Unit5 - Subjective Questions

Definitions:

• Direct Speech: This repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in writing, we place the words spoken between quotation marks (inverted commas) and there is no change in these words.
• Reported (Indirect) Speech: This is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.

Fundamental Difference:
The main difference lies in the perspective and time. Direct speech is immediate and exact, while reported speech conveys the meaning of what was said but adapts the grammar (pronouns, tenses, time markers) to fit the perspective of the reporter at a later time.

Example:

• Direct: She said, "I am happy today."
• Reported: She said that she was happy that day.

When the reporting verb is in the past tense (e.g., said, told), the tenses of the verbs inside the reported speech usually 'backshift,' meaning they move one step further into the past.

General Rules:

1. Present tenses become Past tenses.
2. Past tenses become Past Perfect tenses.
3. Future forms (will) become conditional (would).

Conversion Table:

Modal verbs often change to their past forms in reported speech, but some remain unchanged.

Modals that Change:

• Can Could
  • Direct: "I can swim."
  • Reported: He said he could swim.
• May Might
  • Direct: "It may rain."
  • Reported: She said it might rain.
• Must Had to (when expressing obligation)
  • Direct: "I must go."
  • Reported: He said he had to go.
• Will Would
  • Direct: "I will help."
  • Reported: She said she would help.

Modals that usually remain the same:

• Could, Would, Should, Might, Ought to usually do not change.
  • Direct: "You should study."
  • Reported: He said I should study.

Time and place expressions must change in reported speech to reflect the difference in the speaker's current location and time compared to when the original speech occurred. If the report happens at a different time or place, these pointers (deictics) must be adjusted.

Common Conversions:

1. Now Then or At that time
   • "I am busy now." He said he was busy then.
2. Today That day
   • "I worked today." She said she had worked that day.
3. Tomorrow The next day or The following day
   • "I will leave tomorrow." He said he would leave the next day.
4. Yesterday The day before or The previous day
   • "I arrived yesterday." She said she had arrived the day before.
5. Here There
   • "Put it here." He told me to put it there.

Pronouns change in reported speech to reflect the perspective of the person doing the reporting rather than the original speaker.

Rules:

1. First Person (I, we, my, our): Changes according to the Subject of the reporting verb.

   • Direct: John said, "I lost my pen."
   • Reported: John said that he had lost his pen.

2. Second Person (You, your): Changes according to the Object of the reporting verb (the person being spoken to).

   • Direct: She told me, "You look tired."
   • Reported: She told me that I looked tired.

3. Third Person (He, she, it, they): Generally remains unchanged.

   • Direct: He said, "She is working."
   • Reported: He said that she was working.

When converting Yes/No questions (questions that can be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no') into reported speech, the following rules apply:

1. Use of Conjunctions: We do not use 'that'. Instead, we introduce the reported clause using if or whether.
2. Change in Word Order: The sentence structure changes from interrogative (Verb + Subject) to declarative (Subject + Verb). The auxiliary verbs 'do', 'does', and 'did' are removed.
3. Tense Backshift: Standard tense changes apply.
4. Punctuation: The question mark is replaced by a full stop.

Example:

• Direct: "Do you like coffee?" he asked.
• Reported: He asked if I liked coffee.

Difference:
Unlike Yes/No questions, Wh- questions (questions starting with who, what, where, when, why, how) do not use 'if' or 'whether'. Instead, the question word itself acts as the connecting word between the reporting clause and the reported clause.

Similarities:
Like Yes/No questions, the word order changes back to Statement order (Subject + Verb), and tenses represent the past.

Structure:
Reporting Verb + Wh-Word + Subject + Verb.

Example:

• Direct: "Where do you live?" she asked.
• Reported: She asked where I lived. (Not: She asked where did I live)

Yes, there are exceptions where tense backshifting is not required.

Scenario 1: Universal Truths or Permanent Facts
If the statement expresses a general truth, scientific fact, or habitual action that is still true, the tense often remains unchanged.

• Direct: The teacher said, "The sun rises in the east."
• Reported: The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.

Scenario 2: Reporting Verb in Present Tense
If the reporting verb is in the present, present perfect, or future tense (e.g., says, has said, will say), the tenses in the reported speech do not change.

• Direct: John says, "I am hungry."
• Reported: John says that he is hungry.

Structure:
Imperatives (commands and requests) change into Infinitives in reported speech. The structure is:

Reporting Verb (asked/told/ordered) + Object + (not) + to + Infinitive

• The word "please" is omitted; its politeness is conveyed by the reporting verb (e.g., asked or requested).
• For negative commands ("Don't do X"), use not to do X.

Conversion:

• Direct: "Please close the door," he said to her.
• Reported: He asked her to close the door.

Offers can be reported in a few ways depending on the grammar of the original sentence, but they typically use the reporting verb offered.

Structure 1: Offered + To-Infinitive
This is used when the subject offers to perform an action themselves.

• Direct: "I will help you carry the bags," said Tom.
• Reported: Tom offered to help me carry the bags.

Structure 2: Offered + Object + Noun
This is used when offering a specific thing.

• Direct: "Would you like some tea?" she asked.
• Reported: She offered me some tea.

