INDIRECT QUESTIONS
Indirect questions are polite, longer forms of normal questions. For example: - Where's the department store? - Direct question - Could you tell me where the department store is, please? - Indirect question - What's his name? - Direct question - Do you know what his name is? - Indirect question Form Indirect questions are formed of two parts: a polite expression, and a question which has no subject/verb inversion like a normal question . For example: - What's his name? >> - Do you know what his name is? - Indirect question Here the polite expression is "Do you know...", and the question part is "...what his name is?". Note that the subject and verb have not changed place in the question part. So if you said "Do you know what is his name?", this would be incorrect. Another example: - What's the time? >> - Do you have any idea what the time is? - Indirect question The polite expression is "Do you have any idea...?", and the question is "...what the time is?". The question is not "...what is the time?" - you don't invert the subject and verb kike a normal question. Auxiliary Verb "To do"
The auxiliary verb "to do"is used in questions when there is no other auxiliary verb. For example: - You like Chinese food. >> - Do you like Chinese food? Indirect questions do not use the auxiliary verb "to do" in the main question. For example: - When does the next train arrive? - Direct question - Do you know when the next train arrives? - Indirect question - Do you know when does the next train arrive? - Incorrect Another example: - When does the restaurant close? - Direct question - Could you tell me when the restaurant closes? - Indirect question - Could you tell me when does the restaurant close? - Incorrect There are infinite ways to make indirect questions. Not all indirect questions are questions at all, rather they are polite statements which encourage some kind of response. Some common polite expressions include: - I wonder if/whether...? - I can't remember if/whether...? - Could you tell me if/whether...?
- Would you mind telling me if/whether...? - Would it be possible for you to...? - Is there any chance you could...? - I don't suppose you could... - I'd like to know if/whether... - I can't remember... PASSIVE VOICE Use of Passive Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action. Example: My bike was stolen.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it. Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows: Example: A mistake was made.
In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.). Form of Passive Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs) Example: A letter was written.
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:
the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)
Examples of Passive
Tense
Subject
Verb
writes Simple Present
:
Active:
Rita
Passive
A letter
is written
Object
a letter.
by Rita.
Simple Past
Active:
Rita
Passive
A letter
Active:
Rita
Passive
A letter
Active:
Rita
Passive
A letter
Active:
Rita
Passive
A letter
: Present Perfect
: Future I
: Hilfsverben
:
wrote was written has written has been written will write will be written can write can be written
a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita.
Examples of Passive
Tense
Subject
Verb
is writing Present Progressive
Activ
Rita
Passi
A letter
Activ
Rita
Passi
A letter
Activ
Rita
Passi
A letter
Activ
Rita
Passi
A letter
Activ
Rita
Passi
A letter
Activ
Rita
Passi
A letter
Object
a letter.
e:
ve: Past Progressive e: ve: Past Perfect e: ve: Future II e: ve: Conditional I e: ve: Conditional II e: ve:
is being written was writing was being written had written had been written will have written will have been written would write would be written would have written would have been written
by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita.
Passive Sentences with Two Objects Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.
Subject
Active:
Verb
Object 1
wrote
a letter
was written
to me
was written
a letter
Object 2
to me.
Rita
Passive:
A letter
Passive:
I
by Rita. by Rita.
. As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. That’s why it is usually dropped. Personal and Impersonal Passive Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive. Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.
Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive. Example: he says – it is said
Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know). Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.
Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common. Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.
The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).
Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence. REPORTED SPEECH Cuando queremos informar exactamente lo que otra persona ha dicho, utilizamos el estilo directo. Con este estilo lo que la persona ha dicho se coloca entre comillas y deberá ser palabra por palabra.
Ejemplos: I am going to London next week, she said.
Play "I am going to London next week," she said.("Voy a Londres la semana que viene," ella dijo.)
Do you have a pen I could borrow, he asked.
Play "Do you have a pen I could borrow," he asked. ("Tienes un bolígrafo que puedas prestarme," él preguntó.)
Alice said, I love to dance.
Play Alice said, "I love to dance." (Alice dijo, "Me encanta bailar.")
Chris asked, Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?
Play Chris asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" (Chris preguntó, "Te gustaría cenar conmigo mañana por la noche?") Reported Speech (El estilo indirecto) El estilo indirecto, a diferencia del estilo directo, no utiliza las comillas y no necesita ser palabra por palabra. En general, cuando se usa el estilo directo, el tiempo verbal cambia. A continuación tienes un explicación de los cambios que sufren los tiempos verbales. A veces se usa "that" en las frases afirmativas y negativas para introducir lo que ha dicho la otra persona. Por otro lado, en las frases interrogativas se puede usar "if" o "whether". Direct Speech
Reported Speech
Present Simple
Past Simple
"He's American" she said.
She said he was American.
"I'm happy to see you," Mary said.
Mary said that she was happy to see me.
He asked, "Are you busy tonight?"
He asked me if I was busy tonight.
Present Continuous
Past Continuous
"Dan is living in San Francisco," she said.
She said Dan was living in San Francisco.
He said, "I'm making dinner."
He told me that he was making dinner.
"Why are you working so hard?" they asked.
They asked me why I was working so hard.
Past Simple
Past Perfect Simple
"We went to the movies last night," he said.
He told me they had gone to the movies last night.
Greg said, "I didn't go to work yesterday."
Greg said that he hadn't gone to work yesterday.
"Did you buy a new car?" she asked.
She asked me if I had bought a new car.
