What does it mean to translate into indirect speech. Rules related to verbs. Some notes on punctuation

The transfer of author's words, i.e. the transformation of the speaker's direct words (Direct Speech) into a simple sentence, is possible both in Russian and in English. But if Russian sentences, as a rule, do not deliver complexity, then indirect speech in English (it is called Reported Speech) has rather strict laws and rules of education. There are many nuances and points that you have to remember, and only their strict observance will allow you to convert from direct speech to indirect speech correctly and in full compliance with all grammatical norms.

Coordination of tenses as one of the main factors of indirect speech

In order to change the structure of the narrative, turning the sentence from a dialogue into a transmission of the general meaning of what was said, it is necessary to take into account a very important point: if the introductory verb (introductory vervb) with which we begin the sentence (for example, he said, he asked, etc.) stands in the past tense, then it is necessary to be guided (Sequence of Tenses).

The essence of the transformation is obvious here: when forming indirect speech in English, you need to shift the time in the original sentence one step down.

• Jack: "I want you to come” – Jack said to me that he wanted me to come
• Mother: “I gave you money” – Mother told me that she had given me money

The times and are the lowest, and if one of these two times is used in the original form in direct speech, then there will be no further shift.

Note: when working with Direct and Indirect Speech, the temporary form past perfect is the so-called "platform" for two tenses at once - Present Perfect and Past Indefinite, and this must be taken into account when converting, especially if the task is to translate the sentence not from direct speech to indirect, but vice versa. To determine the choice of time, you need to pay attention to the helper words:

• Brown said to me that he had already called my parents- Mr. Brown: "I have already called your parents"
• Nick told me that he had been there a week before – Nick: “I was there a week ago”

The matching rule is not always relevant. The main examples of such situations are those sentences where the main part is not in the past tense, but is used in the present

Changes in vocabulary during the transition from direct speech to indirect speech

Change of pronouns

If the task is to translate direct speech into indirect speech, then with such a transformation it is important to take into account changes in some words. First of all, this includes pronouns, and this is quite normal, because the main difference between Reported Speech and Indirect Speech is the need to convey the meaning of the spoken words so that the sentence looks logical:

Alex: “ Your party is best I have ever been to” – Alex told me that my party was the best he had ever been to
Olga: “ I like this dress, it's nice" – Olga said that she liked that dress because it was nice

Change of adverbs

In addition, there are a number of adverbs of time that are also subject to change in sentences with indirect speech in English. These are the words now, yesterday, tomorrow, etc.:

now is converted to then, at that moment
today (tonight) will become that day (night)
yesterday will turn into the day before
tomorrow will move to the next day
ago– before
last– the previous
next– the following
here– there

Note: the words last and next are subject to change only if they describe time; if they refer to a noun, then they will not change. Compare:

Anthony: “I went there last week” – Anthony said that he had gone there the previous week
Tony: “This is the last piece of cake” – Tony said that was the last piece of cake

Most modal verbs can also be converted into indirect speech in English: can - could, may - might, etc.

Direct and indirect speech in English differ in that the first option carries any emotions and conveys the words of the author without changes. In indirect speech, the essence is somewhat different: it only conveys the general meaning, as a rule, all emotions are expressed only through reporting verbs. Therefore, words such as so and such, intended to convey an emotional assessment of a particular situation, are usually replaced in Reported Speech by neutral adverbs very, exceedingly, etc., which is especially important in exclamatory sentences:

Jackson: “She is so beautiful!” – Jackson said that she was very beautiful
Jim: “My sister is such a good doctor!” – Jim said that his sister was an exceedingly good doctor

Affirmative sentences in indirect speech

Reporting verbs

In Reported Speech in Reported statements, as already mentioned, the main meaning is conveyed not only through vocabulary, but also through different reporting verbs, i.e. those verbs that introduce different situations. These can be words that simply convey meaning - say, tell, inform, announce, etc., express an exclamation - cry, declare, etc., convey strong emotions - promise, assure, etc. Grammar in this case does not set any framework, it is only important that the desired verb matches specific situation and did not distort the meaning of what was said:

He told me: “I’ll certainly do this work” – He assured me that he would do that work
Mrs. Hatch said: “It's the dullest movie I have ever seen!” - Mrs. Hatch declared that it was the dullest movie she had ever seen

Punctuation also deserves special attention. It can be noted that indirect speech does not require any quotes and all those distinctive punctuation marks that are in direct speech - question and exclamation marks, dots, etc.

