Transcript
REPORTED SPEECH
Reporting verbs: say and tell. To say and to tell are both reporting verbs. However, to tell must be followed by an indirect object while to say is normally followed by that or, occasionally, by to + indirect object. He says that he is listening. He tells me that he is listening. He said to me that he was listening. To say is used to introduce direct speech, greetings or commands: He said, ‘I am listening to you’. He said goodbye He said no. To tell can also be used in expressions such as: To tell a story – To tell the time - To tell a lie - To tell the truth - To tell the difference. Reported speech (I) I verbi più comuni per introdurre il discorso indiretto sono: say, tell, ask, suggest. Di seguito i loro usi specifici: Tell (+ infinitive) is used to report commands: ‘Go away!’ ⇒ She told me to go away. ‘Do not drive too fast’ ⇒ She told me not to drive too fast. Ask (+ infinitive) is used to report requests: ‘Please, help me find my memory stick’ ⇒ He asked me to help him find his memory stick. Suggest (+ -ing form; or subject + verb base form; or subject + should + verb base form) is usually used to report suggestions: ‘Let’s send for a doctor’. ⇒ He suggested sending for a doctor. that we send… that we should send... ‘He should apologise’ ⇒ She suggested that he should apologise that he apologise. Altri reporting verbs possono tuttavia essere usati: Add, exclaim, explain, etc. invite, order, etc.
advise, promise, etc.
wonder, reply, etc.
Nel passaggio dal discorso diretto al discorso indiretto si devono rispettare certi rapporti in termini di: pronomi tempi verbali espressioni di tempo e di luogo Se il verbo (ovvero say, tell, etc.) che introduce il discorso indiretto è al: Simple Present Present perfect ⇒ nel passaggio da discorso diretto a discorso indiretto non c’è cambiamento di tempo. Future a) ‘I’ll come tomorrow’ b) ‘She can lend you her PC’
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John says (Simple Present) that he will come tomorrow. John says (Simple Present) that she can lend me her PC
Se, invece, il verbo che introduce il discorso indiretto è al: Simple Past ⇒ nel passaggio da discorso diretto a discorso indiretto si osservano i seguenti cambiamenti di tempo:
Past Perfect Direct speech Simple present Present continuous Present perfect Present perfect continuous Simple past Will future Future continuous Imperative
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Reported speech ‘I’ll come tomorrow.’ Simple Past ⇒ John said (Simple Past) that he would Past continuous come tomorrow. Past perfect Past perfect continuous Past perfect Present conditional (regola generale, ma vedi sotto Future in the Past) Present conditional continuous Infinitive
Rimangono invece invariati i seguenti tempi verbali: Direct speech Past perfect Past perfect continuous Present conditional Past conditional
Future in the Past Study the following examples: ‘I will bring you a nice present from England.’ a) He promised he would bring a nice present from England. b) He promised he would have brought us a nice present from England (but he didn’t).
Variazione delle espressioni di tempo e luogo nel reported speech. This ⇒ that Here ⇒ there Now ⇒ then Today/tonight ⇒ that day/night Yesterday ⇒ the previous day, the day before Tomorrow ⇒ the following day, the day after, the next day The day before yesterday ⇒ two days before The day after tomorrow ⇒ in two days’ time An hour/a day/ a week ago ⇒ an hour/a day/ a week before Last week/month ⇒ the previous week/month Next week/month ⇒ the following week/month
Reported speech (II) – Periodo ipotetico nel discorso indiretto Study the following examples: ‘I’ll come if I have time’ ⇒ He said he would come if he had time ‘I would come if I had time’ ⇒ He said he would come if he had time ‘I would have come if I had had time’ ⇒ He said he would have come if he had had time. Se ne ricava che nel riferire un periodo ipotetico cambia solo quello denominato First conditional
