Statement Clauses
Changing statements to reported speech
Quoted vs. Reported Statements
| QUOTED STATEMENT | REPORTED STATEMENT | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Use a word such as said to restate something someone says. Use a comma after said. Include the quote in quotation marks. If said "interrupts" the quotation, use a comma before said. |
When we restate what someone has said, we place the quoted words within another clause. (We subordinate the clause within a main clause.) The quoted speech adjusts to the time and location of the main sentence. The pronoun, verb tense and adverbs adjust to the speaker's point of view. A subordinator marker that, is optionally included. |
||
MAIN CLAUSE She said, |
STATEMENT "It's raining here." |
MAIN CLAUSE She said |
SUBORDINATE CLAUSE: REPORTED SPEECH [that] it was raining there. |
She said, |
"It was raining here, but it's not now." |
She said |
[that] it had been raining there, but it wasn't now. |
She replied, |
"I'll meet you at this cafe tomorrow," |
She replied |
[that] she would meet me at that cafe the next day. |
She declared, |
"That umbrella is mine." |
She declared |
[that] the umbrella was hers. |
Also see Said Synonyms | Quotation Marks
Subordinating a Statement
| SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | SUBORDINATED STATEMENT |
|---|---|---|
1. Remove comma and quotes. |
My friend said, |
"It's raining here." |
2. Optionally include the relative pronoun that. |
My friend said [that] |
it is raining here. |
3. Adjust the speaker's perspective (deictics):
|
My friend said |
it was raining there. |
Synonyms for Restating
| SYNONYM | MEANING | SENTENCE |
|---|---|---|
say |
to utter words |
She said that was a good place to eat. |
state |
to say something (systematically) |
She stated she did not like politics. |
declare |
to say publicly |
She declared she was a citizen of the U.S. |
claim |
to say (take a firm position) |
She claimed she was not transporting food or drugs. |
announce |
to say publicly |
She announced that she was getting married. |
After the above words, optionally include that in the that-clause
Related page: Other words for said
Deictics
Adjusting perspective in a subordinated clause
Adjusting perspective (deictics)
| IDENTITY | TIME | LOCATION | POSSESSIVE PRONOUN |
|---|---|---|---|
Adjust the subject and object pronouns to the speaker's perspective (viewpoint). |
Adjust the verb tense and the adverbs for time to the speaker's perspective. |
Adjust location, direction or proximity words to the speaker's perspective. |
Adjust possessive pronouns to the speaker's perspective. |
You can show this book to my brother tonight. |
You can show this book to my brother tonight. |
You can show this book to my brother tonight. |
You can show this book to my brother tonight. |
She said I … |
She said I could show the book… that night. |
She said I could show that book... that night. |
She said I could show that book to her brother that night. |
I /me, he/ him, she/ her, they/ them, we/ us |
present / past / past perfect tenses |
here/ there, near/ far, this/ that, these/ those, come/ go, to/ from |
my/mine, your/ yours, his, her/hers, their/ theirs, our/ours |
Related page: Pop-Q - "Deictics" - indicating identity, time, or location from the perspective of one or more speakers
Adjusting Perspective Changes
| SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | SUBORDINATED STATEMENT |
|---|---|---|
1. Remove comma and quotes. |
My friend said, |
"I'll meet you at this cafe tomorrow." |
2. Optionally add the relative pronoun that. |
My friend said [that] |
I'll meet you at this cafe tomorrow. |
3. Adjust the speaker's perspective (deictics):
|
My friend said |
she would meet me at that cafe the next day. |
Restating Speech
Recounting State of Mind
| QUOTED STATEMENT | STATEMENT & STATE OF MIND |
|---|---|
When using said or tell, the restatement is usually exact. It does nothing more than report the speech. |
When using a word such as think, believe, know, etc., the restatement includes opinion about the person's cognitive or mental state as well. See Mental States for other words expressing cognitive state. Optionally, include that. |
She said, "It looks like it's raining here." |
She thinks [that] it is raining there. (here, there) |
She said, "It was raining just a minute ago." |
She knows it was raining just a minute ago. |
She said, "I'll meet you at the cafe tomorrow." |
She remembers we are going to meet at the cafe tomorrow. |
She said, "That umbrella is mine." |
She believes this umbrella is hers. |
He said, "This is my last day working here." |
He understands [that] this is his last day working here. (here, there) |
Related pages It–Subj Clauses, That–Subj Clauses
Note that keeping the subordinted clause in the present tense for "general truth" may be considered formal or informal usage.
