Reported Speech

(Косвенная речь)

При переводе повествовательного предложения из прямой речи в косвенную производятся следующие изменения:

а) повествовательное предложение вводится союзом that, который, однако, часто опускается:

Не says, "They will achieve success."— He says (that) they will achieve success.

б) личные и притяжательные местоимения заменяются по смыслу:

Не says, " I’ve just seen your elder brother."—He says (that) he has just seen my elder brother.

в) если после глагола to say имеется предложное дополнение, указывающее на лицо, к которому обращена речь, то он заменяется глаголом to tell:

She has said to me, "I'm awfully tired."—She has told me that she is awfully tired.

Если глагол в главном предложении стоит в Past, Simple, Past Continuous или Past Perfect, то время глагола прямой речи должно быть заменено в соответствии с правилами согласования времен.

При переводе из прямой речи в косвенную заменяются следующие времена:

При переводе из прямой речи в косвенную заменяются следующие указательные местоимения, наречия времени и места:

Note:

1. При переводе из прямой речи в косвенную Past Simple и Past Continuous могут сохраняться без изменения, если указано время совершения действия.

Не said, "Bernard Shaw visited the Soviet Union in 1928."

He said that Bernard Shaw visited the Soviet Union in 1928.

She said, "I met my schoolteacher when I was getting out of the train at Victoria

Station." — She said she met her schoolteacher when she was getting out of

the train at Victoria Station.

2. При переводе из прямой речи в косвенную Past Perfect не изменяется.

Не said to me, "The book had been out by last June." — He told me (that) the book had been out by the previous June.

3. а) Если говорящий сообщает о происходящем в тот же день, то наречия времени не изменяются.

At breakfast this morning he said, "I'll be very busy today". — At breakfast this morning he said that he would be very busy today.

б) Наречия будущего времени могут корректироваться в зависимо­сти от того, когда передается косвенная речь.

On Monday John says to Tom, "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."

On Tuesday Tom sees Bill and says to him, "John said he was leaving tomorrow".

On Wednesday Tom may say to Ben, "John said he was leaving today".

Exercises:

Ex.1 Choose the proper adverb or the adverbial phrase.

1.Mr. Brown said the manager would be back in London (tomorrow, the following day). 2. He says he enjoyed the film (yesterday, the previous day). 3. The secretary told Mr. Black that Mr. Brown had called him up (two hours ago, two hours before). 4. The secretary said Mr. Brown was en­gaged (now, then). 5. Mary says she will book tickets for the cinema (tomorrow, the next day). 6. The journalist said that Bondarev's new novel would be out (next month, the next month). 7. He said that he had finished his new collection of stories (last month, the previous month).

Ex.2 Change the following sentences into Indirect Speech.

I. Jack told his father, "I have lost my notebook." 2. Henry said to me, "I didn't throw stones at your dog." 3. Bob said to Tom, "Henry doesn't sit next to me in class." 4. I told the policeman, "I saw the thief in the garden." 5. He said, "I have eaten nothing for two days." 6. Jack's father said to him, "You haven't cleaned your shoes." 7. Mary said, "I don't want to wear my old dress." 8. My mother said to me, "I feel very tired, and I have a headache." 9. My friend told me, "We have plenty of time to do our work." 10. I said to my sister, "George has written me a long letter."

Ex.3 Change the following sentences into Direct Speech.

1. The farmer said that he hadn't grown any wheat since 1975. 2. The teacher told his students that he was going to give them a test. 3. I told him that I hadn't seen his brother for a long time. 4. Henry told the teacher that he liked arithmetic, but he didn't like algebra. 5. She told the grocer that she didn't want any sugar. 6. We told the teacher that we didn't understand his question. 7. I told the taxi-driver that he was driving too fast. 8. She said that her children were playing in the garden. 9. The teacher told his students that he was pleased with their work. 10. My sister said that she hadn't got a watch.