Speech
Indirect speech: Statements
Note applying to all indirect speech exercises.
When the speaker says you, and the person spoken to is not identified, it is good practice for the student to assume that the remark was made to himself. you will then become I/me or we/us. ‘You can phone from the office,’ he said. He said I could phone from his office.
This must not, of course, be done when the person spoken to is identified: ‘You can phone from my office, Ann,’ he said. He told Ann that she could phone from his office.
Note that when you stands for one, it is reported unchanged: ‘You can’t bathe in the rivers,’ he said, ‘they’re full of piranhas.’ He said that you couldn‘t bathe in the rivers as they were full of piranhas.
Put the following statements into indirect speech.
1 ‘I’m going out now, but I’ll be in by nine,’ he said. (Omit now.)
2 ‘I’m working in a restaurant, and don’t much care for it,’ she said.
3 ‘I can’t live on my basic salary,’ said Peter. ‘I’ll have to offer to do overtime.’
4 ‘My young brother wants to be a tax inspector,’ said Mary. ‘I can think why. None of my family has ever been a tax inspector.’
5 ‘We’re waiting for the school bus,’ said the children. ‘It’s late again.’
6 ‘I’ve made a terrible mistake!’ said Peter.
‘You’re always making terrible mistakes,’ I said. ‘You should be used to it by now.’
7 ‘We make £450 a week,’ said one of the men, ‘and send most of it home to our wives.’
8 ‘It’s lonely being away from our families,’ said another, ‘but we earn three times as much in this factory as we would in our own country.’
9 ‘We’ve been here for two and a half years,’ said the man who had spoken first, ‘and we’re going to stay another six months.’
10 ‘I’ve got a job on an oil-rig,’ said Paul. ~ ‘That’ll be very hard work,’ I said. ~ ‘I know it’ll be hard,’ he replied, ‘but I don’t mind hard work, and it’ll be a good experience.’
11 ‘The ice will soon be hard enough to
Note applying to all indirect speech exercises.
When the speaker says you, and the person spoken to is not identified, it is good practice for the student to assume that the remark was made to himself. you will then become I/me or we/us. ‘You can phone from the office,’ he said. He said I could phone from his office.
This must not, of course, be done when the person spoken to is identified: ‘You can phone from my office, Ann,’ he said. He told Ann that she could phone from his office.
Note that when you stands for one, it is reported unchanged: ‘You can’t bathe in the rivers,’ he said, ‘they’re full of piranhas.’ He said that you couldn‘t bathe in the rivers as they were full of piranhas.
Put the following statements into indirect speech.
1 ‘I’m going out now, but I’ll be in by nine,’ he said. (Omit now.)
2 ‘I’m working in a restaurant, and don’t much care for it,’ she said.
3 ‘I can’t live on my basic salary,’ said Peter. ‘I’ll have to offer to do overtime.’
4 ‘My young brother wants to be a tax inspector,’ said Mary. ‘I can think why. None of my family has ever been a tax inspector.’
5 ‘We’re waiting for the school bus,’ said the children. ‘It’s late again.’
6 ‘I’ve made a terrible mistake!’ said Peter.
‘You’re always making terrible mistakes,’ I said. ‘You should be used to it by now.’
7 ‘We make £450 a week,’ said one of the men, ‘and send most of it home to our wives.’
8 ‘It’s lonely being away from our families,’ said another, ‘but we earn three times as much in this factory as we would in our own country.’
9 ‘We’ve been here for two and a half years,’ said the man who had spoken first, ‘and we’re going to stay another six months.’
10 ‘I’ve got a job on an oil-rig,’ said Paul. ~ ‘That’ll be very hard work,’ I said. ~ ‘I know it’ll be hard,’ he replied, ‘but I don’t mind hard work, and it’ll be a good experience.’
11 ‘The ice will soon be hard enough to