Distinguishing direct speech from indirect or reported speech

What constitutes a dependent clause in reported speech - 1 

A Masteral student in Myanmar doing comparative research on the four types of sentences in English—namely simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex—asked for help in early December [2020] on how to distinguish direct speech from indirect or reported speech, and how to explain what constitutes a dependent clause in reported speech.

Paraphrasing what AungMyo said: “Our teacher said that the direct-speech statement ‘I was hungry’ becomes the dependent clause in reported speech, but in my research I need to explain precisely why and how ‘I was hungry’ becomes that dependent clause.”

Let me begin by saying that direct statements like “I was hungry” are simple and straightforward, but it gets more complicated when we report that someone else has uttered that statement. Perhaps we can’t remember the exact words said or just want to summarize them, just focus on the salient points, or perhaps improve the grammar of what was said. When we do these things, we enter the realm of what’s called reported speech or indirect speech.

The pivotal factor in reported speech is the tense of the reporting verb. When the  reporting verb is in the simple present tense, present perfect tense, or future tense, the operative verb in the reported statement remains unchanged; often, only the subject noun or pronoun in the quoted statement need to be changed.

Consider that the directly quoted statement “I am hungry” was said by your close friend Dewi Thant Z.

In the simple present tense, that statement can be rendered in reported speech as follows:

“My close friend Dewi Thant says she is hungry.” 

(You say this to someone beside you just right after Dewi said “I am hungry.”)

In the present perfect tense:

“My close friend Dewi Thant has said (that) she is hungry.” 

(You say this to someone beside you perhaps several minutes after Dewi said it.”

And in the future tense:

“My close friend Dewi Thant will say (that) she is hungry.” 

(In anticipation, you can tell this to someone through your mobile phone several minutes before actually Dewi says it.)

In all three of the reporting tenses above, the only grammatically significant change in the reported statement is the replacement of the personal pronoun “I” with “My close friend Dewi Thant.” Of course, the conjunction “that” is used to introduce the reported statement, making it take the form of a dependent clause in reported speech.

In informal writing, however, the conjunction “that” can often be dropped to make the reported speech easier to articulate, as we can see in the following “that”-less constructions of the simple present tense, present perfect tense, and future tense renditions: 

“My close friend Dewi Thant says she is hungry.” 

“My close friend Dewi Thant has said she is hungry.” 

“My close friend Dewi Thant will say she is hungry.”

But things in reported speech become more iffy when the reporting verb is in the past tense. Take this direct quote from a Philippine official about a Somalia ship-piracy issue some years back: 

“At the moment, we have not gotten any feedback as to the advisability of issuing an official ban for Filipino seamen going there (Somalia).”

Quite simply, that direct quote can be rendered in reported speech this way:

“The Philippine official said (that) they had not gotten any feedback at the moment as to the advisability of issuing an official ban for Filipino seamen going to Somalia.”

When the reporting verb is in the simple past tense, the operative verb in the quoted statement—the dependent clause—generally moves one tense backwards in reported speech. However, that rule applies only when the action in the reported statement is a consummated and not a repeated or habitual one.

This article appeared in the column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Campus Press section of the December 17, 2020 Internet edition of The Manila Times,© 2020 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

What constitutes a dependent clause in reported speech - 2

In last week’s column, I pointed out that the general rule in reported speech is to move the operative verb in the directly quoted statement one tense backwards. We also need to change the time and place signifiers in the directly quoted statement to conform to the sense of the reported statement. 

Take this direct quote last week from a health official: 

“This cold season, the public is advised to take even stronger measures to avoid contracting the Covid-19 virus.” 

In reported speech for a news report: 

“The health official said last week that during the cold season, the public should take even stronger measures to avoid contracting the Covid-19 virus.”

            IMAGE CREDIT: ESL.COM AT PINTEREST.COM

What follows are more examples of this conversion from direct speech to reported speech.

Direct quote from a bill collector to a delinquent customer two weeks ago: 

“The company is giving you only until the end of the month to settle your long-overdue account.”  

In reported speech: 

“The bill collector told the delinquent customer two weeks ago that she only had until the end of the month to settle her long-overdue account.”

Direct quote from a manager to a sales supervisor yesterday: 

“See me tomorrow to discuss your monthly sales.” 

Reported speech of what the manager told the sales supervisor today: 

“My manager asked me yesterday to see him today to discuss my monthly sales.”

Direct quote from an irate wife to her husband sometime ago: 

“Tell me what you and that woman were doing at the park yesterday.” 

In reported speech by the wife during a court hearing: 

“Your Honor, I asked my husband what he and that woman were doing at that park that day.”

Direct quote from a newly married woman to a lady friend just hours ago: 

“Gerry and I met last year during a heavy downpour and, well, it was love at first sight.” 

In reported speech by the lady friend to a common acquaintance of theirs: 

“Cynthia told me that she and Gerry met the year before during a heavy downpour and it was love at first sight.”

Apart from the time signifiers, we also need to routinely change such place and pointing signifiers as “here,” “there,” and “that” in directly quoted statements to accurately reflect the sense of the reported statement. 

Direct quote from a police officer to a car driver:

“You drove against the red light at the  intersection there on Rizal Avenue corner Recto Avenue.” 

Reported speech by the arrested car driver at the police station: 

“The arrested driver denied the traffic enforcer’s claim that he had driven against the red light in that intersection at that time.” 

Finally, when the operative verb in a directly quoted statement is in modal form, we need to always change the modal auxiliary to its past tense form in reported speech.

Direct quote from a friend: 

“I may go to New York next month.” 

Reported speech: 

“My friend said he might go to New York next month.”

Direct quote from the general manager: 

“The staff will leave only upon my instructions.” 

Reported speech by a supervisor to his subordinates: 

“The general manager made it clear that the staff should leave only upon his instructions.”

Direct quote from the company’s chief operating officer:  

“All projects must be finished by yearend.” 

Reported speech by the company president to division managers about the CEO’s directive: 

“Our CEO directed us that all projects have to be finished by yearend.”

With this, we are done with our quick review of reported speech.

This article, 2,025th  of the series, earlier appeared in the column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Campus Press section of the December 24, 2020 Internet edition of  The Manila Times,© 2020 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.