Friday, 4 September 2015
NARRATION - CHANGE OF IMPERATIVE SENTENCES FROM DIRECT TO INDIRECT FORM OF SPEECH - EXPLANATION WITH EXAMPLES
Change of Different types of sentences from Direct speech into Indirect speech (Contd. From Previous Chapter)
The Manager told him that the visitor might be allowed to come in.
NARRATION - CHANGE OF INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES (COMBINED) FROM DIRECT TO INDIRECT FORM OF SPEECH --COMBINED SENTENCES
(Continued from Previous Chapter)
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES
Interrogative sentences are of two types.
A. First, sentences starting with helping verbs like is, am, are, were, was, Do , Does, Did, had, have, Can. Could, shall, will, should or would etc.
Sometimes there are combined sentences of two or more types in one sentence.
These two sentences are changed from direct into indirect form of speech according to the rules of narration applicable to them.
Some examples of such sentences are explained here under for practice.
1. My friend said to me, “ Where are you putting up these days? Will you be free today in the evening? Why don’t you join us over dinner tonight?”
The sentences in the reported speech are of interrogative nature. So ‘said to’ in the reporting speech will change into 'asked' according to interrogative sentence. Further these sentences will be changed separately as per rules required for them.
My friend asked me where I was putting up those days and if I would be free that day in the evening and enquired further why I did not join them over dinner that night.
2. The customer said to the vendor, “What articles do you have for sale ? Are all of these items of food fresh? Do you have any fresh fruit with you ? May I have one of these articles ?
These are interrogative sentences but first sentence starts with ‘What’ and the second with ‘Are’ the third with 'Do' and the fourth with 'May'. All these sentences will be changed in their own ways. ‘said to’ will change into ‘asked’. In case of first sentence, no word is required to replace inverted commas but for the remaining sentences, the same will be replaced by ‘if’. These sentences will be as under:
The customer asked the vendor what articles he had for sale and if all of those items of food were fresh. He asked him further if he had any fresh fruit with him and if he might have one of those articles ?
Note : In the sentences written above the word 'have' is used as a main verb meaning 'to possess'. So 'may have' changed into 'might have' . There should be no confusion about changing it into 'might had' which will be incorrect.
3. One of her friends said to her, “Why are you crying over such a trivial matter? Don't you feel that you are making fuss over a small affair? Does it not look shabby you behave like this? Will you stop crying now ?”
These sentences are interrogative sentences of mixed nature and will be treated accordingly. So ‘said to’ will change into ‘asked’ and no word is required while removing inverted commas in case of 'Why' but for the words 'Don't', 'Does' and 'Will' the word 'If' will be used.
One of her friends asked her why she was crying over such a trivial matter and if she didn't feel that she was making fuss over a small affair. She asked her further if it did not look shabby she behaved like that and if she would stop crying then.
4. The old man said, “What are you doing here, children ? Are you not going to your school today ? Is there a holiday today ? Why don't you attend to your studies?
The old man asked children what they were doing there and if they were not going to their school that day and if there was a holiday that day. He asked them further why they didn't attend to their studies.
5. The father said," Haven't I been warning you time and again to be careful, my son ? Why didn't you take my advice seriously? Do you still rely on him for any help?
The father asked his son if he hadn't been warning him time and again to be careful and why he hadn't taken his advice seriously. He enquired further if he still relied on him for any help.
6. The farmer said, " Friends, It has been raining heavily for the last couple of days. Do you expect it will stop soon? It must stop raining otherwise all the crops will be destroyed.”
Out of these, two sentences, first and third are simple assertive sentences and the second is an interrogative sentence starting with word ‘Do’. For the first and third, ‘said to’ will change into ‘told’ or ‘informed’ and for the second sentence it will change into ‘asked’. Inverted commas for the first and third will change into ‘that’ and for second ‘if’.
The farmer told his friends that it had been raining heavily for the last couple of days.He asked them if they expected it would stop soon. He told them further that it must stop raining otherwise all the crops would be destroyed.
7. "My daughter," said she, “You have travelled a long distance during the day. Do you not feel tired ? Will you take a rest for a while? If you continue your journey, you may fall sick.”
Two sentences, first and last one, are assertive sentences whereas second and third are interrogative sentences. ‘said to’ will change for the first and fourth into told and for the second and third into asked. Inverted commas for assertive sentences will change into ‘that’ and for interrogative sentences into ‘if’ .
She told her daughter that she had travelled a long distance during the day. She asked her if she did not feel tired and if she would not take rest for a while. She told her further that if she continued her journey she might fall sick.
8. His mother said to him, “I have been waiting for you since morning. Why are you so late today?”
For the first sentence ‘said to’ will change into ‘told’ and for the second into ‘asked’. Inverted commas for the first sentence will change into ‘that’ and for the second no word is required in place of commas.
His mother told him that she had been waiting for him since morning and asked why he was so late that day.
9. The little girl said, " Mother, why do we wear woollen clothes in winter and cotton clothes in summer? Why is it colder in winter than summer?
The little girl asked her mother why they wore woollen clothes in winter and cotton clothes in summer and why it was colder in winter than summer.
