Reported Speech 5 страница

Thirty-five pounds.

How much?

Thirty-five pounds.

Dear me, thirty-five pounds. Well, well, that was very inter­esting. She'd always thought they were valuable. They were very old. They were very comfortable, too. She couldn't possibly do without them, not possibly. No, they were not for sale but thank you very much all the same.

They weren't so very old, Mr Boggis told her, and they wouldn't be at all easy to sell, but it just happened that he had a client who rather liked that sort of thing, maybe he could go up another two pounds — call it thirty-seven.

How about that?

(from Parson's Pleasure by R. Dahl)

62. Rewrite the passage in direct speech.

Joan worked in a shop selling tapes and records. One day a middle-aged woman came in, sat on a stool in front of the counter and beamed at Joan. Addressing Joan familiarly she said she wanted a record — one she had heard on the radio that morning. Joan asked what the record was called. The woman shook her head, and said she didn't remember, though she would know it if she heard it. She suggested Joan should play her some and settled her­self more comfortable on her stool. Joan pointed out that they had hundreds of records in stock and that it would take a very long time to play her even a little of each. She asked the lady if she could hum it to her. The woman giggled and replied that she couldn't sing "God save the Queen" in tune. They would get into a worse muddle if she started humming. She looked very depressed but suddenly her face brightened. She had just remembered some­thing, she said; it came from a play in which, there was a woman who spoke very badly but who after a time learned to talk beauti­fully. Joan asked if it would be from My Fair Lady. The woman exclaimed that that was it. She wished Joan had thought of it ear­lier instead of wasting time asking silly questions. She supposed Joan was new to her job.

63. Imagine you are Gordon and report this conversation to another friend one day after the event.

"What's under there?" I asked, seeing the bulge at Claud's waistline. He pulled up his sweater and showed me two thin but very large white cotton sacks which were bound neat and tight around his belly. "To carry the stuff," he said darkly.

"I see." "Let's go", he said. "I still think we ought to take the car." "It's too risky. They'll see it parked." "But it's over three miles up that wood." "Yes," he said. "And I suppose you realize we can get six months in the clink if they catch us." "You never told me that." "Didn't I?" "I'm not coming," I said. "It's not worth it." "The walk will do you good, Gordon. Come on."

(from The Champion of the World by R. Dahl)

64. Report the following interview as if you were the doctor.

The doctor waited. The clock ticked. I stared at the fire.

"Jake doesn't want any more children," I said.

"Do you like children, Mrs Armitage?"

"How can I answer such a question?"

"Do you think it would be wrong not to like children?"

"I don't know yes. Yes, I think so,"

"Why?'

"Because children don't do any harm."

"Not directly, perhaps. But indirectly ..."

"Perhaps you don't have any," I said.

"Oh, yes. Three. Two boys and a girl."

"How old are they?"

"16, 14 and 10"

"And do you like them?"

"Most of the time."

"Well, then. That's my answer. I like them most of the time."

(from The Dumpkin Eater by P. Mortimer)

65. Rewrite the sentences in direct speech. Note that in those examples there is an implied dialogue and that the reported version is, in some cases, very much a paraphrase of the original. Students should reconstruct the dialogues in their most likely original form, e.g.

Tony accepted without reservation my suggestion that we Should try to get local support for the new theatre company. "I would suggest, Tony, that we try to get local support for the new theatre company." "Yes, I absolutely agree."

1. When I asked his advice about taking the job he seemed indifferent as to whether I accepted it or not. 2. When questioned by the master about the disappearance of a bicycle from the school cycle sheds two days before, the boy flatly denied having anything to do with it. 3. Peter's request to his employer to have the next day off met with a blunt refusal. 4. He asked me to lend him five pounds, which I agreed to do, somewhat reluctantly, on condition that he paid me back the following week. 5. Michael rang up Jean at the last moment, apologizing profusely for being unable to go to dinner with her that evening. Despite his apology Jean was very put out and said that he might have let her know earlier, she wouldn't have needed to make such elaborate preparations. 6. I was taken completely by surprise and in fact could hardly believe Margaret was serious when she told me she was going to leave England early the following year to take up a job abroad. 7. When the lady protested at being told to open her suit­case for inspection, the Customs Official firmly but politely pointed out that she must do as she was asked. 8. After the accident the bus driver accused the motorist of not looking where he was going, to which the latter reported that if the other hadn't been driving so fast, he himself would have had a chance of stopping in time.

66. Translate into English.

1. Час назад он сказал, что придет сюда вечером. 2. Она напомнила мне, что вечером будет собрание. 3. Она сказала, что Джейн хорошо играет на рояле. 4. Она сказала с грустью, что должна уехать. . 5. Она сказала в отчаянии, что никогда больше не будет

счастлива. 6. Она воскликнула в негодовании, что он лжет. 7. Он сказал, что эти книги продаются во всех магазинах. 8. Я был уверен, что его пошлют на конференцию. 9. Она сказала, что на каникулах хочет поехать по Волге 10. Он сказал, что потерял часы. 11. Он сказал, что они обсудят этот вопрос на следующей неделе. 12. Она сказала, что они играют в футбол с утра. 13. Я сказал, что долго не играл в крикет. 14. Мой брат сказал, что очень устал, так как 3 часа играл в крикет. 15. Она сказала, что игра не состоится, если погода будет плохая.

67. Translate into English.

1. Он меня спросил, курю ли я. 2. Я спросил Мэри, сможет ли она сходить в магазин.

3. Я его спросил, ходит ли он на прогулку каждый вечер. 4. Джек меня спросил, умею ли я плавать. 5. Я спросил учителя, можно ли с ним поговорить. 6. Джон меня спросил, иду ли я в кафе. 7. Г-н Смит спросил, отправил ли я его письмо. 8. Я спросил отца, вернул ли сосед книгу. 9. Он меня спросил, поеду ли я на следующей неделе в Бостон. 10. Линда меня спросила, кто руководит этим учреждением. 11. Он спросил продавца, сколько стоит эта пишущая машинка. 12. Боб меня спросил, где живет Джейн. 13. Анна меня спросила, куда я иду. 14. Я спросил учителя, что значит это слово. 15. Мэри спросила, почему я так много курю. 16. Джимми спросил ее, кто ей звонил час тому назад. 17. Боб спросил Линду, почему она ему ничего не сказала про этот замечательный концерт в Карнеги Холл. 18. Том меня спросил, когда вернется г-н Джонсон. 19. Ева спросила меня, где я проведу свои каникулы.

68. Translate into English.

1. Том сказал, что лифт не работает. 2. Анна сказала, что она живет в Бостоне. 3. Она сказала, что они часто ходят в кино. 4. Линда сказала, что они идут в кино. 5. Джон сказал, что Смиты переехали в Лос-Анджелес. 6. Мэри сказала, что вчера вечером ей звонил Том. 7. Джо мне сказал, что через час вернется. 8. Анна сказала Джону, что она не может с ним пойти в кино. 9. Он сказал, что ему надо закончить сочинение к двум

часам. 10. Ева сказала, что она вышла из дому до того, как при­шла телеграмма.