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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Which reporting verbs to use when writing indirect speech?

Hi,

Please consider the following sentences:

Jane Smith has said her son cries when she comes back home

Jane Smith said her son cries when she comes back home

Dave Bloggs has told me what we can expect of the show

Dave Bloggs told me what we can expect of the show

Now I'm aware of backshift and that you don't have to do so if what has been said is still relevant or refers to a future event.

So does it matter what reporting verb I use in each case? Is it just a matter of me deciding whether I want to distance the reader in each case or is there a more concrete rule?

Would be great if someone could clarify this
  

Top answer

Anonymous Which reporting verbs to use when writing indirect speech? That's completely dependent on your purpose. If you are doing schoolbook exercises, "said" and "asked" are usually enough to cover all the exercises you'll be asked to do.

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous Which reporting verbs to use when writing indirect speech?
  • That's completely dependent on your purpose.
  • If you are doing schoolbook exercises, "said" and "asked" are usually enough to cover all the exercises you'll be asked to do.
  • If you are doing creative writing, working on The Great British Novel, for example, the sky is the limit.
  • declared, explained, shouted, cried, expostulated, declaimed, protested, offered, whined, whispered, moaned, ...
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3 Answers
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AnonymousWhich reporting verbs to use when writing indirect speech?
That's completely dependent on your purpose.

If you are doing schoolbook exercises, "said" and "asked" are usually enough to cover all the exercises you'll be asked to do.

If you are doing creative writing, working on The Great British Novel, for example, the sky is the limit
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Thanks, but I mean in terms of a news article. Does it differ in that case?

S
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Anonymous in terms of a news article
In your place I would examine news articles for exactly this feature and then imitate the practice of the journalists who wrote them.

It doesn't differ from any other kind of writing you wish to do. Whatever it is, your best bet is to research the writing of the writers you admire and imitate their style.
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