Direct and Indirect Speech

There are two ways in which things said or thought by someone

can be reported
 Direct Speech: using a person’s exact words. Eg. Rahul said
, “I am going to a party tonight.”
 Indirect Speech/ Reported Speech: putting the speaker’s w
ords or ideas into a sentence without quotation marks. Eg. R
ahul said that he was going to a party that night.
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Rules to change from Direct to Indirect Speech

1. Change in Reporting Verb

2. Addition of Conjunction
3. Change of Pronouns
4. Change in Tense
5. Change in Time and Place Expressions
Rule 1: Change in Reporting Verb

Reporting Verbs change as per the type

of sentence.
For example, in case of a Declarative Sentence,
if the listener is known, then the reporting verb
changes from ‘said’ to ‘told’.
Direct Speech: Rahul said to Raman, “I have a
holiday this weekend.”
Indirect Speech: Rahul told Raman that he had
a holiday that weekend.

Commonly used Reporting Verbs

Declarative: said, told, answered
Interrogative: asked, interrogated,
inquired
Imperative: advised, pleaded, requested,
ordered, commanded, warned
Exclamatory: exclaimed, wondered
 Rule 2: Addition of Conjunction

Whenever a sentence is written or spoken from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech,

a conjunction is added in place of the quotation marks that are removed.
For example, in case of Declarative Sentences, add ‘that’ and remove the quotation
marks.
Direct Speech: He said, “I work as a chef.”
Indirect Speech: He said that he worked as a chef.
Interrogative Sentence: if, whether
Imperative: to
Exclamatory: that
 Rule 3: Change of Pronouns
Pronouns in Direct Speech change in the following manner when we write or speak a sentence
in Indirect or Reported Speech.
 First Person Pronouns (I,We) change according to the Subject. Eg.
Direct Speech: Lalit said, “I am not talking to Sanchit.”
Indirect Speech: Lalit said that he was not talking to Sanchit.
(Here, the pronoun ‘I’changed to ‘he’because the subject is Lalit, who is a third person)

 Second Person Pronouns (You) change according to the Object.Eg.

Direct Speech: Ram said to Priya, “You look so tired.”
Indirect Speech: Ram told Priya that she looked so tired.
(Here, the pronoun ‘you’changed to ‘she’because the Object is Priya, who is a third person)

 Third Person Pronouns (he/she/it/they) DO NOT CHANGE. Eg.

Direct Speech: Arun said to his mother, “The children have forgotten their ball outside.”
Indirect Speech: Arun told his mother that the children had forgotten their ball outside.
(Here, the pronoun ‘their’does not incur any change in Reported Speech)
Rule 3: Change of Pronouns
 Rule 4: Change in Tense

 Simple Present Tense changes to Simple Past Tense

 Present Continuous Tense changes to Past Continuous Tense
 Present Perfect Tense changes to Past Perfect Tense
 Simple Past Tense changes to Past Perfect Tense
 Past Continuous Tense changes to Past Perfect Continuous Tense
 Past Perfect Tense stays the same even in Reported Speech

Note: The tense changes only when the reporting verb is in past. If the reporting
verb is in present, then the reported speech will retain the same tense in which it
was originally spoken. Eg.
Direct Speech: Shami says, “I am the tallest boy in the class.”
Indirect Speech: Shami says that he is the tallest boy in the class

Universal facts undergo no change even when the reporting verb is in past. Eg.
Direct Speech: Scientists said, “The Earth revolves around the Sun.”
Indirect Speech: Scientists said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Rule 4: Change in Tense
Rule 5: Change in Time and Place Expressions
CONVERSION OF INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES

The interrogative sentences in direct speech change to declarative in indirect

speech.
1. Change the reporting verb into ask, enquire, demand, wonder, etc.
2. Change the Interrogative form into the Assertive form and remove the sign of
Interrogative.
3. Tenses, pronouns and words denoting nearness are changed according to the rules.
4. When the question begins with some form of the verb 'be', 'do', 'have', or with the
modal will, can, may, etc., the conjunction 'if' or 'whether' is used to introduce the
reported speech.
Note: The conjunction 'that' is not used after the reporting verb.

