在英语里，我们可以用两种方法转述人的话语。第一种是直接引语(The Direct Speech);第二种是间接引语(The Indirect Speech)，也可叫("The Reported Speech")。从直接引语转变为间接引语是一种表达行式的改变，不影响原意。例如：

　　① a. He said, "I am working now."

　　b. He said that he was working then.

　　② a. She asked me, "Do you like to sing?"

　　b. She asked me if I liked to sing.

　　③ a. "Go out!" the man said to the boy.

　　b. The man ordered the boy to go out.

　　①b，②b，③b是间接引语，其形式和①a，②a，③a不同。

　　间接引语是种常见的句法，用得很多。正因为用得多，出错的机会也多。下面便是些例子：

　　④ He said that he would come tomorrow.

　　这里的副词"tomorrow"要变成"the next day"。理由是：间接引语里的时间副词或短语， 一般上要把其中的时间向前推，如：tomorrow：the next day;today： that day;last night：the night before;now：then;ago：before that time等。

　　⑤ I asked what is wrong with him.

　　这里的"is"要变成"was"。须知：主句"I asked"和分句"what is wrong with him"的动词时态必须配合。既然主句的动词"asked"是过去时态，分句的动词也要过去时态"was"。此外，动词时态一般上也要推前，因此简单过去时态(Simple Past Tense)要变成过去完成时态(Past Perfect Tense)，如：went ：had gone;left： had left.

　　⑥ John told her don't do that again.

　　这里的"don't do"要变成"not to do"才对。理由是：祈使句变成间接引语时的形式是不定式动词："to + verb / not to + verb"，如：to come / not to come;to do / not to do.

　　⑦ She asked me where was I going.

　　这里的"was I"词序不对， 要变成"I was"才是，因为间接疑问句(indirect question)里的词序和叙述句一样，是正常词序，不是倒装法，如：

　　⑧ He wanted to know who that girl was.

　　⑨ John asked Helen if she was free.

　　⑩ She asked me whether I could help her.

　　如果词序是倒装形式，就错了：

　　...who was that girl.

　　...if was she free.

　　...whether could I help her.

　　关于间接疑问句，还有一点必须注意的是，直接疑问句里的疑问词要照用， 如例⑧的"who"。如果没有疑问词，就要借重连接词"if"或"whether"之助，如例⑨和⑩便是。

　　在结束本文之前，顺便提一提怎样把表示惊叹或愿望的直接引语转成间接引语。

　　11. He said, "Alas! I am undone."

　　12. "Bravo! You have done a good job, Mary," said the teacher.

　　13. "Good Heaven!" Tom cried, "I'll never lie again."

　　把11-13，转变为14-16时，可以用恰当的动词把深层的意思反映出来，甚至加些原文没有的字眼，也无所谓：

　　14. He exclaimed that he was undone.

　　15. The teacher praised Mary, saying that she had done a good job.

　　16. Tom called upon Heaven to witness his determination not to lie again.

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