3. Sequence of Tenses.

Indirect speech

Exercise 154. Translate into Russian. Pay attention to two actions.

A

1. Tom says that he lived in New York.

2. Tom said that he lived in New York.

3. Tom said that he had lived in New York.

4. Tom said that he was going to live in New York.

5. I knew that she worked for a computer software company.

6. Everybody knew that she had practised karate at school.

7. Mary said that she would take her exam in June.

8. We didn't know where she had lived before.

9. He asked us if we knew his address.

10. He told me that his father was a teacher.

11. He told me that his father had been a teacher.

12. Jack thought I was singing аn Italian song.

13. He told me he would go to the South in summer.

14. My sister wrote to me that she had left school.

15. He told me that he had bought a mansion in London.

B

1. I hope you know what you are doing.

2. It is strange that he did not speak to you.

3. He said that if I followed his advice everything would be all right.

4. Mary was not sure whether she had shut all the win­dows.

5. Nick says that you are a wonderful dancer.

6. He said that he would be back.

7. I told you that John would come back and my words proved right.

8. Tell me what you have been doing since we saw each other for the last time.

9. I never realized that my sister was so beautiful.

10. David said that he had asked permission to come and see me.

11. Mary said that she had not seen Miss Oxley for a couple of days.

12. You were warned that the delegation would arrive in May.

13. He said that he had been to the theatre two days before.

14. Manuela said that she lived in Moscow.

Exercise 155. Choose the correct item.

1. I can only help you if you say / tell me the problem.

2. Tom told / said he would be late home.

3. My mother said / told to turn the oven on at 6 o'clock.

4. The teacher said / told us to do the exercise.

5. The doctor said / told, "You'd better stay in bed for two days."

6. I like listening to him when he says / talks about his youth.

7. My dentist told / said me to eat less chocolate.

8. He won't be punished if he says / tells what happened.

Exercise 156. Put in the correct forms of say or tell.

1. I _____ that I wasn't ready.

2. _____ me what you need.

3. Have you _____ the doctor about it?

4. Did you _____ something to me?

5. He doesn't _____ me anything.

6. Mary _____ her mother she was going to the office.

7. Why didn't she _____ goodbye?

8. _____ him to be quiet.

9. Who _____ that?

10. _____ that you won't forget me.

Exercise 157. Read the story and fill in: say, tell or ask in the correct form.

1. First, the headmaster _____ good morning.

2. Then he _____ us that the police had been _____ questions about hooliganism at school.

3. The police _____ that some pupils had been seen breaking windows.

4. Several boys were _____ if they knew anything, but of course they _____ nothing.

5. They were probably _____ lies.

6. The headmaster _____ us all for information.

7. He _____ we must _____ him the names of those involved.

8. Well, I know who they were. But I can't _____ him the secret.

9. _____ the truth is not always easy, is it?

Exercise 158. Match the direct and indirect speech expressions.

Example: here - there

• DIRECT SPEECH:

here last week next week now this this morning

today tomorrow tonight yesterday

• INDIRECT SPEECH:

that day that morning that night that/the/last

the day before the next day the next week / the week after

the week before then / that day / right away there

Exercise 159. Imagine these sentences were reported in another place a month later. Put in the time expressions.

1.	“I’ll see you tomorrow.”		She said she'd see me the next day.
2.	“I’ll phone you this evening.”		He said he'd phone _____.
3.	“Do you like it here?”		She asked if I liked it _____.
4.	“My uncle died last week.”		He told me his uncle had died _____.
5.	“This meat tastes funny.”		She said _____ meat tasted funny.
6.	“I’m leaving now.”		He told us he was leaving _____.
7.	“I overslept this morning.”		She told him she'd overslept _____.
8.	“The train leaves at 11.00 tonight.”		I was told the train left at 11.00 _____.
9.	“Pete phoned me yesterday.”		He said Pete had phoned him _____.
10.	“My brother's arriving here today.”		She said her brother was arriving _____.

Exercise 160. Complete the reported sentences with the correct tenses.

1.	“I'm tired.”		She said she _____ tired.
2.	“You play very well.”		He told me I _____ very well.
3.	“Can you help us?”		They asked if I _____ help them.
4.	“We're- leaving.”		They told us they _____.
5.	“She hasn't brushed her hair.”		I noticed that she _____ her hair.
6.	“John's had an accident.”		Pam rang to say that John _____ an accident.
7.	“I left school at fifteen.”		Her letter said that she _____ school at fifteen.
8.	“She won't say anything.”		I knew she _____ anything
9.	“Nobody will know.”		I thought nobody _____.
10.	“This letter has been opened.”		I could see that the letter _____.

