Page 278 - Oxford_English_Grammar_Course_Basic_2015

SECTION 20 indirect speech

grammar summary

When we tell people what somebody said or thought, we often use indirect speech.
Tenses, here-and-now words (like this, here, today) and pronouns (like I, you) may change in indirect
speech. This is because the time, place and speaker may be different.
7 really like it here.' Bill said that he really liked it there.

We often leave out that, especially after common verbs like say and think.
Bill said he really liked it there.
Indirect questions have a different structure from direct questions.
'What is your phone number?' He asked me what my phone number was.
Do you like cherries?' She asked me if I liked cherries.

We can use object + infinitive (with to) after ask and tell.
I asked him to make some coffee. She told the children not to make a noise.

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9
9 PR O M I S E S , P R O M I SES 9
9. 9
9
a ‘You said I was beautiful.’ 9.
9. 9
9. ‘You are more beautiful every day’ 9
| 9
9. ‘You said you loved me.’ 9
1 ‘And it’s true. I love you. Deeply. Passionately.’ 9
9 9.
9. ‘You told me you would love me for ever.’ 9
9 9
9 ‘And I will. For ever and ever.’ 9
9 9
9 ‘You said you would never look at another woman.’ 9
9 ‘I have never looked at another woman. I shut my eyes when 9
9 9
9 one comes close.’ 9
9 9
9 ‘You told me you were rich.’ 9
9 9
9 ‘We have a solid gold bath with diamond taps’ 9
9. 9
9. ‘You told me you wanted children.’ 9
9 ‘We have thirteen children.’ 9
9 9
9 ‘You said you could cook.’ 9
9 9.
9 ‘I cook you a magnificent five-course dinner every night.’ 9
9 9
9 ‘You told me you would bring me a cup of tea in bed every morning.’ 9
9. 9
9 ‘You get a cup of tea in bed every morning. With biscuits and 9
9 9
9. the newspaper.’ 9
9. ‘You said you could play the saxophone.’ 9.
9. 9
9 ‘I am a world-famous saxophonist.’ 9
9. 9
9 ‘You promised that you would take me to Hawaii.’ 9
9 9
9. ‘We have just come back from three months in Hawaii.’ 9
9 9
9 ‘You said you would mend the dishwasher.’ 9
9 ‘Sorry. I forgot.’ 9.
9 9
9 ‘You see. I can’t believe a word you say.’ 9
9 9
9 9
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INDIRECT SPEECH 263