英語の直接話法と間接話法（Reported Speech）コース - TOEIC®対策
直接話法と間接話法（英語ではreported speech）は、誰かの言葉を伝える2つの方法です。
- 直接話法は、誰かが言ったことをそのまま繰り返す方法で、一般的に引用符が使われます。
- 間接話法は、言われた内容の意味を伝える方法で、必ずしも同じ言葉を使いません。
このコースでは、英語における2つの伝達方法を分かりやすく解説し、違いのポイントと直接話法から間接話法への変換の基本ルールを紹介します。
直接話法（Direct Speech）
英語の直接話法は、発言者の言葉をそのまま伝えます。通常は引用符で表されます。
- John said, "I'm going to the store."
- She asked, “Are you coming with me?”
直接話法の特徴
- 引用符（“...”）の使用：英語では、直接話法の内容を引用符で囲みます。
- 句読点の配置：句読点（ピリオド、カンマ、疑問符など）は、通常引用符の内側に置かれます。
- 疑問文の場合の主語-動詞の倒置： “Are you coming with me?”
- 時制：直接話法では、発言者が使った時制がそのまま使われます。
間接話法（Indirect Speech/Reported Speech）
間接話法（reported speech）は、発言をそのまま引用せず、内容を伝達する方法です。引用符がなく、代名詞・時制・時間や場所の表現を変更する必要があります。
- 直接話法: Mary said, “I love reading books.”
- 間接話法: Mary said that she loved reading books.
一般に、間接話法は：
- メッセージの要点をまとめたり報告したりします。
- 発言の繰り返しを避けることができます。
- 物語の流れの中で自然に発言を組み込めます。
次のセクションでは、直接話法の文を間接話法に変換する方法を解説します。
直接話法から間接話法への変換
英語で直接話法から間接話法へ変換するには、次のような変更が必要となります：
- 導入動詞（例：said, told, _asked_など）
- 人称代名詞（I, you, weなど）を文脈に合わせて変更
- 時制（backshift：時制を1段階過去へ）
- 時間・場所の表現（now, today, tomorrowなど）
ステップ1：代名詞の変更
人称代名詞は、発言内容を伝達する人によって適切に変更する必要があります：
| 直接話法 | 間接話法 | 例 |
|---|---|---|
| "I" | he / she (伝えられる人に応じて) | I am hungry. → He said he was hungry. |
| "we" | they | We need more time. → They said they needed more time. |
| "you" | I / we (またはhe/she/they、文脈と話し手による) | You should come with me. → She told me I should come with her. または He told us we should go with him. |
ステップ2：時制の変更
英語で発言を現在形から伝達する際、導入動詞が過去形（said, toldなど）なら時制を過去へ変換します。これをbackshift（時制の後退）と呼びます：
| 直接話法（時制） | 間接話法（時制） | 例 |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Past Simple（過去形） | I play football. → He said he played football. |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous | I am playing football. → He said he was playing football. |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect | I have played football. → He said he had played football. |
| Past Simple | Past Perfect | I played football. → He said he had played football. |
| Past Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous | I was playing football. → He said he had been playing football. |
| Future with will | Conditional with would | I will play football tomorrow. → He said he would play football the next day. |
| Modals: can / could | Modals: could | I can play football. → He said he could play football. |
| Modals: may / might | Modals: might | I may play football. → He said he might play football. |
| Modals: must | Modals: had to | I must play football. → He said he must play football. |
例外と特別なケース
- 報告された内容が常に真実の場合（一般的な事実や報告時点でも真実な場合）、時制はそのまま保持できます。
- 直接話法: The teacher said, "The earth revolves around the sun."
- 間接話法: The teacher said (that) the earth revolves around the sun.
- 導入動詞が現在形の場合（she says, he tells us）、時制は変更しません。
- 直接話法: "I have a new car."
- 間接話法: She says she has a new car.
- could, might, should, would, ought toなどの助動詞は、間接話法でも形が変わりません。
- 直接話法: "I could play better."
- 間接話法: He said he could play better.
