DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct and Indirect Speech, which is also familiar with another term that is Reported
Speech. Direct Speect is a sentence spoken directly by the speaker and if the sentence is given a
written quotation marks. While Indirect Speech is a sentence that we report it to others indirectly
and without being given coma.

For example:

She said, "Today's lesson is on presentations."

or

"Today's lesson is on presentations", she said.

Indirect Speech / Reported Speech

Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech), doesn't use quotation marks to enclose what
the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word.When reporting speech the tense usually changes.
This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because
obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in
the past too.

For example:

Direct speech Indirect speech

"I'm going to the cinema", he said. He said he was going to the cinema.

Tense change
As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense: (the tense on the left changes
to the tense on the right):

Direct speech Indirect speech

Past simple
Present simple ›
She said, "It's cold." She said it was cold.

Present continuous Past continuous

›
She said, "I'm teaching English online." She said she was teaching English online.
Present perfect simple
Past perfect simple
She said, "I've been on the web since ›
She said she had been on the web since 1999.
1999."

Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

She said, "I've been teaching English for › She said she had been teaching English for seven
seven years." years.

Past simple Past perfect

›
She said, "I taught online yesterday." She said she had taught online yesterday.

Past continuous Past perfect continuous

›
She said, "I was teaching earlier." She said she had been teaching earlier.

Past perfect Past perfect

She said, "The lesson had already started › NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had already
when he arrived." started when he arrived.

Past perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

She said, "I'd already been teaching for › NO CHANGE - She said she'd already been
five minutes." teaching for five minutes.

Modal verb forms also sometimes change:

Direct speech Indirect speech

would
will
› She said she would teach English online
She said, "I'll teach English online tomorrow."
tomorrow.

could
can ›
She said, "I can teach English online." She said she could teach English online.

must had to
She said, "I must have a computer to teach › She said she had to have a computer to teach
English online." English online.

shall should
›
She said, "What shall we learn today?" She asked what we should learn today.

may › might
She said, "May I open a new browser?" She asked if she might open a new browser.

!Note - There is no change to; could, would, should, might and ought to.

Direct speech Indirect speech

"I might go to the cinema", he said. He said he might go to the cinema.

You can use the present tense in reported speech if you want to say that something is still true i.e.
my name has always been and will always be Lynne so:-

Direct speech Indirect speech

She said her name was Lynne.

"My name is Lynne", she said. or

She said her name is Lynne.

You can also use the present tense if you are talking about a future event.

Direct speech (exact quote) Indirect speech (not exact)

"Next week's lesson is on reported

She said next week's lesson will be on reported
speech", she said. speech.

Time change

If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time
of reporting.

For example we need to change words like here and yesterday if they have different meanings at
the time and place of reporting.

Now + 24 hours - Indirect speech

She said yesterday's lesson was on

presentations.
"Today's lesson is on presentations." or

She said yesterday's lesson would be on

presentations.
Expressions of time if reported on a different day

this (evening) › that (evening)

Today › yesterday ...

these (days) › those (days)

now › then

(a week) ago › (a week) before

last weekend › the weekend before last / the previous weekend

here › there

next (week) › the following (week)

tomorrow › the next/following day

In addition if you report something that someone said in a different place to where you heard it
you must change the place (here) to the place (there).

For example:-

At work At home

"How long have you worked here?" She asked me how long I'd worked there.

Pronoun change

In reported speech, the pronoun often changes.

For example:

Me You

"I teach English online." Direct Speech

She said, "I teach English online."

"I teach English online", she said.

Reported Speech
 She said she teaches English online.

or

She said she taught English online.

Reporting Verbs

Said, told and asked are the most common verbs used in indirect speech.

We use asked to report questions:-

For example: I asked Lynne what time the lesson started.

We use told with an object.

For example: Lynne told me she felt tired.

!Note- Here me is the object.

We usually use said without an object.

For example: Lynne said she was going to teach online.

If said is used with an object we must include to ;

For example: Lynne saidto me that she'd never been to China.

!Note - We usually use told.

For example: Lynne told me (that) she'd never been to China.

There are many other verbs we can use apart from said, told and asked.

These include:-

accused, admitted, advised, alleged, agreed, apologised, begged, boasted, complained,

denied, explained, implied, invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied, suggested and
thought.

Using them properly can make what you say much more interesting and informative.

For example:
He asked me to come to the party:-

He invited me to the party.

He begged me to come to the party.

He ordered me to come to the party.

He advised me to come to the party.

He suggested I should come to the party.

Use of 'That' in reported speech

In reported speech, the word that is often used.

For example: He told me that he lived in Greenwich.

However, that is optional.

For example: He told me he lived in Greenwich.

!Note - That is never used in questions, instead we often use if.

For example: He asked me if I would come to the party.

