REPORTED SPEECH

(LỜI NÓI GIÁN TIẾP)

Lời nói gián tiếp (indirect/ reported speech) là lời tường thuật lại ý của người nói.
- Nếu động từ của mệnh đề chính ở thì simple present (say), present perfect (have/ has said) hoặc
simple future (will say) thì trong lời nói gián tiếp ta chỉ đổi đại từ (pronouns) và chia động từ cho thích
hợp với đại từ đó.
Ex: The farmer says, “I hope it will rain tomorrow.”
→ The farmer says that he hopes it will rain tomorrow.
She has said, “I’m tired now.”
→ She has said that she is tired now.
- Nếu động từ trong mệnh đề chính ở thì simple past (said) thì trong lời nói gián tiếp ta phải đổi thì, đại từ
và một số từ hoặc cụm từ chỉ thời gian, nơi chốn.

♦ Khi chuyển từ lời nói trực tiếp sang lời nói gián tiếp, ta cần lưu ý đến một số thay đổi sau:
1. Thay đổi thì động từ (changes in tenses of verbs)
Trực tiếp Gián tiếp Ví dụ
Simple Present Simple Past “I feel sick”
He said he felt sick.
Present Continuous Past Continuous “I’m writing a letter.”
He said he was writing a letter.
Simple Past Past Perfect “I arrived at 5p.m.”
He said he had arrived at 5p.m.
Present Perfect Past Perfect. “I have seen that film.”
He said he had seen that film.
Past Continuous/ Past Perfect Cont. “I was living in Viene then”
Present Perfect Continuous He said he had been living in
Vien then.
Simple Future Future in the Past “I shall go to Japan in July.”
He said he would go to Japan in
July.

- Đối với các động từ khiếm khuyết (modal verbs)

must → had to
must not → was/ were not to
can → could
may → might
will/ shall → would/ should

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2. Thay đổi tính từ và trạng từ (changes in adjectives and adverbs)
Trực tiếp Gián tiếp Ví dụ
This That “I need this book.”
He said he needed that book.
These Those “I’ll take these with me.”
He said he would take those with him.
Here There “I’ll return here at 3 o’clock.”
He said he would return there...
Now Then “I’m going now.”
He said he was going then.
Today That day “I’ll do it today”
He said he would do it that day.
Yesterday The day before “I was in Hue yesterday”
The previous day He said he had been in Hue the day before.
Tomorrow The day after “We’ll wait until tomorrow.”
The following day They said they would wait until the day after.
Ago Before “I was in Dalat three weeks ago.”
He said he had been in Dalat three weeks before.
Next week The week after “I’ll come to see her next week.”
The following week He said he would come to see her the week after.
■ Cách đổi câu trực tiếp sang câu gián tiếp
I. Câu mệnh lệnh, câu yêu cầu, lời khuyên
Câu mệnh lệnh, yêu cầu, đề nghị được đổi từ trực tiếp sang gián tiếp thường được mở đầu bằng những
động từ như: order, advise, tell, ask, request, ...và theo sau là tân ngữ trực tiếp chỉ người nhận lệnh +
động từ nguyên mẫu (object + to-infinitive).
Công thức: S + asked/ told/ advised/ ordered… + O + to-inf

Ex: “Hurry up, Lan.” → He told Lan to hurry up.

“Shut the door.” → He ordered them to shut the door.
“Don’t leave the room.” → He ordered them not to leave the room.
“Please don’t tell anybody what happened.”
→ She asked me not to tell anybody what (had) happened.
II. Câu hỏi (questions)
Có hai loại câu hỏi: Câu hỏi Yes - No và câu hỏi Wh-
1. Câu hỏi Yes - No (Yes - No questions)
Công thức: S1 + asked/ wondered/ wanted to know + if/ whether + S2 + V + …
Ex: “Have you seen that film?” → He asked if/ whether she had seen that film.
“Will Tom be here tomorrow?” → She wondered if/ whether Tom would be there the day after.

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2. Câu hỏi Wh- (WH – Questions: mở đầu bằng các nghi vấn từ như who, what, where, when,. .. )
Công thức: S1 + asked/ wondered/ wanted to know + từ hỏi + S2 + V + …

Ex: “What time does the film begin?”

→ He wanted to know what time the film began.
“What will happen if she can not find her passport?”
→ He wondered what would happen if she could not find her passport.

III. Câu cảm thán (exclamations)

Câu cảm thán thường được thuật lại bằng động từ exclaim/ say that.
Ex: “What a lovely garden they have!”
→ He exclaimed/ said that what a lovely garden they had.
“How hot it is!”→ He exclaimed/ said that how hot it was.
IV. Câu khẳng định và câu phủ định

Câu khẳng định và câu phủ định thường được thuật lại bằng động từ say, tell,....:
say (that) ... tell somebody (that)...
Ex: “I saw her yesterday”
→ He said he had seen her the day before/ the previous day.

