Reported Speech

DIRECT AND INDIRECT
SPEECH
TO CHANGE A SENTENCE OF DIRECT SPEECH
INTO INDIRECT SPEECH, THERE ARE VARIOUS
FACTORS THAT ARE CONSIDERED - REPORTING
VERBS, MODALS, TIME, PLACE, PRONOUNS,
TENSES, ETC.
WE WILL DISCUSS EACH OF THESE FACTORS ONE

BY ONE
RULE 1 – DIRECT TO INDIRECT SPEECH
CONVERSION – REPORTING VERB
WHEN THE
REPORTING VERB Direct:
OF DIRECT SPEECH She said, “I am
IS IN happy”.
PAST TENSE THEN
ALL THE PRESENT
TENSES ARE
CHANGED TO THE
CORRESPONDING Indirect:
PAST TENSES IN She said (that)
INDIRECT SPEECH.
she was happy.
IN INDIRECT
SPEECH, Direct: He said,
TENSES DO NOT “We cannot live without
CHANGE IF THE
WORDS USED air”.
WITHIN THE
QUOTES (“ ”) TALK
OF A HABITUAL Indirect: He said that
ACTION OR we cannot live without
UNIVERSAL TRUTH. air.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
Present simple Past simple
Present continuous Past Continuous

(is/am/are +ing) (was/were+ing)
Present perfect Past perfect
RULE 2 – DIRECT ( has/have) (had)
SPEECH TO
INDIRECT SPEECH Past simple Past perfect
CONVERSION OF
TENSES Past Continuous Past perfect continuous
(was/were+ing) (had been+ing)
Future simple Present Conditional
( will/shall) (would+V1)
Future Continuous Conditional Continuous
(will/shall+be+ing) (would+be+ing)
RULE 3– DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT SPEECH
CONVERSION – INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES
The reporting verb ‘said’ is changed to asked, demanded,

ordered, enquired as per the nature of the sentence.
While a sentence starts with reporting verb then at the conversion

time if /whether is used as the joining clause.
In case the sentence starts from “Wh” question word, then no

extra conjunction is used.
EXAMPLES
Ravi said, “What is Heena doing?”
Ravi asked me what Heena was doing.
Esha said, “Will she come for lunch?”
Esha asked if she would come for lunch.
The boy asked, “Where do you stay?”
The boy inquired where I stayed.

Can Could
RULE 4 – May Might
DIRECT SPEECH Will Would
TO INDIRECT
SPEECH Shall Should
CONVERSION – Ought to Ought to
CHANGES IN
MODALS Must Had to/ Would have to
EXAMPLES
He said, “I can cook food.”
He said that he could cook food.
They said, “We may go to Canada.”
They said that they might go to Canada.
She said, “I must finish the work on time.”
She said that she had to finish the work on time.

Now Then
Here There
DIRECT Today That day
SPEECH TO Tomorrow The next day
INDIRECT Last week The previous week

This That
SPEECH Tonight That night
CONVERSION Ago Before
– CHANGE OF Thus So
TIME Hither Thither
Come Go
Hence Thence
Next Following
RULE 5– DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT SPEECH
CONVERSION – PRONOUN
The first person in

direct Direct speech to Indirect: He said
Direct: He said, “I
speech changes as indirect speech that he was in class
am in class Twelfth.”
per the subject of examples- Twelfth.
the speech.
The second
Indirect: She tells
person of direct Direct speech to Direct: She says to
them that they
speech changes as indirect speech them, “You have
have done their
per the object of examples – done your work.”
work.
reporting speech.
The third person of

Direct speech to Indirect: He says
direct Direct: He says, “She
indirect speech that she dances
speech doesn’t dances well.”
examples – well.
change.
I He/she
You He/she/they
We They
They They
He He
She She
It It
Us Them
Our Their
His His
Her Her
Its Its
RULE 6 – DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT
SPEECH CONVERSION – REQUEST,
COMMAND, WISH, EXCLAMATION
Indirect Speech is Therefore, the

supported by some imperative mood in
verbs like the direct speech
requested, ordered, changes into the
suggested and Infinitive in indirect
advised. speech.
EXAMPLES
Direct: She said to her, “Please complete it.”
Indirect: She requested her to complete it.
Direct: Hamid said to Ramid, “Sit down.”
Indirect: Hamid ordered Ramid to sit down.

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 failed.”
Indirect: She exclaimed sadly that she had failed.

RULE 7 – 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.
Example: She said, “I am the best.”
Full stop, comma, exclamation or question mark, are placed inside the
closing inverted commas.
Example: They asked, “Can we sing with you?”

PRACTICE EXCERCISE
1. He said, “The doctor may come.”
Indirect: He said that the doctor might come.
2. He said, “The king Is coming now.”
Indirect: He said that the king was coming then.
3. He said, “It has been snowing yesterday.”
Indirect: He said that it had been snowing the previous day.
4. He said, “I had written a letter.”
Indirect: He said that he had written a letter.
5. Raju said, “He had spoken the truth.”
Indirect: Raju said that he had spoken the truth.
6. He said, “The Earth moves around the Sun.”
Indirect: He said that the Earth moves around the Sun.
7. He said, “I will leave you now.”
Indirect: He said that he would leave them then.
8.He said, “I will come here.”
Indirect: He said that he would go there.
9. I am reading a book", he explained.
Indirect: He explained that he was reading a book.
10. She said, "He has finished his food”.
Indirect: She said that he had finished his food.
THANK
YOU

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DIRECT AND INDIRECT

WE WILL DISCUSS EACH OF THESE FACTORS ONE

Present simple Past simple

Present continuous Past Continuous

The reporting verb ‘said’ is changed to asked, demanded,

While a sentence starts with reporting verb then at the conversion

In case the sentence starts from “Wh” question word, then no

Ravi said, “What is Heena doing?”

Ravi asked me what Heena was doing.

Esha said, “Will she come for lunch?”

Esha asked if she would come for lunch.

The boy asked, “Where do you stay?”

The boy inquired where I stayed.

He said, “I can cook food.”

He said that he could cook food.

They said, “We may go to Canada.”

They said that they might go to Canada.

She said, “I must finish the work on time.”

She said that she had to finish the work on time.

INDIRECT Last week The previous week

The first person in

The third person of

Indirect Speech is Therefore, the

Direct: She said to her, “Please complete it.”

Indirect: She requested her to complete it.

Direct: Hamid said to Ramid, “Sit down.”

Indirect: Hamid ordered Ramid to sit down.

Direct: She said, “Alas! I failed.”

Indirect: She exclaimed sadly that she had failed.

Example: She said, “I am the best.”

Example: They asked, “Can we sing with you?”

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