NOTES

Reported Speech
Direct Speech:
While narrating an incident, exact words of the first speaker are used.

Indirect Speech:
When the original speaker’s words are modified while narrating any
incident and the listener’s exact words are reported.

• It is called as narration because a story, an incident or an experience

is told using this technique.
Direct Speech:
• Exact words of speaker.
• Inverted commas.

Indirect Speech:
• Reporting the words of speaker to third party.
• No inverted commas.
• Generally tense changes.
Rousel said to Maiden, "I like the muffins today."

Reporting Verb Reported Speech

 Reported Speech

What is it? How do you use it?

Today: Yesterday:
I saw my friend Pamela!
She told me that she
got a promotion!
Direct Speech:
Reporting the message of the speaker in the exact words as spoken by him.

E.g. - Maya said ‘I am busy now’.

Indirect Speech:
Reporting the message of the speaker in our own words.

E.g. - Maya said that she was busy then.

 Reporting Verb Actual Words Quoted

He says to me, "I shall come to your place tomorrow."

Speaker Listener Direct Speech

 Rules for converting Direct into Indirect speech

• To change a sentence of direct speech into indirect speech there are

various factors that are considered, such as reporting verbs, modals,
time, place, pronouns, tenses, etc. We will discuss each of these factors
one by one.
 Change in • Rousel said to Maiden “ I like the muffins today”.
Reporting Verb • Rousel told Maiden “I like the muffins today”.

• Rousel said to Maiden, “I like the muffins today.”

Removing Commas
• Rousel told Maiden I like the muffins today.

• Rousel said to Maiden I like the muffins today.

Adding Connective
• Rousel told Maiden that I like the muffins today.

• Rousel said to Maiden that I liked the muffins today.

Change in Pronoun
• Rousel told Maiden that she like the muffins today.

• Rousel said to Maiden that I like the muffins today.

Change of Tense
• Rousel told Maiden that she liked the muffins today.

Change in words denoting • Rousel said to Maiden that she liked the muffins today.
time and place • Rousel told Maiden that she liked the muffins that day.
Type of Sentence Assertive Exclamatory Imperative Interrogative

Reporting Verb: Commanded

says
says ordered, Requested,
said Exclaims exclaimed Asked, Enquired
said Wished, Prayed,
said to
said to Begged

If the sentence is If the question is a

affirmative: 'wh' question, use
to + verb the same 'wh' word.
Connective that that
If the sentence is If the question is a
negative: 'yes/no' question,
not to + verb use 'if' or 'whether'
 He says, ”I want to speak to you”.

Simple Present

He tells that he wants to speak to him.

Simple Present

1st Person 2nd Person 3rd Person

Subject I We You He She They It

Object Me Us You Him Her Them It

Possessive
My Our You His Her Their Its
Pronoun

Reflexive
Myself Ourselves Yourself Himself Herself Themselves Itself
Pronoun
 Rule – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
Conversion – Pronoun

The first person in direct speech changes as per the subject of the speech.

Direct speech to indirect speech examples:

• Direct: He said, “I am in class Twelfth.”
• Indirect: He says that he was in class Twelfth.
 Rule – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
Conversion – Pronoun

The second person of direct speech changes as per the object of

reporting speech.

Direct speech to indirect speech examples -

• Direct: She says to them, “You have done your work.”
• Indirect: She tells them that they have done their work.
 Rule – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
Conversion – Pronoun

The third person of direct speech doesn’t change.

Direct speech to indirect speech examples:

• Direct: He says, “She dances well.”
• Indirect: He says that she dances well.
 Rule – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
Conversion – Punctuations

In direct speech, the words actually spoken should be in (‘’) quotes and always
begin with a capital letter.

E.g. - She said, “I am the best.”

 Rule – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
Conversion – Punctuations

• When reporting verb is in present and future tense.

• When the reported speech is showing any habit, universal truth,
any past fact.
• When any quote/idiom or proverb is reported.
In indirect speech, tenses do not change if the words used within the quotes
(‘’) talk of a habitual action or universal truth.