Examples: Kinjal said to him, "Are you going to the market?"

Kinjal asked him if he was going to the market.

Kinjal asked him if he was going to the market ?

Examples continued:

Ayaan asked Neha, "Can you solve this puzzle?"

"No", she replied
Ayaan asked Neha whether she could solve that puzzle.
She said, she couldn't. OR She replied in negative.

She says, "Am I looking gorgeous?"

She asks whether she is looking gorgeous.

Suman said to Swati, "Do you know everything about him?"

She said, "Yes".
Suman asked Swati whether she knew everything about him.
She said, she did. OR She replied in affirmative.
5. No conjunction is used when the sentence begins with 'wh-' word. The 'wh-' word is
repeated and it is followed by the subject. The verb comes at the end.

Examples: Raman said to Samdisha, “What can I do for you, dear?”

Raman asked Samdisha affectionately what he could do for her.

The bus conductor said, “Whose bag is this?”

The bus conductor asked whose bag that was.

James said to his son, “What have you decided to do now?”

James asked his son what he had decided to do then.

The old woman said to her son, “What harm have I done to you?”
The old woman asked her son what harm she had done to him.
EXERCISES
EXERCISE 1
Change the following direct questions into reported speech:
1. She said, “This is our car.”
-- She said that that was their car.
2. Hiren said, “I went to the cinema yesterday.”
--- Hiren said that he had gone to the cinema the previous day.
3. Roma said, “I am writing an exam tomorrow.”
----- Roma said that she would be writing an exam the next day.
4. You said, “I will do this for him.”
----- You said that you would do that for him.
5. Siya said, “I am not thirsty now.”
---- Siya said that she was not thirsty then.
6. They said, “We have never been here before.”
--- They said that they had never been there before.
7. They said, “We were in Mumbai last month.”
---- They said that they had been in Mumbai the previous month.
8. He said, “I will have finished this assignment by tomorrow.”
---- He said that he would have finished that assignment by the next day.
9. He said, “They won’t give up.”
---- He said that they wouldn’t give up.
10. She said, “It is very quiet here.”
--- She said that it was very quiet there.
 EXERCISE – II
Convert these sentences into indirect speech using suitable reporting verbs:
1. Rehaan said with wonder, “What a beautiful picture!”
___________________________________________________________________
____________
2. “Let’s build a house here by the poolside,” said the contractor to the masons.
___________________________________________________________________
____________
3. Jeremy said to the teacher, “I didn’t understand this concept. Please explain it to
me again.”
___________________________________________________________________
__________
4. “Where are all my answer sheets?” said Jay to Misha.
___________________________________________________________________
____________
 EXERCISE – III
Change the following sentences into reported speech:
1. Kunal said to Rohini, "Can you lend me your class notes for a day?"
2. "Are you coming to the party with me?" Roy asked George.
3. My sister said to me, "What do you want to eat for breakfast tomorrow?"
4. Jia said to Samantha, "It’s very hot today."
5. Meghan said to me, "What is the time by your watch?"

6. The Science teacher said, "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius."

7. The little boy said to the magician, "Can you build a castle for me?"
8. Namrata said to Anika, "I love to eat chocolates."
9. Ben said, "What a lovely view it is!"
10. The teacher said to the students, "Maintain decorum in the class."
 EXERCISE – IV
Change the speech in the following sentences:
1. Rohan said, “I am fond of coffee.”
2. She said that it may rain that day.
3. The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
4. Soni said, “When we lived in Kerala, we often went to the beach.”
5. Hiten said to me, "I will see you soon."
6. Ishani told her that she was a brave girl.
7. He said, "You are a witty man."
8. Miss Singh said to me, "Put these colour shavings in the dustbin."