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DIRECT AND INDIRECT NARRATIONS

There are two ways of making a report. If it consists of actual words of the speaker, it is in Direct Speech. But if it is not consisted
of the actual words of the speaker and it only conveys the full sense/meaning of what he said, it is in Indirect Speech. Such as:
Example 1.
1. He said, “I am very angry”. (Direct Speech)
2. He said that he was very angry. (Indirect Speech)
The first sentence which tells the actual words of the speaker is in direct speech; but second sentence does not tell his actual
words, so it is in indirect speech. “Comma” between “reporting speech” and “reported speech” as well as the “inverted commas”
have removed. The inverted commas are replaced by “that” in indirect speech.
Example 2.
1. The doctor said to me, “I am too busy to test your eyes just now.” (Direct Speech)
2. The doctor said to me that he was too busy to test my eyes just then. (Indirect Speech)
REPORTING AND REPORTED SPEECH: The first sentence given above consists of two parts. The part which is not enclosed within
inverted commas is called Reporting speech. And the part which is enclosed in inverted commas is called Reported Speech.
He said, “I am very angry.”
Reporting speech Reported Speech

CHANGES IN THE PERSON OF PRONOUNS:

1. All pronouns of first person (I, me my; We, us, our) are changed according to the subject of reporting speech.
2. All pronouns of second person (You, your) are changed according to the object of the reporting speech.
3. All pronouns of third person (He, him, his; She, her, hers; It, it, its; They, them, their) are not changed.
Here are some examples for explanations.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
1 She says to me, “I love my son.” 1 She says to me that she loves her son.
2 They say to us, “We like our house.” 2 They say to us that they like their house.
3 You say to them, “You praise your friends.” 3 You say to them that they praise their friends.
4 They say to me, “You are our neighbor.” 4 They say to me that I am their neighbor.
5 We say to her, “You know him well.” 5 We say to her that she knows him well.
6 You say to me, “He is ill.” 6 You say to me that he is ill.
7 She says to him, “I am a sweet girl.” 7 She says to him that she is a sweet girl.
8 They say to us, “They are the champions.” 8 They say to us that they are the champions.
9 She says to me, “She sees her friend daily.” 9 She says to me that she sees her friend daily.
CHANGES IN THE TENSES OF VERBS:
1. If the verb (tense) of Reporting speech is in Present or Future, the verb (tense) of Reported speech is not changed.
2. If the verb (tense) of Reporting speech is in Past, the verb (tense) of Reported speech is also changed into Past tense.
3. The verb (tense) in the reported speech is not changed if it contains a Universal truth or a Proverb.
Here are some examples for explanations.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
1 He says to us, “You are late.” 1 He says to us that we are late.
2 You say to them, “We played tennis.” 2 You say to them that you played tennis.
3 They say to me, “We will not come to college.” 3 They say to me that they will not come.
4 She will say to us, “You are rich.” 4 She will say to me that we are rich.
5 He will say, “I went to home.” 5 He will say that he went to home.
6 I shall say, “I eat rice.” 6 I shall say that I eat rice.
7 She said to me, “I write a beautiful poem.” 7 She said to me that she wrote a beautiful poem.
8 We said to them, “They play badminton.” 8 We said to them that they played badminton.
9 The Old man said, “God is one.” 9 The old man said that God is one.
10 He said to me, “Honesty is the best policy.” 10 He said to me that honesty is the best policy.
CHANGES IN OTHER WORDS: While changing a sentence of direct speech into direct speech, some other words in the reported
speech are also changed. For example
“This” is changed into that. (example # 1)
1. “These” is changed into those. (example # 2)
2. “Here” is changed into there. (example # 3)
Composed by M. Khalid (Lecturer in English) Govt. Postgraduate College, Haripur
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3. “Now” is changed into then. (example # 4 & 12)
4. “Today” is changed into that day. (example # 5 & 11)
5. “Tonight” is changed into that night. (example # 6)
6. “Yesterday” is changed into the previous day or the last day or the day before. (example # 7)
7. “Tomorrow” is changed into the next day or the following day. (example # 8)
8. “Sir” or “madam” is changed into respectfully. (example # 9)
9. “Good morning, good evening, good noon” is changed into greeted. (example # 10)
10. Words like “all right”, “Yes” and “No”, “hello” etc are omitted in Indirect Speech. (as in example no 13, 14, 15)
11. “Can” is changed into could. (example # 16)
12. “May” is changed into might. (example # 17)
13. “Must” is changed into had to. (example # 18)
14. “The day before yesterday” is changed into two days before. (example # 19)
15. “The day after tomorrow” is changed into in two day’s time. (example # 20)
16. “The last day/night” is changed into the previous day/night. (example # 21)
17. “The next day/night” is changed into the following day/night. (example # 22)
18. “So” is changed is changed into thus. . (example # 23)
19. “Ago” is changed is changed into before. . (example # 24)
Here are some examples for explanations.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
1 She said to me, “I like this book.” 1 She said to me that she liked that book.
2 I said to him, “These books are mine.” 2 I said to him that those books were mine.
3 He said to her, “I live here.” 3 He said to her that he lived there.
4 I said to him, “It is four now.” 4 I said to him that it was four then.
5 She said, “My father will come today.” 5 She said that her father would come that day.
6 I said, “I will not sleep tonight.” 6 I said that I would not sleep that night.
7 He said, “Yesterday was holiday.” 7 He said that the previous day had been a holiday.
8 She said, “I shall come tomorrow.” 8 She said that she would come the next day.
9 She said to her teacher, “Sir, it is hot.” 9 She said to her respectfully that it was hot.
10 She said to us, “Good morning.” 10 She greeted us OR she wished us good morning.
11 The teacher said, “You are again late today, Arif. 11 The teacher said to Arif that he was again late that day.
12 He said, “Well, it is my turn now.” 12 He said that it was his turn then.
13 She said, “Alright, I shall buy that suit.” 13 She said that she would buy that suit. (“all right” omitted)
14 He said, “Yes, I shall come.” 14 He said that he would come. (“yes” omitted)
15 She said, “No, I shall not come.” 15 She said that she would not come. (“no” omitted)
16 He said, “I can swim.” 16 He said that he could swim.
17 They said, “We may go to Karachi by train.” 17 They said that they might go to Karachi by train.
18 The teacher said, “Children must respect their elders.” 18 The teacher said that children had to respect their elders.
19 Manager said, “I approved amount the day before yesterday.” 19 Manager said that he had sanctioned the amount two days before.
20 Captain said, “We shall enter the city the day after tomorrow.” 20 The captain said that they would enter the city in two day’s time.
21 She said to me, “I had a horrible dream the last night.” 21 She said to me that she had had a horrible dream the previous night.
22 She said to us, “I am leaving for France the next day.” 22 She said to us that she was leaving for France the following day.
23 He said to his partner, “Adnan is my eldest son and 23 He said to his partner that Adnan is his eldest son and so he
thus he can see my business in my absence.” could see his business in his absence.
24 Jameel said, “I returned from America a few months ago.” 24 Jameel said that he had returned from America a few months before.