Past Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous
"I was working late last night," Vicki said.
Vicki told me she'd been working last night.
They said, "We weren't waiting long."
They said that they hadn't been waiting long.
He asked, "Were you sleeping when I called?"
He asked if I'd been sleeping when he called.
Present Perfect Simple
Past Perfect Simple
Heather said, "I've already eaten."
Heather told me that she'd already eaten.
"We haven't been to China," they said.
They said they hadn't been to China.
"Have you worked here before?" I asked.
I asked her whether she'd worked there before.
Present Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous
"I've been studying English for two years," he said.
He said he'd been studying English for two years.
Steve said, "We've been dating for over a year now."
Steve told me that they'd been dating for over a year.
"Have you been waiting long?" they asked.
They asked whether I'd been waiting long.
Past Perfect Simple
Past Perfect Simple (*NO CHANGE)
"I'd been to Chicago before for work," he said.
He said that he'd been to Chicago before for work.
Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous (*NO CHANGE)
She said, "I'd been dancing for years before the accident."
She said she'd been dancing for years before the accident.
Nota: Cuando hablamos de algo que no ha cambiado (todavía es verdad) o que es en el futuro, no tenemos que cambiar el tiempo verbal.
Ejemplos: "I'm 30 years old," she said. → She said she is 30 years old. Dave said, "Kelly is sick." → Dave said Kelly is sick. "We are going to Tokyo next week," they said. → They said they are going to Tokyo next week. "I'll cut my hair tomorrow," Nina said. → Nina said she is cutting her hair tomorrow.
Modal Verbs (Los verbos modales) El tiempo verbal cambia en el estilo indirecto también con algunos de los verbos modales: Direct Speech
Indirect Speech
Will
Would
"I'll go to the movies tomorrow," John said.
John said he would go to the movies tomorrow.
"Will you help me move?" she asked.
She asked me if I would help her move.
Can
Could
Debra said, "Allen can work tomorrow."
Debra said Allen could work tomorrow.
"Can you open the window, please?", he asked.
He asked me if I could open the window.
Must
Had to
"You must wear your seatbelt," mom said.
My mom said we had to wear my seatbelt.
She said, "You must work tomorrow."
She said I had to work tomorrow.
Shall
Should
"Shall we go to the beach today?" Tom asked.
Tom asked if we should go to the beach today.
"What shall we do tonight?" she asked.
She asked me what we should do tonight.
May
Might/Could
Jane said, "I may not be in class tomorrow."
Jane said she might not be in class tomorrow.
"May I use the bathroom, please?" the boy asked.
The boy asked if he could use the bathroom.
Nota: Con "would", "could", "should", "might" y "ought to", el tiempo no cambia. Say vs. Tell
En español podemos traducir "say"o "tell" como "decir", pero en inglés se usan estos verbos de maneras distintas. Hay unas reglas que indican el uso de uno sobre el otro en inglés, aunque en general usamos "say" para "decir algo" y "tell" para "decir algo a alguien." Say Se usa "say" en el estilo directo y el indirecto. Si queremos usar "say" con un objeto personal, necesitamos usar el preposicion "to".
Ejemplos: Estilo directo "I'm hungry," he said. ("Tengo hambre," él dijo.) "I need your help," Glen said to Mike. ("Necesito tu ayuda," Glen dijo a Mike.) She said, "Do you like to dance?" (Ella dijo, "¿Te gusta bailar?") Estilo indirecto He said he was hungry. (Él dijo que tenía hambre.) Glen said to Mike that he needed his help. (Glen dijo a Mike que necesitaba su ayuda.) She asked me if I liked to dance. (Me preguntó si me gustaba bailar.)
Tell También se puede usar "tell" con el estilo directo y el indirecto, aunque el uso con el estilo directo no es tan común. Cuando usamos "tell" necesitamos usar un objeto indirecto que va detrás del verbo.
Ejemplos: Estilo directo He told me, "I'm hungry." (Me dijo, "Tengo hambre.") Glen told Mike, "I need your help." (Glen dijo a Mike, "Necesito to ayuda.") Estilo indirecto He told me that he was hungry. (Me dijo que tuvo hambre.) Glen told Mike that he needed his help. (Glen dijo a Mike que necesitaba su ayuda.)
Otros usos de "tell": 1.
o o o 2.
Se usa "tell" con ordenes o instrucciones. Ejemplos: I told him, "Stop complaining." (Le dije, "Deja de quejarte.") She told us to hurry. (Nos dijo de darnos prisa.) Usamos "tell" cuando damos o pedimos información.
>
o o o 3.
o o o 4.
o o o 5.
Ejemplos: "Can you tell me your name please." ("Dime tu nombre, por favor.") You told him the address of the office? (¿Le dijiste la dirección de la oficina?) Se usa "tell" con cuentos o bromas. En esto caso, se puede traducir "tell" como "contar" en español. Ejemplos: He told us a great story. (Nos contó un cuento maravilloso.) "Tell me a joke," she said. ("Cuéntame un chiste," ella dijo.) Con la verdad y las mentiras, se usa "tell." Ejemplos: "Tell me the truth," she said. ("Dime la verdad," ella dijo.) Keith never tells lies. (Keith nunca miente.) Usamos "tell" con el tiempo o la fecha.
>
o o o
Ejemplos: "Could you tell me the time, please?" she asked. ("Podrías decirme la hora, por favor?" me preguntó.) Bob told me the date. (Bob me dijo la fecha.)