Note: We generally do not use the structure "He said that he would..." for offers, as using the verb offered is more precise and natural.

The main grammatical difference between 'Say' and 'Tell' involves the object (the person being spoken to).

1. Tell:

• Rule: 'Tell' is strictly a transitive verb in reported speech. It must be followed immediately by an object (a person/pronoun).
• Structure: Tell + Person + (that) + Clause.
• Correct: He told me that he was tired.
• Incorrect: He told that he was tired.

2. Say:

• Rule: 'Say' does not take an immediate object pronoun. If you want to mention the person, you must use 'to'.
• Structure: Say + (that) + Clause OR Say + to + Person + (that) + Clause.
• Correct: He said that he was tired.
• Correct: He said to me that he was tired.
• Incorrect: He said me that he was tired.

1. Direct: "I am meeting my brother here today," she said.

• Analysis:
  • I she
  • am meeting (Present Continuous) was meeting (Past Continuous)
  • my her
  • here there
  • today that day
• Reported: She said that she was meeting her brother there that day.

2. Direct: "We have lived in this house for ten years," they said.

• Analysis:
  • We they
  • have lived (Present Perfect) had lived (Past Perfect)
  • this that
• Reported: They said that they had lived in that house for ten years.

1. Direct: "Did you finish the report?" the boss asked him.

• Type: Yes/No Question.
• Connector: if or whether.
• Tense: Did finish (Past Simple) had finished (Past Perfect).
• Pronoun: you he.
• Reported: The boss asked him if he had finished the report.

2. Direct: "Why are you late?" the teacher asked the student.

• Type: Wh- Question.
• Connector: Why.
• Tense: are (Present Simple) was (Past Simple).
• Pronoun: you he/she.
• Word Order: Subject before Verb.
• Reported: The teacher asked the student why he was late.

1. Direct: "Don't walk on the grass," the gardener said to us.

• Type: Negative Command (Imperative).
• Reporting Verb: told or ordered or warned.
• Construction: not + to + infinitive.
• Reported: The gardener told us not to walk on the grass.

2. Direct: "Please give me a glass of water," the old man said to the nurse.

• Type: Request.
• Reporting Verb: asked or requested.
• Construction: to + infinitive.
• Pronoun: me him.
• Reported: The old man asked the nurse to give him a glass of water.

1. Direct: "Shall I carry your suitcase?" asked the porter.

• Context: This is an offer of help.
• Reporting Verb: offered.
• Reported: The porter offered to carry my suitcase.

2. Direct: "Let's go to the cinema tonight," said Alice.

• Context: This is a suggestion.
• Reporting Verb: suggested.
• Construction: suggested + gerund (going) OR suggested + that clause.
• Time: tonight that night.
• Reported (Option A): Alice suggested going to the cinema that night.
• Reported (Option B): Alice suggested that we (should) go to the cinema that night.

Correct Sentence: "She asked me where I was going."

Analysis of Error:
The error lies in the word order. The incorrect sentence retains the interrogative word order (Auxiliary Verb + Subject: was I) used in direct questions.

Grammatical Rule:
In reported questions, the sentence structure becomes a noun clause, not a question. Therefore, the word order must change from interrogative to declarative (Subject + Verb: I was). The subject must precede the verb.

Mark said that he was starting a new job the following week. He explained that he was very nervous but excited. He asked me if I could help him prepare for the first day.

Breakdown of changes:

1. "I am starting... next week" He was starting... the following week.
2. "I am..." He was... (Using 'explained' or 'added' helps flow).
3. "Can you help me...?" He asked if I could help him...

Exclamations often express strong emotions like joy, sorrow, surprise, or admiration. When reporting them, we usually change the sentence structure entirely rather than doing a direct grammatical conversion.

Strategies:

1. Use the verb exclaimed followed by a description of the emotion (e.g., exclaimed with joy/surprise/disgust).
2. Paraphrase the exclamation into a statement using 'that'.

Conversion:

• Direct: "What a beautiful painting!" she said.
• Reported: She exclaimed with admiration that the painting was very beautiful.
• Alternative: She remarked that it was a very beautiful painting.

When a speaker uses different types of sentences in one go (e.g., a statement followed by a question or a command), you usually need to use different reporting verbs for each part to make the reported speech sound natural and grammatically correct. You connect them with conjunctions like and, added that, and asked, etc.

Example:

• Direct: "I have finished the letter. Do you want to read it?" asked Mary.
• Analysis: Part 1 is a statement (I have finished). Part 2 is a question (Do you want).
• Reported: Mary said that she had finished the letter and asked if I wanted to read it.

We cannot say: Mary asked if she had finished the letter and did I want to read it. The verbs must match the clause types.

When converting modals of deduction (guessing based on evidence), 'must' usually stays as 'must' (though 'had to' is possible if referring to obligation, here it refers to certainty), and 'can't' changes to 'couldn't'.

1. Direct: "He must be tired after the journey," she said.

• Note: Here, 'must' implies logical certainty.
• Reported: She said that he must be (or must have been) tired after the journey.

2. Direct: "She can't be at home," he said.

• Note: 'Can't' implies logical impossibility.
• Reported: He said that she couldn't be at home.