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speech, there may arise the necessity to replace the adverbs and demonstrative pronouns implying near
reference in time or space by those denoting distant reference. In such cases the following changes take place:
this > that
these
> those
here
> there
now
> then, at that time
today
> that day
tonight
> that night
tomorrow
> the following day, (the) next day
yesterday
> the day before, the previous day
ago
> before
last week (month, year)
> the previous week (month, year
)
“But I am really very busy today,”
said Hans.
“Well, there’s no use in standing
here arguing about it,” she said.
Hans said that he was really very
busy that day.
She said that there was no use in
standing there arguing about it.
§ 185. If the sentence in direct speech is declarative, the object clause reporting it in indirect speech is joined
to the principal clause by means of the conjunction that or asyndetically. The predicate of the principal clause is
usually expressed by the verbs to say or to tell; to say is used when the person to whom the direct speech is
addressed is not mentioned in the sentence with indirect speech, whereas to tell is used when the person is
mentioned.
Then she turned to Fanny:
“We have been married for three years.”
a)
Then she turned to Fanny and
said (that) they had been married for three years.
b)
Then she turned to Fanny and
told her (that) they had been married for three years.
Looking at the doctor she said,
“I don’t know what it was.”
a)
Looking at the doctor she said
(that) she did not know what it had been.
b)
Looking at the doctor she told him
(that) she did not know what it had been.
§ 186. If the direct speech is a pronominal question, the object clause reporting it in indirect speech is joined
to the principal clause by the same pronominal word (pronoun or adverb) as used in direct speech. In this case it
is treated as a conjunctive word. The word order in the object clause becomes direct. The predicate of the
principal clause is the verb to ask or one of its synonyms to want to know, to wonder, etc.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Why didn’t he come?” said she.
She asked who it was.
She wanted to know why he had not come.
The person to whom the direct speech is addressed is usually mentioned either in the sentence itself, or in a
broader context, or else is understood from the situation. In indirect speech it is expressed in the object to the
verb introducing indirect speech.
“Where have you come from?” she asked the boy.
She began to put on her gloves.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
She asked the boy where he had come from.
She began to put on her gloves.
He asked her what she was going to do.
§ 187. If the direct speech is a general question, the object clause reporting it in indirect speech is joined to
the principal clause by means of the conjunctions if or whether. The word order in the object clause is direct.