Direct speech to indirect speech examples:

• Direct: He said, ‘We cannot live without air’.
• Indirect: He said that we cannot live without air.
The tenses of direct speech do not change if the reporting verb is in the
future tense or present tense.

Direct speech to indirect speech examples:

• Direct: She says/will say, ‘I am going’.
• Indirect: She says/will say she is going.
 But if Reporting verb is in past tense then
the tense of Reported speech changes

• Simple Present - Run • Simple Past - Ran

• Present Continuous - Is/am/are running • Past Continuous - Was/were running

• Present Perfect - Has/have run • Past Perfect - Has/have run

• Present Perfect Continuous - Has/have been running • Past Perfect Continuous – Had been running

• Simple Past - Ran • Past Perfect – Had run

• Past Continuous – Was running • Past Prefect Continuous – Had been running
 Change of Helping Verbs

Direct speech to indirect speech:

• Will - Would
• Shall - Should/would
• May - Might
• Can - Could
• Do/does - Did
• Is/am/are - Was/were
• Has/have – had
• Didn’t – Hadn’t
• Must – Had/Must
• Mustn’t - Mustn’t
 Direct To Indirect Speech Conversion
– Reporting Verb

When the reporting verb of direct speech is in past tense then all the present
tenses are changed to the corresponding past tense in indirect speech.

Present Simple - Past Simple

• Direct: She said, ‘I am happy’.
• Indirect: She said (that) she was happy.
Present Continuous Changes to Past Continuous
• Direct: “I am playing the guitar”, she explained.
• Indirect: She explained that she was playing the guitar.
Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect.
• Direct: “I have been to Boston”, she told me.
• Indirect: She told me that she had been to Boston.
Perfect Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous
• Direct: “I have been feeling unwell for two days”, she said.
• Indirect: She said that she had been feeling unwell for two days.
 Past Tense & Future Tense

Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect

• Direct: She said, “Irvin arrived on Sunday.”
• Indirect: She said that Irvin had arrived on Sunday.
Past Continuous Changes to Past Perfect Continuous
• Direct: “We were playing basketball”, they told me.
• Indirect: They told me that they had been playing basketball.
No Conversion in Case of Past Perfect
and Past Perfect Continuous Tenses.
 Future Changes

Will/Shall - Would
• Direct: She said, “I will be in Scotland tomorrow.”
• Indirect: She said that she would be in Scotland the next day.
 Future Continuous Changes to
Conditional Continuous

Direct to Indirect Speech example:

• Direct: He said, “I’ll be disposing of the old computer next Tuesday.”
• Indirect: He said that he would be disposing of the old computer the
following Tuesday.
 Rule – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
Conversion – Changes in Modals

While changing direct speech to indirect speech, the modals used in the
sentences change like:

• Can becomes could.

• May becomes might.
• Must becomes had to/would have to.
• Direct: She said, ‘She can dance’.
• Indirect: She said that she could dance.

• Direct: She said, ‘I may buy a dress’.

• Indirect: She said that she might buy a dress.
 Direct speech - Indirect speech - Adverbs Of
Time And Place

• Here - There • Tomorrow - The next day

• This - That • Yesterday - The previous day
• These - Those • Last night - The previous night
• Now - Then • Last week - The previous week
• Thus - So • Tonight - That night
• Hence - Thence • The next day - The following day
• Ago – before Today - That day
 Solved Examples : (Change From Direct To Indirect)
Assertive Sentences

1. He will say, “You have spoken the truth.”

Ans. He will say that he has spoken the truth.

2. He says, “The climate does not suit me.”

Ans. He says that the climate does not suit him.

3. The secretary said, “The man came at six.”

Ans. The secretary said that the man had come at six.

4. The teacher told the class, “A stitch in time saves nine.”

Ans. The teacher told the class that a stitch in time saves nine.

5. Geeta said, “I will do it now or never”

Ans. Geeta said that she would do it then or never.
 Interrogative sentences

Two types:
• Having Auxiliary verb in the starting - Yes or no type questions.
• Having question word in the starting - Wh family question word.
Reporting verbs such as ‘said/ said to’ changes to enquired, asked,
or demanded.

