indirect quotation
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
INDIRECT QUOTATION
The speaker’s or writer’s words are reported indirectly,
without quotation marks���(“..........”)���
Indirect Quotation are sometimes called
Reported Speech
Indirect Quotations are introduced by the same reporting verbs used for Direct Quotations.
The word ‘that’ is often added for clarity.
The tense of verbs in Indirect Quotations
is a!ected by The tense of The Reporting Verb.
changing
Direct Quotation to
Indirect Quotation
HOW ?@#$
1. omit the quotation mark
Pamella said, “I want ice cream”
I want ice cream
2. add the subordinate “that”
(you may omit that if the meaning is clear without it)
Pamella said,
I want ice cream
Pamella said that I want ice cream
3. change the verb tense if necessary
Pamella said that I want ice cream
I wanted ice cream
{Follow the sequence of tense rules}
4. change pronouns
(and time expression if necessary) to keep the sense of the original
Pamella said that I want ice cream
She wanted ice cream
“Do you want this ice cream, Pamella?”
past tense reporting verb may cause changes in
verbs, pronouns, and time expression
in an indirect quotation according to the following rules.
SEQUENCE of tenses rules
1 SIMPLE PRESENT
SIMPLE PAST
Susan said, “The exam is at eight
o’clock.”
Susan said (that) the exam was at eight
o’clock
2 Simple Past &
Present Perfect
Past Perfect
She said,
“We didn’t have time to eat breakfast.”
She said (that) they hadn’t had time
to eat breakfast.
He said,
“The exam has just started.”
He said (that) The exam had just
started.
3 WILL WOULD
CAN COULD
MAY MIGHT
MUST HAD TO
Sam mentioned, “Today, I will eat chinese food, and tomorrow I will eat french
food if I can find a good restaurant.”
Sam mentioned that Today he would eat chinese food and that tomorrow he would eat french food if he could find a
good restaurant.
4 TIME EXPRESSION MAY CHANGE IF THE MEANING REQUIRES IT.
The teacher said, “You must finish the
test right now.”
The teaher said that we had to finish the
test right then.
1 When the reporting verb is
simple present, present perfect, or future,
the verb tense in the quotation DOES NOT CHANGE.
1
He says, “I can finish it today.” He says that he can finish it today.
When the reporting phrase is according to, the verb tense DOES NOT CHANGE.
2
The lawyer said, “My client is
innocent.”
According to the lawyer, his client is
innocent.
When the quoted information is a fact or a general truth, the verb tense DOES NOT CHANGE
3
He said, “Water boils at a lower temperature in the mountains.” He said that water boils at a lower temperature in the mountains.
Changing direct quotation to indirect quotation
1. omit the quotation marks. 2. add the subordinator ‘that’ 3. change the verb tense 4. change pronouns and time
expression.
Sequence of tense rules
Simple present Simple past
Simple past & present perfect
Past perfect
Will, can, may, must
Would, could, might, had to
Time expression (right now)
Right then
exception
The verb tense in quotation
mark DOES NOT change
When ...
....the reporting verb is simple present,
present perfect, or future
...the reporting verb is according to
...the quoted information is a fact or
general truth.
