一、直接引语和间接引语的定义
1. 直接引语:别人直接说的话,一般直接放在引号内。如:
(1) My mother told me, “You should finish your homework first, thenyou can play with your friends.”
(2) Our teacher said, “Class is over, we should have a rest.”
2. 间接引语:用自己的话加以转述,被转述的话不放在引号内。上面两个例句变成间接引语应该是:
(1) My mother told me that I should finish my homework first andthen I could go out and play with my friends.
(2) Our teacher said class was over and we should have arest.
二、直接引语与间接引语的变化
直接引语变成间接引语时,由于引述动词(said,told等)一般都是过去时形式,因此间接引语中的动词时态、人称代词、限定词、时间状语、地点状语等一般都要做相应的变化。有下面几种情况:
1. 现在时间推移到过去时间
所谓现在时间推移到过去时间指一般现在时变为一般过去时,现在进行时变成过去进行时,现在完成时变成过去完成时。例如:
She said, “I am hungry.” → She said (that) she was hungry.
Vince said, “I have found what’s wrong with the computer.” → Vincesaid he had found what was wrong with the computer.
在下列场合,尽管陈述动词为过去时形式,间接引语中的动词时态却不必改变,即:
(1) 当引述的是客观事实、科学真理、现在习惯工作以及格言等内容时:
He said, “The word ‘laser’ is an acronym(首字母缩略词).” → He said theword ‘laser’ is an acronym.
(2) 当动词所表示的状态或动作在引述时仍在继续时:
“I’m forty,” he said. → He said he is forty.
(3) 当谓语动词包含无过去时形式的情态助动词时:
He said, “It must be pretty late. I really must go.” → He said itmust be pretty late, and he really must go.
He said, “You mustn’t smoke in the room.”→ He said I mustn’t smokein the room.
2. 过去时间推移到过去的过去
这里需要注意以下几点:
(1) 当强调动作或状态先于引述动词时,一般过去时要变成过去完成体。例如:
He said, “I didn’t know you.” → He said he hadn’t known me.
(2) 过去进行时可以变成过去完成进行时,也可以不变。例如:
Robert said, “I was joking with Mary.”
→ Robert said he had been joking with Mary.
(3) 过去完成时仍为过去完成时,不需改变。例如:
He said, “We hadn’t returned to the store when she came.”
→ He said they hadn’t returned to the store when she came.
(4) 时间状语分句中的一般过去式或者过去进行时可以不变。例如:
John said, “When I lived in London I often saw Jane.”
→ John said when he lived in London he had often seen Jane.
3. 将来时间推移到过去将来时间
最常见的是把表示将来时间的助动词由现在时形式变为过去时形式。例如:
He said, “We’re spending next weekend at home.”
→ He said they were spending the next weekend at home.
They said, “We’re going to Hawaii this summer vacation.”
→ They said they were going to Hawaii that summer vacation.
但是,在引述时,如果原话中的动作或者状态属于尚未到来的将来时间,那么,可以不推移到过去将来时间。例如:
He said, “I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow.” → He said he will bewaiting for me tomorrow.
4. 人称代词、限定词、时间状语、地点状语的变化
由上面的例子可以看出,当直接引语变成间接引语时,除动词时态变化外,人称代词、限定词、时间状语、地点状语等通常也作相应的变化。
(1) 人称代词,除引述本人原话外,通常第一、二人称变为第三人称,或者第二人称变为第一人称;限定词也作相应的变化。例如:
He said, “We love our country.” → He said they love theircounty.
(2)指示代词this,these分别变成that/it,those/they或them;指示限定词this,those通常变为that,those或the。例如:
“This house is very expensive,” she said. → She said that house wasvery expensive.
a. 时间状语和动词时态两者都变。例如:
b. 时间状语不变,动词时态可变可不变。例如:
She said, “We left Paris at 8 a.m.”
→ She said they had left Paris at 8 a.m.
c. 时间状语变与不变需视具体情况而定,如果引述时间和说话时间(如同一年、同一月、同一天等),时间状语可不变。例如:
Mr. Black said, “We started learning Chinese last month.”
直接引语
today
thismorning/afternoon
yesterday
(the) day beforeyesterday
tomorrow
(the) day aftertomorrow
nextweek/month
lastweek/month
now