Review of reported speech

Exercise 28. Report these sentences. Make all the necessary changes.

1. "I haven't got any money," he told me.

2. "I passed my driving test last year," he told his boss.

3. "Where do you work?" I asked her.

4. "Have the passports ready, please," the customs officer told us.

5. "Will this car do 140 kilometres an hour?" I asked the mechanic.

6. "There's a big match on TV next Monday," he said.

7. "Has she been working here long?" the manager wanted to know.

8. "Shall I contact the manager?" she asked.

9. "I'm early, aren't I?" she didn't know.

10. "Don't ever enter my study," he told them.

11. "Would you sit down?" the interviewer asked.

12. "How are you?" he wanted to know.

13. "By the end of this week, they won't have done this, will they?" I asked.

Exercise 29. Rewrite each sentence as direct speech.

Example: Thomas told John he would see him the following day.

"I'll see you tomorrow, John," said Thomas.

1. Derek told me my letter had arrived the day before.

2. Martha told Phil to phone her the following day.

3. Jack told Paul he was leaving that afternoon.

4. The police officer told Sam that he couldn't park there.

5. My mother asked me if I would stay for lunch.

6. David wanted to know where Carol had been.

Reported conversations

When we report a conversation we usually interpret it and report only its main points.

"You did enjoy the play, didn't you?" Jane asked.

"I'm not quite sure, " David said.

"I thought Anne Brown's performance was brilliant!"

"Well, I didn't like it at all," David replied.

"Didn't you ?" Jane asked.

=> When Jane asked David if he (had) enjoyed the play, he replied that he wasn't sure. But Jane found Anna Brown's performance brilliant, and was surprised to hear that David hadn't liked it at all.

We use different reporting verbs to interpret a conversation:

admit	boast	explain	offer	repeat
advise	complain	inform*	promise	reply
agree	confess	inquire	reassure	suggest
announce	demand	invite	refuse	etc.
apologise	deny	insist	remark
beg*	doubt	note	remind*

NOTE: * verbs that always require an indirect object.

"You really must keep to your diet, Mrs Jones, if you're serious to lose weight," Dr Brown said.

"You haven't been keeping to it, have you?"

"Well, I ... er ...," Mrs Jones murmured.

"Have you or haven't you?"

"Well, I have occasionally had a bit extra."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, a hamburger or two."

=> Dr Patrick told Mrs Jones that she must keep to her diet if she was serious to lose weight. When Dr Brown inquired if she had been keeping to it, she hesitated and murmured something in reply. After Dr Brown had repeated her question, Mrs Jones confessed that she had occasionally had a bit extra. When Dr Brown asked her to explain what she meant, she admitted that she meant a hamburger or two.

Exercise 30. Put a form of one of the verbs from the box into the space in each sentence.

refuse, complain, remind, insist, promise, deny, offer.

Example: "No, it's not true, I didn't steal the money!" Carla denied that she had stolen the money.

1. "Don't forget to post my letter, will you, Mary?" Helen ___ Mary to post her letter.

2. "Don't worry, Vanessa, I'll bring your book back." Sue ___Vanessa she would bring her book back.

3. "No, no, you really must have another drink!" Dick ___ that I should have another drink.

4. "No, sorry, I don't want to lend you my camera." Alex ___ to lend me his camera.

5. "It's not fair. They never invite me to parties." The girl ___ to her mother that they never invited her to parties.

6. "If you like, I'll help you do the decorating, Tim" Ann ___Tim to help him do the decorating.