When that is put between brackets in the written form of reported speech, it
indicates that it can be omitted or dropped, for example: John said that the library
closed at 8 that night. The conjunction that is often dropped, especially after
common reporting verbs e.g. say, think Swan, 1995.
e. Reporting Verbs Say, Tell, Ask
Reporting verbs discussed in this study are say, tell, ask, since they are the highest frequency used in both direct speech and reported speech.
1. Say
There are two ways of the use of reporting verb say in reported speech. Using to + personal indirect object
Example: He said to me that he hadn’t got much time.
Omitting to and personal indirect object
Example: He said that he hadn’t got much time. 2. Tell
Reporting verb tell used in reported speech is usually followed by object.
Example: He told me that he was tired. NOT He told to me that he was tired
3. Ask
In reported question, ask can be used with or without personal indirect object, for example:
She asked me
if I was tired.
optional
However, ask must be followed by object in reported request or command, for
example: My boss asked me to sit down.
16 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Beside those three reporting verbs, there are other reporting verbs discussed in this part since they were used in the test as the instrument of this research. They are
remind, warn, advice , and invite. Those reporting verbs are followed by object and
infinitive form, for example: Direct speech: ‘Don’t forget to order the wine,’ said Mrs. Pitt.
Reported speech: Mrs. Pitt reminded her husband to order the wine.
Another reporting verb used in the test was suggest. Suggest is not followed by object and infinitive structure. It is followed by that-clause, for example:
Direct speech: ‘You should see the doctor,’ Ivan said.
Reported speech: Ivan suggested that I should see the doctor.
f. Grammatical Changes
This part discusses the grammatical changes in reported speech.
1. Tense
If someone converts direct speech into reported speech, one thing he or she must notice is the tense of reported clause may change or move. If the reporting clause of
direct speech is present or future, the tense of reported clause of reported speech will not change. However, if the reporting clause of direct speech is past, the tense that
follows it will change. The changes of tenses in reported speech follow these rules: present becomes past
past becomes past perfect The changes or the movement of tenses in reported speech can be clearly seen in the
figure 2.1 GEC Team, 2002. 17
