Questions tagged [indirect-speech]
Indirect speech is speech describing what someone has said without using a direct quote.
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questions
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Does time clause's tense always remain unchanged in reported speech? [closed]
I was told that time clauses should be never backshifted in indirect speech. I'm pretty sure that we don't backshift past time clauses but I can't find any example or information about present time ...
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1answer
36 views
Can you introduce a direct quotation with "that" and not accommodate conjugation and pronouns?
I've heard this many times recently in public, copy-edited discourse, where I don't expect to find grammatical errors, but it doesn't sound right to me. Let's say my mom says to me, "I want you ...
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1answer
31 views
How to report when having a Future Perfect introductory clause? [closed]
How to change this into reported speech?
He will have said, "John is so bad!"
Would it be:
He will have said that John was so bad (Past tense), or
He will have said that John is so bad (no ...
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1answer
25 views
Reported/Indirect Speech and Past Simple with when. Can they get confused with each other?
Going straight to the point, let's say that I have a sentence like
He asked when the train arrived.
How can I tell whether this is a Past Simple (As soon as the train arrived he asked) or Reported ...
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1answer
82 views
modal verbs in reported-speech backshift
Could a native English speaker please finally clear this confusion for us? The textbooks are either silent or contradicting each other.
MUST
Direct speech:
"That must be wrong!"
Later she ...
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1answer
44 views
Reported Questions
I have a question about the use of reported speech.
" Who were with you", asked Tom.
If I have to change the above question into a reported question, should the answer be
Tom asked me who I ...
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0answers
26 views
A question on reported speech
So, AFAIK in reported speech we usually backshift, for example:
Last night I called her, and she said she was not home.
But what if we talk about something that was written at some time in the past ...
2
votes
1answer
293 views
Can I use "Would" instead of the infinitive?
In the example, "I expect she will not tell the truth/ I don't expect she will tell the truth," said the judge.
My teacher said that it should be reported this way, "The judge didn't ...
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26 views
Why use "will" instead of "would" in this case
My teacher of Grammar at university told us that when we report a speech that was said in the past, we replace "will" by "would". However, in this example, she used "will"...
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2answers
75 views
does it sound natural?
"I'm British"
I told the police I was British
I told the police I am British
In the following situation "was" sounds more natural.
Then the police arrived... I told them I was ...
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0answers
25 views
Started early because I had some lectures to attend later on. OR Started early because I have some lectures to attend later on
Which one of the following sentences is correct?
I started early because I had some lectures to attend later on.
OR
I started early because I have some lectures to attend later on.
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131 views
Reported speech: "would do something", or "would have done something"
What would the following be in reported speech?
Q "If I had any money I'd buy you a drink" she said.
(a) She told me she would buy me a drink if she had any/some money
or
(b) She told me she ...
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34 views
Indirect speech - which statement is correct? [duplicate]
I read this statement in an English book and I wonder if this statement is correct:
She told me that she still remembers how scared everyone was.
I have learned that in indirect speech statements ...
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30 views
Past perfect/simple past in reported speech
Sentences:
We told her that we had given her the money that had been saved from her husband's business. It was a pious fraud; she would have been distressed had she known we had collected it among ...
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votes
2answers
299 views
Can “was not ᴠᴇʀʙing” and “will not ᴠᴇʀʙ” ever be exact equivalents in reported speech? [closed]
Do English speakers understand this sentence:
I told him I wasn’t playing soccer anymore.
Exactly as they would this sentence:
I told him I will not play soccer anymore.
If so, why would they ...
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1answer
75 views
direct speech to indirect speech [closed]
Zia said to Ria, "What a crisis this man has created!"
what will it be in indirect speech?
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1answer
37 views
Changing from indirect to direct speech [closed]
Change into Direct speech:
He said that he had started a job.
Two possibilities:
He said, "I have started a job".
He said, "I started a job".
Which of the above is correct?
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1answer
40 views
Past perfect in reported statements of complex sentence
If the sentence is reported statements, whether both parts of the sentence have to be in Past Perfect or only the first one?
For example:
"I had loved her for more than half of my life," she ...
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3answers
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Would like in the passive voice
When I am solving English tests. I came across with would like in passive voice. So the question is:
Mr. Brown said he'd like...by Wednesday if that's possible
a) have finished the report
b) the ...
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0answers
100 views
How to ask if someone is doing the same thing as before without using "still" for negative connotations?
"So, X, are you still living in Y?"
"So, A, are you still working at B?"
For a conversation opener or continuer, is there an alternative way to enquire, interest, about someone ...
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2answers
5k views
Would not be able to versus will not be able to
Linda phoned and explained that she would not be able to come to the party the next day because she was still sick.
Why do we use would not instead of will not?
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0answers
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Problem with backshift (past simple to past perfect)
Last week in an EFL class I told students that when reporting a speech they should "backshift" the main verb, exception made when the statement is a general truth or it is still valid.
In their ...
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1answer
33 views
How to change following sentence into Reported Speech? [closed]
This is not the time or place for this. Please, help I have no idea how to do it.
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0answers
30 views
Should direct speech be used in synopses?
When you're writing a synopsis for a book, a movie, or a show, is it acceptable to use direct speech? Does it look professional? Or is it better to use indirect speech when it can convey the meaning ...
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1answer
51 views
Future tense in reported questions
Context: Boyfriend often stays out late. Girlfriend wants to say that she doesn't worry about this.
Incorrect: "I don't usually ask him when he comes home"
Correct: "I don't usually ask him ...
