Reported speech.

[Coffa]

Please don't assume that brevity means sarcasm, Coffa.
Could you please explain your last comment. I'm not sure what your point was/is.

In the absence of explanation, brevity can mean nothing other than sarcasm I feel.

However, my point was that you reported my speech ('Coffa wrote a reply...'), and I confirmed that by writing 'indeed'. I went on to point out that your intentions in writing the report had nothing to do with the reporting itself, and that any feelings you had on what I wrote could only be inferred from context, not the fact that you had made a report.

[RonBee]

http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/reported-speech.htmlReported Speech (also called Indirect Speech) is used to communicate what someone else said, but without using the exact words. A few changes are necessary; often a pronoun has to be changed and the verb is usually moved back a tense, where possible.
EG: He said that he was going to come. (The person's exact words were "I'm going to come.")

Direct speech:

Matt said to his girlfriend, “Shall I buy you some crisps?”

Reported speech:

Matt asked his girlfriend if she wanted him to buy her some crisps.

[MikeNewYork]

Hi,
Matt said to his girlfriend, “Shall I buy you some crisps?”
1. Matt offered his gilfriend to buy some crisps.
2. Matt offered to buy some crisps for his girlfriend.

Please, which is better?
TIA

Just another opinion. I agree with those who have told you that #1 is incorrect and that #2 is correct.

IMO, your sentence is not indirect speech. Indirect speech is reporting what another person said. Your second sentence is just a statement of fact.

[Humble]

Hi,
Well, nitpicking does let us find an interesting species sometimes.
I’d say
Matt asked his girlfriend if she wanted him to buy her some crisps.
and
Matt offered to buy some crisps for his girlfriend.
are both equal versions of reported speech.

My thanks to all of you.

[riverkid]

Humble,

"offer" is not, IMO, considered to be a reporting verb.

[RonBee]

Hi,
Well, nitpicking does let us find an interesting species sometimes.
I’d say
Matt asked his girlfriend if she wanted him to buy her some crisps.
and
Matt offered to buy some crisps for his girlfriend.
are both equal versions of reported speech.

Please use the links I posted. The first sentence is reported speech. The second is not.

Whenever you have a question on grammar you can consult the glossary.

~R

[Humble]

The link does not work.

[RonBee]

Try this:

http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary...ed-speech.html

Reported Speech (also called Indirect Speech) is used to communicate what someone else said, but without using the exact words. A few changes are necessary; often a pronoun has to be changed and the verb is usually moved back a tense, where possible. EG: He said that he was going to come. (The person's exact words were "I'm going to come.")

~R

[Humble]

Thanks, RonBee.