Page 95 - Advanced English Grammar in Use

R e p o r t i n g p e o p l e ' s w o r d s a n d t h o u g h t s
words
and
people's
Reporting
thoughts
Quoting
Quoting
We often report what people think or what they have said. In writing we may report their actual
We often report what people think or what they have said. In writing we may report their actual
(see
in
also Appendix 2):
quotation
a
words in a quotation (see also Appendix 2):
words
'I suppose you've heard the latest news,'
she said.
• ¢ 'I suppose you've heard the latest news,' she said.
'Of course,' Carter replied, 'you'll have to pay him to do the job.'
• ¢ 'Of course,’ Carter replied, 'you'll have to pay him to do the job.'
She asked,
'What shall I do now?'
• ¢ She asked, 'What shall I do now?'
The reporting clause ('she said', 'Carter replied', etc.) can come before, within, or at the end of
The reporting clause (‘she said', 'Carter replied’, etc.) can come before, within, or at the end of
quotation.
the
the quotation.
In the English used in stories and novels, the reporting verb (e.g. say, reply, ask) is often placed
In the English used in stories and novels, the reporting verb (e.g. say, reply, ask) is often placed
clause
comes
reporting
the
after
the
quotation:
subject when
the
before
before the subject when the reporting clause comes after the quotation:
'When will you
(or ...Arnold asked.)
be back?'
asked Arnold,
• * 'When will you be back?! asked Arnold. (or ...Arnold asked.)
However, we don't use this order when the subject is a pronoun:
However, we don't use this order when the subject is a pronoun:
• ¢ 'And after that I moved to Italy,' she continued, (not ...continued she.)
she.)
continued.
after
(not
Italy,’
...continued
to
'And
I
she
that
moved
B More commonly, especially in speech, we report in our own words what people think or what
More commonly, especially in speech, we report in our own words what people think or what
said.
and
a
do this we can
use
When we
reporting clause
a
sentences that have
they have
they have said. When we do this we can use sentences that have a reporting clause and a
44
clause
to 49):
(see also Units
reported clause (see also Units 44 to 49):
reported

clause
clause
reporting clause | reportedreported clause
reporting

She explained (that) she couldn't take the job until January,
(that)
take
she
couldn't
the
job
explained
until
January.
She
He complained (that) he was hungry.
hungry.
(that)
He

he
was
complained

Negatives in reporting
Negatives
reporting
in
To report what somebody didn't say or think, we make the reporting verb negative:
reporting
verb
what
we
say
To
didn't
or
somebody
think,
negative:
the
report
make
• ¢ He didn't tell me how he would get to London.
didn't
to
London.
tell
would
how
he
He
me
get
normally
report
sentence,
then
negative
to
reported
want
this
we
the
in
report
clause:
we
rtlfIf we want to report a a negative sentence, then we normally report this in the reported clause:
—* He agreed that it wasn't a good idea.
isn't
it
‘You're
right,
@ • + 'You're right, it isn't a good idea.'idea.'— He agreed that it wasn't a good idea.
good
a
However, with some verbs, to reportreport a a negative sentence we make the verb in the reportingreporting
make
in
However,
to
with
the
verbs,
the
we
sentence
verb
some
negative
clause negative instead:
instead:
negative
clause
—•
• * 'I'm sure it's not dangerous.'dangerous.'— She didn't think it was dangerous, (rather than She thought
it's
it
dangerous.
didn't
'I'm
She
She
than
not
sure
think
thought
was
(rather
it wasn't dangerous.)
dangerous.)
it
wasn't
Other verbs like this include believe, expect, feel, intend, plan, propose, suppose, want.
feel,
want.
suppose,
plan,
intend,
propose,
expect,
this
verbs
believe,
like
Other
include
Reporting using nouns
nouns
Reporting
using
We sometimes report people's words and thoughts using aa noun in the reporting clause
using
the
and
people's
reporting
in
report
thoughts
noun
sometimes
clause
words
We
that-,
followed by raised the question carried out its oror tf/7-clause:wh-clause: disease. on strike.
to-infinitive-,
a
reportedreported
a
that-,
to-infinitive-,
by
followed
a Reporiing quesions => be by a a wh-clauseinclude issue, problem, Repatiing offers, etc. => encouragement, these
that smoking causes heart disease.
The
claim is
•
often made
heart
claim
causes
The
smoking
that
¢
made
often
is
dismiss workers on strike.
The company yesterday carried out its
threat to
•
workers
¢
The
to
dismiss
yesterday
company
threat
be collected.
•
¢
JohnJohn
collected.
the
money
of how the money would be
question
the
would
how
of
raised
ffcaf-clause include
announcement,
answer,
Nouns
advice,
followed
acknowledgement,
• * Nouns followed by a that-clause include acknowledgement, advice, announcement, answer,
claim, comment, conclusion, decision, explanation, forecast, guarantee, observation, promise,
claim, comment, conclusion, decision, explanation, forecast, guarantee, observation, promise,
•
reply, statement, warning. Notice that we don't usually leave out that in sentences like this.
reply, statement, warning. Notice that we don't usually leave out that in sentences like this.
advice,
to-infinitive clause
claim,
followed
decision,
by a
include
Nouns
• ¢«
Nouns followed by a to-infinitive clause include advice, claim, decision, encouragement,
instruction, invitation, order, promise, recommendation, threat, warning. Notice that some of of
instruction, invitation, order, promise, recommendation, threat, warning. Notice that some
these can also
by a
followed
by
a
that-clause.that-clause.
can
also
these
followed
be
of after
use
include issue, problem,
by
wh-dause
question.
Nouns
We
after
these
question.
of
• Nouns
followed by
We
*
usually use
usually
a
followed
nouns in reporting.
nouns in reporting.
Reporting statements =
Reporting offers, etc.
Reporting questions = INGER) Reporting setemens =