引述别人的话时，一般采用两种方式：一是引用别人的原话，把它放在引号内，称为直接引语;二是用自己的话加以转述，被转述的话不放在引号内，称为间接引语。间接引语在大多数情况下是一个宾语从句。直接引语变成间接引语时，要注意以下几点：人称变化、时态变化、宾语从句要用陈述句语序等。 直接引语是陈述句，变成间接引语时，由连词that 引导。例如： She said， “I am very happy to be with ” →She said (that) she was very happy to be with He said，“I will choose a book for my ” →He said(that)he would choose a book for his 直接引语是一般疑问句时，变成间接引语，由连词whether或if 引导。例如： He asked me， “Do you like watching TV?”→He asked me if/whether I liked watching TV He asked， “Are you sure your mother will come?”→He asked me whether / if I was sure my mother would 注意：大多数情况下， if和whether 在引导宾语从句时可以互换，但后紧跟or not时，一般只用whether。例如： She asked me whether or not he could do the / She asked me whether he could do the work or 直接引语是特殊疑问句，变成间接引语时，由相应的连接词who， whom， what， whose， how， when， why， where 等引导。例如： He asked: “Where are you to get off， John?” →He asked John where he was to get My sister asked me， “How do you like the play?”→My sister asked me how I liked the Tom asked me， “Who is the boy over there?”→Tom asked me， “Who was the boy over there?” 直接引语是祈使句，其间接引语由主语+动词ask(委婉语气)，tell(一般语气)，order (命令语气)或warn， advise等+复合宾语(名/代词+动词不定式)构成。如： He said， “Please come here again ”→He asked me to go there again the next “Be careful with the ”→He warned me to be careful with the 直接引语变间接引语时，如果引述动词为过去式，需注意时态的变化：如： 1) Betty said， “Lingling is singing in the classroom ” 现在进行时→ Betty said Lingling was singing in the class room -过去进行时 2) He said， “I will go to London next ” 一般将来时→ He said he would go to London next 过去将来时 3) My mother said， “I have already cleaned the ” 现在完成时→ My mother said she had already cleaned the 过去完成时 注意: 直接引语是客观事实、普遍真理等，主句尽管是过去时态，变成间接引语时，时态仍然用一般现在时态。例如： They told their son，“The earth goes round the ”→They told their son that the earth goes round the 直接引语变间接引语时， 指示代词、时间状语、地点状语、动词等要作相应的变化。如：this→that， these→those， now→then， today→that day， yesterday→the day before， last year→the year before， ago→before， here→there come→go等。例如： He said， “I haven’t seen them ” →He said that he hadn’t seen them that 但是，如果转述时对话人双方就在原来的地方，或在说话的当天，就不必改变相应的时间状语、地点状语等。总之，对这些变化不能机械理解，应根据实际情况来决定所作的变化。 间接引语一般要用陈述句的语序，即主、谓、宾的顺序。
