10.5 Exact Quotes vs. Reported Speech

EXACT QUOTE

Dr. Winner said, “A prodigy is . . . a more extreme version of a gifted child.” Deutscher said, “I know that life is not always beautiful.”

Alma said, “I listened to this really beautiful lullaby by Richard Strauss.” Alma said that she had listened to a really beautiful lullaby by Richard Strauss.

REPORTED SPEECH

Dr. Ellen Winner said that a prodigy was a more extreme version of a gifted child. Alma Deutscher said that she knew that life was not always beautiful.

Notes: 1. We use an exact quote when we want to write exactly what someone has said.

Exact quotes are common in stories and news reports. 2. We use reported speech when we want to report what someone has said.

EXERCISE 13 In the paragraph below, underline the noun clauses that show reported speech. Circle the verbs in the noun clauses.

Last week, my daughter’s teacher called me at work and told me that my daughter had a fever

and was resting in the nurse’s office. I told my boss that I needed to leave work immediately. He

said that it would be fine. As I was driving my car on the highway to the school, a police officer

stopped me. She said that I was driving too fast. She said that I had been going 10 miles per hour

over the limit. I told her that I was in a hurry because my daughter was sick. I said I needed to

get to her school quickly. I told the police officer that I was sorry, that I hadn’t realized I had

been driving so fast. She said she wouldn’t give me a ticket that time, but that I should be more

careful in the future, whether my daughter was sick or not.

ABOUT YOU Complete the sentences with real things that people have said to you. Use exact quotes as far as you can remember them. Then tell a partner using reported speech. The bus driver today told me, “Your card has expired.” (quotation) The bus driver today told me that my card had expired. (reported)

1. told me

2.

3. used to say

always says