10. His friend said to him, “ When do you get up in the morning? Do you go out for a walk in the morning? Would you like to go along with me for a wlk in the morning tomorrow?
His friend asked him when he got up in the morning and if he went out for a walk in the morning. He asked him further if he would like to go with him for a walk in the morning.
11.The boss said to the official," Why are you sitting so late in the office today ?Why didn't you go home ? Are you having any problem in finishing your work ?"
The boss asked the official why he was sitting so late in the office that day and why he had not gone home. He asked him further if he was having any problem in finishing his work.
12.The lady said to the gentleman, "Are the children not addicted to television viewing these days ? Do they have any interest in out door games? Is this life style of the children not a health hazard for them?"
The lady asked the gentleman if the children were not addicted to television viewing those days and if they had any interest in out door games and if that life style of the children was not a health hazard for them.
13.The shepherd said to the village priest, " Who are all these persons and where are these coming from ? "
The shepherd asked the village priest who all those persons were and where those were coming from.
14. The clown said to the old man," Whom are you looking for? Do you expect a guest today ? What is the reason of your anxiety?
The clown asked the old man whom he was looking for and if he expected a guest that day and what the reason of your anxiety was.
15.The lion said to the rabbit," Why are you so late ? Can't you be punctual? Do you expect me to wait for you for such a long time ?"
The lion asked the rabbit why he was so late and if he could not be punctual and if he expected him to wait for him for such a long time.
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Thursday, 3 September 2015
NARRATION --- CHANGE OF INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES FROM DIRECT FORM TO INDIRECT FORM - EXPLANATION WITH EXAMPLES
NARRATION
Change of Different types of sentences from Direct speech into Indirect speech.
In Direct form of Narration, words spoken by the speaker are expressed in the same way as these are said and are written within inverted commas but in Indirect form of speech these are expressed in simpler and changed form and inverted commas are not used for this. Different types of sentences are treated for change of direct to indirect form of speech or vice versa in different ways. These are detailed here under.
Sentences in English language are generally of following types :
Simple or Assertive Sentences: These sentences are in Present, Past or Future tenses and end with a sign of full-stop. These are used for conveying positive (or negative also) information e.g. He is my neighbour. I shall not go to the market today. You did not make any mistake. etc.
Exclamatory Sentences: These sentences express feelings of happiness,sadness,surprise or a wish etc. e.g. Hurrah ! I have won the match. Alas! we lost the game. What a pretty child! etc.
Interrogative sentences : These sentences pose an enquiry about a thing or a subject etc. and end with a question mark sign. These sentences start with a helping verb like Do, Did, Does, Has Have Had, Will, Shall, Would, Should Can or Could etc. & Words like What, Why, Where, Who, Whose, Whom or Which etc.
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES
The basic rule of Narration is :
First Person in reported speech changes according to Subject in reporting speech.
Second Person in reported speech changes according to object in reporting speech.
Third Person in reported speech does not change.
For a ready reference
First Person is I My Me ....... Singular
We Our Us ....... Plural
Second Person You Your You .... Singular and Plural
Third Person He His Him ......... Singular (Male)
She Her Her ......... Singular (Female)
They Their Them ...... Plural (Male & Female)
The following simple sentence elucidates this point.
He said to me , " I gave you her purse."
In the reporting speech 'He' is third person singular, 'me' is first person singular and said is the past tense of verb 'say'.
In the reported speech 'I' is first person singular, 'you' is second person singular, 'her' is third person singular and gave is the past tense of verb 'give'.
'I' will change according to the subject 'He' , 'You' will change according to object 'me' and 'her' will not change. ' Gave' will be 'had given'.The sentence in its indirect form will be:
He told me that he had given me her purse.
Further if the reporting speech is in present or future tenses the tense in the reported speech will not change e.g. He says, " I am innocent."
He is third person and I is first person. First person in reported speech will change according to subject 'He' and there will be 'that' in place of " ". But as says in reporting speech is in present tense there will be no change in tense in reported speech. So.... He says that he is innocent.
Similarly if reporting is in future tense, it will be;
He will say," I am innocent." He will say that he is innocent.
But if the reporting speech is in past tense, tense in reported speech in indirect form will be as under:
First form of verb will be Second form of verb e.g. goes=went
Second form of verb will be Had + third form of verb e.g. went = had gone
For example :
He said to me," Will you convey my message to her? "
'You' is second person. It will change according to object 'me'.
'My' is First person It will change according to Subject 'He'.
'Her' is third person It will not change.
He asked me if I would convey his message to her.
Interrogative sentences are of two types.
A. First starting with helping verbs like is, am, are, were, was, had, have, shall, will or would etc.
For example :
He said to her, "Are you going home?"
She said to me,"Will you help me?"
In such sentences, the sentence is changed to from interrogative form to assertive sentence.
The helping verb is shifted to its normal place as per assertive sentence and is further changed as required.
Subject and object in the reported speech are changed according to rules.
The sign of interrogation is removed and it is substituted by full stop.
Comma and Inverted commas are replaced by the word ‘if ’.
For example:
He said, “Are you well now?”
The sentence will change as:
Interrogative will change into assertive.
