32.5 An INDIRECT STATEMENT (also called INDIRECT DISCOURSE or ORATIO OBLIQUA) is a subordinate clause that is introduced by a verb of mental action, such as saying, thinking, and perceiving. In this construction, the direct statement – e.g. “the child is here” – is expressed indirectly in sentences such as “I believe that the child is here,” or “He says that the child is here.”
English has two main ways to express indirect statements.
- A subordinate clause introduced by that
- An infinitive phrase
The construction used in English depends upon the verb of mental activity– saying, thinking, perceiving – that introduces the indirect statement.
32.6 For example, the verbs say and think in English are usually followed by a SUBORDINATE CLAUSE introduced by that.
- He said that she wanted to walk to the river.
- We think that we’ll be able to see you all.
Other mental action verbs, such as order, beg, remind, and advise, take an INFINITIVE PHRASE. These infinitive phrases consists of:
- An infinitive
- The subject or agent of the infinitive
- Any other words or phrases that modify the action of the infinitive phrase, such as the direct object of a transitive infinitive or a prepositional phrase.
Some examples:
- I begged her to send the letter.
- I order you to march to the river.
- I am reminding you to go.
- I advised the rulers to make peace in this land.
32.7 Notice that the entire INFINITIVE PHRASE functions essentially as the DIRECT OBJECT of these particular verbs of mental action: I order this; I order you to march to the river. Or to think of it another way, just as COMPLEMENTARY INFINITIVES complement certain verbs, we can think of these INFINITIVE PHRASES as complementing certain mental verbs (S 1981, G 570d).
Note also that the infinitive phrase itself can have more than one DIRECT OBJECTS. For example, in the sentence I begged her to send the letter., both the subject of the infinitive (her) and the direct object of the infinitive (the letter) are DIRECT OBJECTS.