VOA慢速英语2017--演讲与历史现在时

Reported Speech and the 'Historic¹ Present' Tense

The 2008 film, The Dark Knight², tells the story of Batman, a fictional³ 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 definitions⁴.

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 mechanic⁵ and said I was ready to come pick up my car – a white convertible⁶, 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 conversational⁷, 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 immediate⁸, 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-called⁹ "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 primarily¹⁰ 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, www.voanews.cn.

I'm John Russell.

And I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

superhero – n. a fictional character who has amazing powers (such as the ability to fly)

fiend – n. a very evil¹¹ or cruel person

tense – n. grammar : a form of a verb that is used to show when an action happened

informal – adj. having a friendly and relaxed quality

quote –v. to write or say the exact words of (someone)

practice –n. the activity of doing something again and again in order to become better at it

confuse – v. to make (someone) uncertain or unable to understand something

1 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

2 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

3 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

4 definitions   

定义( definition的名词复数 )； 规定； 清晰（度）； 解释

参考例句：

• Write clear definitions in order to avoid ambiguity. 释义要写清楚以免产生歧义。
• Definitions in this dictionary are printed in roman type. 这本词典里的释义是用罗马体印刷的。

5 mechanic   

n.技工，机(械)工，机修工

参考例句：

• The mechanic made the necessary adjustments to the engine.机械师对发动机作了必要的调整。
• He is a mechanic who buys and sells cars on the side.他是一个兼营买卖汽车的技工。

6 convertible   

adj.可改变的，可交换，同意义的；n.有活动摺篷的汽车

参考例句：

• The convertible sofa means that the apartment can sleep four.有了这张折叠沙发，公寓里可以睡下4个人。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了。

7 conversational   

adj.对话的，会话的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a conversational style.该文是以对话的形式写成的。
• She values herself on her conversational powers.她常夸耀自己的能言善辩。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 so-called   

adj.所谓的，号称的

参考例句：

• These were the so-called mainframe machines.它们被称为主机。
• Let's see what this so-called button does.让我们来看看为什么这个按钮叫这个名字。

10 primarily   

adv.首先，主要地，基本地

参考例句：

• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people.这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。
• I am primarily interested in history.我主要对历史感兴趣。

11 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。