Exercise 161. This is Ann’s letter to Mary. Put in the right tense.

1. I had a really funny evening yesterday, Mary. I got talking to this boy in the pub, very nice-looking he was, and I could see he (fancy) me.

2. He said he (never meet) anybody like me before, and he felt I (have) a very unusual kind of beauty. Oh, yes? I said.

3. Then he asked me if I (want) a lift home, so I said no, I (be) hungry, so we went out for a curry.

4. I asked him what he (do) for a living, and he said he (do) some undercover work for the CIA at the moment.

5. He said he (can not) give me his address because he (move) around all the time.

6. So I asked him why he (think) I (want) his address.

7. Then he asked if he (can) have my phone number.

8. He said he (call) me today to fix for me to go to America with him.

9. So I asked him why he (want) to take me to America, and he said he (think) he (fall) in love with me.

10. I knew he (lie), but it was kind of fun.

11. Anyway, I told him I (have) got a boyfriend already, but he said that (not matter).

12. We (be) meant for each other, he said, and nobody (go) to stand in our way, because our lives (be) written in the stars.

13. Then he borrowed £20 from me to pay the bill because he said he (leave) his wallet at home, and he went off to the toilet, and I never saw him again.

Exercise 162. Yesterday you met a friend of yours, Charlie. Charlie told you a lot of things. Here are some of the things he said to you. Later you tell another friend what Charlie said.

1. “I’m thinking of going to live in Canada.”

Charlie said that he was thinking of going to live in Canada.

2. “My father is in hospital.”

3. “Nora and Jim are getting married next month.”

4. “I haven’t seen Bill for a while.”

5. “I’ve been playing tennis recently.”

6. “Margaret has had a baby.”

7. “I don’t know what Fred is doing.”

8. “I hardly ever go out these days.”

9. “I work 14 hours a day.”

10. “I’ll tell Jim I saw you.”

11. “You can come and stay with me if you are ever in London.”

12. “I saw Jack at party a few months ago and he seemed fine.”

Exercise 163. Convert into indirect speech.

1. “I am sorry to disturb you’ said Mike to Elisa.

2. ‘The taxi is waiting’ said the porter.

3. ‘I am Monica’s teacher of history,’ said Mr. O’Brian.

4. 'My mother wants to know if you are coming to see her tomorrow,' she said.

5. “It’s time they moved to a new house,” Ann said.

6. “I was reading the children a story last night when the lights went out,” she said.

7. “I’ll help you to repair your car tomorrow,” he said to me.

8. “I didn’t understand the meaning of the film,” Frank said leaving the cinema hall.

9. “I’ve applied for several jobs this week,” Bob said.

10. “I saw him yesterday but he didn’t recognize me,” Mary said.

Exercise 164. Convert into indirect speech paying special attention to the adverbial modi­fiers of time and place.

1. “I posted your letter yesterday, ” said Pearl to Dick.

2. “I’ll have another talk with him tomorrow,” said Agnes.

3. “You have a beautiful place here,” said Pete.

4. “Jessica arrived last night and she wanted to see you,” said Arny.

5. “You'll never guess whom I met today. It was Flora!” said Nick.

6. “I have not seen him this morning,” said Luke.

7. “He’ll meet Betsie here today,” she said.

8. “I saw Jack at the University today,” said Anne.

9. “Tonight I’ll stay at home and read what the editor has given to me,” said Nelly.

10. “If you come tonight you will see a cheerful crowd of peo­ple,” said Bass.

11. Stella remarked: “A minute ago I wouldn't have thought I would do it.”

Exercise 165. Turn these into indirect questions, beginning I asked.

1. What’s Peter’s address?

2. When’s the new manager coming?

3. How does she know my name?

4. Why are all the windows open?

5. How many books does he want?

6. Where do they keep the money?

7. What time is the meeting?

8. When does the last train leave?

9. How does the photocopier work?

10. How often does Ann go shopping?

Exercise 166. Turn these into indirect questions, beginning I wonder.