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42 views
Specified time in the Past in the Reported Speech
I am learning Reported Speech in the Past now. In my English textbook there is a rule: "When it is provided when exactly the action happened, you can leave the Past Simple as it is". I was looking it ...
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81 views
Direct and Indirect speech
What would be the indirect speech for this sentence: Mina said, "Let's go for a walk".
In my opinion it should be 'Mina suggested that they should go for a walk' but according to my book it is 'Mina ...
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2answers
532 views
Reported Speech for a sentence with two clauses with 'when' conjunction;one in past continuous while the other in simple past
What will be the reported speech for the following sentence:
She said, "I was walking down the road when I saw the accident."
Possibility 1: She said that she had been walking down the road when ...
1
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1answer
82 views
“He told me that Trump will/would win the re-election.” Will or Would?
He told that Trump {will/would} win the re-election.
I know "will" should be used in the present tense. What is confusing me is that: his words were said in the past, but his statement is actually a ...
3
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3answers
437 views
Direct Speech: the subordinator "that" before the reported clause
I've been taught that in "Reported Speech", the subordinator "that" is a signature of "indirect speech". For example:
He said, "I will be late." (Direct Speech)
...
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2answers
178 views
How to handle "I'd say" when turning into reported speech
How can I rewrite this sentence as reported speech?
I'd say a lot depends on the student.
I can't figure out what is going to happen with would?
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1answer
1k views
Reported Speech: He said, "I was sad"
He said, "I was sad"
In indirect speech, the past tense changes to the past perfect. What will be the past perfect form of “was sad”? Is it “had been sad”? But that is past perfect continuous, right?...
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1answer
1k views
Use of quotation marks after 'it's called X' and similar? [duplicate]
I've been looking at the Oxford Dictionary's page on inverted commas, and see that they use this example:
He called this phenomenon "the memory of water."
This seems like it would work with or ...
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1answer
138 views
Is there a grammatical form that helps you to express that you don't believe the speaker? (reported speech)
Indirect speech: Can you express that you don't believe the original speaker of a sentence (with the help of a tense or a verb form)?
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votes
1answer
259 views
That's What She Said Quote
Okay, I'm sure most of you have seen this T-Shirt before.
But I got to thinking about it the other day. It is obviously a reference to the time-honored tradition of That's what she said in response ...
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indirect speech [duplicate]
How to write this sentence in indirect speech .
Eg
He said" Some pokemons do not listen to their master".
I am confused between these two sentences.
He said that some pokemons did not listen to ...
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1answer
1k views
Which is the correct tense: "earth was/is round"? [duplicate]
Maybe it's very simple but I'm wondering which one is correct. Google search has showed me both forms are used.
"He said the earth was round."
"He said the earth is round."
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0answers
97 views
Reporting past action in present tense - Minutes production [closed]
Ms. Smith reported staff has no objection to the request.
or
Ms. Smith reported staff had no objection to the request.
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0answers
116 views
Why do we structure dialogue/direct speech the way that we do?
I hate how we format dialogue. I believe convention has gotten too heavy and we need to think a little more about logic. That being said, my question, to be more specific, is asking about labels for ...
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1answer
112 views
Reported speech, a test task
Good day, Friends. Could you help with a test question?
The question is a ‘fill the gap’ type:
We had expected that they _______ fluent English, but in fact they didn’t.
a) were speaking
b) would ...
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1answer
720 views
Reported speech - "last January"
How would you change the time expression in the following sentence into a reported-speech form?
"We have not been to London since last January?"
What about "the last January?" Or, is there no change?
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0answers
103 views
Is it grammatically incorrect to not change past continuous to past perfect cont. in reported speech?
"When Bill called me I was discussing the outcome of the project
with Jessie," said Daniel.
Daniel said he was discussing the outcome of the project with Jessie
when Bill called him.
Is this correct?
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1answer
3k views
Reported Speech - sentence with two verbs
"Did it hurt when you touched the wire?", the doctor asked.
Let's say that we want to put the above sentence in reported speech.
Would it be
The doctor asked if it had hurt when I touched the ...
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2answers
914 views
May I know which one is correct?
between saying
"I told him that if he doesn't hear from me after three days, please call the police."
and
"I told him that if he didn't hear from me after three days, please called the police."
...
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0answers
139 views
Is this an example of indirect speech?
I wrote:
School starts in August next year? I thought it started in September.
I proposed that this is one good example of how grammar can confuse people because a preterite (started) is used to ...
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2answers
63 views
Indirect Speech/whether-if
We say:
I don't know whether he is right.
Is it acceptable to say:
I don't know he's right or wrong.
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0answers
134 views
Why do some people speak like they are speaking as the person they are speaking to?
I know that question sounds confusing, but let me explain.
Alice was walking down the street when she met John. Instead of saying, "John, please listen to me.", Alice speaks as if she is John, "Will ...
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2answers
426 views
Reported speech modal verbs could and might
I know that usually we don't change modal verbs in reported speech but i want to know if it is OK to change could for might as it doesn't change the meaning. I failed my English exam on this one ...
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1answer
189 views
Why isn't it "had handed" in "the girl alleged that her mother handed her over"? [closed]
In the following reported speech:
The girl alleged that her mother handed her over to a pimp and was taking Rs 40,000 from him every month.
— Times of India Newspaper, 1st May 2018
Why is it ...
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1answer
5k views
Reported speech with “never”, which one is correct? [closed]
Direct speech: “I never lose my books”.
Which one is correct in Indirect speech:
“He said he never lost his books.”
or
“He said he never loses his books.” ?
