10 Questions
What is another term for reporting speech?
Indirect discourse
In reporting speech, what might change significantly in terms of the event?
The time of occurrence
How does place change during conversion from direct to reported speech?
It disappears
What happens to the verb forms in reported speech compared to direct speech?
They can change
Which tense shift is commonly observed in reported speech due to narrative placement?
Past perfect
What is one reason why some verbs undergo modification when shifting from direct to reported speech?
To avoid ambiguity over who performed the action
In reported speech, why might speakers use impersonal abstract terms like 'someone' or 'anybody'?
To avoid personal identification
When shifting verb tenses from direct to reported speech, what does the backward movement of the tense continuum ensure?
Consistency throughout different timescales
Which of the following is an example where a verb needs to be changed due to impossibility after death?
I ate all these cookies
How does the adjustment of subject-verb agreement in negated questions impact reported speech?
'Don't ask' changes to 'Doesn't ask'
Study Notes
Reporting Speech
Reporting speech is a linguistic concept where one speaker reports what another has said or done. It's also known as indirect speech or reported discourse. This form of communication involves transformation from direct speech into its reported counterpart while still conveying the meaning accurately. Here we will discuss some key aspects of reporting speech including time and place changes, pronoun shifts, backshift of tenses, and changes to the verb forms.
Time and Place Changes
When narrating events, time can change significantly between when the event occurred and when it's being reported. For example, consider the following sentence in direct speech: "I love ice cream." If this were converted into reported speech, the time would likely shift depending on context: "He told me he loves ice cream," indicating a more recent past tense due to the narrative placement in the report. Similarly, if someone else had just finished eating their favorite meal, you might say "They mentioned how delicious that was," with the present perfect continuing the storyline's progression.
Place may also alter during conversion from direct speech. Imagine hearing directly: "This place smells amazing!" Compared to the reported version: "She commented on the great aroma here." Notice how there isn't any mention of 'here' anymore since now merely being near the location suffices enough information conveyed through generalization instead of specificity.
Pronoun Shifts
Pronouns such as I, you, they etc., often see modifications too when shifting from direct to reported speech. A common adjustment occurs within negation constructions - like negated questions ("don't ask...", "can't find...") which require subject-verb agreement switching between affirmations & denials; hence resulting changes like: "Can't find anything" becomes "He couldn't locate anything". Additionally sometimes speakers might opt out entirely by using impersonal abstract terms (e.g.'someone', 'anybody') thus avoiding personal identification altogether.
Backshift of Tenses
Verbal tense continuum moves backward systematically according to its position relative towards ending point expressed either grammatically ('will'...future tense) or temporally (past simple–yesterday & before yesterday) creating variations like: "You can go anytime" shifted becoming "You could have gone earlier." These alterations ensure consistency throughout different timescales even though actual chronology remains unchanged.
Changing Verbs
Some verbs undergo modification owing mainly two reasons: firstly because certain actions aren't possible after death (eat); secondly when using passive voice allows avoidance ambiguity over agentivity (be eaten). E.g.: Direct "I ate all these cookies"; Passive: There weren't many left after everyone had gotten seconds helps clarify who did what exactly without making assumptions based solely upon word order.
In summary, whenever relaying conversations or incidents from memory rather than witnessing them real-time ourselves—we rely heavily on our understanding of reported speech constructs. By understanding these nuances better, communicating effectively becomes easier whether discussing current events or recounting history!
Explore the concept of reporting speech, also known as indirect speech or reported discourse, where one speaker conveys what another has said. Learn about time and place changes, pronoun shifts, backshift of tenses, and changes to verb forms when converting from direct speech to reported speech.
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