In modern Russian, English and all other languages there is indirect and direct speech. Proper possession of them allows you to correctly convey in writing what someone said. Therefore, for native speakers and those who study it, it is extremely important to understand the concepts of direct and indirect speech and correctly apply them directly in practice. It is also important that the Russian language has rather complex punctuation rules, and, depending on the topic, punctuation marks are placed differently.
Unfortunately, a huge number of people who study Russian allow incorrect construction of sentences with indirect speech.
Definitions
So let's start with definitions. What is indirect or direct speech? Direct speech is a text that is literally transmitted on behalf of the speaker without modification.
Indirect speech is a way to include other people's words in your own text, while retaining their original meaning. It can be said in understandable language that this is a kind of retelling of words that belonged to a third party.
Direct speech from indirect speech in writing is distinguished by the presence of the words of the author andactually the most direct speech. The words of the author indicate the person to whom the above statement belongs. It is important to note that native Russian speakers often make mistakes in constructing sentences with indirect speech. And this topic is especially difficult for foreigners studying Russian.
Next, we will consider in detail the rules for using both types of speech - both direct and indirect. Let's pay attention to punctuation marks and to the peculiarities of constructing sentences with these constructions.
Rules for the use of indirect speech
To make sentences with indirect speech, you need to learn the rules for punctuation in such situations. It is worth noting that indirect speech in a complex sentence, as a rule, acts as a subordinate clause. The subordinate clause, which contains indirect speech, can be attached to the main one with the help of some conjunctions and allied words:
- to;
- which;
- as if;
- supposedly;
- when;
- what;
- from where;
- what;
- where;
- where, etc.
Conjunction and related words for indirect speech
The conjunction "what" is used in speech to replace a declarative sentence and expresses the speaker's confidence that the information is reliable:
He said he didn't want to go to university because he hated it with all his heart
Or, for example, conjunctions such as: "as if" and "as if" canindicate that the speaker doubts in some way the accuracy of the information he is presenting:
Grandfather said he was in France the day before yesterday at an exhibition
As for such relative words as: "which", "what", "which", "where", "where" and the like, they are used in situations where direct speech is replaced without any changes to sentences with indirect speech. Examples:
- Dina said that she loves Nikita with all her heart, but the fact that he acts inappropriately towards Alina makes her very upset and makes her think.
- Grandfather, passing me on the boulevard, stopped and asked where the nearest pharmacy was located.
Punctuation marks in indirect speech sentences: rules
Let's list some rules for punctuation in sentences with indirect speech.
It is important to note that sometimes in indirect speech you can find verbatim expressions from the speech of another person. They are marked with quotation marks in the letter.
If direct speech contains an incentive sentence, then the union "to" is used when using sentences with indirect speech. Examples:
- He told me to get grandpa water because it's terribly hot outside.
- Mom ordered the maid to clean the floors in our house immediately.
If there are no interrogative pronouns and adverbs in direct speech, then, as a rule, when usingIn indirect speech, the particle union "li" is used. For example:
Grandma asked if I knew who Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin was, and of course I answered her
But if direct speech contains interrogative pronouns and adverbs, then when it is replaced with indirect speech, they are transformed into allied words.
As for the replacement of personal pronouns, when using indirect speech, they are used in accordance with the one who conveys the speech of another person.
As a rule, sentences with indirect speech are located after the words of the author and should be separated by a comma in the letter.
Rules for using direct speech
To convey direct speech, you must follow certain rules. So, if direct speech begins with a paragraph, then a dash must be placed before it. For example:
Lena fell down and started screaming:
- A-i-i-i-th, it hurts!
If direct speech does not start with a paragraph, but goes into a line, then you need to put a colon before it, and quotes after it. For example:
Alice jumped for joy and shouted: "Hooray, I finally got my diploma!"
But it is worth noting that in the situation with quotations that are in the subordinate part of the sentence, there is no need to put a colon. For example:
-
Psychologist David Dunning wrote that "incompetent people have a tendency to draw unambiguous and categorical conclusions."
