REPORTED SPEECH

OR
INDIRECT SPEECH
(PART-I)

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Dear students,
Let us go through the following
p
pieces of writing.
g I will read them.
Listen to them carefully.

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Mother, I am hungry.
Mother hungry Please
Please, give me
something to eat, said Rajesh.
Wait
Wait for ten minutes,
minutes,she
she said.
Why have I to wait? Im very hungry now.
I wont be hungry any more in ten
minutes. Give me something to eat
immediately.
Th mother
The th wentt into
i t the
th kit
kitchen
h with
ith
the boy.

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TEACHER: Have you understood
about the Solar System?
STUDENTS :Yes, sir.
TEACHER: How many planets are there
in the Solar System?
y
STUDENTS:Sir, there are eight planets
in
the Solar System.

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Vikasana Bridge Course 2012
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 I think you have gone through all the
three. Can you identify them? O.K. let us
go through
g g them one byy one.

The first one is a conversation.

The second one is a piece of dialogues.

The third one is picture with speech

bubbles.
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Speech is nothing but the words
uttered or spoken. These words
can be
b putt iin diff
differentt ways iin
writing. If we quote the actual
words as they are uttered or
spoken,
spo e , itt is
s sa
said
d to be in the
t e
DIRECT SPEECH.
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The DIRECT SPEECH can be written
in three different ways:
1) Conversation(words in inverted
commas/quotation marks ----)

2)Di l
2)Dialogues (in Script form / in Dramas)

3)Speech Bubbles(in cartoons and

comics)
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Mother, I am hungry.
Mother hungry Please
Please, give me
something to eat, said Rajesh.
Wait
Wait for ten minutes,
minutes,she
she said.
Why have I to wait? Im very hungry now.
I wont be hungry any more in ten
minutes. Give me something to eat
immediately.
Th mother
The th wentt into
i t the
th kit
kitchen
h with
ith
the boy.

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1) Conversation
Rajesh toldhis mother thathe was
hungry and requestedher to give him
somethingg to eat. Shetoldhimto wait for
ten minutes. Heaskedherwhyhe had to
wait. Hecontinuedthathe was very hungry
th
then. H would
He ld nott b
be h
hungry any more iin
ten minutes. Heurgedherto give him
something to eat immediately
immediately. Then the
mother went into the kitchen with the boy.

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TEACHER:Have you understood
about the Solar System?
STUDENTS :Yes, sir.
TEACHER:How many planets are there
in the Solar System?
STUDENTS:Sir, there are eight planets
in the Solar System.

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2)Dialogues
The teacheraskedthe studentsif/
whethertheyhad understood about the
Solar System. Theyagreed / repliedin
the p
positive. He ((the teacher)askedthem
)
again how many planets there are in the
Solar System.
y
Theyansweredhimthatthere are eight
planets in the Solar System.
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Vikasana Bridge Course 2012
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3)Speech Bubbles
The d
Th doctor
t asked
k d the
th patient
ti t if/
whetherhecould see the letters
clearly. The patient replied in
tthe
e negative
egat e tthathecould
at ecou d not
ot
see the small ones.
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IIn th
the DIRECT SPEECHthere
th
aretwoparts:
1) The actual words of the
speaker(in inverted commas; in script
form; words in speech bubbles)
2) Reporters part(thewords outside
inverted commas; the speakers part in a script /
drama; the speaker in speech bubbles)

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Examples:
E l
My friend is coming now,Surya said
t S
to Sahara.
h
Why is he coming?she asked.
H wants
He t my notes.
t
Are you ready to give?
No no,
No, no I cant
cant. I ha
have
e exams
e ams
tomorrow.
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Key:
Surya told Saharathathis friend was
coming then.Sheaskedhimwhyhe
was coming. He (Surya)
repliedherthathis friend wanted his
notes.Sheaskedhim againif /
whetherhe was ready to
give.Herepliedher in the
negativethathe could not as he had
exams theVikasana
day after.
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 In these examples we see so
many changes in reporting the
Direct Speech into Indirect Speech
the Reporting Verb, Personal
Pronouns, Tense Form of the Verb,
The use of Linker, etc. let us go in
detail about these one by one.

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TheReporting Verb
Depending on the type of the
utterance / sentence in the DIRECT
SPEECH, the Reporting Verb is
changed in the REPORTED /
INDIRECT SPEECH.
(Know about Sentences: Assertive,
Interrogative, Imperative, Exclamatory)
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1)To report Statements / Assertive
sentences a few Reporting Verbs
often used are: say, tell, reply,
answer argue
answer, argue, complain
complain, add,
add
promise, suggest, continue,
confess plead
confess, plead, advise,
advise and permit
permit.

