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Narration Techniques

for
Class XII Year
by
Lecturer Saima Mustafa
Eng. Dept. DCW Ph VIII

Learning Tenses

Present, Past and Future tenses are discussed.


Verb format in each tense is analyzed.
Students contribute through debate.

DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH


Direct speech is that form of narration in which the actual
words of a speaker are reported.
She says, I am working in the kitchen.
Reporting Speech------- Reported Speech

Indirect Speech is that form of speech in which what one


speaker says is reported by another with utmost accuracy but
without using that persons actual words.

Rules apply according to the tense of the


Reporting speech.

Narration Rules
Changing from Direct into Indirect
Speech

Elimination of inverted commas.


Change of pronouns.
Certain words that change when converted into
indirect.
Change regarding questions and exclamations.

Rules Contd.

In the indirect speech the commas are omitted.


The conjunction that - except in certain cases
like commands, exclamations and questions is used to join the reporting speech and the
reported speech.
The capital letter of the first word of the
reported speech is replaced by a small letter.
The pronouns in the reported speech are to be
changed when necessary.

Rules Contd.

The tense of the reporting verb is never


changed.
The tense of the verb in the reported speech
changes to agree with the tense of the verb in
the reporting speech to maintain the proper
sequence of tense.

Change of Pronouns
Pronouns of the first person are changed to the person of the
subject of the reporting speech.
For example: He says, I have no money with me.
He says that he has no money with him.
Pronouns of the second person are changed to the person of
the noun/pronoun to whom the reported speech is addressed.
For example: You said to Zain, I would be happy to
welcome you in my house.
You said to Zain that you would be happy to welcome
him in your house.
Generally, the pronouns of third person in the direct speech
remain unchanged in the indirect speech.
For example: He said, She is a good person.
He said that she was a good person.

Rules Regarding Tense


If the verb of the reporting speech is in the
Present or Future tense, the tense of the
reported speech does not change.

Contd.

Present/Future Indefinite---- Remains the same

Present/Future Cont.--------- Remains the same

Present/Future Perfect------- Remains the same

Present/Future Perfect Cont.- Remains the


same

Examples

Direct: He says, I am a poor but honest man.


Indirect: He says that he is a poor but honest
man.
Direct: He will say, I am a humble man and
do not wish to offend anyone.
Indirect: He will say that he is a humble man
and does not wish to offend anyone.

Examples Contd.

Direct: Your father will say, Life was very


hard during the war.
Indirect: Your father will say that life was very
hard during the war.
Direct: He says, Dogs would be hard to beat
in faithfulness.
Indirect: He says that dogs would be hard to
beat in faithfulness.

Rules Regarding Tense Contd.


If the verb of the reporting speech is in the past
tense, the verbs of the reported speech- in the
present tense- are changed to past tense.

Contd.

Present Indefinite is changed to Past Indefinite

Present Continuous-------to Past Continuous

Present Perfect----------to Past Perfect

Present Perfect Continuous-- to Past Perfect


Continuous

Examples

Direct: He said, I am a school teacher.


Indirect: He said that he was a school teacher.
Direct: He said, I am going to sell my shares.
Indirect: He said that he was going to sell his shares.
Direct: The guest said to his host, I have really
enjoyed my stay at your house.
Indirect: The guest said to his host that he had really
enjoyed his stay at his house.
Direct: The student said, I have been doing a lot of
hard work.
Indirect: The student said that he had been doing a lot
of hard work.

Rules Regarding Tense Contd.


If the verb of the reporting speech is in the
Past tense and the tense of the reported
speech is in the Future tense then will/shall
change to would (in exceptions it changes to
should).

Examples

Direct: The manager said to me, I will


personally see that you get all you need.
Indirect: The manager said to me that he
would personally see that I got all I needed.
Direct: He said, I shall be coming back in a
day or two.
Indirect: He said that he would be coming
back in a day or two.

Rules Regarding Tense Contd.


If the verb of the reporting speech is in the
Past tense and the tense of the reported
speech is also in the Past tense then following
changes take place:

Contd.

Past Indefinite changes to Past perfect

Past Continuous-----to Past Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect remains as Past Perfect

Past Perfect Continuous remains as Past


Perfect Continuous

Examples

Direct: He said, Jimmy was in the room.


