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tell. However, when reporting verb like complain, explain, object, and point out is used, that cannot be omitted.
a. Changes in Transferring Direct Speech into Indirect Speech
In changing direct speech into indirect speech, there should be some changes in some aspects, like in the tense, demonstrative, personal pronoun,
adverb of time and place, and word order Yule, 2004.
1 Tense
According to Celce-Murcia and Larsen Freeman 1999: 689, “…the tense in reported clause is in some sense controlled by the tense in the reporting clause,
such as when the reporting verb is in the past tense, the verb in the reported clause must be back shifted.” For example, when the direct speech is “I’m leaving
tomorrow”, the backshift is presented in Table 2.2.
Table 2.2: The Examples of Backshift Celce-Murcia and Larsen Freeman, 1999: 689
Reporting Verb Tense Indirect Speech
Simple Present no backshift She says that she is leaving tomorrow.
Present Perfect no backshift She has said that she is leaving tomorrow.
Simple Past to past progressive tense
She said that she was leaving tomorrowthe next day.
Celce-Murcia and Larsen Freeman 1999 state there are also some exceptions in backshift. There will be no backshifts if:
1 The event stated by the speaker remains true. 2 What is conveyed by the speaker is general truth.
3 The statement is reported to third person by a second person immediately after it is said by the first person.
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2 Pronouns
The change of personal pronoun depends on the reporter’s point of view toward the first speaker. Celce-Murcia and Larsen Freeman 1999: 698 state
there is commonly a change from first- and second-person forms of pronoun to third-person forms in transferring direct speech into indirect speech. For example:
[2] Original quote by Mary: “I hope that Fred gets better soon.” Report by Fred: Mary says that she hopes that I get better soon.
Report by someone speaking to Fred: Mary says that she hopes that you get better soon. Celce-Murcia and Larsen Freeman, 1999: 698
3 Demonstratives and Adverbials of Time and Place
Yule 2004 states, “The form of the indirect speech version will reflect the reporter’s sense of closeness or distance between the situation being reported
and the current reporting situation” p. 273. Yule’s statement is applied in the use of demonstratives and adverb of time and place, for example:
[3] Smith: “School budgets will not be cut during this recession.” Smith predicted that no school budget cuts would occur during this
recession. Smith predicted that no school budget cuts would occur during that
recession. Celce-Murcia and Larsen Freeman, 1999: 696 In example [3], the use of this or that depends on the reporter’s assumption. The
reporter uses this when the recession is still in the process at the time when the reporter is reporting Smith’s statement. Meanwhile, the reporter uses that when
the recession has been overtime when the reporter is speaking.
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What happened in example [3] also happened in the use of adverb of place. A reporter can use there or here based on the place where she is reporting.
Some shifts in adverb of time are presented in Table 2.3.
Table 2.3: Shifts in Adverbial Time Celce-Murcia and Larsen Freeman, 1999: 697 Direct Speech
Indirect Speech
this… day, afternoon, etc. that… day, afternoon, etc.
now then at that time
todaytonight that daythat night
yesterday the day before the previous day
tomorrow the day after the next day
the next… the following…
…ago …before
4 Word Order
According to Swan 1980, shift in word order happens in indirect question. It is because the direct question should be changed into statement in
indirect speech.
b. Basic Forms of Indirect Speech
Thomson and Martinet 1986 mention some basic forms of indirect speech based on the types of sentence being derived. They are indirect statement,
indirect question, indirect command and indirect exclamation.
1 Indirect Statement
Indirect statement is derived from direct statement. Reporting verb in indirect statement can be in the form of present or past. When the reporting verb is
in the form of past tense, there will be tense shifts.
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