Indirect Speech 2   间接引语（下）
 
Diarmuid:  Hi everyone. Welcome back to the second programme from BBC Learning
English. I’m Diarmuid.
 
Yang Li:  大家好，我是杨莉。今天我们将继续回答陕西科技大学附中黄会生提出的下列问题。
 
Question
 
My question is how to turn a direct speech into an indirect one?
 
Yang Li:  如何把直接引语变为间接引语。上次我们介绍了时态，情态动词和人称代词的转换规
则。
 
Diarmuid:  And we also promised that we would give you our version of the exercise on
pronouns.
 
Yang Li:  练习题参考答案，转述下面这段话对话。
 
Insert 
 Michelle: Did you have a nice weekend?
 
William: Yes. It was my mother’s birthday so I went to see her with a lovely bunch of
flowers. How about you?
 
Michelle: Well my boyfriend came to see me so I had a lovely few days with him. On
Friday we went to the pub for a friend’s birthday. The following day we went for a lovely
romantic walk in a park.
 
 
Diarmuid:    Michelle asked William if he had a nice weekend. William said yes. He told
Michelle that it was his mother’s birthday so he went to see her with a lovely
bunch of flowers. William then asked Michelle the same question. Michelle
replied that her boyfriend had come to see her so she had a few lovely days
with him. They went to the pub on Friday for a friend’s birthday and the
following day they went for a romantic walk in the park.
 
Yang Li:  Thanks Diarmuid, that’s very good. Now let’s move on to another point. How
can you describe a question like this one: “Did you have a good weekend?”

Diarmuid:  You can use the word if or whether. For example, Michelle asked William if
William had a good weekend.
 
Yang Li:    大多数情况下 if 和 whether 可以互换，但也有特例。比如这句话。他犹豫不决，到底
是开车还是坐火车。
 
Diarmuid:  He hesitated about whether to drive or take the train. About is a preposition
so we normally use whether and not if.
 
Yang Li:  Another point is: 间接引语一般要用陈述句的语序，例如：  “Where did you go for
lunch Diarmuid?”
 
Diarmuid:  Li asked me where I went for lunch. “What’s the time Li?”
 
Yang Li:  Diarmuid asked me what the time was. “How do you like your new laptop?”
 
Diarmuid:  Li asked me how I liked my new laptop. Now how about imperatives?
 
Yang Li:  祈使句怎么转变？直接引语是祈使句，变成间接引语时，把动词原形变成动词不定式，
并在动词不定前加  tell, ask, order 等的宾语。例如：导游告诉游客要准时回来。 
 
Insert 
 
We’ll leave at 12 o’clock, so make sure you are all back on time. Don’t forget your travel
documents.
 
Diarmuid:  The guide told everybody to be back on time.  
 
Yang Li:  此句适用动词不定式  to be back on time.  
 
Diarmuid:  He also told the tourists not to forget their documents.
 
Insert
 
Don’t forget your travel documents.
 
Yang Li:  高速某人不要做某事，也用动词不定式，不过要在 to之前加上否定词 not to. He also
told the tourists not to forget their documents.
 
Insert
 
We’ll leave at 12 o’clock, so make sure you are all back on time. Don’t forget your travel
documents.
 
Diarmuid:  There is something else I’d like to point out. If the reported sentence
contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time of
reporting.

 
Yang Li:  Yes, time change 时间状语要作相应的变化。
 Diarmuid:  For example. He said, “I haven’t seen her today.” In reported speech we
would say, “He said that he hadn’t seen her that day”.
 
Yang Li:  下面是一般的变化规则：现在变成当时。
 
Diarmuid: Now to then.
 
Yang Li  昨天变成了头一天。
 
Diarmuid:  Yesterday to the day before.
 
Yang Li:  去年换成前一年。
 
Diarmuid:  Last year to the year before. Similarly you need to change place reference
as well, for example here to there.  
 
Yang Li:  是的，地点状语等要作相应的变化。比如 here 这里要变成了 there 那里。
 
Diarmuid:  As you can see there are a lot of elements to change in reported speech. In
fact there are some rather tricky transformations that need to be practised a
number of times before learners of English feel comfortable using them in
everyday conversations.
 
Yang Li:  是的，在使用间接引语过程中，会遇到很多相当棘手的转换语句，也就是 tricky
transformations. 
 
Diarmuid:  So instead of using the word ‘say’ all the time, you can be more descriptive
by saying, “He reminded me of our meeting”. Or “She warned us not to go
out at night”.
 
Yang Li:  More descriptive 就是更为形象的表达。Actually if you like reading, then you
will notice how writers use reported speech in a wide variety of ways.  
 
Diarmuid:  Well, my final point is that the use of reported speech is especially important
at higher English levels. Students, at this point, are fine tuning their
communication skills to include expressing the ideas of others, as well as
their own opinions.
 
Yang Li:  Fine tuning 就是推敲。能不能熟练地使用  reported or indirect speech 是英语水平
高低的一个体现。
 
Diarmuid:  So it’s quite important that you get it right from the start and practise as
much as possible.
 
Yang Li:  Good advice Diarmuid.
 
Diarmuid:  If you have any questions, please email them to us at
questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk.  
 
Yang Li:  感谢大家收听，我是杨莉，下次节目再会。
 
Diarmuid: Bye bye.