Tense Agreement
Contrasting same-time and earlier events
Backshifting
| QUOTE | BACKSHIFTING | NO BACKSHIFTING |
|---|---|---|
Quoted speech captures speech as it is spoken. No tense change is made, even when the speech act is in the past. |
In formal writing, the tense of the subordinated clause is 'backshifted' to the time frame of the verb in the main clause. |
In both formal and informal writing, one can use the present tense to state fact, how things exist, or how things behave. |
IN GENERAL He said, "I love rain." |
He said that he loved rain. |
GENERAL TRUTH – STATE OF EXISTENCE ¹He said that he loves rain. |
PAST MIXED He said, "I was Canadian, but now I am a US citizen." |
CHANGED STATUS He said that he had been Canadian, but now he was a US citizen. |
²He said that he was Canadian, but now he is a US citizen. (informal) |
SINGLE PRESENT EVENT He said, "I see a rainbow." |
SAME-TIME PAST He said that he saw a rainbow. |
*He said that he sees a rainbow. (incorrect) |
SINGLE PAST EVENT He said, "I forgot the umbrella." |
EARLIER EVENT He said that he had forgotten the umbrella. |
²He said that he forgot the umbrella. (informal) |
FUTURE EVENT He said, "Rain is expected next week." |
A TIME LATER THAN THE MOMENT HE SPOKE He said that rain was expected next week. |
A FUTURE TIME FROM NOW He said that rain is expected next week. |
FUTURE EVENT He said, "Rain is expected Sunday." |
A PAST PREDICTION He said that rain was expected (last) Sunday. (could be a failed prediction) |
A FUTURE TIME FROM NOW *He said that rain is expected (last) Sunday. (incorrect, impossible) |
¹ formal and informal, commonly used for "general truth" and states of existence.
² informal, but may be used to capture a particular meaning
*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.
(CaGEL Obligatory vs. optional backshifting 3 §6.2.2)
Expressions
Restating to capture the meaning
| EXPRESSION | REPORTED SPEECH |
|---|---|
Expressions are often "frozen". (An expression is two or more words that together take on a new meaning.) For this reason, it sounds awkward when tense, number or a pronoun is changed. |
When changing an expression to reported speech any change to tense, number or pronoun returns the phrase to its literal (word for word) meaning. It is often best to restate the expression in other words. |
"You are pulling my leg!" |
She said that we were pulling her leg. (awkward pronoun use) |
"You can't pull the wool over my eyes." |
He assured us that we couldn't fool him. (re-word) |
"Here it is!" / "Here they are!" |
He shouted that he had found it / them. (re-word) |
Practice 1
On the Road
- Change the direct quote to reported speech.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.
- Formal usage is marked (for.) and informal usage is marked (inf.).
Practice 2
"Catching Up"
catch up with someone – share news
JASON: Tom's family is considering moving to Vancouver.
JASON: His father received a good job offer.
JASON: Tom has never moved before; it's hard.
KATE: Interesting! Tom's father is Canadian.
KATE: Maybe, he wants to return.
KATE: The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
KATE: I'll miss Tom a lot.
Practice 3
Cartoon Activity
Select or create a cartoon and retell the conversation as reported speech (past tense).
Select one from gocomics.com (The example below is from a "Peanuts" cartoon strip.)
Or create your own. http://plasq.com/ (30-day free trial)
- Edit the conversation and include punctuation, if needed.
- Compare your response to the answer to the right by clicking the "check" button.
Peanuts http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/2012/03/27/
Comic Life 2. . http://plasq.com/ (Create your own comics: example "Small Talk".)