The English-language Reported Speech is extremely short, unemotional and only conveys the meaning, and does not serve to duplicate vocabulary from direct speech. One of the unspoken criteria that is inherent in such a phenomenon as indirect speech in English - the simpler and shorter, the better:

He said to me: “I’m glad to see you at my place” - He welcomed me
Iren said to them: “How do you do?” – Iren greeted them

It can be seen from these examples that, despite the fact that the translation of two such sentences will be somewhat different, the general meaning is identical.

The order of formation of questions in indirect speech

When forming questions in indirect speech in English, one should not forget that there are several types of interrogative sentences, and those reported questions that are most relevant in Reported Speech are general (General) and special (Special). Of course, the most common verb used to introduce a question is ask, but there are other words that are also suitable for such situations - inquire, wonder, beg, etc.

General Question Rules in Indirect Speech

Those interrogative sentences, which belong to the general type, usually begin with an auxiliary (as an option - modal) verb; they require a yes or no answer. When transforming such a question into indirect speech, it is important to be guided by three main principles:

1. Shift tenses one step back (if the introductory verb is in the past tense).
2. The presence of the union “if”.
3. Direct word order, i.e. not interrogative, namely with the observance of the condition "subject - predicate".

Examples of how such general questions are formed:

He: “Does he write poems every day?” – He asked if he wrote poems every day
· She: “Have you ever visited this place?” – She inquired if I had ever visited that place

Formation of special questions

Direct and Indirect Speech also differ in the order in which special questions are formed. Special questions also require compliance with certain conditions, the main of which are two:

1. The question word (it can be when, why, where, etc.) should remain.
2. The tense shift is also relevant (if the introductory verb is in the past tense).
3. Word order is still direct, since indirect speech transforms the sentence, making it affirmative.

It will no longer be possible to answer “yes” or “no” to such a question; the information must be presented in expanded form. A special question in Reported Speech looks and forms like this:

Mother: “Where are you going?” – Mother wondered where I was going
· Ben: “How did you overcome that problem?” – Ben asked how I had overcome that problem

Indirect speech in the imperative mood

Any video tutorial on the study of the differences between indirect speech and direct speech necessarily includes a paragraph about what the imperative mood in Reported Speech affects. There is no need to memorize any strict rules and keep in mind a lot of exceptions, since the main requirement here is the same: imperative sentences in indirect speech are achieved by setting the motivating verb in the infinitive form, and this is where all the changes end. Verbs can also be different, not only ask, but also such as order, beg, urge, etc .:

Peter said to him: “Go and bring me a cup of coffee” – Peter ordered him to go and bring him a cup of coffee”
· Father to his son: “Take care of yourself!” – Father urged his son to take care of himself

Note: imperative sentences with negation are formed just as simply: for this, you just need to put the particle not in front of the infinitive:

Stephen said to the stranger: “Don't shout at me!” – Stephen asked the stranger not to shout at him

Of course, direct speech in English does not carry such complexity as indirect speech. But if you remember all the above rules for the formation of Reported Speech, take into account the presence of all independent constructions and clearly follow the algorithm of actions, then there will be no problems even with such a not the simplest grammatical phenomenon, and English in this case will not cause any trouble.

Direct speech in English ( Direct Speech), literally quoting the statement. The response is enclosed in quotation marks on both sides, and you add the words of the author to it, for example, He says: “I swim well”.

Indirect speech in English ( Reported Speech/ Indirect Speech), which conveys the content of the conversation from a third person. In this case, the accuracy of the statement is violated: you change the tenses and word order in the sentence.

let's consider Reported Speech rule and learn how to correctly express the opinion of the interlocutor, without inventing anything.

Indirect speech in English always depends on what time is used in the words of the author. If there is real, then you can exhale and relax: you will not have to change almost anything. The tense in the subordinate clause will remain the same, just watch the verb form and capricious pronouns:

Melissa says:I am a good cook.” – Melissa says thatshe is a good cook.

