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在英语里，我们可以用两种方法转述人的话语。第一种是直接引语（The Direct Speech）；第二种是间接引语（The Indirect Speech），也可叫The Reported Speech）。 从直接引语转变为间接引语是一种表达行式的改变，不影响原意。例如： ① a. He said, I am working now. b. He said that he was working then. ② a. She asked me, Do you like to sing? b. She asked me if I liked to sing. ③ a. Go out! the man said to the boy. b. The man ordered the boy to go out. ①b, ②b, ③b是间接引语，其形式和①a, ②a, ③a不同。 间接引语是种常见的句法，用得很多。正因为用得多，出错的机会也多。下面便是些例子： ④ He said that he would come tomorrow. 这里的副词tomorrow要变成the next day。理由是：间接引语里的时间副词或短语， 一般上要把其中的时间向前推，如： tomorrow: the next day; today: that day; last night: the night before; now: then; ago: before that time 等。 ⑤ I asked what is wrong with him. 这里的is要变成was。须知：主句I asked和分句 what is wrong with him的动词时态必须配合。既然主句的动词 asked是过去时态，分句的动词也要过去时态was。此外，动词时态一般上也要推前，因此简单过去时态（Simple Past Tense）要变成过去完成时态（Past Perfect Tense），如：went : had gone; left : had left. | 
