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Reported Speech and the
'Historic Present' Tense |
The 2008 film, The Dark Knight, tells the story of
Batman, a fictional superhero. At one point in the
movie, Batman's enemy, the Joker, says the following
lines:
My father was a drinker and a fiend. And one night, he
goes off crazier than usual… He turns to me, and he
says: 'Why so serious?'
Today's report is not about violent stories. Nor is it
about superheroes. Instead, it is about reported speech.
You will learn how Americans report speech in everyday
situations. You will learn about different verb tenses
speakers use to report speech.
So, what is the link between the Joker's lines and
reported speech? We will tell you, but first we must
give you some definitions.
Reported Speech
In everyday speech, speakers often report what others
say.
They quote what other people told them, or they repeat
what they said themselves. This is known as direct
speech.
The verb say is often used to report direct speech in
conversation, note Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber, two
English grammar experts.
Here is an example:
"I called the mechanic and said I was ready to come pick
up my car – a white convertible, and he said, "Oh,
sorry, somebody already picked it up," and I said,
"Excuse me, who did you give my car to?"
In the example, the speaker used the verb say in the
past tense just before the speech that he was reporting.
This is a conversational, informal way of reporting what
a person said.
You can imagine that the speaker is a little angry about
this story – his car seems to have disappeared!
"Historic present tense"
Direct speech makes a story more exciting. To make the
story even more interesting, some speakers use the
quoting verb in the "historic present" tense. This means
that a present tense verb is used to refer to past time.
Here is an example:
"He was sitting there drinking his coffee, and he says
what is this? It was a tooth! "
In the example, the speaker uses the present tense – she
said says instead of said. This is the "historic present
tense." Speakers use this form because it makes the
story sound more immediate, more exciting, and less
formal.
You heard an example of the "historic present" at the
beginning of this report.
The Joker had already shown that he was talking about
the past when he said, "My father was a drinker and a
fiend."
Then, he changes to the "historic present" tense: "He
turns to me, and he says: 'Why so serious?"
The good news about the so-called "historic present" is
this: you do not need to use it. You should not use it
in writing, and you should probably not use it in
speaking, either.
However, it can be useful to understand it. Native
speakers might use it in conversation – and when they
do, you will understand what they mean.
Other common verbs or expressions
used to report something
In everyday, informal speech, Americans often use other
verbs and expressions to report direct speech. Some of
these verbs and expressions have the same meaning as
say.
The most common of these is probably the verb go. Often
used in the simple present tense, the verb go is used
commonly by young people, although older people use it
too.
Here's an example:
I asked him why he didn't call me back, and he goes,
"Well, I didn't get your message."
Here, the verb go is taking the place of the verb say.
The speaker could have said "and he said, "Well, I
didn't get your message."
Americans also use the expression be like to replace the
verb say.
Be like is commonly used among young adults, but many
older people also use it. This structure is primarily
used among friends. Consider this example:
I'm like are you from Washington, D.C.? and she's like
yeah, how did you know?
Be like can also be used to report thoughts, rather than
speech. When speakers use be like in this manner, it
takes on the meaning of "to be thinking (something)."
What can you do?
The next time you are watching television or talking to
an American, try to listen for examples of reported
speech. Does the speaker report speech using the verb
say, or does he or she choose a different word or
expression?
Ask yourself if the speaker is using the "historic
present" tense to add excitement to the story.
With time, and with practice, you will learn how
Americans report speech. You might even be able to
report speech in a similar manner.
However, one warning: do not try to use the historic
present tense – if you use it incorrectly, you might
confuse others!
We did not talk about formal reported speech today. If
you would like to learn more about formal reported
speech, please read our previous Everyday Grammar story,
"They Say That Reported Speech Is Easy." You can find it
on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com
I'm John Russell.
And I'm Alice Bryant.
John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Caty
Weaver was the editor. |
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