1. Do you like hamburgers?

2. Will I be ready in time?

3. Is there any food in the house?

4. Is service included or not?

5. Can I pay by cheque?

6. Does my hair look funny?

7. Has the postman been?

8. Do you speak English?

9. Am I doing the right thing?

10. Is the meeting on Tuesday or Wednesday?

Exercise 167. Fiona went for an interview last week. First read, then report Mr. Robert’s questions.

1. “Why do want to work for Portman Plastics?”

Mr. Robert asked Fiona why she wanted to work for Portman Plastcs.

2. “How long were you employed at Smithson steel?”

3. “Can you speak English?”

4. “Are you familiar with the plastic industry?”

5. “Why did you leave your last place of employment?”

6. “Is this the first time you have applied for a managerial post?”

7. “Would you be willing to move to Paris?”

8. “When did you graduated?”

9. “What salary would you hope to receive?”

10. “May I check your references?”

Exercise 168. Change the imperative sentences as shown.

1. I won’t tell anybody. (He promised)

He promised not to tell anybody.

2. I’ll cook supper. (She offered)

3. Leave early. (He advised me)

4. Please close the door. (She asked me)

5. I’ll stop smoking. (She promised)

6. Why don’t I do the shopping? (He offered)

7. You ought to tell the police. (She advised me)

8. Wait outside. (I told her)

9. OK, I’ll pay half. (He agreed)

10. Park round the corner. (She told me)

11. How do I find the house? (I asked him)

12. Phone me before nine. (She told me when)

Exercise 169. First read then report what the flight attendant to the passengers before takeoff.

1. Do not smoke in no-smoking areas or in the toilets.

She told them not to smoke in no-smoking areas or in the toilets.

2. Please fasten your safety belts before takeoff.

3. Put your bags in the overhead lockers.

4. Please keep your seats upright during takeoff.

5. Do not run in the aisles.

6. Please do not use stereo equipment.

7. Please do not leave your seats during takeoff or landing.

8. Press the button to call a flight attendant.

9. Please do not obstruct the emergency exits.

Exercise 170. Change these sentences to indirect speech (reported some time later).

1. He’s ill. (She thought)

2. I’ll be back tomorrow. (He said)

3. I don’t like this music. (She said)

4. Where’s the bus station? (She asked me)

5. Have you finished? (I asked him)

6. Do you want tea or coffee? (He asked her)

7. I’ll clean the flat. (She offered)

8. When is the car going to be ready? (I asked)

9. What am I doing here? (I wondered)

10. The earth is not flat. (He proved)

11. These figures can’t be right. (I knew)

12. Her cat understands everything she says. (She thought)

13. Did Mary phone back? (I wondered)

14. Did dinosaurs lay eggs? (I wondered)

Exercise 171. Change the following from direct into indirect speech.

1. “Where have you been?” he said to me.

2. “Close your eyes and open the parcel,” she said to me.

3. “I’m writing my autobiography,” said Paul.

4. “Don’t walk on the grass,” the park attendant said to us.

5. “Did you pay the electricity bill?” he said to his wife.

6. “I’ll phone you at 7 o’clock tonight,” she said to him.

7. “What size shoes do you take?” the shop assistant said to him.

8. “Let’s paint the walls blue!” said my little brother.

9. “A lot of English words are borrowed from other languages,” the teacher said to us.

10. “Does the train stop at Leeds?” (The old lady asked)

Exercise 172. Turn these conversations in indirect speech.

A	“How can I lose weight?” Alan asked. “You mustn’t eat sweets or oily food. You can eat potatoes, though. You should also get plenty of exercise,” said the doctor. “Shall I join a gym?” said Alan. “You needn’t join a gym. You can go jogging every day,” said the doctor.
B	“How can I get a job?” Jane said. “You can look through the newspapers at the job advertisements. You can also go to the Job Centre. I’m sure they could find you a job,” said Julie. “Shall I go to a private employment agency?” said Jane. “You could, but it will cost you a lot of money and you don’t have much,” said Julie.
C	“Sally would you like to go out tonight for a change?” Daniel asked. “What a lovely idea! Why don’t we go for a meal?” Sally said. “Well …mm… possibly, but I’ve already bought two tickets for the opera,” Daniel said. “Even better. But I’ll walk out if you fall asleep like the last time!” Sally threatened. “Not at all! I only had my eyes closed to enjoy the music,” Daniel explained. “All right then, I’ll go, but should keep your mouth closed if you’re going to snore,” Sally said.

Exercise 173. Convert into direct speech.