Jack said:like cats.”(Present Simple) – Jack said that heliked cats.(Past Simple)

In more detail, we will consider the timing ( Sequence of Tenses) separately.

Examine the Reported Speech table. With it, you will be able to express yourself grammatically correctly. And one more piece of advice - always try translate sentences into Russian, he will tell you which words will have to be replaced.

If the sentence you are translating into indirect speech in English contains demonstrative pronouns or adverbs of time and place, then our table will help to replace them correctly:

Direct speech sentences present no difficulty. We simply translate them using the tenses that we consider necessary.

For example:

Cinderella said, "I will marry this prince."

Cinderella said: "I will marry this prince."

The principal said, "Yesterday you did a very good job."

Director said: "Yesterday you worked very well."

The writer says, "I write a new book every year."

A writer says: "I write a new book every year."

There really is nothing complicated about this.

A little trickier with sentences where we pass other people's words. Here, first of all, you need to pay attention to the words of the author, such as "She says", "He asked", "Director will say" etc. If these words are in the present tense ( "she says"- now or usually), then when changing direct speech to indirect, we do not change the time.

For example:

Mom often says that we are not very attentive.

Mother often says that we are not very careful.

The doctor says that at this time of the year many people get sick.

Doctor says that many people get ill in this season.

She says he hasn't called her yet.

She says that he hasn't called her yet.

But it is possible that the words that we want to convey using indirect speech were said earlier. And the author's words refer to the past ( "we said", "they asked", "He adviced" etc.).

For example:

The store clerk said yesterday, "This bread is fresh."

The seller said yesterday that this bread is fresh.

The teacher said last week: "Tomorrow we will write a test."

The teacher said last week that tomorrow we will write a test.

And in this case "in Game" enters TIME CONTROL RULE.

Since information about fresh bread and tests was given in the past, there is a need to slightly change the tenses in the part that starts with the word "WHAT".

for example if in a sentence with direct speech used time present simple, then, having remade the sentence into indirect speech, we will use past simple.

He said: " I LIKE to read newspapers in the morning.” – He said that he LIKED to read newspapers in the morning.*

*Please note that when you change a sentence into indirect speech, the subject changes! He says:"I'm going." - He says he's coming.

The entire sequence of changing times according to this principle is given in the table below:

Sequence of Tenses (time alignment)

* The tenses Future- in the Past are formed with the help of an auxiliary verb "WOULD", which we just use instead of the auxiliary verb "will".

For example, "will go" (Future Simple) - "would go" (Future Simple - in the Past).

for example:

He said: "My friends usually come at 5."

He said that his friends usually came at 5.

She told her sister: "I am reading a very interesting book."

She told her sister that she was reading a very interesting book.

Mary said to the man: "I have not decided anything yet."

Mary said to the man that she had not decided anything yet.

I told them: "I will do this job in two days."

I told them that I would do this job in two days.

In speech, we often use time markers ( yesterday, today, in two days, tomorrow) or words like "here", "there", "this", "that" etc.

In English, when "translating" a sentence from direct speech to indirect if the words of the author are in the past time, such words should be replaced as follows:

for example:

He said: "I will not begin now."

He said he would not begin then.

The President said: "I didn't know about it last week."

The President said he hadn't known about it the week before.

She said: "My husband will be here tomorrow."

She said her husband would be there the next day.

Words in direct speech and in indirect speech

This / these That / those

• Yesterday The day before

• Tomorrow (the) next day / the following day

• Last week / year

  The week / year before

  The previous week/year

  Next week / year

  The following week / year

  The next week / year

In indirect speech, we can convey orders, commands or requests. In order to figure out how to do this in English, let's see how we do it in Russian.

She told us, "Don't stand here!"

She told us not to stand here.

The director ordered the worker: "Do it immediately!"

The director ordered the employee to do so immediately.

We asked the teacher: "Explain this rule to us again, please!"

We asked the teacher to explain this rule to us again.

As you noticed, when we “translate” a command, request or order into indirect speech, then instead of the “Do it!” the "do" form is used, i.e. infinitive (indefinite form of the verb). In English, this situation is repeated.

