a loose end. |
3. Many verb structures, e.g. past perfect, second and third conditionals, "would rather" and "should have", don't normally backshift in indirect speech.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| "I would rather have the affectionate regard of my fellow men than I would have heaps and mines of gold." | Martin said he would rather have the affectionate regard of his fellow men than he would have heaps and mines of gold. |
4. We don't backshift when the reporting verb (e.g. say, think, etc. ) is in the present tense, especially when something is still true.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| "A newspaper reader can select what he is interested in and skip what he thinks is boring or irrelevant." | Nathan believes that a newspaper reader can select what he is interested in and skip what he thinks is boring or irrelevant. |
🔺 When we report questions, the word order is the same as in sentences, not questions.
-
I managed to bring the conversation around as to why they were leaving. NOT ...why were they leaving.
-
She wanted to know why they were dancing so frivolously. NOT ...why were they dancing.
Example:
🔺 Changes with pronouns and determiners in reported speech
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
my | his/her |
this/that + noun | the/that |
this/that + verb | it/that |
these/those + noun | the/those |
these/those + verb | they |
verb + these/those (without an object) | them |
🔺 Changes with time and place in reported speech.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
here | there |
tomorrow | the following/next day, the day after |
tonight | that night |
yesterday | the day before, the previous day |
now, at the moment | then, at that moment |
next week/year/etc. | the following/next week, the week after |
last week/year/etc. | the week before, the previous week |
ago | before, previously, earlier |
LET'S PRACTICE! 📝
A. Direction: Describe a situation where you had to give feedback to a colleague or employee. How did you express their performance? Use Direct and Indirect Speech as you speak.
