REPORTED SPEECH (Estilo Indirecto) I.- REPORTED STATEMENTS (Oraciones declarativas) a) Principales aspectos del Estilo Indirecto: - No hay comillas (“”). - La oración normalmente empieza con un verbo introductorio como say, tell, ask, inquire, think, explain, complain, warn, point out, remark, declare, state, announce, protest, claim, etc. - El tiempo del verbo de la oración subordinada “da un paso atrás” si el verbo introductorio está en pasado. - No hay preguntas, por lo que el verbo auxiliar no aparece al principio de la frase. - Las palabras que indican lugar, tiempo, pronombres, posesivos, etc. normalmente cambian. Note: después de los verbos say, tell y think podemos omitir that, pero después de verbos como explain, complain, point out, etc. that no se omite. b) Cambios: 1.

Si tenemos más de un verbo auxiliar en la frase, sólo cambia el primero. “My house is being redecorated”, she said. She said (that) her house was being redecorated.

2.

Estos cambios no tienen lugar: - Cuando el verbo introductorio esté en presente o futuro: “I love soup”, says Mary. Mary says (that) she loves soup. - Cuando estemos hablando sobre una situación permanente o algo que es habitual: “London is the capital of Great Britain”, she pointed out. She pointed out (that) London is the capital of Great Britain. “Peter lives in High Street”, I told them. I told them (that) Peter lives in High Street.

3.

Expresiones de tiempo:

now today yesterday tomorrow tonight next week/month last week/month a week/month ago 4.

Otros cambios:

this these here

û û û

that those there

û û û û û û û û

then that day the day before, the previous day the next/following day, the day after that night the following week/month the previous week/month, the week/month before the week/month before

5.

Tiempos verbales: cambios que se producen cuando el verbo introductorio esté en pasado: Direct speech

Reported Speech

Present Simple “She studies English”

-

Past Simple He said (that) she studied English

Present Continuous “She is studying English”

-

Past Continuous He said (that) she was studying English

Present Perfect “She has studied English”

-

Past Perfect He said (that) she had studied English

Present Perfect Continuous “She has been studying English”

-

Past Perfect Continuous He said (that) she had been studying English

Past Simple “She studied English”

-

Past Perfect He said (that) she had studied English

Past Continuous “She was studying English”

-

Past Perfect Continuous/Past Continuous He said (that) she had been studying/was studying English

Past Perfect “She had studied English”

-

Past Perfect Continuous “She had been studying English”

-

No changes: He said (that) she had been studying English.

Future Simple “She will study English”

-

Conditional Simple He said (that) she would study English

Future Continuous “She will be studying English”

-

Conditional Continuous He said (that) she would be studying English

Can “She can study English”

-

Could He said (that) she could study English

May “She may study English”

-

Might He said (that) she might study English

Must/Have to (obligation) “She must/has to study English”

-

Had to He said (that) she had to study English

-

Must He said (that) she must be at home because the lights were on.

Must (deduction/possibility) “She must be at home. The lights are on”

Shall “When shall I have my own house?”

-

No changes: He said (that) she had studied English.

Should He asked (that) when he should have his own house.

Note: Los verbos modales should, could, would, mustn’t y might, y los semimodales ought to, had better y used to no cambian.

II.- REPORTED COMMANDS (Órdenes indirectas) Cambios: 1.

El imperativo se cambia a infinitivo con su forma positiva o negativa: He said, “Stay here” ! He told us to stay here. She shouted, “Don’t move!” ! She ordered us not to move.

2.

El verbo introductorio utilizado debe indicar “ordenar, mandar, pedir”, y por eso el verbo say no se utiliza en las órdenes indirectas: He said, “Don’t shout” ! He told me not to shout

3.

El verbo, con el significado de “ordenar”, debe ir seguido de un pronombre objeto o un sustantivo indicando a quién se da la orden (Sujeto + verbo introductorio + objeto + TO + infinitivo): He said, “Be quiet” ! He told us to be quiet

4.

Aparte de “tell” se pueden utilizar otros verbos con significado similar: warn, order, command, instruct, etc.: “Don’t touch that”, he said to me ! He warned me not to touch that

III.- REPORTED QUESTIONS (Preguntas indirectas) Cambios: @ “Yes / No” questions: Observa lo que sucede en los siguientes ejemplos: “Did you speak to John last night?”, she asked. She asked if / whether I had spoken to John the night before

“Are you working these days?”, he inquired. He inquired if / whether I was working those days

El sujeto y el orden del verbo ha cambiado (no hay inversión). 1. El tiempo verbal ha cambiado (el “paso atrás”). 2. Hemos utilizado if /whether (pueden usarse ambos indistintamente). 3. Hemos cambiado los pronombres de acuerdo con la situación. 4. La expresión de tiempo también ha cambiado. 5. Las comillas y la interrogación han desaparecido. @ “Wh-” questions: Cuando pasamos a estilo indirecto este tipo de preguntas, utilizamos la partícula interrogativa “Wh-”en lugar de “if/whether”. El resto de los cambios siguen siendo los mismos que para las “Yes/No” questions: 1.

Si la partícula “wh-” es el sujeto de la frase, no hay ningún cambio en el orden de las palabras: “Who told you this story?”, he asked He asked who had told us that story.

