Unit 30: El Discurso Directo y el Discurso Indirecto

Question 1

Quote Structures

Answer 1

It is a way of reporting what a person has said repeating their exact words.

Question 2

Report Structure

Answer 2

It is a way of reporting what someone has said using our own words and paraphrasing theirs.

Question 3

Composition of quote and report structure

Answer 3

Both quote and report structure consist of two clauses: the main one which contains the reporting verb and is called reporting clause, and the other which indicates what has been said, is called reported clause.

Question 4

Direct Speech definition

Answer 4

From the formal point of view, direct speech is composed by a reporting and a reported clause. It is characterised by being enclosed in quotation marks, following the reporting clause which usually ends in a comma.

Question 5

Position of reporting clause

Answer 5

Reporting clause may occur before, within or after the reported clause. Examples

Question 6

What to mention more of direct speech

Answer 6

Inversion
Omission
Syntax
Free Direct Speech

Question 7

Inversion in Direct Speech

Answer 7

Inversion is most common when the verb is ‘said’ and the subject is not a pronoun, and the reporting clause is medial. However, when the reported clause extends over many sentences it is placed at the beginning to make clear that we are reporting rather than talking directly ourselves.

Question 8

Omission in Direct Speech

Answer 8

Reporting clauses can be omitted when the identity of the speaker is obvious for the context. Similarly, reporting clauses are regularly omitted in drama and in formal reports of meetings.

Question 9

Syntax in Direct Speech

Answer 9

It may act as a direct object of the main clause (Dorothy said, ‘I want to go home’) or be a subordinate clause acting as an adverbial (‘Generals’ allegedly ‘never retire’).

Question 10

Free-Direct Speech

Answer 10

It is a way of reporting utterances without reporting clauses an or quotation marks. It is usually present in fiction writing to represent a stream of thought, merged with narration.

Question 11

Indirect Speech

Answer 11

We can report what other people said using our own words rather than the original ones, using a report structure.
It is composed by a reporting and a reported clause.

Question 12

Syntax in Indirect Speech

Answer 12

Indirect speech clauses most often are subordinate nominal clauses acting as the object of the main clause.

Question 13

What to mention in Indirect Speech

Answer 13

1 Changes in Tenses
2 Changes in Personal Pronouns, Possessives and Demonstratives
3 Changes in Expression of Time and Place
4 Introductory Verbs Say and Tell
5 Statements
6 Questions
7 Commands, Requests and Advices
8 Suggestions
9 Intentions and Hopes
10 Exclamations
11 Free-Indirect Speech

Question 14

Changes in Tenses: What to mention

Answer 14

Introduced in the present tense
Present, Present Perfect and Future
Past tense
Backshift- Sequence of tenses
Avoid shifts, no automatic

Question 15

Indirect Speech can be introduced by a verb in present tense

Answer 15

when we are reporting a conversation that is still going on, or when we are reading something and reporting what it says

Question 16

Introductory verbs is in present, present perfect or future

Answer 16

We can report with no change in the tense. As a general rule, we put the verb in a tense which is apporpriated at the time of speaking

Question 17

Still indirect speech is frequently introduced by a verb in the past tense

Answer 17

then verbs in the reported clause have to be changed into a corresponding past tense

Question 18

When the reporting time is later than the time of utterance

Answer 18

they need adjustment of the verbal forms in the subordinate clauses. This change is named backshift and the resulting relationship of the verb forms, the sequence of tenses. However these correspondences are not automatic and the tendency is to avoid changes.

Question 19

Changes in pronouns

Answer 19

pronouns change as relationships between participants change.

Question 20

Pronouns and Possessives

Answer 20

usually change from first or second to third person, except when the speaker is reporting his/her own words. Changes in pronouns may affect the verb

Question 21

Demonstratives

Answer 21

include changing this/these by that/those, unless the period has not completed yet

Question 22

Changes in time and place

Answer 22

Today-That day
Yesterday- The day before
The day before yesterday- Two days before
Tomorrow- The following day
The day after tomorrow- In two days time
Next week/year -The following week/ year
Last year/week- The previous year/ week
A year ago- A year before
Logical adjustments are necesaary- Example

Question 23

Introductory verbs: Say

Answer 23

Say can introduce a statement or follow it.
Inversion of say and the subject is possible when it follows the statement, especially when the subject is long.
Say+ to+ addressee is possible but must follow the direct statement. It can not introduce it.

Question 24

Introductory verbs: Tell

Answer 24

Tell requires the person addressed, except with telling: stories, the truth, the time, when the person addressed need not to be mentioned.
Tell used with direct speech must be placed after the direct statement and inversion is not possible.

Question 25

Statements

Answer 25

No many differences between English and Spanish.
Changes: verb tenses, demonstratives, time and place adverbials, pronouns and possessives.
What does differ is that in English ‘that’ is dropped, whereas Spanish do not drop ‘que’

Question 26

Questions

Answer 26

Same changes as in statements
Interrogative structure changes into that of a statement, subject-verb inversion do not show, question marks are omitted and comma is dropped.

Question 27

Report wh-questions

Answer 27

wh-word at the beginning of the clasuse

Question 28

Report yes/no questions

Answer 28

If and whether. If is more usual, unless we want to stress that a decision must be made or the question contains a conditional clause

Question 29

Commands, requests and advices

Answer 29

Who is to obey is addressed directly. In spanish is que+ subjunctive and in English is expressed by a to infinitive

Question 30

Suggestions

Answer 30

When someone makes a suggestion about what someone else, not the hearer, should do, it is reported by a that clause; often containing a modal. If no modal is used, the result is more formal in BrE, though usual in AmE

Question 31

Intentions and Hopes

Answer 31

Two ways:
reporting as an action with to infinitive clause
rerporting as a statement with a that clause

Question 32

Exclamations

Answer 32

Become statements and exclamation marks dissapear.

Beginning with what/how… reported by using the verbs exclaim, say or being reworded: thanked, wished…

Question 33

Free Indirect Speech

Answer 33

It is more indirect than the indirect speech. Consists on condensing, summarising or recasting the message so that only the gist is reported.

Question 34

Teaching Reported Speech

Answer 34

Problems: errors by learners
Introduce common verbs and their patterns
Other option is through transformation- following the rules. Problem: not aware of the functions