Reported Structures

7/27/2019 Reported Structures

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Reported structures/reported

speech

Reporting what people say or think


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A quote structure

One way of reporting what someone has said

is to repeat their actual words

E.g. I dont know much about instruments.

Robin said.

Instead of repeating it, the writer could have

said, Robin said that he didnt know much

about instruments. This is called a report

structure.


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Quote structures and reportstructures consist of two main

clauses. The main clause is called a

reporting clause. The other clause

indicates what someone said or

thought. In a quote structures, thisother clause is called the quote.


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In a reported structure, the other

clause is called the reported clausee.g. She mentioned that she

couldnt stand shouting.Jones asked if you would be able

to call and meet him.

They promised to give me the

money.


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Indicating that you are reporting:

reporting verbs.E.g. you use say when you are

simply reporting what someonesaid & dont want to add any more

information about what you are

reporting


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Showing the purpose of

speaking/what purpose anutterance was intended to serve:

use answer-tells a statement is

an answer, complain tells us that

a statement was intended as a

complaint explain? plead ?deplored? reply?

recommend?


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A list of reporting verbs:

admit? Acknowledge? Allege? Assert?Claim? comment? Confess? Confirm?

Contend? Deny? Dispute? Demand?

Forbid? Grumble? Guarantee? Hint?

Insist? Notify? Object? Pledge?

Proclaim? Propose? Remind? Reveal?Shriek? Swear? Threaten? Urge?

Warn? Yell?


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Verbs of thinking and knowing:

many reporting verbs are used to referto peoples thoughts, rather than to

what they say. Reporting verbs are

used to refer to many different kindsof thoughts, like beliefs, wishes, hopes,

intentions and decisions. They can be

used to refer acts of remembering &

forgetting.


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A list of reporting verbs used toreport peoples thoughts: assume?

Doubt? Determine? Dream?

Estimate? Foresee?Regret?resolve? Wonder? Recall?

Vowed? Worry? Long? Intend?Judge? Fear? Imagine? Guess?


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A third group of reporting verbsrefer to learning and perceiving

facts: conclude, discover, elicit,find, gather, infer, learn, note,

notice, observe, perceive, realise,

sense,


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REPORTING STATEMENTS AND

THOUGHTS: if you want to report a

statement or someones thoughts, weuse a reported clause beginning with

the conjunction that.

E.g. He said that the police had

directed him to the wrong room. He

wrote me a letter saying that heunderstood what I was doing.

She announced that the lecture would

now begin.


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In formal speech & writing, the

conjunction that is commonly

omitted.e.g. They said I had to see adoctor first. She says she wants to see

you this afternoon. He knew the

attempt was hopeless. I think there is

something wrong. That is omitted

when the reporting verb refers simplyto the act of saying or thinking. We

usually include that after a verb

which gives more information


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e.g. such as complain or

explaine.g. The supervisor complained

that the office was not

businesslike. I explained that shewould have to stay in bed.

This kind of reported clause isoften a that clause, even though

many occur without that


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Here is a list verbs which are often

used as reporting verbs with that-

clauses: add, assert, argue, concede,

consider, convince, dispute, discover,

doubt, dream, elicit, estimate, fear,feel, figure, foresee, gather, guarantee,

imply, inform, learn, note, notify,

perceive, reason, reassure, remark,reveal, swear, threaten, vow, warn,

wish, worry, write


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Reporting questions: we can report

a question that they ask or wonderabout. Questions in report

structures are called reported

questions or indirect questions.

The reporting verb is ask but

questions can be reported in amore formal way using enquire

or inquire


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e.g. I asked if I could stay with

them. He asked me where I wasgoing. She inquired how Ibrahim

was getting on.


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Two main types of questions, and

so two main types of Reportstructure for questions: No.1. Yes/

No questions: when you report a

yes/no question, you use an if-clause beginning with the

conjunctionif or a whether clause beginning with the

conjunction whether


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1. Do you know my name? sheasked me.

2. Did your parents speakGerman? she asked him.

3. Have your hair always been

that colour? he inquired her.


