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.
�、� a. "Go out!" the man said to the boy.
b. The man ordered the boy to go out.
①b, ②b, ③b是間接引語，其形式和①a, ②a, ③a不同。
間接引語是種常見的句法，用得很多。正因為用得多，出錯的機(jī)會也多。下面便是些例子：
�、� He said that he would come tomorrow.
這里的副詞“tomorrow”要變成“the next day”。理由是：間接引語里的時間副詞或短語， 一般上要把其中的時間向前推，如： tomorrow: the next day; today: that day; last night: the night before; now: then; ago: before that time 等。
�、� I asked what is wrong with him.
這里的“is”要變成“was”。須知：主句“I asked”和分句 “what is wrong with him”的動詞時態(tài)必須配合。既然主句的動詞 “asked”是過去時態(tài)，分句的動詞也要過去時態(tài)“was”。此外，動詞時態(tài)一般上也要推前，因此簡單過去時態(tài)(Simple Past Tense)要變成過去完成時態(tài)(Past Perfect Tense)，如：went : had gone; left : had left.
�、� John told her don't do that again.
這里的“don't do”要變成“not to do”才對。理由是：祈使句變成間接引語時的形式是不定式動詞：“to + verb / not to + verb”，如：to come / not to come; to do / not to do.
⑦ She asked me where was I going.
這里的“was I”詞序不對， 要變成“I was”才是，因為間接疑問句(indirect question)里的詞序和敘述句一樣，是正常詞序，不是倒裝法，如：
⑧ He wanted to know who that girl was.
�、� John asked Helen if she was free.
⑩ She asked me whether I could help her.
如果詞序是倒裝形式，就錯了：
*……who was that girl.
*……if was she free.
*……whether could I help her.
關(guān)于間接疑問句，還有一點必須注意的是，直接疑問句里的疑問詞要照用， 如例⑧的“who”。如果沒有疑問詞，就要借重連接詞“ if”或“ whether”之助，如例⑨和⑩便是。
在結(jié)束本文之前，順便提一提怎樣把表示驚嘆或愿望的直接引語轉(zhuǎn)成間接引語。
11. He said, "Alas! I am undone."
12. "Bravo! You have done a good job, Mary," said the teacher.
13. "Good Heaven!' Tom cried, "I'll never lie again."
把11-13，轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)?4-16時， 可以用恰當(dāng)?shù)膭釉~把深層的意思反映出來，甚至加些原文沒有的字眼，也無所謂：
14. He exclaimed that he was undone.
15. The teacher praised Mary, saying that she had done a good job.
16. Tom called upon Heaven to witness his determination not to lie again.
