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Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct and Indirect Speech
*) In the first sentence, the actual words of the speaker are quoted. This is called
Direct Speech.
*) In the second sentence, we give the substance of what the speaker said or without
quoting his exact words. This is called Indirect ( Reported ) Speech.
487. When changing the Direct into Indirect certain grammatical changes have to be made.
The following rules will make the whole thing clear :---
RULE 1. If the Reporting Verb is a Past Tense, the tense of the Verb in the Reported
Speech must be changed to the Past Tense. To work out this rule in detail, the
following special rules must be observed :---
(1) The Present tense ( in the Reported Speech ) must be changed to corresponding
Past form. In other words, we should change :--
*) Reporting Verb *) Reported
Speech
Direct. : He said, " Sweety has been coming." .....Pres. Per. Con.
Indirect. : He said that Sweety had been coming. .....Past. Per. Con.
(2) The Simple past Tense ( in the Reported Speech ) is often, but not always, changed
to the Past Perfect ; as,
(3) The Past Continuous tense ( in the Reported Speech ) must be changed to the Past
Perfect Continuous ; as,
NOTE :-- Exception to Rule 1. If the Reported Speech relates to some universal or
habitual fact, the Simple Present tense in the Reported Speech remains
unchanged ; as,
RULE 2. If the reporting Verb is a Present or Future tense, the tense of the verb in the
Reported Speech is not changed at all.
Direct. : The teacher will say, " The boy was dull."
Indirect. : The teacher will say that the boy was dull.
Direct. : Rama said to the girl, " I know you and your aunt."
Indirect. : Rama told the girl that he knew her and her aunt.
NOTE 1.--- If the person addressed reports the speech, the Second Person is changed
to First
NOTE 2.--- Sometimes the Pronoun he in Indirect Speech stands for several different
persons. In such cases we should either insert in brackets the names of the
persons referred to, after the Pronouns, or use Nouns instead of Pronouns,
where possible.
RULE 4. In the Reported Speech, the words expressing nearness are changed into words
expressing distance.
Direct. : The teacher said, " I am busy now. "
Indirect. : The teacher said that he was busy then.
Direct. : He said, " I met this man two days ago. "
Indirect. : He said that he had met that man two days before.
NOTE ----- Bear in mind that if this, here, now, etc., refer to things present before the
person during the delivery of the speech, no change is required in the
Reported Speech.
Direct. : Ashok said, " Here is the stick we have been looking for. "
Indirect. : Ashok said ( pointing to the stick in hand ) that here was the stick they had
been looking for.
1. Statements
488. Statements in the Indirect Speech are generally introduced by the Conjunction that.
Direct. : You said to me, " I do not think I can oblige you again in this way."
Indirect. : You told me that you did not think you could oblige me again in that
way.
Direct. : He said, " The rain that fell last night prevented me from coming to this place.
Indirect. : He said that the rain that had fallen the previous night had prevented him
from going to that place.
Direct. : He said to me, " I have never seen such a lazy boy as you are."
Indirect. : He told me that he had never seen such a lazy boy as I was.
Direct. : The teacher said to the girl, " I know you and your mother."
Indirect. : The teacher told the girl that he knew her and her mother.
Direct. : I said to her, " All your faults will be pardoned if you confess them."
Indirect. : I told her that all her faults would be pardoned if she confessed them.
Direct. : The teacher said to the boys, " I shall prove now that the earth moves
round the sun."
Indirect. : The teacher told the boys that he would prove then that the earth moves
around the sun.
Direct. : He said to me, " You have made a great mistake in your statement."
Indirect. : He told me that I had made a great mistake in my statement.
489. Study carefully the following examples :--
2. Questions
(2) Whether or if is used after such introductory Verb whenever the direct question
admits of one of two answers ( yes or No ).
(3) the Note of Interrogation which is placed after Questions in the direct form is not
placed after questions in the Indirect form.
Direct. : The teacher said to me, " What are you doing?"
Indirect. : The teacher asked me what I was doing.
Direct. : Ali said to me, " When will you return ?"
Indirect. : Ali asked me when I would return.
Direct. : He said to me, " Why did you write to me such an insulting letter?"
Indirect. : He demanded of me why I had written such an insulting letter to him.
(1) The introductory Verb is changed into request, beg, implore, entreat, order,
command, advise, threaten, etc.
(2) The Verb in the Reported Speech is put in the Infinitive.
Direct. : I said to the teacher, " Please explain this question to me. "
Indirect. : I requested the teacher to explain that question to me.
Direct. : The teacher said to the students, " Work hard and be regular in your studies."
Indirect. : The teacher advised the students to work hard and be regular in their studies.
Direct. : The beggar said to the gentleman, " Help me to get some suitable employment."
Indirect. : The beggar entreated the gentleman to help him to get some suitable
employment.
Direct. : The rebel said to the king, " Pardon my fault, Sir."
Indirect. : The rebel begged the King to pardon his fault.
493. When ' let ' in the Direct Speech expressess a proposal or suggestion, we may use
should and change the Reporting Verb into propose or suggest.
But when ' let ' does not express a proposal it should be changed into might or might be
allowed, or into some other Verb according to the sense.
(1) The introductory Verb is changed into wish, bless, pray, cry, exclaim, declare, etc.,
with such phrases as with regret, with delight or joy, with sorrow, where necessary.
(2) The Interjections and Exclamations such as oh, well, hurrah, alas, bravo, curse it,
are omitted and their sense is expressed by means of phrases.
Direct. : She said, " Alas! how foolish I have been ! "
Indirect. : She confessed with regret that she had been very foolish.
Direct. : He said, " May God bless her with a long life and prosperity !"
Indirect. : He prayed that God might bless her with a long life and prosperity.