Direct and Indirect Speech (Прямая и косвенная речь)

Косвенная речь - это дополнительное придаточное предложение, содержанием которого являются слова прямой речи. Например:

Прямая речь: She said, "I will go to the cinema next week".

Косвенная речь: She said (that) she would go to the cinema the following week.

При переводе из прямой речи в косвенную в предложении происходит ряд изменений:

1. если прямая речь вводится глаголом to say и лицо, к которому обращена прямая речь, не указано, глагол to say остается без изменения при переводе прямой речи в косвенную:

E.g.: He says, "I am a doctor". - He says (that) he is a doctor.

2. если после глагола to say стоит дополнение, обозначающее лицо, к которому обращена прямая речь, в косвенной речи глагол to say заменяется глаголом to tell:

E.g.: She says to her mother, "I am hungry". - She tells her mother (that) she is hungry.

3. при переводе специальных вопросов в косвенную речь соблюдается прямой порядок слов, т.е. порядок слов утвердительного предложения (!!!!):

E.g.: She asks him, "What language do you study?" - She asks him what language he studies.

They ask her, "Why have you done it?" - They ask her why she has done it.

We ask them, "When will you come to see us?" - We ask them when they will come to see us.

4. при переводе общих вопросов (где требуется только ответ "да" или "нет") в косвенную речь вводятся союзы if или whether, которые переводятся на русский язык частицей ли:

E.g.: She asks him, "Have you finished your test?" - She asks him if (whether) he has finished

his test. (Она спрашивает его, закончил ли он свой тест.)

She asks him, "Can you play the piano?" - She asks him if (whether) he can play the piano.

5. в косвенной речи вместо глагола в повелительном наклонении используется инфинитив; глагол to say заменяется глаголами to ask, to order, to tell и т.д.:

E.g.: She said, "Close the window". - She asked to close the window.

She said to them, "Don't smoke". - She told them not to smoke.

The Sequence of Tenses (Согласование времён)

При переводе прямой речи в косвенную необходимо соблюдать правила согласования времён: если глагол главного предложения стоит в прошедшем времени, то глагол в придаточном предложении также будет стоять в прошедшем времени.

При наличии глагола в прошедшем времени в главном предложении, в косвенной речи формы глагола изменяются следующим образом:

Прямая речь	Косвенная речь
Present Indefinite Present Continuous 1. She said, "I like this picture". - Она сказала: "Мне нравится эта картина". 2. He said, "My sister is writing a letter". - Он сказал: "Моя сестра пишет письмо".	Past Indefinite Past Continuous 1. She said (that) she liked that picture. - Она сказала, что ей нравится эта картина. 2. He said (that) his sister was writing a letter. - Он сказал, что его сестра пишет письмо.
Present Perfect Past Indefinite 1. John said, "I have just returned from Moscow". - Джон сказал: "Я только что вернулся из Москвы". 2. She said, "I sent him a telegram yesterday". - Она сказала: "Я отправила ему телеграмму вчера".	Past Perfect 1. John said (that) he had just returned from Moscow. - Джон сказал, что он только что вернулся из Москвы. 2. She said (that) she had sent him a telegram the day before. - Она сказала, что отправила ему телеграмму накануне.
Future Indefinite She said, "Nick will come at 5 o'clock". - Он сказала: "Ник придёт в пять часов".	Future-in-the-Past She said (that) Nick would come at 5 o'clock. - Она сказала, что Ник придёт в пять часов.
Past Perfect (остаётся без изменений)	Past Perfect

При переводе предложений в косвенную речь обстоятельства времени заменяются, как указано в таблице:

Прямая речь	Косвенная речь
today yesterday tomorrow 7 days (weeks, years) ago this year (this week) these … here (здесь) last year (в прошлом году) last month (в прошлом месяце) next day (на следующий день)	that day the day before the next day 7 days (weeks, years) before that year (that week) those … there (там) the year before the month before the following day (week, month, year)

Exercises

I. Change the direct statements into indirect ones according to the patterns (не забывайте о

замене местоимений по смыслу, а также о сдвиге времён - см. таблицу выше):

Pattern 1: He said, "We have recently moved to a new flat". -

He said that they had recently moved to a new flat.

Pattern 2: Tom said to his mother, "The steak is overdone again". -

Tom told his mother that the steak was overdone again.

1. Mrs. Williams said to Mr. Davis, "I have not bought a hat since our tenth wedding anniversary".

2. Nick said, "I have a headache".

3. The policeman said, "There has been an accident, and the road is blocked".

4. Fred said to me, "I have left some books on your table, you will find them useful".

5. The secretary said to Mr. Williams, "I booked a double room on the first floor".

6. She said, "I am having a bath. I will be ready in twenty minutes".

7. Dad said to me, "Your mother will be terribly worried if you are not in at your usual time".

II. Change these commands and requests into indirect speech according to the patterns:

Pattern 1: Mr. Davis said to his secretary, "Please, answer the telephone". -

Mr. Davis asked his secretary to answer the telephone.

Pattern 2: Mrs. Davis said to her little daughter, "Don't cry". -

Mrs. Davis told her little daughter not to cry.

1. The secretary said to the client, "Please, ring back in half an hour".

2. Mrs. Davis said to her cat, "Don't make such noise".

3. The dentist said to me, "Open your mouth".

4. I said to the dentist, "Please, don't drill any more".

5. The policeman said to that young girl, "Don't drive too fast".

6. The students said to the teacher, "Please, explain the task again".

7. Nick said to his brother, "Wait for me".

III. Change the questions into indirect speech. Begin each sentence with "I wonder" as in the

pattern (время изменять не надо): Where is my book? - I wonder where my book is.

1. When will the director be in his office? 5. Is there a good hotel here?

2. What time is it now? 6. How much did your new dress cost?

3. Where is the airport? 7. What do his words mean?

4. How far is it from here? 8. Who are these people?

IV. Make up sentences according to the pattern (повторите теорию о переводе общих

вопросов в косвенную речь; обратите внимание на сдвиг времён):

Pattern: Have you ever been to the Canary Islands? (He wondered …) -

He wondered if I had ever been to the Canary Islands.

1. Does the meeting begin at three or half past three? (He wondered …)

2. Do you know that man? (He wanted to know …)

3. Have you seen Coleman recently? (He asked …)

4. Will the report be ready soon? (He inquired …)

5. Did they decide to sell their new car? (He wondered …)

V. Change the sentences into indirect speech (не забывайте о замене обстоятельств времени, о

сдвиге времён, о замене местоимений по смыслу, о порядке слов в косвенной речи):

1. "We saw a lot of places of interest while traveling around Europe last summer", said Walter.

2. Jane said, "We will go to the theatre tomorrow".

3. He said, "I have not seen the film you are talking about".

4. The secretary said to me, "The delegation arrived in St. Petersburg yesterday".

5. She asked me, "How long are you going to stay in Great Britain?"

6. Mabel said, "Nothing will change my decision and I will leave for Cape Town today".

7. Lena said to me, "Please, don't take the books from my table".

8. Ann said, "He is one of the best speakers I have ever heard".

9. My friend said, "We arrived in Kiev on Saturday and the next day we went to have a look around the city".

10. My mother said to me, "Your friend has called an hour ago".