DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct speech means quoting the exact words of the speaker.

Indirect speech means reporting only the substance of the direct

speech. Here the reporter may report th substance of the direct speech
in his own words without quoting the speaker. That is why, it is also
called reported speech.

Direct Speech: Swati said, ‘I have understood the topic.’

Indirect Speech: Swati said that she had understood the topic.

Rule 1: If the reporting verb is in the present tense or the future

tense, the verb in the direct speech does not change.

Example: 1. Direct: John says, ‘I like music very much.’

Indirect: John says that he likes music very much.

2. Direct: Neha will say, ‘I can’t agree with them.’

Indirect: Neha will say that she can’t agree with them.

Rule 2: If the reporting verb is in the past tense, the verb in the direct
speech changes to the past tense in the following ways:

A. Simple present changes to simple past

Example: 1. Direct: Anusha said, ‘I play the piano.’

Indirect: Anusha said that she played the piano.

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 2. Direct: Seema said, ‘We don’t know the reason.’

Indirect: Seema said that they didn’t know the

reason.

B. Present continuous changes to past continuous

Example: 1. Direct: Johny said, ‘My friends are waiting outside.’

Indirect: Johny said that his friends were waiting

outside.

2. Direct: The boy said, ‘I am doing the homework.’

Indirect: The boy said that he was doing the

homework.

C. Present perfect changes to past perfect

Example: 1. Direct: He said, ‘The girls have answered all

questions.’

Indirect: He said that the girls had answered all

questions.

2. Direct: Isha said, ‘Radha has returned home.’

Indirect: Isha said that Radha had returned home.

D. Present perfect continuous changes to past perfect continuous

Example: 1. Direct: Priya said, ‘The child has been crying for a
long time.’

Indirect: Priya said that the child had been crying for a
long time.

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 2. Direct: Jack said, ‘Rekha has been sleeping since
5pm.’

Indirect: Jack said that Rekha had been sleeping since

5pm.

E. Simple past changes to past perfect

Example: 1. Direct: The teacher said, ‘The principal went to

Mumbai yesterday.’

Indirect: The teacher said that the principal had gone

to Mumbai the previous day.

2. Direct: Nikhil said, ‘I bought a car last week.’

Indirect: Nikhil said that he had bought a car the

previous week.

F. ‘Will’ changes to ‘would’, ‘shall’ to ‘should’, ‘can’ to ‘could’ and

‘may’ to ‘might’

Example: 1. Direct: Seema said, ‘They will buy a new car.’

Indirect: Seema said that they would buy a new car.

2. Direct: The principal said, ‘The students can go

early.’

Indirect: The principal said that the students could go

early.

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 Change of Pronouns:

Rule 1: First person pronouns in the direct speech change to the

person of the subject of the reporting clause.

Example: 1. Direct: I said, ‘I want to get back my money.’

Indirect: I said that I wanted to get my money back.

2. Direct: She said, ‘I have sold my car.’

Indirect: She said that she had sold her car.

Rule 2: Second person pronouns in the direct speech change to

the person of the object of the reporting clause.

Example: 1. Direct: Narayan said to me, ‘You can use your

account.’

Indirect: Narayan told me that I could use my account.

2. Direct: Shine said to her, ‘You are very regular in

your work.’

Indirect: Shine told her that she was very regular in her
work.

NOTE: If there is an object in the reporting clause, ‘said to’

(verb+preposition) changes to ‘told’ in the indirect speech.

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 Rule 3: Third person pronouns do not change in the indirect
speech.

Example: 1. Direct: The officer said, ‘She may go now.’

Indirect: The officer said that she may go then.

2. Direct: I said, ‘His opinion is important.’

Indirect: I said that his opinion was important.

Change of Words denoting Time and Position:

Words denoting nearness of time or position in the direct speech

change to suitable words denoting distance in the indirect speech.

Example: 1. Direct: She said, “I am coming now.’

Indirect: She said that she was coming then.

2. Direct: I said, ‘This book is good.’

Indirect: I said that that book was good.

Certain changes that ou need to remember:

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

here there
ago before
this that
these those
yesterday the previous day/ the day before
tomorrow the next day/ the following day
today that day

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tonight that night
next week the following week
last week the previous week
last night the previous night

Exercise

A. Change these direct speech sentences into indirect speech:

1. Rakhi said, ‘My brother is playing cricket.’

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2. Johny said to me, ‘You may use any of these pens.’

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3. Sam said to her, ‘Our teacher has returned after leave.’

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4. My mother says, ‘He will pass the exam with good marks.’

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5. Lucy said, ‘We were waiting for the train.’

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6. Jim said to Tom, ‘You did this mischief yourself.’

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7. ‘I’ll book a ticket for the football match,’ said my friend.

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 B. Change these indirect speech sentences into direct speech:

1. Arjun told me that Nikhil was lazy.

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2. Susan said that she was surprised.

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3. Somy said that she was resigning her job.

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4. She said that the boys knew French.

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5. My friend told her that she might come the next day.

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6. The teacher told us that the exam would be easy.

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7. The mother said that her child was unwell.

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