- Direct: You said, “I shall die.”
- Indirect: You said that you should die.
- Direct: He says, “I shall die.”
- Indirect: He says that he shall die.
- Direct: He said, “I shall die.”
- Indirect: He said that he should die.
The reason for the retention of shall or should is that, in such cases, the second or third person of the indirect discourse represents the first person of the direct.
The change from shall (after says) to should (after said) is a mere change of tense, according to the rule in [§ 434].
Note. The general principle is, to retain in the indirect discourse the auxiliary of the direct, simply changing the tense if necessary ([§ 434]). This principle of course covers the use of you or he shall or should to represent I shall or should. There is, however, one important exception to the general principle: when its application would result in the use of I will or I would to express mere futurity, I shall or I should is employed. Thus, John says to Charles, “If you fall overboard, you will drown”
; but Charles, reporting this, must say, “John tells me that, if I fall overboard, I shall [NOT will] drown.” The general rule, then, may be stated as follows: The indirect discourse retains the auxiliary of the direct (with a change in tense, if necessary), unless such retention makes will or would express simple futurity in the first person,—in that case, shall or should is used.
439. The following sentences illustrate the correct use of shall and will, should and would, in the indirect discourse:—
- 1. He writes me that he believes he shall be at Eton till the middle of November.—Gray. [Direct: I shall be at Eton.]
- 2. He that would pass the latter part of his life with honor and decency, must, while he is young, consider that he shall one day be old.—Johnson. [Direct: I shall one day be old.]
- 3. Could he but reduce the Aztec capital, he felt that he should be safe.—Prescott. [Direct: I shall be safe.]
- 4. Plantagenet took it into his head that he should like to learn to play at bowls.—Disraeli. [Direct: I should like.]
- 5. He answered that he should be very proud of hoisting his flag under Sir John’s command.—Southey. [Direct: I shall (or should) be, etc.]
- 6. He knew that if he applied himself in earnest to the work of reformation, he should raise every bad passion in arms against him.—Macaulay. [Direct: If I apply myself ..., I shall raise, etc.]
- 7. He was pleased to say that he should like to have the author in his service.—Carlyle. [Direct: I should like.]
- 8. Mr. Tristram at last declared that he was overcome with fatigue, and should be happy to sit down.—Henry James. [Direct: I should be happy.]
- 9. She vowed that unless he made a great match, she should never die easy.—Thackeray. [Direct: Unless you make a great match, I shall never die easy.]
- 10. You think now I shall get into a scrape at home. You think I shall scream and plunge and spoil everything.—George Eliot. [Direct: She will get into a scrape, etc.]
- 11. You in a manner impose upon them the necessity of being silent, by declaring that you will be so yourself.—Cowper. [Determination: I will be silent.]
- 12. He [Swift] tells them that he will run away and leave them, if they do not instantly make a provision for him.—Jeffrey. [Threat: I will run away.]
- 13. The king declared that he would not reprieve her for one day.—Mackintosh. [Direct: I will not.]
- 14. Horace declares that he would not for all the world get into a boat with a man who had divulged the Eleusinian mysteries.—Cowper. [Direct: I would not.]
- 15. I called up Sirboko, and told him, if he would liberate this one man to please me, he should be no loser.—Speke. [Direct: If you will liberate, etc., you shall be no loser.]
- 16. We concluded that, if we did not come at some water in ten days’ time, we would return.—De Foe. [Direct: If we do not, etc., we will return.]
- 17. With a theatrical gesture and the remark that I should see, he opened some cages and released half a dozen cats.—W. J. Locke. [Direct: You shall see.]