1. Assertive Sentences: An assertive sentence makes a positive, negative or a forceful statement. The tense in the Reported
Speech will be changed in the following way.
1. Present simple tense into Past simple
2. Present Continuous tense into Past continuous
3. Present Perfect tense into Pas perfect
4. Present Perfect Continuous tense into Past perfect continuous
5. Past simple tense into Past Perfect
6. Past Continuous tense into Past Perfect Continuous
7. Past Perfect tense into Past Perfect
8. Past Perfect Continuous tense into Past Perfect Continuous
Composed by M. Khalid (Lecturer in English) Govt. Postgraduate College, Haripur
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9. Future simple (Shall/Will) into would
10. Future Continuous (Shall be/Will be) into would be
11. Future Perfect (Shall have/Will have) into would have
12. Future Perfect Continuous (Shall have been/Will have been) into Would have been

1. PRESENT SIMPLE changes into PAST SIMPLE

1 He said, “I write a book”. He said that he wrote a book.
2 She said, “He goes to office daily”. She said that she went to office daily.
3 They said, “We love football”. They said that they loved football.
4 He said, “He does not like pizza”. He said that he did not like pizza.
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2. PRESENT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST CONTINUOUS
1 He said, “He is watching movie”. He said that he was watching movie.
2 She said, “I am washing my dishes”. She said that she was washing her dishes.
3 They said, “We are enjoying the drama”. They said that they were not enjoying the drama.
4 She said, “I am not arguing”. She said that she was not arguing.
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3. PRESENT PERFECT changes into PAST PERFECT
1 She said, “He has done his job". She said that he had done his job.
2 He said, “I have written a book”. He said that he had written a book.
3 I said, “She have passed the exams”. I said that she had passed the exams.
4 They said, “We have never been to China". They said that they had never been to China.
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4. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
1 He said, “I have been playing since 3 O’clock”. He said that he had been playing since 3 O’clock.
2 She said, “It has been raining for three days”. She said that it been raining for three days.
3 I said, “He has been working since 2008”. I said that she had been working since 2008.
4 They said, “we have been doing tough tasks for two hours.” They said that they had been doing tough tasks for two hours.
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5. PAST SIMPLE changes into PAST PERFECT
1 He said to me, “You behaved well”. He said to me that I had behaved well.
2 Ibrahim said, “They went to cinema”. Ibrahim said that they had gone to cinema.
3 He said, “I bought a table”. He said that he had bought a table.
4 She said, “I didn’t waste time”. She said that she hadn't wasted time.
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6. PAST CONTINUOUS changes into PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
1 They said, “We were enjoying the drama”. They said that they had been enjoying the drama.
2 He said to me, “I was waiting for you”. He said to me that he had been waiting for me.
3 We said, “It was raining”. We said that it had been raining.
4 She said, “I was not smiling”. She said that she not been smiling.
7. PAST PERFECT changes into PAST PERFECT (tense remains same)
1 She said, “She had consulted a doctor”. She said that she had consulted a doctor.
2 He said, “I had started a campaign”. He said that he had started a campaign.
3 I said, “She had passed the exams” I said that she had passed the exams.
4 They said, “We had not gone to China. They said they had not gone to China.
8. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS (tense remains same)
1 I said to him, “I had been doing my duty since morning.” I said to him that I had been doing my duty since morning.
2 They said to her, “You had been playing golf since morning.” They said to her that she had been playing golf since morning.
3 You said to me, “We had been gossiping in class for two hours.” You said to me that you had been gossiping in class for two hours.
4 Ahmed said to me, “I had been planning for three months.” Ahmed said to me that he had been planning for three months.
9. FUTURE SIMPLE TENSE SHALL/WILL changes into WOULD
1 He said, “I will study very hard”. He said that he would study very hard.
2 He said, “I will buy a mobile”. He said that He would buy a mobile.
3 They said to me, “We will surprise you”. They said to me that they would surprise you.
4 I said, “I will not take any risk”. I said that I would not take any risk.

