COROLLARY THEOREMS - ENGLISH GRAMMAR: DIRECT AND INDIRECT STYLE

Corollary Theorems: DIRECT AND INDIRECT STYLE

English Grammar Notes #15:

DIRECT AND INDIRECT STYLE

Back to GRAMMAR main page:

When the words of a person need to be reproduced in a document, both direct and indirect styles are used, most of the time alternatively or interlaced. Using only (or very much) direct style in a literary document results in cryptic meanings, because direct style is not able to express interior feelings, thoughts, and reasons.

Of course, direct style is more accurate, and it is used preferentially in official papers. In literary works, however, indirect style takes precedence since it is a lot more rich in expression, in addition to just reporting the facts.

Direct style is relatively easy to implement: the words are reproduced exactly using quotes. Indirect style requires few particular transformations, in order to reproduce the words and the actions as accurate and consistent as possible.

The structure employed to present direct and indirect style in this page is:
1. Defining Direct and Indirect Styles
2. Transforming Direct Style to Indirect Style
3. Particular Instances

ATTENTION
These Grammar Notes are not sufficient to understand the topics presented. For accurate and detailed information we recommend Logically Structured English Grammar book.

DEFINING DIRECT AND INDIRECT STYLES

The words of a person (character) may be reproduced in writing, in two modes:
1. as direct sentences, or paragraphs;
2. as (complex) sentences subordinated to a declarative verb: to say; to tell; etc

The first mode is specific to direct style.

Example:
Jane said, "Please, John, let's visit my mother."

Transforming direct style sentences into subordinate sentences results in indirect style.

Example:
Jane told John (that) she wanted to visit her mother.

The verb used to introduce the subordinated sentence in indirect style is named the declarative verb.

Direct style is independent on the declarative verb. In indirect style, however, the declarative verb becomes a tense-reference, therefore the sequence-of-tenses rules take control.

TRANSFORMING DIRECT STYLE INTO INDIRECT

The method used to transform direct style into the indirect one works as follows:
1. we take the quotes out, and we introduce conjunction "that"--which could be implicit (missing) in most instances;
2. Personal, possessive, and reflexive pronouns, and possessive adjectives are replaced by adequate forms, depending on the meaning.
3. following, we have three instances of transformation scenarios.

SCENARIO 1
When the declarative verb is in present tense, then the tense of the verbs in direct style remain unchanged. Determinative adjectives and the adverbs remain also unchanged.

Examples:
John says (to Jane): "I want to talk to you." (direct style)
John tells Jane (that) he wants to talk to her. (indirect style)

SCENARIO 2
When the declarative verb is in past tense, all verbs in direct style are replaced by corresponding past forms.

Fragment from LSEG.

LSEG: style 1

Determinative adjectives and adverbs expressing proximity, are replaced by forms showing distance. Following is a fragment from LSEG.

LSEG: style 2

Examples:
John said: "Jane is coming now." (direct style)
John said (that) Jane was coming then. (indirect style)

SCENARIO 3
When the declarative verb is in future tense, all verbs in direct style remain unchanged.

Examples:
John will say: "I can finish this Project, because I am well trained for this."
John will say (that) he can finish that project because he is well trained for that.

PARTICULAR INSTANCES

Few particular instances require different modes of implementation than it is presented in the above scenarios:
1. interrogative sentences
2. direct style sentences having strong emphatic content
3. direct style sentences having a past tense verb followed by a present tense one
4. direct style sentences containing the auxiliary verbs "shall" and "will"
5. direct style sentences containing defective modal verbs
6. direct style sentences containing imperative verbs
7. direct style sentences containing the adverbs "yes" and "no"
8. using the verb "to say" and synonyms in indirect style
9. handling idiomatic expressions in indirect style

LINKS

Learn English grammar as it is known to few professionals only
Study Logically Structure English Grammar Table of Contents
Ask an English grammar question and read previous interesting topics

MOST VISITED PAGES AT COROLLARY THEOREMS
1.	LOGICALLY STRUCTURED ENGLISH GRAMMAR - if you think you know English grammar, think again
2.	LEARN HARDWARE FIRMWARE AND SOFTWARE DESIGN - and develop your own commercial product the easy way!
3.	AMAZING ARTICLES - "Reality is never what it appears to be"
4.	NEWS - "Global Picture" in news presented by Corollary Theorems
5.	GRAMMAR FAQ - we answer your English grammar questions here

Back to GRAMMAR main page

Page valid according to W3C