\Interrogation mark (?) will change into (.) Full stop.
He said, “You are well now.”
Further , “” will change into if.
You is second person. It will change into object of reporting speech. There is no object in reporting speech. So it will not change.
Are will change into were and now will change into then.
The sentence in its indirect for will be :
He said if you were well then.
Now a sentence with an object in reporting speech.
He said to me."Are you well now?"
'you' is a second person. It will change according to object i.e. 'me'.
Accordingly 'are' will change into was.
He asked me if I was well then.
I said to him,"Are you well now?"
You is second person it will change according to object him.
Are will change into was (according to he).
I asked him if he was well then.
Some more examples are :
She said to him. “Will you lend me your book?”
Said to will change into asked " " =if Past tense of will =would.
You and your are second person and will change according to object him.
Me is first person and will change according to She.
So it will be :
She asked him if he would lend her his book.
The doctor said to her, “Do you take any medicine?”
Here 'Do take ' in interrogative sentence = Take in assertive sentence.
Past tense of take = took.
You is second person and will change according to object 'her'.
The doctor asked her if she took any medicine.
The lady said to us, “ Did you attend the party yesterday?
Did attend in interrogative sentence = attended in assertive sentence.
Attended will change into Had + Third form or Had attended.
You, Second person will change according to object us.
Yesterday = the previous day. So it will be :
The lady asked us if we had attended the party the previous day.
Boys said to the teacher, “Are you not going to teach us today?”
Boys asked the teacher if he was not going to teach them that day.
The lady said to us, “ Will you attend the party today?
The lady asked us if we would attend the party that day.
She said to me, “Is he an honest man?”
She asked me if he was an honest man.
The boy said to the shopkeeper, “Do you sell sweets?”
The boy asked the shopkeeper if he sold sweets.
The fox said to the crow. “Are the grapes sour?”
The fox asked the crow if the grapes were sour.
The father said to his son, “Do you hear a noise?”
The father asked his son if he heard a noise.
John said to his friend, “Did you not go to your office today?”
John asked his friend if he had not gone to his office that day.
He said to the passerby, “Do you need my help?”
He asked the passerby if he needed his help.
She said to me, “Has he invited you to dinner?”
She asked me if he had invited me to dinner.
You said to her, “Will you come to my house today?”
You asked her if she would come to your house that day.
The student said to the teacher, “Sir, May I go home?”
The student asked the teacher respectfully if he might go home.
She said to her, “Can you solve my problem?”
She asked her if she could solve her problem.
He said to you, “Is it not a surprise for me?”
He asked you if it was not a surprise for him.
She said to the boys, “Did you play a match yesterday?”
She asked the boys if they had played a match the previous day.
My mother said to him, “Will you help me in this matter?
My mother asked him if he would help her in that matter.
I said to her, “Will you keep quiet for some time?”
I asked her if she would keep quiet for some time.
B. The second type of interrogative sentences are which start with words like – What,Which,Why,Who,Whose,Where,When,how and whom etc.
He said to me, “Where are you going?”
In such sentences, ‘said to’ is changed to ‘asked’.
The sentence is changed according to assertive sentences.
The interrogative sentence is changed into an assertive sentence and the sign of interrogation is removed and are substituted by full stop.
The sentence written above will be in its assertive form as
"Where are you going?"= where you are going.
Comma and Inverted commas are removed without using any word in their place.
'You' being second person will be changed according to object 'me' =I
I will be followed by 'was' in place of 'are'.
So the aforesaid sentence will be:
He asked me where I was going.
Here are a few similar sentences duly solved.
My mother said to her, “How do you feel now?”
My mother asked her how she felt then.
He said to me, " How old is your brother?"
He asked me how old my brother was.
She said to him, " How can I help your brother?"
She asked him how she could help his brother.
She said to the stranger, “Who are you?”
She asked the stranger who he was.
I said, “How long will you stay with us, Mathew?”
I asked Mathew how long he would stay with us.
She said to him, “Which is the book that my brother gave you?”
She asked him which the book was that her brother had given him.
He said to me, “Where do you plan to go with your boss next week?”
He asked me where I planned to go with my boss next week.
The father said to the child, “Why don’t you speak the truth?”
The father asked the child why he did not speak the truth.
She said to me, “Who are you? Where do you come from?”
She asked me who I was and where I came from.
The policeman said to the thief, “What are you doing here?”
The police asked the thief what he was doing there.
She said to her husband, “When will you leave for your office?”
She asked her husband when he would leave for his office.
He said to me," When are you leaving for Delhi? Will you take me along with you?"
He asked me when I was leaving for Delhi and if I would take him along with me.
The official said to the visitor," What do you want ? Do you not know that office is closed today?"
The official asked the visitor what he wanted and if he did not know that office was closed on that day.
His wife said to him," Are you leaving for your office now? When will you return home in the evening today?"
His wife asked him if he was leaving for his office then and when he would return home in the evening that day.
The old man said to the boy," Why are you beating this child ? Do you not have any sense of shame ?"
The old man asked the boy why he was beating that child and if he had not any sense of shame.
Note Also view chapter of subsequent posts to have better understanding of the topic.
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