A Quotation marks and other punctuation marks

1 'John's in a hurry.' 2 'Have you been out?' 3 'Where are my glasses?' 4 'What a surprise!' 5 'How are you?' 6 'It's unbelievable!' 7 ‘There's someone at the door.'

8 'What a noise!' 9 'When did you arrive?' 10 ‘Tell me what happened.’ 11 'Don't shout at me!' 12 'Have a cup of coffee.' 13 'How do you like your coffee?' 14 'Have you met Jean?' 15 'Keep quiet!' 16 'Stop!' 17 'Are you all right?' 18 'I'm waiting for a bus.' 19 'Here's a letter for you.' 20 'Haven't we met before?'

Note: double quotation marks ("...") can, of course, also be used.

 

15.1B Quotation marks and 'reporting verbs'

1 'Where do you come from?'John asked.

2 'It's here’, Bill said.

3 'I've got a good idea, (or')' Mark said.

4 'Is it something,' she asked, 'that we all ought to know?'

5 'As I was leaving,' he explained, 'I heard someone shout.'

6 'Don't shout at me!' he cried.

7 John said, 'We're late.'

8 'We're late,' John said.

9 'What's the time?' Andrew asked.

10 Bill said, 'I'm hungry.'

11 'What is it?'Jill asked.

12 'You are stupid sometimes!' she said.

13 'Where is he?' Tom asked.

14 'What a surprise!' she exclaimed.

15 'Is there anyone in?' she inquired.

16 'Which way did they go?' he asked.

17 Tom said, 'She's ill.'

18 'She's ill,'Tom said.

Note: double quotation marks can also be used.

15.1C 'Quote within a quote'

1 'As I was leaving,' he explained, 'someone shouted, "Fire!".’

2 'Please don't keep asking me, "What's the time?"!' Jim said crossly.

3 'Have you read "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"?^’ my teacher asked.

4 'What do you mean, "Have you lost your way?"?' the stranger asked me.

5 Where are they now, he wondered.

Note: double quotation marks can also be used for single and vice versa.

D Context.

1 'It's all lies!' Boyle cried.

2 'You think so?' Inspector Wiley asked mildly.

3 ‘Think so? I know it!' Boyle answered sharply.

4 'And no doubt,' the inspector continued, 'you can prove it. Where were you on Saturday night, the night of the robbery?'

5 'I was at the Roxy with my girlfriend,' Boyle replied. 'We saw "Gone with the Wind". The film lasted four hours.'

6 'But,' cried the inspector, 'the Roxy was closed all last weekend!'

Note: Double quotation marks can also be used for single and vice versa.

15.2А 'Say^’, 'tell' and 'ask': 1 says 2 tells 3 ask 4 asked 5 said 6 said 7 asked 8 said 9 told 10 asked 11 asked 12 ask 13 tell 14 asked

15 tell 16 says 17 told 18 said 19 tells 20 ask

15.2B Fixed expressions with 'say', 'tell' and 'ask': 1 'I told you so' 2 Ask the price 3 Say no more 4 ask for 5 Say nothing 6 says so 7 tell the time 8 tell a lie

C Indirect statements with the reporting verb in the present

1 she's going to America for six months.

2 they went to Rhodes last year.

3 she's not (or she isn't) feeling well.

4 she'll look at your work in a minute.

5 she's typed those letters.

6 we must investigate this case.

7 the last strike did no one any good.

8 turn off the electricity at the mains.

9 you have to rub down the walls.

10 she's good at flower arranging.

15.2D Context: I are always saying 2 asked 3 said 4 told 5 says 6 asked 7 say 8 said 9 says 10 told 11 asked (or said) 12 said 13 told

А Common indirect speech forms

1 Mac said (that) he needed a holiday.

2 Sue said (that) she wasn't wasting her time.

3 Tom said (that) he had had (or he'd had} some good news.

4 Pam said (that) she had (or she'd) been sleeping.

5 Lou said (that) (s)he went (or had gone) home early.

6 Jan said (that) (s)he was (or had been) waiting for me/us

7 Joe said (that) he had (or he'd) eaten earlier.

8 Pat said (that) (s)he had (or (s)he'd) been watting for me/us.

9 Tim said (that) he would (or he'd) see me/us later.

10 Dot said (that) she could speak French.

II Kim said (that) (s)he might arrive later.

12 Ron said (that) he would (or he'd) speak to him.

13 Meg asked whether she should speak to him.

14 Ted said (that) he could help me/us.

15 Ann said (that) she might see him.

16 Jim said (that) he would (or he'd) enjoy that.

17 Sam said (that) he must have fainted.

18 Don said (that) he couldn’t have said that.

19 Ned said (that) he needn't have gone there.

20 Lyn said (that) she ought to have helped her.

21 Lee said (that) (s)he should go to the dentist's.

22 Dan said (that) if he were me he would get legal advice.

23 Paul said (that) he must (or had to) catch an early train

24 Jill said (that) she must (or had to) speak to me/us.

25 Bill said (that) he must (or would have to) leave tomorrow.

26 Jane said (that) she must (or would have to) work till late.

27 Phil said (that) John must be a fool.

28 Jean said (that) she mustn't (or couldn't) eat meat

29 Jeff said (that) they mustn't (or couldn't) give up.

15.3B Pronoun and adverb changes in indirect speech: No exercise here.