Reported Speech

English Language has two ways to narrate the spoken-words of a person.

These two ways are as follows:
1. Direct Speech
2. Indirect Speech

CHANGES IN THE TENSE -

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

Simple present Simple past

She said, “I go to music school.” She said that she went to music school.

Present Continuous Past Continuous

She said, “I am going to music school.” She said that she was going to music school.

Present Perfect Past Perfect

She said, “I have gone to music school.” She said that she had gone to music school.

Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

She said,“I have been going to music She said that she had been going to music
school.” school.

Simple Past Past Perfect

She said,“I went to music school.” She said that she had gone to music school.

CHANGE OF TENSES:

NEARNESS DISTANCE

this that

these those

now then

today that day

tomorrow the next day

yesterday the previous day/the day before

tonight that night

last night the previous night

ago before

here there

last week the week before

next week the following week

IMPERATIVE SENTENCES:

When we have imperative sentence in the Direct Speech we follow these

rules:

1. Do not use the conjunction ‘that’.

2. Change the reporting verb to ordered, commanded, requested, urged, advised, etc.
3. If sentence given is affirmative use the formula ‘ to+ verb’
Example: The teacher said, “Students, Finish your homework before you go home
today.”

The teacher ordered the students to finish their homework before they went home that
day.

4. If sentence given is negative use the formula ‘ not + to+ verb’

Example: The army officer said, “ Do not give up till your last breath, my brave
soldiers.”

The army officer commanded his brave soldiers not to give up till their last breath.

QUESTIONS:
● Remove the quotation marks and question marks in the interrogative sentence.

● Don‘t use ‘that’

● Changing the reporting verb (say, said) into ‘ask’ or ‘enquire’ in its correct tense.

● Use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ if the sentence inside the quotation marks begins with a
helping verb (Auxiliary verb).
Example - Soma asked, “ Suraj, did you buy the vegetables from the
market this month?” (Direct Speech)

Soma asked Suraj whether he had bought vegetables from the

market that month. (Indirect Speech)

● Use the given interrogative word (what, when, where, why, who, whom, whose,
which, how .etc.) if it does not begin with the helping verb.
Example: Mother said, “When are you going to school today, Ram?”

Mother asked Ram when he was going to school that day.

Refer Grammar Galaxy for exercises

Portfolio -