So, when transmitting a command, request or order in indirect speech in English, we will use the infinitive of the verb with the particle "to" - "to go", "to stand", "to read", "to do", etc.

For example:

She told us: "Stand there!"

She told ustostand there.

He asked his friend: "Bring me, please, that book!"

He asked his friendtobring him that book.

Teacher said to the students: "Rewrite this exercise!"

Teacher told students to rewrite that exercise. Sometimes a command, request or order is negative. Those. we tell someone not to do something. Then, when “translating” such a command into indirect speech, we will put the negative particle NOT immediately before the infinitive.

For example:

He told her: "Don't go there anymore!"

He told her NOT TO GO there anymore.

The teacher told the student: "Don't be late for the next lesson!"

The teacher told the student NOT TO BE late for the next lesson.

She told her boyfriend: "Leave! And don't come again!"

She told her boyfriend to leave and NOT TO COME again.

And in order not to repeat "he told" or "she asked" all the time, use other words.

Clue:

To order

To offer

To suggest

To demand

To warn

To advise

LITTLE SECRETS OF INDIRECT SPEECH. =))

Sometimes it is difficult to figure out how to convey some sentences in indirect speech. For example, how to say in indirect speech the sentence “He said: “Hello!”, Or “She said: “No!”?

Let's give a little hint:

He said: "Hello, everybody!" – He greeted everybody.

She said to him: "No, I will not go with you!" – She refused to go with him.

They said: "Yes!" – They agreed.

Questions in indirect speech in English convey only the content of the question of direct speech, but they themselves are not questions, as such. Based on this, the word order in indirect questions is the same as in affirmative sentences, that is, the subject follows before the predicate, auxiliary verbs ( do, did) are not used, and no question mark is placed at the end of such questions.

For example: He said, "When are you leaving?" - He asked me when I was leaving. (NOT When I was leaving?) He asked, "When are you leaving?" - He asked me when I was leaving. I said, "Where are you staying?" – I asked her where she was staying. I asked, "Where are you staying?" - I asked her where she was staying. "Where does John live?" she asked me. - She asked me where John lived. "Where does John live?" she asked me. She asked me where John lives. John asked, "Where did you go last weekend?" – John asked where I had gone the previous weekend. John asked, "Where did you go last weekend?" John asked where I went last weekend. He asked, "Why are you staring at me?" – He asked me why I was staring at him. He asked, "Why are you looking at me?" He asked me why I was looking at him.

General and alternative questions are introduced into the sentence by conjunctions if / whether:

"Do you speak English?" she asked him. – She asked him if he spoke English. "Do you speak English?" she asked him. She asked him if he spoke English. "Are you British or French?" they asked me. – They asked me whether I was British or French. "Are you from Britain or France?" they asked me. They asked me if I was from Britain or France. "Did you come by train?" she required. – She required if I had come by train. "Did you come by train?" she asked. She asked if I had come by train.

Special questions are introduced with a question word ( when, where, why, and etc.):

"What is your name?" he asked me. – He asked what my name was. "What is your name?" he asked me. - He asked me my name. "How old is your mother?" he asked her. – He asked her how old her mother was. "How old is your mother?" he asked her. He asked her how old her mother was.

What is this - an indirect question?

First, let's compare Direct and Indirect questions. If you want to literally reflect someone’s statement, quote, then it’s better to use ordinary questions using direct speech (more on “Types of questions in English”). But, to convey other people's words, you can use Inderect questions, which consist of two parts: the main one, where it says “who asked, inquired” and the secondary one - “what exactly, the question itself”, and they are connected by a union or a pronoun. But that is not all. It is necessary to capture the essence of only two rules:

Active timing rule (The whole scheme can be found in the article "Time Coordination Table"). In other words, the time used in the main part of the sentence must be sent one back, to the past. Thus, we remove the quotes, and the logical chain of events is not interrupted. Note that neither do nor does in this case can not use. For example: in the main in quotation marks we have the verb “speak” - Present Simple. According to the transition of times, Present Simple changes to past simple: spoke.

I also want to remind you of pronouns, which change from direct to indirect speech according to the same principle as in Russian.