Sentence patterns with indirect speech and direct speech
Conditionaldesignations for drawing up schemes of sentences with direct speech are the capital letters "A" and "P". The letter "A" indicates the words of the author, and the letter "P" indicates directly direct speech. For example:
Dasha said: "Get out of this room!"
Schematically it would look something like this: A: "P!"
As for sentences with indirect speech, as a rule, their schemes look like schemes of ordinary simple and complex sentences.
Sentence parsing
Syntactic analysis of a sentence with indirect speech and direct is carried out in order to be one hundred percent sure of the correctness of the punctuation marks. That is, syntactic analysis helps to better navigate the topic and use sentences with direct and indirect speech correctly.
The named analysis is performed in the following sequence:
- It is necessary to determine where the words of the author and where direct speech.
- Make parsing of the author's words.
- Explain punctuation.
Punctuation in direct speech: rules
In a situation where direct speech is in the middle of a construction and is broken by the words of the author, a dash is placed before and after them:
"I want to go with you," Nikolai whispered, "to go to the ends of the world!"
If the author's words are located at the junction of two sentences, then a comma and then a dash are placed before the author's words. Afterthe words of the author must be put a dot and another dash:
"Nina, what are you doing?" Andrew asked. "Are you crazy!"
Common mistakes when using indirect and direct speech
Incorrect construction of sentences with indirect speech is becoming more and more common. This, of course, must be fought. But how? The answer is simple: you need to periodically repeat those elementary rules that teachers gave us back in the distant fifth grade.
After all, even if native Russian speakers make gross and stupid mistakes, what can we say about those who study Russian as a foreign language?! They try to communicate more with native speakers in order to better navigate it. But what will foreigners learn if native speakers themselves sometimes make unforgivable mistakes in their speech?!
Mistakes should be de alt with immediately. Even B. Shaw in his work "Pygmalion" severely criticized people with disgusting speech. He said it was inexcusable and disgusting for educated people to speak like that.
Common mistakes in constructing sentences with indirect and direct speech
So, below are the most common mistakes and incorrect construction of sentences with indirect speech and direct speech. Mistakes are often made when too bulky designs are used.
Too many appendages:
I took a blanket that my grandmother Galya gave me and saw a huge hole on it, which, probably,left my cat, which was presented to me by my father in honor of my birthday, when I celebrated it in the water park.
It would be correct to divide this construction into several sentences:
I took the blanket that my grandmother Galya gave me and saw a huge hole on it. It was probably left by my cat, given to me for my birthday by my father. That time I celebrated my birthday in the water park.
Use identical syntax:
Lena said she didn't like sweets, and Lena bought a bunch of tasteless sour fruits, and then she walked down the road with them, and the fruits crumbled and broke on the asph alt, and Lena started screaming, she really wanted to eat these fruits.
To make this sentence sound nice and beautiful, it needs to be divided into several structures:
Laena said she didn't like sweets and bought a bunch of bad sour fruits. But, when she walked with them along the road, the fruits scattered on the asph alt and broke. Lena started screaming because she wanted to eat them.
Incorrect sentence construction with indirect speech can also be expressed in such a phenomenon as construction shift in complex sentences:
The last thing she said was about our upcoming divorce, our problems and how much she hates me.
For contrast, here is the correct version of this sentence:
The last thing she said was our upcoming divorce and our problems and how much she hates me.
The importance of proper usesentences with indirect and direct speech
An interesting fact is that each person has their own way of constructing sentences. For example, someone prefers to use subordinate clauses often, someone uses the simplest constructions, someone piles up their speech with introductory words, etc. However, you should always be aware of how you speak. Perhaps you prefer the way that is completely wrong. Therefore, it is so important to know the rules and combine them with your preferences in speech.
It was not for nothing that the great ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said that "speech must comply with the laws of logic."
