在英语里，我们可以用两种方法转述人的话语。第一种是直接引语(The Direct Speech);第二种是间接引语(The Indirect Speech)，也可叫“The Reported Speech”)。
从直接引语转变为间接引语是一种表达行式的改变，不影响原意。例如：
① a. He said, "I am working now."
b. He said that he was working then.
② a. She asked me, "Do you like to sing?"
b. She asked me if I liked to sing.
③ a. "Go out!" the man said to the boy.
b. The man ordered the boy to go out.
①b, ②b, ③b是间接引语，其形式和①a, ②a, ③a不同。
间接引语是种常见的句法，用得很多。正因为用得多，出错的机会也多。下面便是些例子：
④ He said that he would come tomorrow.
这里的副词“tomorrow”要变成“the next day”。理由是：间接引语里的时间副词或短语， 一般上要把其中的时间向前推，如： tomorrow: the next day; today: that day; last night: the night before; now: then; ago: before that time 等。
⑤ I asked what is wrong with him.
这里的“is”要变成“was”。须知：主句“I asked”和分句 “what is wrong with him”的动词时态必须配合。既然主句的动词 “asked”是过去时态，分句的动词也要过去时态“was”。此外，动词时态一般上也要推前，因此简单过去时态(Simple Past Tense)要变成过去完成时态(Past Perfect Tense)，如：went : had gone; left : had left.
⑥ John told her don't do that again.
这里的“don't do”要变成“not to do”才对。理由是：祈使句变成间接引语时的形式是不定式动词：“to + verb / not to + verb”，如：to come / not to come; to do / not to do.
⑦ She asked me where was I going.
这里的“was I”词序不对， 要变成“I was”才是，因为间接疑问句(indirect question)里的词序和叙述句一样，是正常词序，不是倒装法，如：
⑧ He wanted to know who that girl was.
⑨ John asked Helen if she was free.
⑩ She asked me whether I could help her.
