A column on writing from Editor & Publisher October 17, 1981.

Shifting the Time and Place

At the City Council meeting, I. Bill Goode says,

"You owe me $100,000 and I cannot continue."

There are three ways to report his saying his own words: direct, indirect, and parenthetical speech. Direct speech is also called "quoted speech." Indirect speech is also called "reported speech."

1. Direct speech. Direct speech puts his exact words between quote marks:

General contractor I. Bill Goode said Monday to the City Council, "You owe me $100,000 and I cannot continue."

The attribution (X said) in direct speech can come at the beginning, at the end, or if carefully placed, in the middle. Choose a graceful and logical spot to break a long quote. Keep the break short.

Not: "You," Goode told the City Council Monday, wagging an accusing forefinger, "owe me $100,000 and I cannot continue"

Better: "You owe me $100,000," Goode told the City Council Monday, wagging an accusing forefinger, "and I cannot continue."

The other two ways to report the exact spoken, or written, words require word shifts. even when you plan to use the source's exact language.

2. Indirect speech. In this much-used newspaper style, the attribution must come first. The speaker's words become the object of The speaker said (that), which then controls the tenses within the quote.

Goode said, "I cannot continue" shifts to Good said (that) he could not continue." (For a table of these verb shifts for the different tenses, see Column #17, Shifty Tenses.)

Many other classes of words change when direct speech is converted into indirect speech. Written out as they are below, they seem formidable, but in practice, the trick is to reread each sentence to make sure it sounds OK. If your ear has not been trained by lifelong reading, avoid this construction.

• Shift personal and possessive pronouns in the first and second persons to the third person. I and we become he or she and they. You also turns to he, she, or they. My turns to his or her, our to their, your to their.
   
  Goode said, "You are digging your graves." That turns into
   
  Goode said they were digging their graves.
   
  
• Change this and these to the. Or--if clear--this to that, these to those.
   
  Goode said, "This problem will not go away." That changes to
   
  Goode said the problem would not go away.
   
  
• Check all time and place terms. Errors mostly appear when converting a transcript or report. For example, here and now becomes there and then. Ago turns into before, earlier to previously.
   
  All this is easier done than said: Goode said, "I warned you about this crisis two months ago and again yesterday in court. The City Council must act tonight, here and now. Tomorrow will be too late. The present policy cannot continue."
   
  Quoting Mr. Goode indirectly, an unlikely choice, his remarks convert to: Goode said he had warned them two months earlier and again the day before in court. He said the city must act that night, there and then; today [or name the day] would be too late and the present policy could not continue.
   
  
• Eschew indirect speech when many shifts must be made, as in the above example. For that problem another sentence style comes to the rescue.
   
  

3. Parenthetical speech will be covered in #19.

There are three columns on quoting people: #17, #18, #19.

Ethel Grodzins Romm is a writer and editor currently living in New York City. She is the author of The Open Conspiracy: What America's Angry Generation is Saying (review) (auction with cover), several of the Strategies in Reading workbook series and others. She appeared in the film Paranormal: Science or Pseudoscience? She has written columns on language for Editor & Publisher, The American Bar Association Journal and many others. She is currently working on a book on management.