The Proposal
Reported speech
Change direct speech into reported speech.
Direct and reported speech.
- Direct: the exact words, in quotes: "I went to visit my grandma last week," said Mamta.
- Reported: someone tells us what was said: Mamta said that she had gone to visit her grandma the previous week.
Reporting verbs. For a question use asked (+ if / whether / what…). For a statement use said, declared, explained…
- LOMOV: 'Do you think I may count on her consent?' → Lomov asked respectfully if he might count on her consent.
- CHUBUKOV: 'What's the matter?' → Chubukov asked him what the matter was.
What changes after 'said' or 'asked'.
- tense moves back: 'I'm getting a noise in my ears' → he said he was getting a noise in his ears;
- place and time: here → there; this very day → that very day; last week → the previous week;
- pronouns: I, me, my → he, she, his, her;
- respect: 'Honoured Stepan…' → asked respectfully.
Practice: A. K. Hangal. The book has a newspaper interview with the 90-year-old actor. Change only the speech into reported speech: "Why do you want to know my age?" → He asked why we wanted to know his age.
Reported speech shifts the tense, the place and the person.
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