He said:Have youtranslated this article? -He said: « You translated article? (Present perfectpasses according to rule inpast perfect).

He asked if Ihad translated that article.He asked if I had translated the article.

Although we call such sentences questions, we do not observe the familiar violation of word order. Namely: the structure of the affirmative sentence is preserved: subject + predicate + object + etc.

She said: "Where didshe ski in summer? - She said, "Where did she ski in the summer?"

She asked whereshe had skied in summer. She asked where she skied in the summer.

Two models of indirect questions in English

So, we know that there are several types of questions: general, special, alternative, disjunctive and question to the subject. In indirect speech, we can build only some of them.

1. General and alternative indirect question is built using the unions if or whether, which in Russian sound like a particle of “li”. Thus, keeping the direct word order, we can derive the following scheme:

Subject + predicate + if (whether) + subject + predicate + secondary members

2. In special indirect question the two parts are connected by interrogative words: what, why, where, which, whose (in the article "Interrogative words" you will find complete information about the use and meaning). And everything else, as in the previous model.

Subject + predicate + interrogative word + subject + predicate + secondary members

A few more secrets! =)))) (what jokers)

must be distinguished if in subordinate clauses and If in indirect questions. So, in the first case, we translate with the meaning "if", and in the second - with a particle of "whether".

If you come home late, we will have to punish you. - If you come home late, we will be forced to punish you.

She asked me if I would come home late the next day. -She is asked, I will come whether I late tomorrow.

short answers to indirect questions in English are given with the help of auxiliary or modal verbs, as in direct speech, but taking into account the rule of tense coordination. And the connection of the two parts in this model occurs due to conjunction "that" and yes/no are omitted.

"Does she live in the hostel?" - she asked. -Yes, she does (No, she doesn't).

She asked if she lived in the hostel. -I answered that she did (she didn't).

Every person, sooner or later, is faced with the need to convey orally or in writing what he was told. However, the method of quoting with putting speech in quotation marks is not always suitable, because few people literally remember the words of the interlocutor. Then such a phenomenon as indirect speech comes to the rescue. In Russian, it has some of its own characteristics, which will be discussed in the article. Let's deal with this issue in more detail.

What is indirect speech

Indirect speech in Russian, this is one of the syntactic ways to communicate other people's words in a stream own words retaining the meaning of the original statement. It is conveyed by declarative, motivating and interrogative sentences. In form, indirect speech is a complex sentence. The main part of a sentence is one in which reference is made to the words of another person. For example, "he said", "she asked", "they asked". The subordinate part is the one that directly reflects the words that convey. For example, “that the weather is good”, “so that he goes outside”, “why a passport is needed there”. A comma is placed between the two parts: “He said the weather was good”, “She asked him to go outside”, “They asked why they needed a passport there”.

Rules related to unions

Now it is worth considering how indirect speech is expressed. The rules have their own characteristics. Let's look at the main ones. If the speaker just shared information, then you need to use the preposition "what". For example, Ivan says: “Today I will go to the theater.” In the form of indirect speech, it will look like this: "Ivan said that today he will go to the theater." If the speaker asked the interlocutor to do something, then the preposition “to” is used. For example, Irina says: "Help me with my homework." This can be conveyed as follows: "Irina told me to help her with her homework."

When transmitting, speech in Russian uses two methods, which depend on the type of sentence. If the speaker, when asking, uses an interrogative word (“where”, “when”, “why”, “why”, “how”, and others), then it becomes a union. For example, Anna asked: “Where can you eat delicious food in Moscow?” Then her words are transmitted like this: "Anna asked where in Moscow you can eat deliciously." And the second method is used when there was no question word. For example, Nikita asked: “Will you go to the cinema today?” This is conveyed using the “li” particle: “Nikita asked if you would go to the cinema today.”

Rules related to pronouns

It is worth noting how pronouns usually change in indirect speech. Thus, “I”, “we” are replaced by “he/she” and “they”, respectively, because the one whose speech is being transmitted will no longer be an active subject of the conversation. But “you” and “you / you”, on the contrary, are replaced by “we” and “I”. "He/she" and "they" are sometimes replaced as well. If a person said something about someone, and then his words are passed on to this person or these people, then “you / you” or “you” are used.

