Ms Namitha DirectandIndirectspeech

DIRECT AND
IN DIRECT SPEECH
ENGLISH LANGUAGE HAS TWO WAYS TO NARRATE THE SPOKEN-WORDS OF A PERSON. THESE TWO
WAYS ARE AS FOLLOWS
• DIRECT SPEECH
• INDIRECT SPEECH
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS DIRECT & INDIRECT SPEECH?
Direct Speech: the message of the speaker is conveyed or reported in his own actual words without
any change.
Indirect Speech: the message of the speaker is conveyed or reported in our own words.
Example on Process of Conversion from Direct to Indirect Speech
a) Direct: Radha said, “I am very busy now.”
b) Indirect: Radha said that she was very busy then.
1. All inverted commas or quotation marks are omitted and the sentence ends with a full stop.
2. Conjunction ‘that’ is added before the indirect statement.
3. The pronoun ‘I’ is changed to ‘she’. (The Pronoun is changed in Person)
4. The verb ‘am’ is changed to ‘was’. (Present Tense is changed to Past)
5. The adverb ‘now’ is changed to ‘then’.
TIP 1: CONVERSION RULES AS PER
THE REPORTING VERB
When the reporting or principal verb is in the Past Tense, all Present tenses of the direct are changed into
the corresponding Past Tenses.
a) Direct: He said, “I am unwell.”
b) Indirect: He said (that) he was unwell.
If the reporting verb is in the Present or Future Tense, the tenses of the Direct Speech do not change.
a) Direct: He says/will say, “I am unwell.”
b) Indirect: He says/will say he is unwell.
The Tense in Indirect Speech is NOT CHANGED if the words within the quotation marks talk of a universal
truth or habitual action.
a) Direct: They said, “We cannot live without water.”
b) Indirect: They said that we cannot live without water.
TIP 2: CONVERSION RULES OF
PRESENT TENSE IN DIRECT SPEECH
Simple Present Changes to Simple Past
a) Direct: "I am happy", she said.
b) Indirect: She said that she was happy.
Present Continuous Changes to Past Continuous
a) Direct: "I am reading a book", he explained.
b) Indirect: He explained that he was reading a book.
Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect
a) Direct: She said, "He has finished his food“.
b) Indirect: She said that he had finished his food.
Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect
a) Direct: "I have been to Gujarat", he told me.
b) Indirect: He told me that he had been to Gujarat.
TIP 3: CONVERSION RULES OF PAST
& FUTURE TENSE
Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect
a) Direct: He said, “Ira arrived on Monday."
b) Indirect: He said that Ira had arrived on Monday.
Past Continuous Changes to Past Perfect Continuous
a) Direct: "We were living in Goa", they told me.
b) Indirect: They told me that they had been living in Goa.
Future Changes to Present Conditional
a) Direct: He said, "I will be in Kolkata tomorrow."
b) Indirect: He said that he would be in Kolkata the next day.
Future Continuous Changes to Conditional Continuous
a) Direct: She said, "I'll be using the car next Friday.”
b) Indirect: She said that she would be using the car next Friday.
TIP 4: CHANGES IN MODALS
CAN changes into COULD
a) Direct: He said, "I can swim."
b) Indirect: He said that he could swim.
MAY changes into MIGHT
a) Direct: He said, "I may buy a house.”
b) Indirect: He said that he might buy a house.
MUST changes into HAD TO/WOULD HAVE TO
a) Direct: He said, "I must work hard.”
b) Indirect: He said that he had to work hard.
Modals that DO NOT Change:Would, Could, Might, Should, Ought to.
a) Direct: He said, "I should face the challenge.”
b) Indirect: He said that he should face the challenge.
TIP 5: CONVERSION OF
INTERROGATIVE
Reporting Verb like ‘said/ said to’ changes to asked, enquired or demanded
a) Direct: He said to me, “What are you doing?”
b) Indirect: He asked me what I was doing.
If sentence begins with auxiliary verb, the joining clause should be if or whether.
a) Direct: He said, “Will you come for the meeting?”
b) Indirect: He asked them whether they would come for the meeting.
If sentence begins with ‘wh’ questions then no conjunction is used as the "question-word" itself act as
joining clause.
a) Direct: “Where do you live?” asked the girl.
b) Indirect: The girl enquired where I lived.
TIP 6: COMMAND, REQUEST,
EXCLAMATION, WISH
Commands and Requests
Indirect Speech is introduced by some verbs like ordered, requested, advised and suggested. Forbid(s)/
forbade is used for the negative sentences. The imperative mood is changed into the Infinitive.
a) Direct: Rafique said to Ahmed, “Go away.”
b) Indirect: Rafique ordered Ahmed to go away.
c) Direct: He said to her, “Please wait.”
d) Indirect: He requested her to wait.
Exclamations and Wishes
Indirect Speech is introduced by some words like grief, sorrow, happiness, applaud. Exclamatory sentence
changes into assertive sentence and Interjections are removed.
a) Direct: He said, “Alas! I am undone.”
b) Indirect: He exclaimed sadly that he was broke.
TIP 7: CHANGE OF PRONOUNS
The first person of the reported speech changes according to the subject of reporting speech.
a) Direct: She said, “I am in ninth class.”
b) Indirect: She says that she was in ninth class.
The second person of reported speech changes according to the object of reporting speech.
a) Direct: He says to them, "You have completed your job.”
b) Indirect: He tells them that they have completed their job.
The third person of the reported speech doesn't change.

