314 其中的时间及地点表达法

 

A 表示时间的副词及副词短语的变化:

例句如:

I saw her the day before yesterday,’he said

他说:“我是前天看到她的。”相当于:

He said hed seen her two days before

他说他是两天前看到她的。

Ill do it tomorrow,’he promised

他答应道:“这件事我明天就做。”相当于:

He promised that he would do it the next day

他答应第二天就做这件事。

Im starting the day after tomorrowmother,’he said

他说:“妈妈,我后天动身。”相当于:

He told his mother that he was starting in two daystime

他告诉他妈妈他两天后动身。

She said,‘My father died a year ago.’

她说:“我爸爸一年前去世了。”相当于:

She said that her father had died a year beforethe previous year

她说他父亲在前一年去世了。

B 但如果说话和转述发生在同一天,则不必作时间上的改变:

At breakfast this morning he said,‘Ill be very busy today.’

今天早餐时他说:“今天我会很忙。”相当于:

At breakfast this morning he said that he would be very busy today

今天早餐时,他说他今天会很忙。

C 如果在说话的一两天之后才转述,当然要作合乎逻辑的修正。如星期一杰克对汤姆说:

Im leaving the day after tomorrow

我打算后天动身。

如果汤姆在第二天(星期二)转述这句话,他会说:

Jack said he was leaving tomorrow

杰克说他打算明天动身。

如果汤姆在星期三转述这句话,他可能会说:

Jack said he was leaving today

杰克说他打算今天动身。

D here 可能转述为there,但所指的是什么地方必须要很清楚才可这样用:

At the station he said,‘Ill be here again tomorrow.’

在火车站他说:“我明天还会来这儿。”相当于:

He said that hed be there again the next day

他说他第二天会再到那儿去。

通常here需用某种适当的短语来代替:

She said,‘You can sit hereTom.’

她说:“汤姆,你可以坐在这里。”相当于:

She told Tom that he could sit beside her etc

她告诉汤姆他可以坐在她的旁边等等。

但是He said,‘Come hereboys’(他说:“到这儿来,孩子们”)一般转述为:

He called the boys

他叫孩子们来。