In modern Russian, English and in all other languages there is indirect and direct speech. Proper knowledge of them allows you to correctly convey what someone said on the letter. Therefore, for native speakers and those studying 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 complicated punctuation rules, and, depending on the topic, punctuation marks are placed in different ways.
Unfortunately, a huge number of people studying the Russian language admit the incorrect construction of sentences with indirect speech.
Definitions
So, let's start with the 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 incorporate other people's words into your own text, preserving their original meaning. We can say in plain language that this is a kind of retelling of words belonging to a third party.
Direct speech from indirect writing is distinguished by the presence of the author’s words and the direct speech itself. The author’s words indicate the person to whom the given statement belongs. It is important to note that native speakers of the Russian language often make mistakes in constructing sentences with indirect speech. And especially hard this topic is given to foreigners studying Russian.
Next, we will examine in detail the rules for using both types of speech - both direct and indirect. Let's pay attention to punctuation marks and to the features of constructing sentences with the named constructions.
Rules for using indirect speech
To make sentences with indirect speech, you need to study 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 part. The adverbial part, which contains indirect speech, can join the main part with the help of some unions and allied words :
- to;
- which the;
- as if;
- supposedly;
- when;
- what;
- where from;
- which one;
- Where;
- where and others
Union and related words for indirect speech
The “what” union is used in speech to replace a narrative sentence and expresses the speaker’s confidence that the information is reliable:
- He replied that he did not want to go to university, because he hated him with all his heart .
Or, for example, such unions as “as if” and “as if” may indicate that the speaker in some way doubts the reliability of the information he sets out:
- Grandfather said that he was in France at the exhibition the day before yesterday .
As for such relative words as: “which”, “what”, “what”, “where”, “where” and the like, they are used in those situations when direct speech is replaced without any changes to indirect sentences . 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 is located.
Punctuation in indirect sentences: rules
We list some of the rules for punctuation in sentences with indirect speech.
It is important to note that sometimes in indirect speech you can find literal expressions from the speech of another person. They are in quotation marks on the letter.
If the direct speech contains an incentive sentence, then the alliance “to” is used when using sentences with indirect speech. Examples:
- He told me to bring water to my grandfather, because the heat in the street is terrible.
- Mom ordered the maid to immediately wash the floors in our house.
If in direct speech there are no interrogative pronouns and adverbs, then, as a rule, when using indirect speech, the "particle" union is used. For instance:
- Grandma asked if I knew who Joseph Stalin was, and I, of course, answered her .
But if direct speech contains interrogative pronouns and adverbs, then when you replace it with an indirect one, they are transformed into allied words.
As for the replacement of personal pronouns, when using indirect speech they are used in accordance with the person 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 highlighted with a comma on the letter.
Rules for the use of direct speech
To convey direct speech, you must adhere to certain rules. So, if direct speech begins with a paragraph, then a dash must be put in front of it. For instance:
- Lena fell and started yelling:
- A-I-I-II, it hurts me!
If direct speech does not start with a paragraph, but goes to a line, then you need to put a colon in front of it, and after it - quotation marks. For instance:
- Alice jumped with happiness and shouted: "Hooray, finally I got a diploma!"
But it is worth noting that in the situation with quotes that are in the adjacent part of the sentence, there is no need to put a colon. For instance:
- Psychologist David Dunning wrote that "incompetent people have a tendency to unambiguous and categorical conclusions."
Suggestion schemes with indirect speech and direct
The capital letters “A” and “P” are the symbols for drawing up direct speech schemes. The letter "A" indicates the words of the author, and the letter "P" - directly to direct speech. For instance:
- Dasha said: "Get out of this room!"
Schematically, it will 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.
Parsing sentences
The syntactic analysis of sentences 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, parsing helps to navigate the topic deeper and correctly use sentences with direct and indirect speech.
The named parsing 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 the use of punctuation.
Direct Punctuation: Rules
In a situation where direct speech is in the middle of the structure and is torn by the words of the author, a dash is placed before and after them:
- “I want with you,” Nikolay whispered, “to go even 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. After the words of the author, it is necessary to put an end to one more dash:
- “Nina, what are you doing?” Andrei asked. “You're crazy!”
Common mistakes in using indirect and direct speech
Incorrect construction of sentences with indirect speech is more and more common. This, of course, must be fought. But how? The answer is simple: you need to periodically repeat the elementary rules that teachers gave us back in the distant fifth grade.
After all, even if native speakers of the Russian language 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 the carriers themselves sometimes make unforgivable mistakes in their speech ?!
Errors must be disposed of immediately. Even B. Shaw in his work "Pygmalion" harshly criticized people with disgusting speech. He said it was unforgivable and disgusting for educated people to speak in this way.
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. Mistakes are often still made when using structures that are too bulky.
I took the blanket my grandmother Galya gave me and saw a huge hole in it, which probably was left by my cat, which my father presented to me on my birthday when I celebrated it at the water park .
It would be correct to divide this construction into several sentences:
I took the blanket my grandmother Galya gave me and saw a huge hole in it. She was probably left by my cat, given to me by my father for my birthday. That time I celebrated my birthday at the water park.
- Using identical syntax constructs:
Lena said she didn’t like sweets, and Lena bought a bunch of tasteless sour fruits, and then she walked along the road with them, and the fruits crumbled and broke on the asphalt, and Lena started yelling, she really wanted to eat these fruits.
To make this sentence sound pleasant and beautiful, it must be divided into several designs:
Lena said she did not like sweets, and bought a bunch of tasteless sour fruits. But, when she walked along the road with them, the fruits scattered on the asphalt and broke. Lena started screaming because she wanted to eat them .
- Incorrect construction of sentences with indirect speech can also be expressed in such a phenomenon as the displacement of the structure in complex sentences:
The last thing she said was about our upcoming divorce, about our problems and how she hates me .
For contrast, we present this sentence in the correct version:
The last thing she said was our forthcoming divorce and our problems, and also how much she hates me .
The importance of the correct use of sentences with indirect and direct speech
An interesting fact is that each person has his own manner of constructing sentences. For example, someone prefers to often use subordinate parts, someone uses the simplest constructions, someone piles his speech with introductory words, etc. However, you should always be aware of how you speak. Perhaps you prefer a manner that is completely wrong. Therefore, it is so important to know the rules and combine them with your preferences in speech.
No wonder the great ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said that "speech must comply with the laws of logic."