ステップ3：時間・場所の副詞や表現の変更
間接話法に変換する時は、時間や場所を表す副詞や表現も変更します：
| 直接話法 | 間接話法 | 例 |
|---|---|---|
| now | then, at that time | I am studying now. → He said he was studying then. |
| today | that day | I have an exam today. → She said she had an exam that day. |
| yesterday | the day before, the previous day | I saw him yesterday. → He said he had seen him the day before. |
| tomorrow | the next day, the following day | I will call you tomorrow. → She said she would call me the next day. |
| last week/month/year | the previous week/month/year | I went to Paris last year. → He said he had gone to Paris the previous year. |
| next week/month/year | the following week/month/year | We will start the project next week. → They said they would start the project the following week. |
| here | there | I am staying here. → She said she was staying there. |
| this | that | I like this book. → He said he liked that book. |
| these | those | I bought these shoes. → She said she had bought those shoes. |
| ago | before | I met her two years ago. → He said he had met her two years before. |
導入動詞（reporting verbs）
一般的に、間接話法や直接話法を作るときは**「say」**を使います。
しかし、他にも導入動詞があり、動詞によって後続する構文が異なります（不定詞や動名詞など）。以下の表に代表的な動詞と使い方をまとめました：
| 導入動詞 | 後続の構造 | 例 |
|---|---|---|
| to tell | 目的語（直接目的語） + 不定詞 | She told me to finish my homework. |
| to ask | 目的語（直接目的語） + 不定詞 | He asked her to help him. |
| to advise | 目的語（直接目的語） + 不定詞 | The doctor advised me to rest for a few days. |
| to warn | 目的語（直接目的語） + 不定詞 | She warned us not to go into the forest. |
| to suggest | 動名詞（-ing形） | He suggested going to the park. |
| to explain | 「that」+ 節 | She explained that she couldn’t attend the meeting. |
| to say | 「that」+ 節 | He said that he would arrive late. |
| to recommend | 動名詞（-ing形） | They recommended taking the earlier train. |
| to insist | 動名詞（-ing形）または「that」+ 節 | She insisted on coming with us. / She insisted that we leave immediately. |
| to agree | 不定詞 | He agreed to help me with my project. |
| to promise | 不定詞 | She promised to call me later. |
| to refuse | 不定詞 | He refused to apologize for his mistake. |
| to apologize | 前置詞 + 動名詞（for + -ing形） | He apologized for being late. |
| to admit | 動名詞（-ing形）または「that」+ 節 | She admitted cheating in the exam. / She admitted that she had made a mistake. |
| to deny | 動名詞（-ing形）または「that」+ 節 | He denied stealing the money. / He denied that he had stolen the money. |
| to encourage | 目的語（直接目的語） + 不定詞 | They encouraged me to apply for the position. |
| to forbid | 目的語（直接目的語） + 不定詞 | The teacher forbade us to use our phones during the exam. |
sayとtellの違い
これら2つの導入動詞の重要な違いは：
- sayは、通常伝えたい内容または**「that」**が直接続きます。
- She said (that) she was tired.
- tellは、必ず**目的語（me, you, him, herなど）**が「that」より先に来ます。
- She told me (that) she was tired.
間接話法の疑問文
Yes/No質問の場合
Yes/Noで答える質問を**間接話法に変換するには、「if」または「whether」**を使います。
- He asked, "Do you like coffee?" → He asked if I liked coffee.
このとき、主語-動詞の倒置はなくなります（_Do you_は消える）。
Wh-疑問文の場合
who, what, when, where, why, howなどの疑問詞から始まる質問は、疑問詞をそのまま残し、語順を平叙文に戻します。
- Why was he late? → She asked me why he was late. (「was」と「he」の語順が間接話法では通常の順序に戻る)
- She asked, "Where are you going?" → She asked where I was going.
間接話法の命令文
命令、依頼、アドバイスを伝える場合、to + 不定詞や「told someone to do something」「asked someone to do something」などの表現を使います。
-
“told someone to do something”の場合：
- Open the door! → He told me to open the door.
-
“asked someone to do something”の場合：
- Please, sit down. → She asked me to sit down.
まとめ
直接話法と間接話法は、英語で発言を伝達する2つの基本的な方法です。直接話法は引用符で明確に示され、元の言葉を忠実に再現します。間接話法は、代名詞・時制・副詞を変えて内容を伝える必要があります。
これらの構造や違いはTOEIC®で頻繁に出題されます。特に文法や読解のセクションで重要です。