Section outline

  • Changes in Pronouns:

    When we change from direct to indirect speech, personal & possessive pronouns change according to the following rules:

    1. First person pronouns (I, mine, our, ours) change to the same person as that of the subject of the reporting verb.

    Examples:

    Direct speech Indirect speech
    He said, ''I enjoyed the movie.'' He said that he had enjoyed the movie.
    She said, ''The book is mine.'' She said that the book was hers.

    Here, 'I' is changes to 'he' (the person of the subject) & similarly 'mine' changes to 'hers' in indirect speech.

    2. Second person pronouns (you, your, yours) change to the same person as that of the object of the reporting verb.

    Examples:

    Direct speech Indirect speech
    Jane said to him, ''You played the game well.'' Jane told to him that he had played the game well.
    Jack said to him, ''The book is yours.'' Jack told to him that the book was his.

    Here, 'you' changes to 'he' (the person of the object 'him') & similarly 'yours' changes to 'his' in indirect speech.

    3. Personal & Possessive pronouns in the third person remain unchanged.

    Example:

    Direct speech Indirect speech
    She said, ''He played the game well.'' She said that he had played the game well.

    Here, the pronouns remain unchanged.

    Summary of change of pronouns:

    Direct speech Indirect speech
    I he / she
    you he / she / I / they (depends on object)
    mine hers / his
    ours theirs
    yours hers / his / theirs (depends on object)
    he, she, they, their, them  remain same

    • Changes in Tenses:

      It depends upon the tense of the reporting verb.

      If the reporting verb is in present or future tense: 

      1. The verb in the indirect speech is unchanged.

      Examples:

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      The boy says, "John is playing football." The boy says that John is playing football.
      Tom will say, "I can come today." Tom will say that he can come today.

      Here, the the reporting verb 'says / say' is in the present / future tense, hence the verb 'is / can' is unchanged in the indirect speech.

      If the reporting verb is in the past tense:

      Then the indirect speech is changed as per the following rules:

      1. Simple present tense changes to simple past tense.

      Example: 

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      Anna said, "I am hungry." Anna said that she was hungry.

      Here, the reporting verb 'said' is in the past tense, hence the verb 'am' (present tense) is changed to 'was' (past tense).

      2. Present continuous tense changes to past continuous tense.

      Example: 

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      The chef said, "I am preparing lunch for the guests." The chef said that he was preparing lunch for the guests.
      3. Present perfect tense changes to past perfect tense.

      Example:

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      She said, "I have finished my homework." She will say that she had finished her homework.
      4. Simple past tense changes to past perfect tense.

      Example:

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      They said, "We enjoyed the movie." They said that they had enjoyed the movie.
      5. Past continuous tense changes to past perfect continuous tense.

      Example:

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      She said, "I was reading a book." She said that she had been reading a book.
      6. May changes to might & can to could.

      Examples:

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      The teacher said, "I may leave early." The teacher said that she might leave early.
      She said, "I can play guitar." She said that she could play guitar.
      7. Shall changes to should & will to would.

      Examples:

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      He said, "I will call you tomorrow." He said that he would call me the next day..
      She said, "Shall I help you with that?" She asked if she should help me with that.

      Exceptions:

      Though the reported verb is in the past tense, the tense of the indirect speech remains unchanged in the following cases:

      1. If the sentence conveys a universal truth.

      Example: 

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      The teacher said, "The sun rises in the east." The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.

      Here, the statement is a universal truth & hence the verb 'rises' is unchanged. 

      2. If the sentence conveys a habitual action.

      Example: 

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      She said, "Mary walks to office everyday." She said that Mary walks to the office every day.

      Here, the statement is a habitual action & hence the verb 'walks' is unchanged. 

       3. If the conditions or situations stated are still true at the time of reporting.

      Example: 

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      He said, "Reena lives in Delhi." He said that Reena lives in Delhi.

      Here, the statement is true at the time of reporting & hence verb 'lives' is unchanged. 

    • Changes in Possessive Adjectives:

      If the reporting verb is in the past tense, then Possessive Adjectives:

      1. In the first & second person change based on the subject of the reporting verb.

      Examples:

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      He said, "My cycle is new." He said that his cycle was new.
      I said, "My cycle is new." I said that my cycle was new.
      He said to her, "Your idea is brilliant." He told her that her idea was brilliant.
      They said, "Our team won the project." They said that their team had won the match.

      Here, possessive adjectives change as per the person of the subject.

      2. In the third person (his, her, their) remain unchanged.

      Examples:

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      He said, "Her cycle is new." He said that her cycle was new.

      Here, possessive adjective 'her' does not change.

    • Changes in words showing time & place:

      When we change a sentence from direct to indirect speech, the words that show time, place & position are changed.

      Examples:

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      He said, '' I went to the party yesterday.'' He said that he had gone to the party the day before.
      The teacher said to her, '' Meet me today evening.'' The teacher told her to meet him that evening.

      A list of words which indicate time, place & position change in indirect speech is given below:

      Direct speech Indirect speech
      tomorrow the next day / the following day
      yesterday the day before / the previous day
      tonight that night
      today that day
      this that
      these those
      next day the following day
      next week the following week
      next year the following year
      last week the previous week
      last month the previous month
      here there
      ago before
      now then