Mark Twain, a famous American writer, made a lecture tour of cities
and towns. One day, he came to a small town. In the afternoon he went to
a shop to buy some paper. The shopkeeper was a talkative man. So he
asked Mark Twain when he had come to the town.1
Direct: "Yes, I came to the town yesterday. I’m here for the
first time. I haven’t walked around the city yet. However, I see it is
lovely and green."
Reported: Mark Twain answered that he had come to the town the day
before. He added that he was there for the first time and had not walked
around the city yet. However, he could see that it was lovely and green.
(Марк Твен ответил, что он приехал в город накануне. Он добавил, что был
там в первый раз и еще не гулял по городу. Однако он видел, что город
милый и зеленый.)
Direct: "Your town is nice. And you’ve chosen a good time to
come," the shopkeeper said.
Reported: The shopkeeper agreed that his town was nice and added that
he had chosen a good time to come. (Продавец согласился, что его город
милый, и добавил, что он выбрал хорошее время, чтобы приехать.)
Direct: "Mark Twain, a famous writer, is going to give a lecture
at the writer’s club this evening. You simply must visit his lecture,"
said the shopkeeper.
Reported: The shopkeeper said that Mark Twain, a famous writer, was
going to give a lecture at the writer’s club that evening and told him
that he simply had to visit his lecture. (Продавец сказал, что Марк
Твен, известный писатель, собирается прочитать лекцию в писательском
клубе в тот вечер, и сказал ему, что он просто должен посетить его
лекцию.)
Direct: "But all the tickets for his lecture are sold out. So you
will have to stand," the shopkeeper continued.
Reported: The shopkeeper continued that all the tickets for his
lecture were sold out, so he would have to stand. (Продавец продолжил,
что все билеты на его лекцию были распроданы, поэтому ему придется
стоять.)
Direct: "I always have to stand whenever that fellow gives a
lecture!"
Reported: Mark Twain said with a laugh that he always had to stand
whenever that fellow gave a lecture. (Марк Твен сказал со смехом, что
ему всегда приходилось стоять, когда этот парень читал лекцию.)