direct and reported speech

Question 1

from direct to reported speech

Answer 1

• use of an appropriate speech act verb/ reporting verb
• backshift of tenses if the speech act verb is in a past tense => NOT with present perfect!!
• adaptation of deictic expressions
• changes in sentence types (e.g. questions > indirect questions)
• omission of features of colloquial speech

Question 2

backshift of modal verbs

Answer 2

• might, should, would, ought to, used to, could (könnte) stay the same
• can, may, shall, will > could, might, should, would
• must > had to
• could (‘konnte’) > had been able to, had managed to

Question 3

backshift is not necessary…

Answer 3

• … if the speech act vb is in the present tense, the present perfect or the will-future
• when the report refers to something treated as still relevant, or still true, or as yet unfulfilled
• … if the ‘time before’ relation to the speech act vb is made clear by other means (“I tried it during my last holiday” > He told me last month that he tried it out…)
• … if the idea of a non-fact is implied in direct speech, e.g. hypothetical situations, wishes, were-subjunctive (“I wish it weren’t such a long way” > She said she wished it weren’t such a long way)