3. Reported Questions (Вопросы в косвенной речи)

1. При переводе прямого вопроса в косвенный он превращается в дополнительное придаточное предложение. Вопросительный порядок слов заменяется порядком слов повествовательного предложения — глагол-сказуемое ставится после подлежащего. Личные и притяжательные местоимения заменяются по смыслу.

2. Если в главном предложении глагол-сказуемое стоит в форме прошедшего времени, то в косвенном вопросе необходимо соблюдать правила согласования времен.

3. При переводе общих вопросов в косвенные они присоединяются к главному предложению с помощью союзов if или whether, которые переводятся на русский язык частицей ли.

John asked the secretary whether Mr Brown had come back.

Джон спросил секретаря, вернулся ли г-н Браун.

ПРИМЕЧАНИЕ: При передаче в косвенной речи ответов на общие вопросы слова yes и по опускаются.

Не answered, "Yes, I can." ("No. I can’t.")

— He answered that he could (he couldn’t).

4. Специальные вопросы в косвенной речи вводятся соответствующими вопросительными словами.

He asked Jane, "Who won the last swimming event?"

— He asked Jane who had won the previous swimming event.

She asked Bill, "How old is John’s father?"

— She asked Bill how old John’s father was.

5. Если прямую речь вводит глагол to say, то в косвенной речи он заменяется глаголами to ask, to wonder, to want, to know.

She said, "John, when are you leaving?"

— She asked John (she wondered, she wanted to know) when he was leaving.

Direct Questions		Reported Questions
	General Questions
He asked me,	"Is Mr Smith a doctor?" "Is it raining now?"	He asked me	if whether [ʹweðə]	Mr Smith was a doctor. it was raining then.
	"Have you finished the poem?"			I had finished the poem.
	"Did they enjoy the film?" "Will she join us?" "May I speak to you after lunch?"			they had enjoyed the film. she would join us. he might speak to me after lunch.
	Special Questions
He asked me,	"What are you doing now?"	He asked me		what I was doing then.
	"What foreign languages does Peter know?"			what foreign languages Peter knew.
	"Whose team lost the game yesterday?"			whose team had lost the game the day before.
	"When will you go to see your mother?"			when I would go to see my mother.
	"Where are they now?"			where they were then.

Exercise 9. Transform direct questions into reported. Pay attention to the sequence of tenses. Translate the reported sentences.

1. "Is the Music Festival taking place in Edinburgh now?" Mary asked him. 2. "What’s the weather like in Moscow now?" Mr Smith asked him. 3. "Was it a cup game?" she asked her brother. 4. "Are you tired?" she asked Jane. "Yes, I am," Jane answered. 5. "Can you help me translate this article today?" John asked Bill. 6. "How long did you stay there?" John asked him. 7. "When shall we meet?" he asked Bill. 8. "What’s the title of the book you are reading?" Mary asked Jane. 9. "Where shall we go for the week-end?" Jane asked her husband.

Exercise 10. Маке up dialogues according to the model.

A: John asked me, "Are they coming to see us tonight?"

B: What did John ask you?

A: He asked me if they were coming to see them that night.

1. How long did it take him to write the novel? 2. When will the next match take place? 3. May I have breakfast now? 4. Will you be able to come to the party? 5. When did he make a world tour? 6. What’s the score? 7. What hotel are they going to stay at? 8. Who is the message from?

Exercise 11. Complete these sentences.

1. He asked me if... 2. She wondered how long... 3. John asked Peter what... 4. Mr Blackwood asked the secretary how many... 5. She asked him what time... 6. She wondered how much... 7. He asked me whether...

Exercise 12. Put these jokes into reported speech.

1

Wife: Do you want to see the beautiful present I bought for your birthday?

Husband: What is it?

Wife: I’ll put it on in a minute.

2

A schoolboy said to his father: "We gave a wonderful performance at school. A lot of parents came and they enjoyed it."

"How do you know?" asked the father.

"They laughed all through the play," the boy answered.

"And what was the play?"

"Hamlet," said the boy.

Exercise 13. Translate into English.

1. Он спросил Джона, знает ли он прогноз погоды на завтра. 2. Он спросил г-на Стоуна, куда они собираются поехать в отпуск. 3. В своем письме он спрашивал Джона, может ли он заказать билеты на самолет. 4. Билл спросил жену, что идет в их местном кинотеатре. 5. Между прочим, г-н Браун спросил меня, сможем ли мы заехать к ним в субботу. 6. Он спросил кассира, когда отходит поезд на Эдинбург. 7. Г-н Смит спросил его, смогут ли они решить этот вопрос до следующего понедельника. 8. Джон спросил Билла, сколько времени он пробыл в Москве в прошлом году.