a) Direct: He says, "She is in tenth class.”
b) Indirect: He says that she is in tenth class.
TIP 8: CHANGE OF PLACE AND TIME
Words expressing nearness in time or place in Direct Speech are generally changed into words
expressing distance in Indirect Speech.
Thus -- so
Today -- that day
Tomorrow -- the next day
This -- that
Yesterday -- the day before
These -- those
Next week/month -- following week/month
a) Direct: She said, “My father came yesterday.”
b) Indirect: She said that her father had come the day before.
c) Direct: She says/will say, “My father came yesterday.”
Indirect: She says/will say that her father had come yesterday. (Here the reporting verb ‘says’ is in
the present tense OR ‘will say’ is in future tense; hence the time expression ‘yesterday’ won’t change.)
TIP 9: PUNCTUATION
The words that are actually spoken should be enclosed in quotes and begin with a capital letter
Example: He said, “You are right.”
Comma, full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark must be present at the end of reported sentences
and are placed inside the closing inverted comma or commas.
Example: He asked, “Can I come with you?”
If direct speech comes after the information about who is speaking, comma is used to introduce the
piece of speech, placed before the first inverted comma.
Example: She shouted, “Stop talking!”
Example: “Thinking back,” she said, “he didn't expect to win.” (Comma is used to separate
the two reported speech and no capital letter to begin the second sentence).
TIP 10: CONVERSION OF INDIRECT
TO DIRECT SPEECH
1. Use the reporting verb, "say" or "said to" in its correct tense.
2. Remove the conjunctions "that, to, if or whether etc" wherever necessary.
3. Insert quotation marks, question mark, exclamation and full stop, as per the mood of the
sentence.
4. Put a comma before the statement.
5. Write the first word of the statement with capital letter.
6. Change the past tense into present tense wherever the reporting verb is in the past tense.
7. Convert the past perfect either into past tense or present perfect as found necessary.
Example
a) Indirect: He asked whether he is coming.
b) Direct: He said to him, “Are you coming?”
EXERCISE
Change Direct speech into Indirect speech
1. John said, ‘I am trying to find a new job.’

Ans: John said that he was trying to find a new job.
2. The girl said, ‘I want something to eat.’
Ans:The girl said that she wanted something to eat.
3. The man said, ‘I have nowhere to go.’
Ans: The man said that he had nowhere to go. / The man lamented that he had nowhere to go.
4. Mother said, ‘I have laid the table.’
Ans: Mother said that she had laid the table.
5. He said, ‘Are you happy here?’
Ans: He enquired if I was happy there?’
6. He said, ‘Let’s go for a drive.’
Ans: He suggested going for a drive. / He suggested that we should go for a drive.
EXERCISE
Change Indirect speech into Direct speech
1. He said that he had written a letter.

Ans: He said, ‘I wrote a letter.’
2. The teacher asked them to stop writing.
Ans:The teacher said, ‘Stop writing.’
3. The girl said that she had been practicing the violin for six months.
Ans:The girl said, ‘I have been practicing the violin for six months.’
4. He asked who I was.
Ans: He said, ‘Who are you?’
5. The father told his son to go and pay his fee at once.
Ans:The father said to his son, ‘Go and pay your fee at once.’

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DIRECT AND

The third person of the reported speech doesn't change.

1. John said, ‘I am trying to find a new job.’

1. He said that he had written a letter.

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