Also, if necessary, pronouns are added to a person’s speech. For example, if the boss gives the order: "Do this work by Thursday," then the speaker will add the pronoun "we": "The boss ordered that we do this work by Thursday."

Rules related to verbs

Also, sometimes indirect speech in Russian requires some grammatical manipulations with verbs. For example, the imperative mood is replaced by the indicative in the past tense. Suppose Victor asked: "Pass me a pen." In indirect speech, it will look like this: "Victor asked me to give him a pen."

Also, sometimes you need to change the tense of the verb - present to past. For example, Daria said: "Today I'm going to cook borscht." If her words are transmitted the next day, then you can say this: "Daria said that yesterday she was going to cook borscht." The adverb "today" is logically replaced by "yesterday".

Exercises for understanding indirect speech

It is not immediately easy to get used to such a feature of the Russian language as indirect speech. The exercises below will help you figure it out faster.

You can try to translate the following simple sentences into indirect speech:

• Tyutchev wrote: "I love a thunderstorm in early May."
• Irina asked: "Pass me the salt."
• Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger."
• Dmitry asked: “What should I do with this cat now?”
• Elina asked: “Will you come to the university today?”
• Katya thought: “Do I need to go there tomorrow?”
• Konstantin thought: “I wonder if she likes me?”

Conclusion

As a conclusion, it is worth saying that, of course, there are pitfalls for such a phenomenon as indirect speech. The Russian language is rich in various tricks that are difficult to understand for a foreigner, and sometimes even for a native speaker. However, this phenomenon is always subject to rules that do not even contain exceptions. So it’s easy enough to understand the patterns by which indirect speech is formed. And when understanding comes, it will become much easier to use these rules in practice. Try it and you will see that everything is much simpler than it seemed at first glance.

To understand what indirect speech is in English grammar, you need to figure out first what direct speech is.

Direct speech is a phrase of a subject, it sounds directly from the first mouth and is written in quotation marks

Direct speech is a separate sentence, so after we open the quotes, we write the first word with a capital letter. In English, after words indicating who is speaking, a comma is placed. While in Russian we put a colon:

• He said, "I will return your book tomorrow."

He said, "I will return your book tomorrow."

Indirect speech is a way of transmitting words spoken by another person, while the transmitter transforms other people's words grammatically and in meaning so that it is clear to whom they belong, while maintaining the general content of what was said.

• He said he would return my book the next day.

He said that he would return my book the next day. Secrets of English indirect speech

Indirect speech - transformed direct

In the declarative sentences of the English language, a number of changes occur when direct speech is turned into indirect:

1. After the words that introduce the phrase of the author, the comma is no longer put
2. An alliance is put after the introductory words that(what), sometimes you can do without it
3. If there is a verb in the introductory words to say(say) it is replaced by to tell(say) if it is followed by an addition indicating to whom the phrase is addressed

The following table with illustrative examples will help you understand the rules listed above.

The main proposals are those introductory words, such as "Luke said", "she claims", "parents answered", etc. They retain their temporary form:

• Present Indefinite(Real Simple)
• Present Perfect(Present perfect)
• Future Indefinite(Future Simple), even as part of indirect speech

The table with examples will again help you understand this rule.

Gradually we came to important point grammar, which must be parsed to understand how indirect speech is formed in English. I mean the rules for coordinating the tenses of the English language in indirect speech. The following table conveys the principle of the transition of tenses (in the upper column - the time that is used in direct speech, in the lower column - the time to be used in indirect speech).

Using examples, let's consider how time can change when speech is converted.