♦ Trường hợp đặc biệt (Special cases)

Khi đổi từ câu nói trực tiếp sang gián tiếp, ta không đổi thì trong mệnh đề phụ ở các trường hợp sau dù
mệnh đề chính ở thì quá khứ.
1. Động từ trong câu nói trực tiếp có thời gian xác định.
Ex: He said, “I was born in 1980”. → He said that he was born in 1980.
2. Câu điều kiện loại 2, 3.
Ex: He said, “If I were you, I wouldn’t come here.”
→ He said if he were me he wouldn’t come there.
3. Quá khứ giả định (trong wish-clause, as if,. )
Ex: Mary said, “I wish I were a boy”.
→ Mary said that she wished she were a boy.
4. Trong lời nói trực tiếp có: could would, should, might, used to, ought to, would rather, had better,...
Ex: Tom said to me, “You had better not contact her”.
→ Tome said to me I had better not contact her.
5. Lời nói trực tiếp diễn tả một chân lý hoặc một tình huống không đổi
Ex: My teacher said, “The sun rises in the East”.
→ My teacher said the sun rises in the East.

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 EXERCISES
Put the following sentences into indirect speech.
1. He said to her, “You are my friend.”
2. Johnny said to his mother, “I don’t know how to do this exercise.”
3. “Don’t come back before one o’clock”, advised my brother.
4. “Cook it in butter”, Mrs Brown said to her daughter.
5. The pupils said to their teacher, “Please give us better marks.”
6. “Pull as hard as you can”, she said to me.
7. “Who put salt in my coffee?”, he asked.
8. My friend said, “Are you going to leave tomorrow?”
9. “Have you done your homework?”, said my mother.
10. I asked Bill, “What time did you go to bed last night?”
11. Paul said “I must go home now.”
12. “There’s been an accident and the road is blocked”, said the policeman.
13. “We are waiting for the school bus”, said the children.
14. Mary said, “My father died a year ago.”
15. “Must you go now?”, said Mr. Brown.
16. “Whose bicycle did you borrow yesterday?”, his mother asked him.
17. “It isn’t so foggy today as it was yesterday”, said the teacher.
18. “Be modest if you are a good pupil”, said my father.
19. “Shut the door but don’t lock it”, she said to us.
20. Tom said, “New York is bigger than London.”
21. “Please help US,” they said to us.
22. “Don’t forget to send your parents my regards”, she said to me.
23. The traveller asked, “How long does it take to get to London?”
24. John said, “I have finished studying my lesson.”
25. Mary said, “I can not go to the movies with you, John.”
26. He asked me, “Why didn’t you come to class yesterday?”
27. “Did you phone me yesterday?” Tom asked Mary.
28. “Do you like it?” - “Yes”.
29. “I didn’t know them. Did you, Tom?” she asked.
30. “Avoid the Marble Arch” said the policeman “There’s going to be a big demonstration here.”
31. “Don’t take more than two of these at once”, said the doctor, handing me a bottle of pills.
32. They said to me, “Let’s go to the zoo.”
33. “I shouldn’t do that if I were you. Isn’t it very dangerous?” He said.
34. “When we’ve finished this game we’ll have supper.” They said to me.
35. “Have you got any shampoo, Alice. I must wash my hair.” Johny asked.
36. He said to me “Listen! Can you hear someone coming?”
37. “Do as I tell you or you’ll be punished. I’ll teach you who is master in this house”, he said.
38. “When you have cleaned the sitting room, will you please light the fire there? It’s rather chilly
today”, my mother said to me.
39. “I shall expect to see you next Wednesday.” Mary said to her friend.
40. The teacher asked “Which book are you taking, John?”
41. I asked the policeman “Do you know how far it is to the station?”
42. “What a dirty face you have!” Ann said to her son.
43. “Don’t you know how to behave? There must be no talking in lessons”. The teacher told his pupils.
44. “I wonder who is coming on the excursion tomorrow. I do hope it won’t rain.” She said.
45. “Do as you are told. You are a naughty boy.” Mrs Brown said.
46. “It’s a very nice evening. Why don’t we go for a walk?” Jim suggested.
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47. “You must decide what you want to do”, she said to her daughter.
48. Mary asked me “Can you tell me why you are so sad?”
49. Jane said to John “Who will come to the movies with me?”
50. “Will you please find out when he last wrote to me?” Jane said to her friend.