Quoted and reported statements and questions

Use quoted speech inside quotation marks ("or'')  to report exactly what someone said or asked. The verb tense of the quoted speech does not change.

• He said, 'Let's watch the game.'
• He asked, 'Could you pay the bill?'
• I told him, 'No way.'

Use reported speech to paraphrase what someone said. You can keep the verb tense in the present or change it to the past.

• She said she hated sports.
• she told me she´s a feminist.

Also use reported speech to paraphrase what someone asked. In the reported question, change the word order to subject + verb and drop the auxiliary verb.

• 'Why do you like roses?'
• She asked why I like roses.
• 'Where do you live?'
• He asked me where I live.

You can use the narrative present for quoted and reported speech to make a story more current or more dramatic.

• He says, 'Let's fly to the Bahamas.'
• So I tell him we need to get to know each other better.
• She asks me, 'When should we get married?'
• And I ask her why she's in such a hurry.

  

RHETORICAL QUESTIONS

Use a rhetorical question to draw dramatic attention to your point. When a rhetorical question is asked, an answer is not expected; often the answer is obvious. Use the same structure for a rhetorical question as for a genuine question. Notice the exaggerated intonation used in these rhetorical questions.

• Who knows? Maybe someday we'll have gender equality.
• Shouldn't women get equal pay for equal work?
• Who created these rigid male and female roles?
• With all their problems, why do men and women bother dating?