2.

Si la partícula “wh-” no es el sujeto de la oración, entonces la pregunta indirecta no lleva el auxiliar antes del sujeto: “Where did you go last summer?”, he asked me. He asked me where I had gone the previous summer.

Nota: los verbos más utilizados en las preguntas indirectas son ask, enquire, wonder, would like to know, want to know.

IV.- REPORTED REQUESTS AND SUGGESTIONS (Peticiones y sugerencias indirectas) a) Peticiones: 1.

La persona que recibió la petición va después del verbo introductorio. Los verbos pueden ser ask, demand, beg, invite y request (con la misma estructura que en los Reported Commands, punto 3).

2.

La palabra “Please” se omite: “John, don’t open the window, please”, I said. I asked/requested/begged John not to open the window.

3.

Si se usa el verbo let en la petición, también tiene que estar en el estilo indirecto pero omitiendo el modal antes de él: “Can you let me use your phone, please?”, I asked my neighbour. I asked my neighbour to let me use her phone.

4.

Si el verbo let no se usa en la petición, utilizamos el modal y la estructura con infinitivo desaparece: I asked my neighbour if I could use her phone.

b) Sugerencias: Las sugerencias pueden expresarse de varias maneras: - Let’s... ! “Let’s go to the theatre”, she said. - Why don’t we... ! “Why don’t we go to the theatre?”, she said. - Shall we... ! “Shall we go to the theatre?”, she said. - Why not... ! “Why not go to the theatre?”, she said. Para poner una sugerencia en estilo indirecto, usamos el verbo introductorio suggest de dos formas diferentes: 1.

Seguido de un gerundio (muy frecuente): She suggested going to the theatre.

2.

Con una oración subordinada introducida por that (no tan frecuente): She suggested that we (should) go to the theatre.

Verbos introductorios más comunes clasificados por su estructura:

Introductory verbs

Direct Speech

Reported Speech

Verb + TO + Infinitive agree offer promise refuse threaten

“Yes, I’ll help you”, he said to her. “Shall I open the door?”, he said. “Of course I’ll pay you”, he said to her. “No, I won’t go with you”, he told her. “Stop crying or I’ll punish you”, he told me.

He agreed to help her. He offered to open the door. He promised to pay her. He refused to go with her. He threatened to punish me if I didn’t stop crying.

Verb + Object + TO + Infinitive advise ask beg command invite order remind tell warn

“You should see a lawyer”, she said to me. “Could you help me?”, he said to me. “Please, please don’t hurt her!”, she told me. “Stand to attention!”, he said to me. “Will you have dinner with me?”, he told me. “Leave the cat alone!”, she said to me. “Don’t forget to ring Ann”, she said to me. “Come here”, she said to me. “Don’t go near the rocks”, they said to us.

She advised me to see a lawyer. He asked me to help him. She begged me not to hurt her. He commanded me to stand to attention. He invited me to have dinner with him. She ordered me to leave the cat alone. She reminded me to ring Ann. She told me to go there. They warned us not to go near the rocks.

Verb + “-ing” accuse sb of admit apologize for boast of/about complain (to sb) of deny insist on (say sb) prefer recommend suggest

“You took the money”, he said to her. “Yes, I told her the secret”, said he. “I’m sorry I arrived so late”, said he. “I’m the fastest of all”, said she. “I have a toothache”, he said (to me). “I didn’t take the book”, said she. “I must go with you”, he said. “I’d rather do it myself”, she said. “You should try this beer”, he told me. “Let’s have a party”, they said.

He accused her of taking/having taken the money. He admitted telling/having told her the secret. He apologized for arriving so late. She boasted of/about being the fastest of all. He complained (to me) of having a toothache. She denied taking/having taken the book. He insisted on going with me. She said (that) she preferred doing/to do it herself. He recommended me trying that beer. They suggested having a party.

Verb + “THAT” clause admit agree claim complain deny exclaim explain (to sb) insist promise remark remind sb reply suggest tell sb * threaten warn

“Yes, she told me the secret”, said he. “You’re right. It’s a big house”, he said. “He knows nothing about it”, she said. “You’re always lying to me”, she said to him. “No, she didn’t take that book”, he said. “What a sunny day!”, said he. “That’s why I didn’t take it”, he said (to me). “You must come with us”, he said to me. “Sure! Ann will help you”, he said to us. “It’s a nice town”, she said. “Remember to phone her”, he said to me. “I live in London”, he answered. “You’d better see a doctor”, she said to him. “She’s a beautiful girl”, he said to me. “If you do it, I’ll tell mum”, he said to me. “Tom mustn’t attend the meeting”, he said.

He admitted that she had told him the secret. He agreed that it was a big house. She claimed that he knew nothing about it. She complained that he was always lying to her. He denied that she had taken that book. He exclaimed that it was a sunny day. He explained (to me) that/why he hadn’t taken it. He insisted that I had to/should go with them. He promised that Ann would help us. She remarked that it was a nice town. He reminded me that I had to/should phone her. He replied that he lived in London. She suggested that I should see a doctor. He told me that she is/was a beautiful girl. He thretened that he’d tell mum if I did it. He warned that Tom mustn’t attend the meeting.

* Este verbo admite la construcción con THAT si no es una orden o una petición.