Page 283 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

- DIRECT: IN DIRECT:
- DIRECT: IN DI RECT:
I've just written to John.
She told me she had just written to John.
I saw Penny at the theatre a couple ofdays ago.
In his letter, he said he'd seen Penny at the theatre a couple of days before.
indirect speech (5): advanced points 278
2 He asked her how to ...
The structure question word + infinitive is common (see 286). It often corresponds to a direct question with should.
He asked her how to make a white sauce. ('How should I make a white sauce?')
Don't tell me what to do. I've forgotten where to put the keys. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
3 suggest, say: infinitives not used
We do not use infinitive structures after suggest (see 570) or (usually) after say. However, after these and many other verbs, instructions etc can be reported with that-clauses, usually with modal verbs (see 353-354).
I suggested that he should try the main car park. (NOT { 3Ugge3red him to try ...)
The policeman said that 1 mustn't park there. (NOT The p6lieemen sttiti me 116t t6 pttrk there.)
I told Andrew that he ought to be careful.
Subjunctives (see 567) and -ing forms are also possible after some verbs, e.g. suggest.
I suggested that he try the main car park. I suggested trying the main car park.
For the structures that are possible after particular verbs, see a good dictionary.
278 indirect speech (5): advanced points 1 reporting past tenses
In indirect speech, a speaker's past tenses are often reported using past perfect tenses.
However, past perfect tenses are not always used, especially if the time relationships are clear without a change from past to past perfect.
This man on IT said that dinosaurs were around for 250 million years. (NOT. ••• (hitt din6stturs htitl been tlt'6urtti ...)
I told you John (had) phoned this morning, didn't I?
We were glad to hear you (had) enjoyed your trip to Denmark.
2 reporting present and future tenses
If somebody talked about a situation that has still not changed - that is to say, if the original speaker's present and future are still present and future - a reporter can often choose whether to keep the original speaker's tenses or to change them, after a past reporting verb. Both structures are common.
- DIRECT: The earth goes round the sun.
INDIRECT: He proved that the earth goes/went round the sun. •
page 251