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Ask for help > "Yes" or "No" answer in Indirect Speech
"Yes" or "No" answer in Indirect Speech
Imdad
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"Yes" or "No" answer in Indirect Speech
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Dear friends,
This is the problem what i faced .............
In Direct speech: "Will you go there?" he said to me. I answered, "Yes." or "No" In Indirect speech: He asked me if i would go there. I replied that I would / I replied that I would not.
The last part of the sentence, that is to say, the answer in short "Yes" or "No" is written in a small sentence - "I would / I would not" repeating the previous question. Isn �t this correct? I think so. Because it clarifies the meaning of the sentence. What is your opinion?
But in many books of the writers of our country, it is written like this --- For "Yes" -- they write "I replied in the affirmative."
And for "No" -- they write "I replied in the negative."
Now the question is --- which process is correct?
Does the later process make the meaning of the answer clear?
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16 Jul 2011
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ingrid10
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It �s more natural to answer I answered/replied I would or I answered/replied I wouldn �t
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16 Jul 2011
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blunderbuster
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Yes --> they agreed / they confirmed No--> they refused / they denied
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16 Jul 2011
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chrissmolder
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Imdad--I would personally never say �I answered in the affirmative. � I would more likely answer in the way you suggest: �I said I wouldn �t. � Both versions are grammatical, but I have only ever heard �the affirmative � used in highly formal or specialized contexts.
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16 Jul 2011
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yanogator
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I agree that "affirmative" sounds very formal, and that either form is correct. Bruce |
16 Jul 2011
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