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Example:
Mohan said,Anil, my father will come
tomorrow. He may stay here for two days.
If you have any problem in your room, let
your father stay in my house,Anil said.
N no, I d
No, dont
t h
have any residential
id ti l
problem. But it is about the boarding.
Dont
Don t worry.
worry Let us have the meals in my
house.

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Key:
Mohan told Anil that his father would
come the next day
day. He continued that
his father might stay there for two
days Anil suggested him to let his
days.
father stay in his house if he had any
problem in his room.
room

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Mohan replied in the negative that
he didnt have any residential
problem but it was about the
boarding. Anil told him not to worry
and assured him that let them have
the meals in his house.
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Exercises:
1) R
Rama said,
id R
Ravi,
i Ih
have bbought
ht some
mangoes.
Rama _____ Ravi that he had bought
some mangoes.

2) Janaki said, I am going to Hubli

today.
Janaki _____ that she was going to
Hubli that day.
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Key:
1) Rama said, Ravi,
Ravi, I have bought
some mangoes.
Rama told Ravi that he had
bought some mangoes.

2) Janaki said, I am going to Hubli

today.
today.
Janaki said that she was going to
Hubli that day.
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2) To report Questions /
Interrogative
te ogat e sentencesa
se te cesa few
e
Reporting Verbs often used
are:ask, question, enquire, and
wanted to know.
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Example:
Ramya
y said,, Kavya,
y , do you
y
want to participate in sports?

RamyaaskedKavya if / whether
she wanted to participate in
sports.
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Examples:
Mahesh said,, Nithin,, when will y
you
return my book?
MaheshaskedNithin when he would
return his book.

Akshata said, Can I help you,

Sneha?
AkshataaskedSneha if she could help
her.
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Examples:

RAM: Raj, where have you parked your car?

RAJ : Near bus stand. Is there any
problem?

Ram asked Raj where he had parked his

car. Raj told him that he had parked his car
near bus stand, and he wanted to know if /
whether there was any y problem.
p
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Exercises:
1) What are you doing? he said to
me.
He ______ me what I was doing.

2) Seema said, Where is my book,

Radha?
Seema _____ Radha where her
book was.
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Key:
1) What
Wh t are you d
doing?
i ? he
h saidid tto
me.
H asked
He k d me what
h t I was d
doing.
i

2) S
Seema said,
id Wh
Where iis my b
book,
k
Radha?
S
Seema asked
k d Radha
R dh where
h h
her
book was.
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3)To report Imperative sentences
((orders,, requests,
q , advices,, and
instructions) a few Reporting Verbs
often used are:order,, command,, ask,,
tell, beg, persuade, urge, invite,
q
request, , and advise.

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Examples:
The teacher said, Sony,
Sony, open the
door.
The teacher asked Sony to open the
door.

Ravi said, Rita, dont listen to the

music now.
now.
Ravi told Rita not to listen to the
music then.
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Please, give
Pl i me a glass
l off water,
t h he
said to me.
H requested
He t d me tto give
i hi
him a glass
l
of water.

Go away, the policeman said to me.

Th policeman
The li commanded
d d me to
t go
away.
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Exercises:
1) He said to me, Please,
Please, give me
ten rupees.
He ______ me to give him ten rupees.

2) Preeti said, Rita,

Rita, switch off the
light.
Preeti _____ Rita to switch off the
light.

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Key:
1) He said to me, Please,
Please, give me
ten rupees.
He requested me to give him ten
rupees.

2) Preeti said, Rita, switch off the

light.
light.
Preeti asked / requested Rita to
switch off the light.
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4) To report Exclamatory
sentences a few Reporting Verbs
often used are: exclaim, exclaim,
exclaim with jjoy
y / sorrow,,
surprise, cry out, and wish.
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Examples:
p
He said, Hurrah! I have won the
match.
He exclaimed with joy that he had
won the match.

What a fine day!

y Rani said.
Rani exclaimed that it was a fine
y
day.
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Exercises:
He said, How beautiful this scene
is!
He ______ that it was a beautiful
scene.

What a nice suggestion! he said.

He _______ that it was a nice
suggestion.
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Key:
He said, How beautiful this scene
is!
He exclaimed that it was a very
beautiful scene.

What a nice suggestion!

gg he said.
He exclaimed that it was a nice
gg
suggestion.
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