直述句和转述句经常让英语学习者感到困惑。我们先来定义这两者，再从例句观察如何叙述某人说过的话，最后再学如何改写直述句和转述句。
对于「他说了什麽？」的问句，您可以用两种方式来回答：
- 重复说过的话（直述句）
- 转述说过的话（间接叙述或转述句）
直述句
直述句是重复或引用他人说过的每个字。当我们在写作中使用直述句时，会在引用的字句前后标上双引号，并完整引用他人说过的话。我们会转述某人在「此刻」讲的话（例如在讲电话时），或在稍h1ou把先前的对话转告他人。
举例
- She says, "What time will you be home?"
- She said, "What time will you be home?" and I said, "I don't know! "
- "There's a fly in my soup!" screamed Simone.
- John said, "There's an elephant outside the window."
转述句
转述句通常用来谈过去的事，因此我们通常会改变句子的时态。我们会用 say丶tell丶ask 等转述词，并用 that 来引导要转述的话，不加引号。
She said, "I saw him." (直述句) = She said that she had seen him. (转述句)
「that」可以省略：
She told him that she was happy. = She told him she was happy.
「say」和「tell」
当句中没有受词时，用「say」：
He said that he was tired.
当谈到谁跟谁讲了话，一律用「tell」（即间接受词）：
He told me that he was tired.
「talk」和「speak」
用这些动词来描述交谈的动作：
He talked to us.
She was speaking on the telephone.
在这些动词后面加「about」来指谈论的事：
He talked (to us) about his parents.