Modality and Reported Speech

Question 1

What is modality?

Answer 1

It is another aspect of transitivity which relates to how valid the information is in terms of probability or usuality.

Question 2

What can writers use modality for? (2)

Answer 2

• Avoid committing themselves to a particular point of view;
• Propose a point of view or provoke a reaction.

Question 3

What verb mode is usually used in statements that contain facts which can be regarder as true/false?

Answer 3

Indicative mode

Question 4

What verbs are used when facts are represented as likely / unlikely / possible / desirable?

Answer 4

Modal verbs, conditional sentences and equivalent structures

Question 5

What is “attribution” and why is it useful?

Answer 5

Attribution is the fact of attributing something to a source. It is useful when the author does not want to take responsibility for the statement they are reporting.

Question 6

Which are the three aspects of speech in a story?

Answer 6

• what was said;
• how it is attributed;
• the verb used to describe the speech act.

Question 7

Is attribution always the same?

Answer 7

It can be verifiable when the source is named or it can have vague sources like: experts said…, witnesses said…, according to reports…

Question 8

What are the functions of reported discourse in the news? (2)

Answer 8

• increasing newsworthiness (direct quotation confer prestige to the story)
• allowing reporters to express their own views by quoting other people

Question 9

How can a discourse be reported? (3)

Answer 9

• direct speech;
• reported speech;
• source’s words unattributed and embedded into the story (troops have been warned that the war could last months)

Question 10

How can the verbs of speaking be? (2)

Answer 10

• Neutral verbs (say, tell, ask);
• Marked verbs conveying evaluation (claim, insist), what was saud can be doubted

Question 11

What are some ways used by writers to create distance? Why are they used?

Answer 11

• Scare or sneer quotes;
• Quotation marks placed around a single word or phrase, rather than an entire utterance.

They are used to signal the reporter disendorses the source’s words in case of controversial nature or inappropriate language.