Real Grammar - Susan Conrad, Douglas Biber 2009

Reporting What Someone Said
Unit 37 … and she goes oh don’t worry

What have you learned from your grammar textbook?

There are two ways to report what someone said: (1) Direct speech quotes the exact words of the speaker, often introducing them with the “quoting verbs” said or asked. (2) Indirect speech does not use the exact words of the speaker. It uses a reporting verb and an indirect statement (or “noun clause”).

1. Ali said, “I plan to go to the party.”

2. Ali said he planned to go to the party.

What does the corpus show?

A

In real conversations, direct speech is rarely an exact quote of previous speech. The direct speech may reword the idea, provide a summary, or even express the speaker’s thoughts more than exact speech.

• I called and said I’m ready to move into the apartment, and they said oh, sorry we already sublet—we already leased it. And I said excuse me, I’ve been calling you from Utah all summer long.

B

Say is commonly used in direct speech in conversation. Ask is rarely used (but ask is common for indirect speech). Three other expressions have become popular recently.

C

The discourse markers well, oh, look, and okay are sometimes used to mark the beginning of direct speech. (See Unit 48 for more on discourse markers.)

• And I said well I’m gonna put it in, put a little five dollars in the thing and send it to the little children.

• They brought the car over here and I said oh, you made it over here with it.

• He said look, you guys have got to get together as a team and make a decision.

D

Direct speech makes a story sound more immediate and exciting for the audience. Adding to that effect, many speakers use “historic present” for the quoting verb. This means that present tense is used to refer to past time.

• She was sitting there eating the rest of this cheesecake, and she SAYS what is this? It was a fingernail.

• Mom went on this wine shopping spree and she bought these bottles when she was here, and she GOES oh don’t worry, well I just wanted to help you guys get a wine rack going.

Be careful! It is difficult to use the informal quoting verbs and “historic present” tense appropriately. In fact, you do not need to produce those forms at all. However, it is important to be able to understand when native speakers use them!

Activities

1 Notice in context: Read these examples of reporting speech in conversation. Circle the words that introduce direct speech.

1. Reporting on a conversation with the doctor about diet.

He said to me the last time I was there, he says okay, well, you know what, let’s add back two supplements. I go supplements? Pills? That’s what you wanna add back, is just those pills? He goes wait, wait, wait. Okay, okay. I say how about a grain, you know. He goes okay corn tortillas. I said corn tortillas. You mean just the corn tortillas? How about corn bread, corn muffins? He’s like no, no, no, just corn tortillas.

2. Reporting on a conversation with an angry boyfriend.

He, he walked out, and Jason and Theresa were laughing at me, and he’s all thanks a lot, he goes that was rude, and I go darn, you know I was just kidding, and I said and so do they. He goes fine.

3. Reporting on Mom at the movies.

Stan: My mom saw Ace Ventura.

Sulim: Oh no.

Stan: She’s all I just saw Pet Detective. I’m all that’s Ace Ventura, Mom.

2 Analyze discourse: Read Jennifer's reporting on a conversation with her colleague Suzi. Circle go and be like when they introduce direct speech and underline the direct speech.

1. Suzi asked me if I was gonna go to the seminar on Friday. She goes well, Jennifer, are you gonna go?

2. I go there won’t be anyone there. She says well, Ken will be there.

3. I go he’s teaching class from like eight thirty to noon.

4. She’s like well, the seminar’s for everybody.

5. I go oh, so the whole campus can close and everybody will go?

6. She’s like well, yeah.

3 Practice conversation: Read what your friend Kevin says. Then check (✓) any response that is appropriate (there may be more than one possible response).

1. Kevin: It was that night a couple weeks ago when they had all those sales. So my wife goes out to buy me a watch, and I’m all I’d like a Rolex*.

a. Why did she say that?

b. She’s shopping right now?

c. Did she laugh when you told her that?

d. Does she always announce when she’s leaving?

2. Kevin: I couldn’t find my watch for a week, and my friend’s sitting in our living room, and suddenly he goes oh, here’s your watch.

a. Where the heck did he find it?

b. I don’t see him in the living room now.

c. Why did he leave?

d. Did he give it to you before he went out?

3. Kevin: I asked the professor what time class gets out and he was all eight or eight-thirty, isn’t it on the syllabus?

a. I wonder why he didn’t answer you.

b. The teacher doesn’t know when his class ends?

c. Did he do it all nine times too?

d. Maybe he was busy grading papers.

4. Kevin: I asked the professor what time class gets out, and he was all involved in checking papers, and he completely ignored me.

a. He never even looked up?

b. He’s such a nice guy. I wonder if he heard you.

c. Teachers always tell students things they DON’T need to know.

d. He had the time to tell you he was involved with papers, but he couldn’t say when class gets out?

* A Rolex is a very expensive watch.