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You use whether when the speaker

has suggested one possibility but hasleft open the question of other

possibilities. After whether you can

suggest another possibility or can

leave it unstated. E.g. I was asked

whether I wanted to stay at a hotel orat his house. She asked whether the

servants were still there.


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Wh-questions: when we report a wh

question, use a wh-word at thebeginning of the reported clause. E.g.

He asked where I was going. She

enquired why I was late. She leaned

over the stairs and called down to ask

what had happened. I asked how theyliked the drama. It ever occurred to

me to ask who put it there.


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Other verbs can be used before

clauses beginning with wh-wordsbecause they refer to knowing,

learning or mentioning one of the

circumstances of an event or situation.

Ace doesnt know what we were

talking about. They couldnt see howthey would manage without him.Jones

wondered whats happened.


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Reporting orders, requests, advice &

intentions: if someone orders,requests,or advises someone else to

do something, this can be reported by

using a to-infinitive clause after a

reporting verb e.g.tell. The person

being addressed, who is to performthe action, is mentioned as the object

of reporting verb.


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Jones told her to wake him up.

They commanded me to stay here.

He ordered me to fetch the flask.

My doctor advised me to see a

neurologist.


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A few verbs can be used with a to-infinitiveclause to report requests

when the hearer is mentioned in aprepositional phrase.e.g. An officer

shouted to us to stop all the noise.

I pleaded with her to tell me.


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In conversation, requests are put in

the form of questions: Reportedrequests look like reported

questions. People asked me if I can

lend them sixty dollars. He asked

me whether I would help him.

Alternatively, you can mention theperson making it. He asked if I

would answer some questions.


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Reporting suggestions: when someone

makes a suggestion about someoneelse not the hearer, should do, report

it by using a that-clause. This clause

contains a modal(should). He proposesthat the Government should hold an

inquiry. It was definite enough for a

doctor to advise that she should have

treatment.


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Reporting intentions & hopes:

when we are reporting an actionthe speaker(the subject of the

reporting verb) intends to perform,

we can report in 2 ways. We can

report it simply as an action, using

a to-infinitive clause or as astatement or fact using a that-

clause.


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The verb group in the that clause

contains a modal. She promised thatshe would not leave the hospital until

she was better. I decided to withhold

the information till later. She decided

that she would leave the postal order

to her. I had vowed to fight for theirfreedom. He vowed that he would ride

at my side into Peru.


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Verbs that can be used either witha to-infinitive clause or with a

that-clause containing a modal.Decide,expect, hope, pledge,

promise, propose, resolve, swear,

threaten, vow.


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claim & pretend can also be

used with these two structureswhen you are saying that someone

is claiming or pretending

something about abouthimself/herself. E.g. He claimed to

be a genius has the same meaningas He claimed that he was a

genius.


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He claimed to have witnessed theroad mishap. He claimed that he

had found the money in the

forest.( the infinitive in the to-clause can be a perfect infinitive,

referring to a past event orsituation.)


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Several verbs which indicate

personal intentions can only beused with a to-infinitive clause. I

intend to say nothing for thepresent. They are planning to move

to the country. I dont want to die

yet. (These verbs are: intend, long,

mean, plan, refuse, want)


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Reporting uncertain things: when

we are reporting an action thatsomeone is wondering about doing

themselves, we use a to-

infinitive clause beginning withwhether. E.g. she has been

wondering whether to retire. Hedidnt know whether to feel glad

or sorry at his dismissal.


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A list of verbs that can be used

with to-infinitive clause of thiskind.

Choose/debate/decide/know/wonder. Note that

choose/decide/know are usually

used in a negative or interrogative

clause or a clause with a modal.


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When we are mentioning

information about something

involved in an action, we use a

to-infinitive clause after a whword as the reported clause. She

asked me what to do. I shall teachyou how to bake.


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The verbs: describe, discuss,

explain, forget, guess, imagine,

know, learn, realise, remember,reveal, say, see, suggest, teach, tell,

think, understand, wonder

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Reported Structures