语法点：间接引语：陈述句 (Reported Speech: Statements)
转述别人说过的话时，不用引号，而是用 said (that) / told sb (that) 引出一个宾语从句，这就是间接引语。当主句动词是过去式（said、told）时，从句的动词要"后退一个时态"：will → would，can → could，一般现在时 → 一般过去时。同时人称代词要随说话人变化（I → she），时间和地点词也可能变化。注意 say 后面直接接从句，而 tell 后面必须先接人。
结构
| 直接引语 | 间接引语 |
|---|---|
| She said, 'I will come to England.' | She said (that) she would come to England. |
| I said, 'You can stay with us.' | I told her (that) she could stay with us. |
| He said, 'I live in Nigeria.' | He said (that) he lived in Nigeria. |
| She said, 'I have finished.' | She said (that) she had finished. |
时态后退：am/is/are → was/were；will → would；can → could；一般过去时 → 过去完成时。 人称变化：I → he/she；we → they；you → 视情况变为 I/we/he/she。
课文中的例句
- [句 3] In her letter, she said that she would come to England next year. — 直接引语 'I will come' 变为 she would come，人称和时态都后退。
- [句 8] In my letter, I told her that she could stay with us. — tell + 人 + that 从句，'You can stay' 变为 she could stay。
- [句 1] I had a letter from my sister yesterday. — 一般过去时叙述，为后面的转述提供背景。
- [句 4] If she comes, she will get a surprise. — 作者自己的话，不是转述，所以保持现在/将来时态，与句 3 对比。
补充例句
- My sister said that she lived in a small flat in Nigeria. 我姐姐说她住在尼日利亚的一套小公寓里。
- I told her that the house had many large rooms. 我告诉她这房子有很多大房间。
- She said that she would write to me again soon. 她说她很快会再给我写信。
易错点
- ❌ She said that she will come to England next year. → ✅ She said that she would come to England next year. 主句 said 是过去式，从句 will 要变 would。
- ❌ I told that she could stay with us. → ✅ I told her that she could stay with us. tell 后面必须先接人。
- ❌ I said her that she could stay with us. → ✅ I said to her that she could stay with us. say 后面不能直接接人，要用 say to sb。
- ❌ She said that I would come to England. → ✅ She said that she would come to England. 转述时人称要随说话人改变，'I' 指姐姐，应改为 she。