Questions tagged [indirect-speech]
Indirect speech is speech describing what someone has said without using a direct quote.
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Reported questions
In reported questions, there is a simple rule of changing the order of the sentence into a non question order. like "what's the dinner" changes to "she asked me what the dinner was". However, ...
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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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0answers
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Reported speech long sentence [migrated]
I'm having trouble transforming this sentence into reported speech.
She asked : " What was the last place you went to four days ago with
this girl ? "
Following the basic rules, I would say it ...
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0answers
22 views
Remind that or remind to
I would need some help with this sentence:
He reminded me that I take my medicine.
I would use"He reminded me to take my medicine",but I don't know if the option with "that" is "proper" English as ...
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1answer
65 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
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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.
2
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0answers
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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
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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
43 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
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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?
1
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1answer
188 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
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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
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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
42 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
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Using “I am” with reported speech [duplicate]
Which of these statements is correct? (The context is identity inquiry.)
She asked me who I am.
OR
She asked me who I was.
1
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0answers
39 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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0answers
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Reported Speech Problem
"I love you" converted to reported speech is:He said that he loved me.I want to ask him "Did what you said was true"? Is there any problem in that question?
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2answers
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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
125 views
Why isn't it “had handed” in “the girl alleged that her mother handed her over”?
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
652 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.” ?
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0answers
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How can I turn “Why couldn't you help me last month?” into reported speech?
How can i turn:
Jessica: "Why couldn't you help me last month?"
into reported speech?
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0answers
29 views
Modals in the past + reported speech
If the original sentence looks like this:
You should have asked me, 'Can I take your car?'
Should the 'reported speech' one look like this:
You should have asked me if you could take my car.
...
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0answers
73 views
When to use direct speech vs indirect speech in a story? [closed]
Do you only use indirect speech (without speech marks) when addressing the audience and direct speech between 2 characters conversing?
Is it acceptable to use indirect speech in a story/creative ...
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0answers
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Is “what is the mind” is a clause like “A is B”?
I have seen some people use the sentence “what is the mind is being debated widely” instead of “what the mind is is being debated widely”.
Their reason is that “what is the mind” is a clause like “A ...
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1answer
46 views
Which tense we have to use for the reported speech? [closed]
There is an exercise in Raymond Murphy's book on reported speech. In Exercise 48.1, all the answers have been given in past form. However, at Unit 48.A, there is written that
It is not always ...
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2answers
745 views
Modal verbs in reporting
'Advanced Grammar In Use' (AGU) by Martin Hewings, UNIT 37 C, says:
The verbs could, would, should, might, needn't, ought to, used to, and could have, should have, etc. don't change in the report:
...
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0answers
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Someone says vs Someone said in reported speech
Is " someone says something" ( in the present) acceptable, and if yes , when?
Let's say I just got off the phone with someone, and they said they wouldn't make it on time. I've got someone in front ...
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1answer
51 views
What is the overarching category for Direct and Indirect Speech called in English?
While terms like direct and indirect can be classified within a broader category (object, governance etc.), I am not sure how to classify direct and indirect speech. I thought it could be just speech, ...
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1answer
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Is there a name for this type of double speak?
My colleague will indirectly ask me to do something by using a statement Eg. John needs a form = can you print me a form to fill out on behalf of John. Her tone of voice does not indicate it's a ...
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2answers
497 views
Change in indirect speech
What is the Indirect form of - He said, " The teacher usually does not ask any question . " He said that -
1). the teacher usually does not ask any question
2). the teacher usually did not ask any ...
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2answers
86 views
Relaying opinion in Indirect speech [closed]
How do you relay an information like this using the indirect speech. For example:
David said: "Gone are the days when people could speak good grammar, nowadays, people are just too lazy to try".
...
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0answers
461 views
Time clause in Reported Speech
A grammar guide mentions the rule that when Time Clause is in Past Simple or Past continuous, the tense is not changed in reported speech, while the tense of the main clause either remains the same or ...
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1answer
445 views
Indirect form of the given sentence
I came across this sentence in a high school grammar book. What should be the correct Indirect form of this sentence ?