1. present simple(Real Simple) -> past simple(Past Simple)
   • Nick said, "I learn English." Nick said: "I'm learning English."
   • Nick said that he learned English. — Nick said that he was learning English.
2. present progressive(Present Continuous) -> past progressive(Past Continuous)
   • Leonardo said, "I am reading the book now." Leonardo said: "I'm reading a book now."
   • Leonardo said that he was reading the book then. — Leonardo said he was reading a book now
3. Present Perfect(Real Perfect) -> past perfect(Past Perfect)
   • Angelina said, "I have seen him this morning." Angelina said, "I saw him this morning."
   • Angelina said that she had seen him that morning. Angelina said she saw him this morning
4. past progressive(Past Continuous) -> past progressive/ Past Perfect Progressive(Past Perfect Continuous)
   • Robert said, "I was swimming." - Robert said: "I swam."
   • Robert said that he was swimming. Robert said he swam.
   • Robert said that he had been swimming. — Robert said he swam
5. past simple(Past Simple) -> past perfect(Past Perfect)
   • Nina said, "I wrote the letters." Nina said: "I wrote letters."
   • Nina said that she had written the letters. Nina said she wrote letters
6. Future Simple(Future Simple) -> Future in the Past(Future in the Past)
   • Kate said, "I will find the solution of this problem."
   • Kate said that she would find the solution of this problem. Kate said she would find a solution to this problem

English grammar strictly regulates the use of temporary forms necessary in a particular case. The fact is that each of them has its own characteristics, through which information about the period of the action is obvious. When translating into Russian, these subtleties are not so noticeable, due to the fact that Russian grammar is different from English.

Necessary modifications in interrogative and imperative sentences

1. An indirect question is different from a regular question:
   • Has a direct word order, that is, a structure similar to a declarative sentence
   • Doesn't require a question mark
   • Doesn't need present simple and past simple in an auxiliary verb to do, which is replaced by if(whether)
     • Daniel said, "Do you want to walk?"
     • Daniel asked if I want to walk. Daniel asked if I wanted to go for a walk
   • The rules for coordinating tenses between the main and subordinate clauses remain the same as in narrative sentences.
   • Special interrogative words still remain in indirect speech, helping to create a connection between the main and subordinate clauses.
     • Bob asked me, "When did you meet her?" Bob asked: “When did you see her?”
     • Bob asked me when I had met her. Bob asked when I saw her
2. Indirect requests and orders:
   • The following introductory verbs are used
     For requests:
     • to ask - ask
     • to run - ask
     • to implore - beg

     For orders:

     • to tell - say, command, order
     • to order - order
     • to allow - allow
   • After the introductory part, the infinitive construction follows.
     To + verb
     Request:
     • Lisa says, "Be attentive, please!" - Lisa says: "Be careful, please!"
     • Lisa asks to be attentive. Lisa will ask you to be careful.

     Order:

     • Jack says, "Learn English!" Jack says: "Learn English!"
     • Jack tells to learn English. Jack tells me to learn English.
   • If you need a negative form imperative mood, you should put a particle before the infinitive construction -not
     • Kim says, "Don't talk so loudly!" Kim says, "Don't talk so loud!"
     • Kim orders not to talk so loudly. Kim orders not to speak so loudly

Test exercises

In English, direct and indirect speech are distinguished. Direct speech- is the speech of a person, which is transmitted verbatim. Indirect speech (Reported speech)- this is speech that conveys only the main content of the phrase or expression of the speaker.

Let's take a closer look at examples.

The table shows that indirect speech is introduced using the union ‘ that'. Personal and possessive pronouns change in meaning.

It is important to say that if the verb in front of the statement is in the present or future tense, then the verb in indirect speech does not change.

However, if the verb before the phrase is in the past tense, then the rule is used in indirect speech and the tense form of the verb changes.

Table of tense coordination in indirect speech

It is worth paying attention to the replacement of words when converting direct speech into indirect speech. However, the replacement of words should be logical.

Replacing words in indirect speech

John said, 'I went to the gym yesterday’.

John said, "I went to the gym yesterday." (direct speech)

John said that he had gone to the gym the day before.

He said he was at the gym the day before.

Case 1. . This form of questions in indirect speech is formed by attaching a subordinate clause to the main one using conjunctions 'if' or ‘whether’.

Case 2. When converting this form of questions into indirect speech, the subordinate clause is attached to the main one with the help of interrogative words (who, when, where, and others).

As for imperative sentences like a request, instruction or order, in indirect speech, the action is expressed using the infinitive with the particle ‘ to'. The negative form in the imperative sentence is formed by adding the particle ‘ not'. In addition, in indirect speech, verbs such as: to ask- ask to tell- to say, command, command to order- order to allow- allow others.