The sneaky comma

I'm British, so I only tend to place the comma inside quotation marks when it's part of the
sentence being quoted.

"I didn't notice that the comma was inside the quotation marks," Lynne said, "but Hekner did."

That said, I read so much American literature, that even I tuck them away sometimes.

Really, no one has set in stone what the rules of the English language are. It's a diverse language,
and the rules that exist have arisen through usage, and they can change in exactly the same way,
so maybe it doesn't matter, but it's best to be consistent. (Thanks Hekner.)

http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/reportedspeech.html#sthash.3i8ZyCaj.dpuf

QUESTION DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

1. Bayu said Yuni, “why are you so say now?”. What did Tina say to Eko …
 a. Bayu said Yuni, why she is so sad now
b. Bayu said Yuni why you are so sad then
c. Bayu said Yuni why he is so sad then
d. Bayu said Yuni why he was so sad now
e. Bayu said Yuni why he was so sad then

2. Dinda said Hanif, “where are you when I come to your home?”. We know that

a. Dinda said Hanif where she were when she came to his home
b. Dinda said Hanif where she were when she had come to his home
c. Dinda said Hanif where she were when she came to her home
d. Dinda said Hanif where she were when she came to her home
e. Dinda said Hanif where she were when she had come to her home

3. Asep asked Duwi, “when is your mom now ?”. We can conclude that

a. Asep askedDuwi when your mom was then

b. Asep asked Duwi when her mom was then
c. Asep asked Duwi when his mom was then
d. Asep asked Duwi when her mom was now
e. Asep asked Duwi when his mom was now

4. Henny said Novi, “Which one is yours?”. We can conclude that

a. Hennny said Novi Which one was yours

b. Hennny said Novi Which one were yours
c. Hennnysaid Novi Which one were his
d. Hennny said Novi Which one was his
e. Hennny said Novi Which one is yours

5. Yumna said Fairuz , “when is she?”. We can conclude that

a. Yumna said Fairuz when she is

b. Yumna said Fairuz when She was
c. Yumna said Fairuz when She had been
d. Yumna said Fairuz when She should have been
e. Yumna said Fairuz when She been

6. “Nestor said, “”The plane will probably get in late.”"”

a. Nestor told the plane would probably get in late.
b. Nestor said the plane would probably get in late.
c. Don’t Know

7. “The boss said, “” I have to finish this report by tonight.”"”

a. The boss said him had to finish this report by tonight.
 b. The boss said he had to finish this report by tonight.
c. Don’t Know

8. “The doctor said, “” She’ll get well quickly.”"”

a. The doctor told she’d get well quickly.
b. The doctor said she’d get well quickly.
c. Don’t Know

9. “If I had been in your place, I ________________(say) this.”

a. “If I had been inyour place, I would have said this.”
b. “If I had being in your place, I would have said this.”
c. Don’t Know

10. I would not have gone if I ___________(know) it was going to rain

a. I would not have go if I had known it was going to rain.
b. I would not have gone if I had known it was going to rain.
c. Don’t Know

11. “If you had called me, I _______________(be) glad to meet you.”
a. “If you had called me, I would have been glad to meet you.”
b. “If you have called me, I would have been glad to meet you.”
c. Don’t Know

12. Indirect : He said that sun rises in east

Direct sentence of the example above is……………
a. He said,”sun rises in east”
b. He said,”in east sun rises”
c. He said,”sun in east rises”
d. He said,”sun that in east rises”

13. Joshua said Sindy, “could you send the letter yesterday?”. What did Joshua say Sindy…
a. Joshua said Sindy to send the letter the day before
b. Joshua said Sindy that he could send the letter the day before
c. Joshua said Sindy whether he could have sent the letter the day before
d. Joshua said Sindy she could have sent the letter yesterday
e. Joshua said Sindy if she could have sent the letter the day before

14. Sinta said Bayu, “should we wait Our friends here?”. We know that……..
a. Sinta said Bayu shall they wait Our friends there
b. Sinta said Bayu whether they should wait their friends there
c. Sinta said Bayu whether they should have waited their friends there
d. Sinta said Bayu that they should have waited their friends there
e. Sinta said Bayu whether they should have wait our friends there
15. Sulena asked Tito , “might you spend the holiday in Jogjakrta last month?”. We can conclude
that….
a. Sulena asked Tito to you might spend the holiday in Jogjakrta the month before
 b. Sulena asked Tito if she might have spent the holiday in Jogjakrta the month before
c. Sulena asked Tito whether she might have spent the holiday inJogjakrta the month
before
d. Sulena asked Tito that he might have spent the holiday in Jogjakrta last month
e. Before Sulena asked Tito might you have spend the holiday in Jogjakrta last month
before

ANSWER DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

1. E
2. A
3. C
4. D
5. E
6. B
7. B
8. B
9. A
10. B
11. A
12. A
13. E
14. C
15. B