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Floria
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Indirect speech
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A colleague came up with a question: "How do we transform negative question in reported speech?" - Don �t you like oranges? If we say: She asked me if I liked oranges. it would be as if the question were - Do you like oranges? Any ideas? I googled the net but found almost nothing...
- Didn �t you see her?
- Haven �t you read this book? etc...
Thanks for your answers.
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5 Jun 2009
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Ivona
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Hmmm ... to me it sounds as if Floria was right ... i stress the word �sounds� ... just that maybe the reporting verb should indicate the uncertainty like, ummm ... She wondered if i liked oranges. Hm? Donno. Caroline, are you around? Or any other native?
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5 Jun 2009
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Caroline565
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I think it is:She asked me if I disliked oranges. Yes Ivona I am around ..as usual. Keep turning up like a bad penny heheh
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5 Jun 2009
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Zora
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The negative question is just emphasizing the incredulity of the question BUT in essence negative questions are like normal questions in meaning. SO... I would probably say that a negative question becomes affirmative in the reported speech form with a "or not" at the end.
Don �t you like orange? - to me would be - Sue asked me if I liked oranges or not.
"Didn �t you see that film" - Sue asked me if I had seen the film or not.
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5 Jun 2009
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Ivona
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but doesn �t Don �t you like oranges? imply that the speaker is, maybe, surprised or shocked or uncertain or ... i don �t think that the �or not � would imply that ... huh?
i �m totally befuddled ...
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5 Jun 2009
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Caroline565
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Im not sure that what I said is right or not but it �s what I usually would say..Now Im going to copy Ivona and call out.. Douglas are you around!!!!? haha! he is a bit of an expert on this...He may be able to tell us if we are correct or not. |
5 Jun 2009
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Zora
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Not necessarily ... BUT if you prefer I could have said.. She wondered if I liked oranges or not.
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6 Jun 2009
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ballycastle1
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To my mind, �She thought it strange that I didn �t like oranges � suggests her incredulity. |
6 Jun 2009
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Axia
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What about "She asked me if I didn �t like oranges"? I see nothing wrong with it
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6 Jun 2009
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dellcomputer
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She asked whether or not I liked oranges
She asked if I liked oranges or not |
6 Jun 2009
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Floria
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Thank you all for your replies. It seems that the solution may be with this "or not" phrase.
One more thing... In the question "How could you do it?" would you change IT? She asked me how I could do it or, she asked me how I could do that?
Thanks again, I �ll not bother you with indirect speech anymore
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6 Jun 2009
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