Indirect: He said that Jimmy had been in the room.
Direct: I said to her, I was planning to visit you.
Indirect: I said to her that I had been planning to visit her.
Direct: He said, I had not expected my friend to reach so
soon.
Indirect: He said that he had not expected his friend to reach
so soon.
Direct: The nurse said, I had been working voluntarily.
Indirect: The nurse said that she had been working voluntarily.

Note
If the reported speech expresses a universal
truth,
its tense will not change.
Example
Direct: He said, The world is round.
Indirect: He said that the world is round.

Questions
a. When a question with why, what, how, where,
when, etc. is to be changed into indirect speech,
the verb of the reporting speech is replaced by
inquired, demanded or asked, and the
conjunction that is not used. The question
changes into a statement.

Examples

Direct: I said to him, What is your next


plan?
Indirect: I asked him what his next plan was.
Direct: He said to the little boy, Why are you
crying?
Indirect: He inquired of the little boy why he
was crying.

Questions
b. When questions beginning with an auxiliary
verb are to be changed into indirect speech,
if or whether is used to join the reporting
speech and the reported speech, and the question
is converted into a statement.

Examples

Direct: The stranger said to me, Are you


willing to contribute to our charity?
Indirect: The stranger asked me if I was
willing to contribute to their charity.
Direct: He said to the teacher, Do you think
my essay is good?
Indirect: He asked the teacher whether she
thought his essay was good.

Commands and Requests


In indirect speech, commands and requests are
introduced with an infinitive and the reporting
verb is replaced by told, ordered, commanded,
requested etc., according to the sense of the
sentence.

Examples

Direct: He said to his servant, Fetch me a


glass of water.
Indirect: He ordered his servant to fetch him a
glass of water.
Direct: I said to him, Please sit down.
Indirect: I requested him to sit down.
Direct: He said , Let us go out for a walk.
Indirect: He proposed that they should go out
for a walk.

Desires and Exclamations


When desires and exclamations are changed into
indirect speech, the reporting verb is replaced by
wished, desired, exclaimed, cried, wished,
prayed, desired etc. and that is used as a conjunction to
join the reporting speech and the reported speech.

Examples

Direct: He said, Hurrah! I have topped again.


Indirect: He exclaimed with joy that he had topped
again.
Direct: She said, How ugly do I look in this dress!
Indirect: She exclaimed that she looked very ugly in
that dress.
Direct: The old beggar said to me, May God bless
you my son!
Indirect: The old beggar called me his son and prayed
that God might bless me.

Change of Words Denoting Time


and Position
The words showing nearness in time and space
are changed to words showing distance unless
the sense requires otherwise, for example in
He said, I wandered here and there.
we cannot replace here by there.

Change of Words Contd.


If the reporting verb is in the past tense:
Direct Speech
Indirect Speech
this/these
that/those
here
there
now
then
last
{the previous
thebefore}
next
{the next
the following
the after}
today
that day
tonight
that night
yesterday
{the previous day
the day before}
tomorrow
{the next day
the following day
the day after}
the day before yesterday
the day before the previous day
the day after tomorrow
the day after the next day
last night
the previous night
next week
the following week

Changing from Indirect to Direct


Speech

Use say/said as the reporting verb instead of


said/told/stated.
If the reporting verb is in the past tense, make
the requisite change of tense in the direct
speech.
Make the necessary changes of person.
Replace words denoting remoteness by the
corresponding words denoting nearness.
Put the direct speech within inverted commas.

Examples

Indirect: She says she likes going to the seaside.


Direct: She says, I like going to the seaside.
Indirect: You said to me that you had been reading a
very interesting book the previous day.
Direct: You said to me, I was reading a very
interesting book yesterday.
Indirect: The girl asked her mother whether she might
wear that dress.
Direct: The girl said, May I wear this dress mother?

Narration Practice

Students build the ability to distinguish


between different rules.
Students learn to choose correct method and
apply it.
Students improve their ability to come up with
correct answers.

END
Thank You for your patience. By this time the
concepts regarding Narration are pretty clear. A
little practice off and on is required to make
the students ready for any challenges.

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