Types of Pronoun THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
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Pronouns may need to change to reflect a different perspective
Tenses sometimes has to go back one tense eg, present becomes past
TABLE 2.3 Pronouns and Tenses may need to change
Pronoun Tenses
direct statement He said,
I am
sick. reported statement
He said that he
was sick.
There are sometimes other things too that we may need to change,
such as time or place. examples: TABLE 2.4
Time that may need to change
pronoun Tenses
Time direct statement
Jane said, I
was sick
yesterday .
” reported
statement Jane
said that
she had been
sick theday
before TABLE 2.5
Placethat we may need to change
pronoun Tenses
Place direct statement
Jane said, It
is hot in
here .
reported statement
Jane said that
It was
hot in there
.
The rules to change the speech of the sentences is all the PRESENT TENSE
forms of the main verbs in the subordinate clause are changed into
their corresponding PAST TENSE
forms: „is’ and „am’ become „was’; „are’
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becomes „were’; „shall’ becomes „should’; „come’ becomes „came’; and so on… e.g.
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Even though the main verb of the main clause of the Direct Speech
sentence is in PAST TENSE, the main verb in the Subordinate Clause is not changed
in the Indirect Speech when that Verb expresses a regular habit, a universal truth or a natural occurrence.
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TABLE 2.6
The main verb in the Subordinate Clause is not changed in the Indirect Speech
Direct Speech Reported Speech
Simple Present Simple Past
Present Progressive Past Progressive
Simple Past Past Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple
Past Progressive Past Perfect Progressive
Present Perfect Progressive Past Perfect Progressive
Future I going to was were going to
Future I will Conditional I would
Conditional I would You must change the tense if the introductory clause is in Simple Past
e. g. He said. This is called backshift. The students should not change the tense if the introductory clause is
in Simple Present e. g. He says. Note, however, that you might have to change the form of the present tense verb 3rd person singular.
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Lukman Hakim, op.cit.,p.99
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Idib.,p.100
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http:www.ego4u.comencram-upgrammarreported-speechstatements
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