Section outline

  • Direct Speech

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    Direct speech is used when exact words spoken by the speaker are reported.

    Example: 

    Riya said, ''I went to the market."

    Features:

    1. Spoken words are enclosed within inverted commas (''  ").
    2. The words of the speaker are reported exactly.
    3. The speaker is mentioned.
    4. Punctuation marks like, question marks, exclamation marks, commas are used.
    5. The first word of direct speech (in the inverted commas) begins with the capital letter.
    6. Comma (,) is used after the reporting verb to separate it from the quoted text.
    7. Sometimes the speakers name & reporting verb is placed after the exacts spoken words

    Reporting Verb:

    Reporting verb is the verb that introduces the reported speech.

    Features:

    1. It is also called as introductory verb.
    2. Reporting verbs are: said, told, asked, wished, ordered, requested, replied, etc.

    Examples:

    1. Sam asked, ''Are you coming for the party?''
    2. She said, ''I am baking a cake."

    Here, the verbs 'asked, said' are reporting verbs.

  • Indirect Speech

    Indirect speech is used when we convey the thoughts of the speaker rather than the actual words spoken.

    Example: 

    Riya said that she had gone to the market.

    Features:
    1. It is also called as reported speech or narration.
    2. No inverted commas (''  ") are used.
    3. The actual words are not reported but it's meaning is kept intact.
    4. Punctuation marks  except full stop & comma are removed.
    5. Instead of comma (,), that is used after the reporting verb to separate the indirect speech from the rest of the sentence.
    6. The structure of the sentence, pronouns, verb tenses, words showing time and position, etc. are changed as per the rules.

    Thus, we use direct speech & indirect speech to report what a person has said or spoken.

    Let's understand the rules to convert direct speech to indirect speech.

  • Conversion Rules

    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

  • Converting statements

    Rules to convert statements into indirect speech:

    1. Change reporting verb 'said' to 'told' if it is followed by an object.

    Examples:

    Direct Speech  Indirect Speech
    She said to him, ''You have passed the test.'' She told him that he had pass the test.

    Here, the reporting verb 'said' is followed by the object 'him'.

    Hence we 'told' instead of 'said'.

    2. Remove the inverted commas & use 'that' as conjunction.

    While converting into indirect speech, use all the rules use of conversion for tenses, pronouns, possessive adjectives & time and place.

    Important tips:

    1. While changing to indirect speech the meaning of the sentence should unchanged.
    2. To not add any unnecessary words or delete necessary words.

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  • Converting Questions

    Rules to convert interrogative sentences into indirect speech:

    1. Change question to statement form.

    The question mark is replaced by full stop. 

    2. Reporting verb is changed to verbs like asked, enquired, demanded, etc.

    Example:

    Direct Speech  Indirect Speech
    I said my sister, '' what did you eat for breakfast?'' I asked my sister what she had eaten for breakfast.
    3. Yes / no questions are changed by using whether / if.

    These questions begin with auxiliary verbs such as 'is, was, were, has, have, had, do, does, did'.

    Examples:

    Direct Speech  Indirect Speech
    The teacher said to me, ''Did you complete your homework?'' The teacher enquired if I had completed my homework.
    She said, ''Are you happy?" She asked whether I was happy.
    4. 'Wh' questions - the question word is repeated in indirect speech.

    Examples: 

    Direct Speech  Indirect Speech
    She said to me, ''Where is the book?'' She asked me where the book was
    Mother said to Jane, ''Why are you late?'' Mother asked Jane why she was late.

    Order of the indirect speech of a 'wh' question is the same as the statement i.e. subject followed by the verb.

    5. Questions beginning with modal verbs are changed by using whether / if & their past tense.

    Some commonly used modal verbs are 'will, shall, may, can'.

    Examples:

    Direct Speech  Indirect Speech
    He said to her, ''Will you give me a pen?" He asked her if she would give him a pen.
    She said to the boy, ''Can you open the door?'' She asked the boy whether he could open the door.

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  • Converting commands & requests

    Rules for  conversion of commands / requests / advice to indirect speech:

    1. The verb of the reported speech is changed into an infinitive (i.e. to + verb).

    Example:

    Direct Speech  Indirect Speech
    The teacher said to the students, "Sit quietly." The teacher ordered the students to sit quietly.

    Here, the verb 'sit' in direct speech is changed 'to sit' (infinitive verb) in indirect speech.

    2. The reporting verb 'said' is changed to requested, advised, told, asked, commanded, ordered, pleaded, warned, etc

    Examples:

    Direct Speech  Indirect Speech
    The officer said, "Stand up." The officer ordered him to stand up.
    He said to her, "Please help me." He requested her to help him.
    The doctor said to the child, ''Brush your teeth twice daily.'' The doctor advised the child to brush his teeth twice daily.
    3. For negative commands or requests, add 'not to + verb'.

    Examples: 

    Direct Speech  Indirect Speech
    She said to him, "Don't shout." She told him not to shout.
    She said to him, "Please don't leave me." She pleaded with him not to leave her.

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  • Converting exclamations

    Rules for conversion of exclamatory sentences to indirect speech:

    1. Reporting verb 'said' is changed to exclaimed, said, cried, shouted, remarked, wished, etc.
    2. 'That' is used after reporting verb.
    3. Exclamatory statement is changed to assertive statement.
    4. Exclamation mark is removed.
    5. Follow all the other conversion rules.
    6. Conversion of following emotions expressed in exclamations / interjections:
      • Hurrah — exclaimed with joy.
      • Alas — exclaimed with sorrow.
      • Oh — exclaimed with surprise.

    Examples:

    Direct Speech  Indirect Speech
    He said, ''Hurrah! we won the match.'' He exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
    Soha said, "Wow! This is amazing!" Soha exclaimed that it was amazing.
    She said, "Alas! I have lost my ring." She exclaimed with sorrow that she had lost her ring.
    She said, "Oh! You are here!" She exclaimed with surprise that he was there.

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  • Converting Indirect to Direct speech

    Rules for converting indirect speech to direct speech:

    1. Use the correct reporting verb 'said / says'.
    2. 'That' is used removed.
    3. Insert the exact words of the speaker in inverted commas (''   '').
    4. Make all the necessary changes to the tenses, pronouns, possessive adjectives, words of time & place.
    5. For interrogative sentences restore the question structure followed by question mark.
    6. Similarly, for exclamatory sentences, add the exclamation mark with exclamatory words.

    Examples:

    Direct Speech  Indirect Speech
    She said that she was happy. She said, "I am happy."
    He asked if I could help him. He said, "Can you help me?"
    The teacher told the student to sit down. The teacher said, "Sit down."
    She exclaimed that it was a wonderful surprise. She said, "What a wonderful surprise!"

        

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  • Summary

    In this course, we learn't:

    1. Direct speech conveys the exact words of the speaker.
    2. Indirect speech conveys the thoughts of the speaker.
    3. Rules to change pronouns, tenses, possessive adjectives, etc. from direct to indirect speech.
    4. How statements, interrogatives, commands, exclamations change from direct to indirect speech.
    5. How to change indirect speech to direct speech.

    In the next course, we'll explore the lesson on phrases.

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