Using indirect speech to report words and ideas
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Indirect speech changes | page 4 of 6 |
Adverb changes in indirect speech
The following are some commonly mentioned rules regarding adverb changes in indirect speech:
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However, these changes are not always made when indirect speech is used. Instead, adverbs that are appropriate to the reporting situation are used. Consider:
"Did you watch the cartoon yesterday?" he asked me.
If this is reported on the same day, the indirect speech sentence will be:
He asked me if I (had) watched the cartoon yesterday.
But if the question is reported later, the indirect speech structure will be:
He asked me if I had watched the cartoon the day before.
In other words, the choice of an appropriate adverb depends on meaning.
The following are more examples where the expected adverb changes did not take place:
Max said he'd get here about 6:00 tomorrow. (Bank of English)
She said she'd tried to phone today. (Bank of English)
He said that Lam's marriage had now broken down. (SCMP 12/9/92)
They'd said to him they'd be in touch this week. (Bank of English)
I told them to meet me here. (Bank of English)
Anna Ludlow said Lester was fine yesterday. (Bank of English)
Teaching implications
Instead of asking students to learn rules that are often broken in authentic English, it is much more important for students to see that the choice of adverbs (and tenses, pronouns, etc) depends on meaning in context.
Introduction
Adverb changes in indirect speech