“So help me, Heaven!” he cried, “I will never
steal again.”
According to ...
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4answers
298 views
What’s the right inflection for the bracketed verb in “He asked what time the train [was/will/be] leaving”? [duplicate]
I was conducting a language assessment test when I was asked to fill out a clause:
He asked what time the train [ was / will / be] leaving.
I would have chosen be to form a subjunctive clause, had ...
1
vote
1answer
324 views
direct speech vs. reported speech
I'm an English teacher. I have a question about REPORTED SPEECH - PAST SIMPLE
In the book that we use there are two similar direct questions but the answers are different. I am confused, can you ...
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0answers
247 views
Are there any differences between the future in the past when using “would” & reported speech when changing “will” to “would”?
This site said:
The future in the past is used to look into the future from a point of
time in the past. However, this "future" event still occurred at a
time before the present time.
E.g. ...
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1answer
405 views
Use suggestions in reported speech
What I have proposed is that we should have begun to think seriously about a thorough reform in the legal system.
What I am proposing is that we begin to think seriously about a thorough ...
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1answer
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Indirect speech using “which”
I have three questions about "which" and indirect speech.
Is it not possible to have indirect speech using "which"?
I have explored a lot of grammar sites but none of them give an explanation (or at ...
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1answer
159 views
Indirect Speech - Tense Shifting [duplicate]
In this quoted example, is it okay to shift verb tenses mid-sentence?
Background: The narration is written in present tense. The narrator is referencing something that was said in the past, but the ...
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1answer
264 views
why --not <or> to infinitive in “indirect speech” [closed]
1.He asked me why I didn't run and fetch the doctor.
2.He asked me to run and fetch the doctor.
I wanted to know which sentence is more natural and formal for reprted speech.
1
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1answer
301 views
A puzzle about direct/indirect question
First of all, I know that if we ask "who is he.", normally the indirect question which corresponds with it would be "who he is." (for example: do you know who he is?)
Still, recently, one question ...
2
votes
1answer
62 views
Must indirectly quoted questions be in the passive voice?
I saw this sentence in a newspaper:
The crucial question they should have asked, but it was not, was what was Gordhan's intention at the time of his decision to allow Pillay early retirement.
Do ...
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1answer
196 views
reported speech causing tenses confusion [duplicate]
You didn't tell me that you have a girlfriend.(Does it mean that he still has a girlfriend)
or
You didn't tell me that you had a girlfriend.(Does it mean that he no longer has a ...
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2answers
78 views
Are tenses in this quotation sequenced correctly?
One of the examples listed in Oxford Dictionary for Learners caught my attention. Regularly I can explain the grammar of all examples listed there, but not this time.
The quotation is:
As a child ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
“Mom was saying that dad wanted me to mow the lawn and asked what time I would be coming home?”
Mom was saying that dad wanted me to mow the lawn and asked what time I would be coming home.
In the sentence above, who is asking what time I would be coming home, mom or dad? If it's mom, why isn't ...
1
vote
1answer
62 views
Backshifting of future subordinate
I will help you when you grow up
Which sentences are correct? (I think the 1. is the correct one in a grammatical sense. The second may not be the best version, yet I have seen/heard this ...
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2answers
370 views
Tenses - Reported speech WITHIN a conditional clause
If we would like to express a conditional statement about a present fact
as in "Can you go outside today? - I don't know yet, I need my parents' approval first"
Are these sentences correct?
...
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3answers
864 views
How to report that sentence indirectly: “He will come and see me tomorrow.”?
How to report that imperative sentence indirectly: "He will come and see me tomorrow."? Should we use "would" or "should" in the reported statement: "X ordered that he would / should come and see them ...
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2answers
670 views
Reported speech WITHIN a conditional clause
Let's assume the following examples:
[Direct Speech] James to his team: What is the problem?
[Reported Speech] James asked them what the problem was (could also be James asked them what the problem ...
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2answers
265 views
Is Indirect Discourse put in quotes?
In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë writes:
. . . I ventured the request: "Would she give me a roll for this handkerchief?"
She looked at me with evident suspicion: "Nay, she never sold stuff i' ...
