Unit 10 reporting what people say or think

When you report what people have said using your own words rather than the words they actually used, you use a report structure. You do not usually repeat their exact words, you rather express the idea.

Jim: "It’s time I went home".

Jim said he wanted to go home.

Report structures are sometimes called indirect speech. Report structures contain two clauses: the reporting with a reporting verb and the reported clause containing the information you are reporting. It can be a that-clause, a ‘to’-infinitive clause, an if-clause or a wh-word clause.

If you want to report a statement or someone’s thought, you use a that-clause. In informal speech and writing, the conjunction that is commonly omitted.

Mrs. Lee announced that the lecture would now begin.

They said I had to see a doctor first.

I think there’s something wrong.

That is often omitted when the reporting verb refers simply to the act of saying or thinking. You usually include that after a verb which gives more information, such as complain, explain.

I explained that she would have to stay in bed.

His brother complained that the office wasn’t businesslike.

You usually put the reporting clause before the that-clause in order to make it clear that you are reporting rather than speaking directly yourself.

The reporting verb most often used for reporting questions is ask. When you report a question, you don’t treat it as a question by using interrogative word order or a question mark.

"Did you enjoy it?" I asked.

I asked her if she enjoyed it.

When you report a yes/no question you use an if-clause when the speaker has suggested one possibility that may be true, or a whether-clause when the speaker has suggested one possibility but has left open the question of other possibilities. After whether you can suggest another possibility, or you can leave it unstated.

He asked her if her parents spoke French.

I was asked whether I wanted to stay at a hotel or at his home.

Sometimes the alternative possibility is represented by ‘or not’.

The barman didn’t ask whether or not they were over eighteen.

They asked whether Brian was or was not a Christian.

When you report a wh-question, you use a wh-word at the beginning of the reported clause. When the details of the question are clear from the context, you can sometimes leave out everything except the wh-word. This happens mostly in spoken English, especially with ‘why’.

I asked why.

They enquired how.

If you want to report the speaker influencing (or trying to influence) the hearer’s future action by means of a command, request, suggestion or piece of advice, you use a ‘to’-infinitive clause. The hearer who is to perform the action is mentioned as the subject of the reporting verb or in a prepositional phrase.

Johnson told her to wake him up.

He ordered me to fetch the books.

If a request is made in the form of a question, reported requests look like reported questions.

People ask me if I can lend them fifty dollars.

He asked me whether I would help him.

Reporting verbs which can be used with a person as object followed by a ‘to’-infinitive clause:

advise	command	instruct	press	teach
appeal (to)	counsel	implore	persuade	tell
ask	direct	invite	recommend	urge
beg	encourage	nag	remind	warn
call (on)	entreat	order	request	whisper (to)
challenge	forbid	plead (with	shout (at)	yell (at)
coax

The officer shouted to us to stop all the noise.

I pleaded with him to tell me.

When you use a ‘to’-infinitive clause in reports, you are normally talking about what the speaker or hearer will do. If you want to report an order or suggestion which relates to someone or something else, you can use a that-clause with a modal (usually should) in it.

In many cases the verb in the reported clause is in the passive form and the person who is expected to carry out the action is not mentioned.

He proposes that the Government should hold an inquiry.

He also suggested that someone should sleep in the offices every night.

The Prime Minister has requested that parliament should be recalled.

If you do not use the modal, the result is more formal. The verb in the reported clause still has the form it would have if the modal were present. This use of the base form is called the subjunctive.

It was his doctor who advised that he change his job.

I suggested that he bring them all up to the house.

He urges that the restrictions be lifted.

Suggest is not used with a ‘to’-infinitive clause even when the reported suggestion is addressed directly to the hearer.

Reporting verbs which can be followed by a that-clause containing a modal or a subjunctive:

agree	insist	prefer	request
decree	intend	propose	rule
demand	plead	warn	stipulate
direct	pray	recommend	suggest

These verbs can be used with an object clause and a ‘to’-infinitive clause:

advise	command
ask	order
beg	urge

You can also report a suggestion using one of the reporting verbs suggest, advise, propose, recommend with a non-finite clause beginning with a present participle. In this case you don’t mention the hearer.

Barbara suggested going to another coffee-house.

He proposed moving to New York.

When we report someone’s words several changes are made:

1. personal and possessive pronouns and determiners are changed in order to keep the same reference;

"You’re crazy". – I told him he was crazy.

2. ‘here-and-now’ words may have to be changed in accordance with the situation;

3. when the reporting verb is in past, back shift takes place in accordance with the rules of the sequence of tenses.

Tips of the day

• had better can be reported unchanged or by advise:

He said, ‘You’d better tell Tom.’

He said I’d better tell Tom.

He advised me to tell Tom.

• what about often introduces a suggestion and is then reported by suggest:

‘What about flying?’ he said.

He suggested flying.

• why don’t you often introduces suggestions or advice and is then reported by suggest or advise:

‘Why don’t you ask him?’ I said.

I suggested (her) asking him.

• offer can be used in two constructions:

Would you like a drink? – He offered me a drink.

Shall I wait for you? – He offered to wait for me.

When the infinitive is used it must be placed directly after offer. The person addressed is not mentioned in this construction.

• let’s go usually becomes:

He suggested going.

Though possible in certain cases are:

He suggested that they should go.

He urged / advised them to go.

• let’s not go can be expressed by any of these constructions in the negative; but suggest + negative gerund is slightly less usual than the others and is often replaced by:

He was against going / against the idea / against it.

He was opposed to the idea. / He opposed the idea.