1. She told him that her parents would come next week to­gether with their friends.

2. Allan doubted whether the picture was a real Michelan­gelo.

3. Monica said that Maurice was in the garden doing some re­pairs.

4. Stella warned him that if he did not hurry up he would be too late.

5. The doctor said that if Nigel did not stay in bed and take the medicine he would not be able to take part in the com­petition.

6. George asked Maud not to interfere with his work because he was in the middle of the most difficult part of it.

7. Becky asked Mike to come and see her next week when she would not be so busy getting ready for the exams.

8. Mr. Morris was interested to know if Jack had completed his course work by the time he had to do it.

9. The professor demanded that the students should all come at eleven next day to ask any questions they had.

10. Tony asked Helen where she had spent the previous week when he'd tried to find her.

11. Moira suspected that they had not told her the truth.

12. Michael's opinion was that they should rather go and see the ancient ruins than spend hours at a concert in a stuffy hall.

Exercise 174. Turn the following into a conversation.

1. The policeman ordered the driver to step out of his car.

2. The driver agreed, but he wondered what the matter was.

3. The policeman inquired if the driver had been speeding, but the driver denied it.

4. The policeman explained that it was illegal to drive more than 50 km an hour on this stretch of road.

5. The driver protested that he hadn’t been speeding but the policeman insisted that he had.

6. The policeman explained that he was obliged to give the driver a ticket for speeding.

Exercise 175. Supply the appropriate form of the infinitives in brackets.

1. I (to think) that the bench (to be) clean enough but Myra (to think) that it (to be) not.

2. The policeman (to ask) George a couple of questions about the accident. He (to be) especially interested to know how many times George (to hear) the shots.

3. Ask Michael if he (to go) with us tomorrow or if he (to want) to be left alone.

4. I never told Mary that you (to miss) her so much but I (to think) you (to say) it yourself.

5. Dorian Gray (to ask) Basil that he never (to show) the picture or (to send) it to any exhibition.

6. On coming back Nick (to say) that he (to have to walk) in the rain and that (to be) the reason why he (to be) wet to the skin.

7. I (to know) what present Helen (to like) for her birthday. She (to say) she (to like) a tartan jacket.

8. The professor (to say) that originally the population of Europe (to be) mainly Celtic.

9. They (to say) he (to graduate) just from Cambridge and that he (to have) a brilliant carrier ahead.

10. Dorothy (to say) that nowadays you (not to come across) such words.

Exercise 176. Translate into English.

1. Неужели он действительно сказал, что никогда не захочет видеть её в своем доме?

2. Говорят, что предсказать погоду в Великобритании практически невозможно.

3. Экзаменатор настаивал, чтобы студенты пользовались проверенной информацией.

4. Алиса сказала, чтобы мы начинали заседание совета директоров без неё: она попала в дорожную пробку и опаздывает.

5. Профессор сказал, что когда он был студентом, он работал значительно больше, чем мы. Вот поэтому-то он и профессор!

6. Полли сказала, что боится летать самолетом и предпочитает поезд. Пусть дольше, зато безопаснее.

7. Ник подумал, что никогда не видел цветов пышнее и роскошнее, чем те, которые выращивались в этом саду.

8. Тетя Августа просила тебя сообщить заранее о своём приезде. Кажется, она готовит тебе пышную встречу.

9. Ты никогда не говорил, что знаешь её, и что вы вместе учились в школе.

10. Бабушка всегда просит меня найти её очки, они всегда оказываются у неё в кармане.

Exercise 177. Translate into English.

1. Спросите мистера Берна, что конкретно мы должны делать.

2. Нелли просила тебя прийти и помочь ей с испанским языком. Она говорит, что без твоей помощи она его не одолеет.

3. Алиса спросила, не изменились ли наши планы, и хотим ли мы ещё поехать в Италию.

4. Директора не интересовало, почему поручение не выполнено, его интересовало, что мы сделали, чтобы оно было выполнено.

5. Я спросила его, сколько дней он уже сидит дома из-за болезни, и как долго его ещё не будет на работе. Он сказал, что через пять дней окончательно поправится.

6. На собеседовании меня спрашивали, где я живу и кем работаю, откуда я родом, кто мои родители, и каковы мои планы на будущее.

7. Спроси у него, откуда у него такая информация и кому ещё он собирается всё это рассказать.

8. Начальник поинтересовался, смогу ли я выйти на работу в воскресенье, но я ответил, что в воскресенье я обещал отвести детей в театр.