258 Sentences 6. The carpet had been badly faded by the sun. 7. The material had been snagged by a splinter. 8. A new plan was being developed by Roberta. 9. The entire project has been coordinated by a special task force. 10. The idea was critiqued by the entire staff. 11. The clock was wound up by my grandfather once a week. 12. The rocks were lifted onto the truck by a loader. 13. The rocket had been launched by a team from NASA. 14. Unfortunately, the house had been badly neglected by the previous owners. 15. The pool is being cleaned by a neighbor’s son. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 258 3/16/09 12:34:26 PM 259 15 Indirect Quotation There are two forms of quotation: direct and indirect. Direct quotation uses quotation marks to signal that we are repeating someone’s words exactly as the person said or wrote them. In this chapter we will discuss how to correctly use indirect quotation—quotation without the use of quotation marks. An indirect quotation is putting someone else’s words into your own sentence. While indirect quotation allows a certain amount of freedom in how the writer reports the words of someone else, this freedom of expression does not release the writer from full responsibility for accurately reporting the content of what is being reported. Indirect quotations consist of a verb of reporting followed by a noun clause beginning with that (a that clause—see Chapter 7). For example: Pinker argues that the brains of mammals follow a common general plan. In this example, the that clause is the object of the verb argues. Indirect quotation is very different from direct quotation. To see the differences, compare the following quotes: Direct: Tom said, “My parents are going to Malta this summer.” Indirect: Tom said that his parents were going to Malta this summer. If you look closely, you will see a number of differences between the two types of quotations. • The most obvious and important difference is the use of quotation marks. If a quota- tion is in quotation marks, it is a direct quote. If it is not in quotation marks, it is an indirect quotation. • Both direct and indirect quotations use the same verb said to introduce the quote, but in the case of direct quotation, said is separated from the quoted material by a comma. No comma is used in the indirect quote. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 259 3/16/09 12:34:26 PM 260 Sentences • The indirect quotation uses that to introduce the quoted material. Direct quotation can- not use that in this manner. • In the direct quotation, the quoted material begins with a capital letter; in the indirect quotation, the paraphrased material begins with a lowercase letter. • The tenses in the two quotations are different. The direct quotation is in the present tense. The indirect quotation is in the past tense. • There is a difference in pronouns. The my in the direct quotation shifts to his in the indi- rect quotation. The use of that is especially signifi cant because sometimes it is the only way we can tell the difference between direct and indirect quotation. For example, could you use quotation marks with the following sentence? Bill said that his parents had enjoyed their trip to Malta. The answer is that you could not because that signals an indirect quotation. We can never use that with direct quotation. One of the characteristics of that clauses (including that clauses used in indirect quotation) is that we may optionally delete that. However, deleting that in indirect quotation is a really bad idea because that is one of the best ways to distinguish direct and indi- rect quotation. Accordingly, in the following discussion, we will always retain that in indirect quotation. Compare the following direct and indirect quotations: Direct: She said, “I am going home soon.” Indirect: She said that she was going home soon. The direct quotation is in the present progressive tense (am going). In the indirect quotation, the verb has shifted to the past progressive tense (was going). The standard name for this is back- shifting. Moving from direct quotation to indirect quotation involves a surprisingly elaborate set of backshifts from present tenses to past tenses, and from past tenses to past perfect tenses. The basic rule is this: Present tenses ⇒ past tenses Past tenses ⇒ past perfect tenses Here are some examples of present tenses backshifting to past tenses: Present tense ⇒ past tense Direct: He said, “I have to go.” Indirect: He said that he had to go. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 260 3/16/09 12:34:27 PM Indirect Quotation 261 Present progressive ⇒ past progressive Direct: He said, “I am leaving soon.” Indirect: He said that he was leaving soon. Present perfect ⇒ past perfect Direct: He said, “We have been gone a long time.” Indirect: He said that they had been gone a long time. Present modal ⇒ past modal Direct: They said, “We will see him tomorrow.” Indirect: They said that they would see him tomorrow. Exercise 15.1 Convert the following direct quotations to indirect quotations. Be sure to use that in the indirect quotations. Jim said, “The computer paper is stored in the bottom drawer.” Jim said that the computer paper was stored in the bottom drawer. 1. Alice said, “The company hosts the annual meeting in Las Vegas this year.” 2. Tom said, “Francine has decided to move to Chicago.” 3. I said, “Tom will meet us as soon as possible.” 4. Ralph said, “Everyone has enjoyed the visit.” 5. The TV said, “The storm may move up the coastline.” 6. My mom said, “Everyone is looking forward to meeting Barbara.” 7. Bill said, “The keys are kept next to the backdoor.” (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 261 3/16/09 12:34:27 PM 262 Sentences 8. Terry said, “We can still get reservations for the weekend.” 9. The contractor said, “The electricians will fi nish the wiring Friday.” 10. I said, “I know you are right.” Here are some examples of backshifted past tenses: Past tense ⇒ past perfect tense Direct: I said, “I was a little disappointed.” Indirect: I said that I had been a little disappointed. Past progressive ⇒ past perfect progressive Direct: She said, “I was looking forward to it.” Indirect: She said that she had been looking forward to it. Past perfect: no change possible because sentence is already in past perfect tense Direct: They said, “Bill had made a reservation.” Indirect: They said that Bill had made a reservation. Past modal: no change possible because there are no past perfect modals Direct: We said, “Sam would take care of it.” Indirect: We said that Sam would take care of it. Exercise 15.2 Convert the following direct quotations to indirect quotations. Be sure to use that in the indirect quotations. She said, “Ron already fi lled out the forms.” She said that Ron had already fi lled out the forms. 1. He said, “They have really done a great job.” 2. I said, “We were busy all afternoon.” (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 262 3/16/09 12:34:27 PM Indirect Quotation 263 3. Rudy said, “We saw a terrifi c movie Saturday.” 4. Mom said, “The rain was pouring down all afternoon.” 5. The mechanic said, “Jack was working on our car.” 6. The bank said, “The check has been deposited already.” 7. Alice said, “They have already made plans for dinner.” 8. He said, “We helped our kids move into their new apartment.” 9. Marion said, “I was watching TV when you called.” 10. Francis said, “Bob pulled a muscle exercising.” Indirect quotation requires a number of adjustments in the reference of fi rst and second per- son pronouns. Here are the most common shifts that may cause problems for nonnative speakers: First person to third Direct: He said, “I will introduce Sally to the group at lunch.” Indirect: He said that he would introduce Sally to the group at lunch. Second person to third Direct: She said, “You are making a big mistake.” Indirect: She said that he/she was making a big mistake. We see the same kind of shift in refl exive and possessive pronouns. For example: First person to third Direct: He said, “I just cut myself on my arm.” Indirect: He said that he had just cut himself on his arm. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 263 3/16/09 12:34:27 PM 264 Sentences Second person to third Direct: She said, “You made a fool of yourself in your memo.” Indirect: She said that he/she had made a fool of himself/herself in his/her memo. Exercise 15.3 Convert the following direct quotations to indirect quotations. Sue said, “I am worried about meeting my deadline.” Sue said that she was worried about meeting her deadline. 1. He said, “I may be able to arrange a meeting with my manager.” 2. I said, “It was a good idea to talk to you.” 3. The postman said, “You need to mail your package before fi ve.” 4. Bob said, “The paint in my living room is drying properly.” 5. Jane said, “I was just talking to my mother.” 6. He said, “I will be staying at home tomorrow.” 7. She told Paul, “You can count on me.” 8. Ruth told me, “I am not ready to get rid of my car yet.” 9. Alice told her son, “You have been staying up too late talking to your friends.” 10. My wife reminded me, “I am having dinner with my friend after work.” (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 264 3/16/09 12:34:27 PM . “They have already made plans for dinner.” 8. He said, “We helped our kids move into their new apartment.” 9. Marion said, “I was watching TV when you called.” 10. Francis said, “Bob pulled