英语直接引语和间接引语课程 - TOEIC® 备考
直接引语 和 间接引语（英语中称为 reported speech）是转述他人话语的两种方式。
- 直接引语 指原封不动地重复某人所说的话，通常使用引号。
- 间接引语 则是转述被说内容的大意，不一定使用原话。
本课程旨在解释英语中这两种表达方式，体现它们的区别，并介绍将直接引语转换为间接引语的基本规则。
直接引语（Direct Speech）
英语中的直接引语指的是准确地转述他人的话语。这种用法通常可通过引号来辨认。
- John said, "I'm going to the store."
- She asked, “Are you coming with me?”
直接引语的特点
- 使用引号：英语中直接引语放在引号内：“...”
- 标点保留：标点符号（句号、逗号、问号等）通常放在引号内。
- 主谓倒装：若为疑问句，可能出现主谓倒装：“Are you coming with me?”
- 时态：直接引语中的时态会保持说话时的原状。
间接引语（Indirect Speech 或 Reported Speech）
间接引语（也叫转述句）用于转述他人的话语而非逐字引用。这种表达没有引号，通常需要调整代词、时态和时间或地点的表达方式。
- 直接引语：Mary said, “I love reading books.”
- 间接引语：Mary said that she loved reading books.
通常，间接引语的作用有：
- 概括或转达信息的要点。
- 避免重复原话的逐字引用。
- 自然地嵌入陈述中的他人话语。
我们将在下节学习如何将直接引语转换为间接引语。
直接引语转换为间接引语的方法
在英语中，将直接引语转换为间接引语时，通常需要调整：
- 引导动词（如 said, told, asked 等）
- 人称代词（I, you, we...），以适应新的叙述视角
- 动词时态（称为 backshift，即时态后移）
- 时间与地点表达（now, today, tomorrow...）
步骤一：代词的变化
人称代词应根据叙述者进行调整：
| 直接引语 | 间接引语 | 示例 |
|---|---|---|
| "I" | he / she (视具体人物而定) | I am hungry. → He said he was hungry. |
| "we" | they | We need more time. → They said they needed more time. |
| "you" | I / we (也可为 he/she/they，取决于语境与说话人) | You should come with me. → She told me I should come with her. 或 He told us we should go with him. |
步骤二：时态的变化
在英语中，如果引导动词为过去时（said, told...），则原本为现在时的句子通常要变为过去时。以下为时态转换表，即英语所谓的backshift：
| 直接引语（时态） | 间接引语（时态） | 示例 |
|---|---|---|
| 一般现在时 | 一般过去时 - 过去式 | I play football. → He said he played football. |
| 现在进行时 | 过去进行时 | I am playing football. → He said he was playing football. |
| 现在完成时 | 过去完成时 | I have played football. → He said he had played football. |
| 一般过去时 - 过去式 | 过去完成时 | I played football. → He said he had played football. |
| 过去进行时 | 过去完成进行时 | I was playing football. → He said he had been playing football. |
| 将来时 will | 条件式 would | I will play football tomorrow. → He said he would play football the next day. |
| 情态动词 can / could | 情态动词 could | I can play football. → He said he could play football. |
| 情态动词 may / might | 情态动词 might | I may play football. → He said he might play football. |
| 情态动词 must | 情态动词 had to | I must play football. → He said he must play football. |
例外与特殊情况
- 若被转述的内容至今依然成立（普遍真理或说话时依旧成立的事实），可以保留现在时。
- 直接引语：The teacher said, "The earth revolves around the sun."
- 间接引语：The teacher said (that) the earth revolves around the sun.
- 如果引导动词为现在时（she says, he tells us），时态不变。
- 直接引语："I have a new car."
- 间接引语：She says she has a new car.
- 情态动词 could、might、should、would 和 ought to 在间接引语中保持不变。
- 直接引语："I could play better."
- 间接引语：He said he could play better.
步骤三：时间与地点副词的变化
转为间接引语时，常需调整时间与地点副词或表达：
| 直接引语 | 间接引语 | 示例 |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
引导动词（reporting verbs）
一般来说，表达直接或间接引语时，常用引导动词“say”。
除此之外，还有其他常见引导动词，如下表所示。我们还列出了各自的句型结构，因为有些动词后接不定式，有些接动名词（-ing 形式），还有些后接 “that” 从句等。
| 引导动词 | 后接结构 | 示例 |
|---|---|---|
| to tell | 直接宾语 + 不定式 | She told me to finish my homework. |
| to ask | 直接宾语 + 不定式 | He asked her to help him. |
| to advise | 直接宾语 + 不定式 | The doctor advised me to rest for a few days. |
| to warn | 直接宾语 + 不定式 | She warned us not to go into the forest. |
| to suggest | 动名词（-ing 形式） | He suggested going to the park. |
| to explain | “that” + 分句 | She explained that she couldn’t attend the meeting. |
| to say | “that” + 分句 | He said that he would arrive late. |
| to recommend | 动名词（-ing 形式） | They recommended taking the earlier train. |
| to insist | 动名词（-ing 形式）或“that” | She insisted on coming with us. She insisted that we leave immediately. |
| to agree | 不定式 | He agreed to help me with my project. |
| to promise | 不定式 | She promised to call me later. |
| to refuse | 不定式 | He refused to apologize for his mistake. |
| to apologize | 介词 + 动名词（for + -ing） | He apologized for being late. |
| to admit | 动名词（-ing 形式）或“that” | She admitted cheating in the exam. She admitted that she had made a mistake. |
| to deny | 动名词（-ing 形式）或“that” | He denied stealing the money. He denied that he had stolen the money. |
| to encourage | 直接宾语 + 不定式 | They encouraged me to apply for the position. |
| to forbid | 直接宾语 + 不定式 | The teacher forbade us to use our phones during the exam. |
say 与 tell 的区别
这两个引导动词有一个重要区别：
- say 通常直接跟转述内容或 “that”。
- She said (that) she was tired.
- tell 总是先跟宾语（me, you, him, her...）再接 “that”。
- She told me (that) she was tired.
间接引语中的疑问句
Yes/No 疑问句
将一般疑问句转换为间接引语时，需用 “if” 或 “whether”：
- He asked, "Do you like coffee?" → He asked if I liked coffee.
在此情况下，主谓倒装消失（不再有 Do you）。
Wh- 疑问句
转述以 who, what, when, where, why, how 等开头的特殊疑问句时，保留疑问词，但使用正常的主谓顺序。
- Why was he late? → She asked me why he was late.
（“was” 和 “he” 变为正常语序） - She asked, "Where are you going?" → She asked where I was going.
间接引语中的祈使句
转述命令、请求或建议时，通常使用 to + 不定式 或如 “told someone to do something”、“asked someone to do something” 等表达。
-
用 “told someone to do something”：
- Open the door! → He told me to open the door.
-
用 “asked someone to do something”：
- Please, sit down. → She asked me to sit down.
结论
直接引语 和 间接引语 是英语中转述他人话语的两种基本方式。直接引语易于识别（有引号），完整复现原话；间接引语则需调整代词、时态和副词来准确传递意思。
这些结构与细微差别在 TOEIC® 中经常考查，尤其是在语法和阅读理解部分。