Direct to indirect speech example:

• Direct: He said to me, ‘What are you wearing’?
• Indirect: He asked me what I was wearing.
• If a direct speech sentence begins with an auxiliary verb/helping verb,
when yes/no is expected as an answer to any questions
• The joining word should be if or whether.

Rule: Reported verb if/whether + subject + helping verb +

main verb + object
• No conjunction is used, if a sentence in direct speech begins with a
question (what/where/when) as the “question-word” itself acts as a
joining clause.
• The verb will shift to the last and the subject will come before it.

Rule: Reported verb + question word + subject +

helping verb + main verb
 Example

Direct to indirect speech example:

• Direct: She said, ‘Will you come for the party’?
• Indirect: She asked whether we would come for the party.
 Example

Direct to indirect speech example:

• Direct: “Where do you live?” asked the boy.
• Indirect: The boy enquired where I lived.
 Request, Command, Wish, Exclamation

• Indirect Speech is supported by some verbs like requested, ordered,

suggested and advised. Forbid-forbade is used for negative sentences.
Therefore, the imperative mood in the direct speech changes into the
Infinitive in indirect speech.
• Direct: She said to her ‘Please complete it’.
• Indirect: She requested her to complete it.
 Solved Examples: Imperative Sentences

1. She said to her servant, “Go away at once.”

Ans. She ordered her servant to go away at once.

2. The class teacher said, “Study regularly in order to score well.”

Ans. The class teacher advised the students to study regularly in order to score well.

3. He said to his friend, “Do not leave until I return.”

Ans. He requested his friend not to leave until he returned.

4. She said to her friend, “Please lend me your book.”

Ans. She requested her friend to lend her his book.

5. He said, “ Bring me a glass of water.”

Ans. He ordered him to bring him a glass of water.
In Exclamatory sentences that express grief, sorrow, happiness, applaud,
Interjections are removed and the sentence is changed to an assertive
sentence.

• Direct: She said, ‘Alas! I am undone’.

• Indirect: She exclaimed sadly that she was broke.
 Solved Examples: Exclamatory Sentences

1. He said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.”

Ans. He exclaimed with delight that they had won the match.

2. He said to them all, “ Good-bye, my friends!”

Ans. He bade good-bye to all his friends.

3. She said, “Alas! How foolish I have been.”

Ans. She confessed that she had been very foolish.

4. The man said, “If only I had met you earlier!”

Ans. The man wished that he had met her earlier.

5. She said, “May God pardon this sinner!”

Ans. She prayed that God would pardon that sinner.
If direct speech comes after the information about who is speaking,
a comma is used to introduce the speech, placed before the first
inverted comma.

• Direct speech example: He shouted, “Shut up!”

 Turn the following sentences into indirect speech.

1. John said, ‘I am very busy now.’

Ans. John said that he was very busy then.

2. He said, ‘The horse has been fed.’

Ans. He said that the horse had been fed.

3. ‘I know her name and address,’ said John.

Ans. John said that he knew/knows her name and address. (Note that the tenses may not
change if the statement is still relevant or if it is a universal truth)

4. ‘German is easy to learn,’ she said.

Ans. She said that German is/was easy to learn.

5. He said, ‘I am writing letters.’

Ans. He said that he was writing letters.
 Turn the following sentences into indirect speech.

6. ‘It is too late to go out,’ Alice said.

Ans. Alice said that it was too late to go out.

7. He said to me, ‘I don’t believe you.’

Ans. He told me that he didn’t believe me OR He said he didn’t believe me.

8. He says, ‘I am glad to be here this evening.’

Ans. He says that he is glad to be here this evening. (When the reporting verb is in the
present tense, adverbs of time and place do not normally change in indirect speech)

9. He said to me, ‘What are you doing?’

Ans. He asked me what I was doing.

10. ‘Where is the post office?’ asked the stranger.

Ans. The stranger asked where the post office is/was.
 Thank You,
Keep Learning!