6.2        Reported Speech

Day 2    Up-to-date Reporting

When we report someone’s words in a short time after they were said, the tenses can either change or remain the same in reported speech.

當我們過了一段短時間便立刻引述某人的說話，那麼引述時所用的時態可以保留原句的時態，亦可改變為其他。

Direct speech :

‘I go jogging every morning and this helps my breathing a lot,’ Ann said.

Reported speech :

Ann said that she goes jogging every morning and that helps her breathing a lot. (We suppose Ann hasn’t changed her habit yet.)

Therefore, the tense of a verb can remain unchanged if we are giving an up-to-date reporting or we are reporting a general truth or law of nature.

所以，當我們是過了一段短時間便立刻引述某人的說話，或是覆述一個事實的真相或自然定律，那麼引述時所用的時態可以保留原句的時態。

Direct Speech : ‘The ice melts under the sun,’ said the teacher.

Reported Speech : The teacher said that the ice melts under the sun.

The verb tenses remain the same in reported speech when the introductory verb is in the present, future or present perfect.

Direct speech : My mum always says, ‘she is such a nice girl.’

Reported speech : My mum always says that she is such a nice girl.

當介紹的動詞是現在式，將來式或現在完成式時，那麼覆述句中的動詞可以維持原狀。

In Type 1 conditionals, tenses change to past tenses. Type1 的條件句，覆述時要轉換成過去式。

Direct speech : ‘If you show me your diary, I will tell you my secret,’ said Fanny.

Reported speech : Fanny said if I showed her my diary, she would tell me her secret.

Type 2 and Type 3 conditionals do not change in reported speech. Type2和 Type 3的條件句， 覆述時不用轉換。

Direct speech : ‘If I had that book, I would lend it to you,’ Kate said.

Reported speech : Kate said if she had that book, she would lend it to me.

Other things to be noticed in reported speech is: 其他有關覆述句要注意的事項 :

Modal verbs should be changed in reported speech like this: 情態(助)動詞在覆述時要轉換如下