Composed by M. Khalid (Lecturer in English) Govt. Postgraduate College, Haripur

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10. FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE SHALL/WILL BE changes into WOULD BE
1 I said to him, “I will be writing to him”. I said to him that I would be writing to him.
2 She said,” I will be singing a song”. She said that she would be singing a song.
3 He said, “I will be working well”. He said that he would be working well.
4 He said, “He will be respecting elders”. She said that he would be respecting elders.
11. FUTURE PERFECT TENSE SHALL/WILL HAVE changes into WOULD HAVE
1 He said, “I will have completed the work”. He said that he would have completed the work.
2 She said, “They will have achieved the target”. She said that they would have achieved the target.
3 He said, “I will have won the match”. He said that he would have won the match.
4 They said to me, “we shall have arrested a thief.” They said to me that they would have arrested a thief.
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12. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE SHALL/WILL HAVE BEEN changes into WOULD HAVE BEEN
1 He said to me, “I shall have been working in office for 2 hours.” He said to me that he would have been working in office for 2 hours.
2 They said to us, “you will have been cheating since 1999.” They said to us that we would have been cheating since 1999.
3 They said to me, “we shall have been celebrating Eid for 3 days.” They said to me that they would have been celebrating Eid for 3 days.
4 They said to her,“You will have been playing golf since morning.” They said to her that she would have been playing golf since morning.
5 He said, “I shall have been playing since 3 O’clock”. He said that he would have been playing since 3 O’clock.
2. Interrogative Sentences: An Interrogative sentence is used for asking questions or making inquiries etc. These sentences
will be changed in the following way.
1. If the question in the reported speech begins with an interrogative word (i.e. Why, where, who, whose etc.), we
use interrogative word first and after that the subject of the reported speech.
2. If the question in the reported speech begins with a verb or helping verb (i.e. is, am, are, was, were, has, have,
had, can or shall etc.), we use “if” or “whether” (not “that”) after the object of reporting speech and then comes
subject of reported speech.
3. “Said to” is replaced by “asked” in indirect speech.
4. The mark of interrogation is replaced by a full stop.
Here are some examples for explanations.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
1 I said to him, “Why are you late?” 1 I asked him why he was late.
2 He said to me, “Where is your father now?” 2 He asked me where my father was then.
3 She said to us, “When will the train arrive?” 3 She asked us when the train would arrive.
4 He says, “When will you join the marriage party?” 4 He asks when I will join the marriage party.
5 She said to me, “Where are you going?” 5 She asked me where I was going.
6 I said to him, “Which of these is your book?” 6 I asked him which of those his book was.
7 You said to us, “Who is your CR?” 7 You asked me who our CR was.
8 They said to us, “How long have you been here?” 8 They asked us how long we had been there.
9 He said to me, “Whom did you see in Lahore?” 9 He asked me whom I had seen in Lahore.
10 I said to them, “Whose book is this?” 10 I asked them whose book was that.
11 He will say to you, “Who are you?” 11 He will ask you who you are.
12 I said to him, “is she suffering from fever?” 12 I asked him if (whether) she was suffering from fever.
13 She said to him, “Have you taken leave of 2 days?” 13 She asked him if he had taken leave of 2 days.
14 I said to the principal, “May I come in, Sir?” 14 I asked the principal respectfully if I might come in.
15 He said to me, “Can you help me?” 15 He asked me if I could help him.
16 I said to him, “Are you ready?” 16 I said to him if he was ready.
17 She said to him, “Do you like me?” 17 She asked him if he liked her.
18 You said to your friend, “Will you give me your pen?” 18 You asked your friend if he would give you his pen.
19 I said to him, “What do you want?” 19 I asked him what I wanted.
3. Imperative Sentences: An imperative sentence expresses a command or request. These sentences will be changed in the
following way.
1. “Said” is changed into “ordered”, “requested”, “advised” or “forbade” according to the sense in Reported Speech.
2. “to” is used (not that) to join the reporting speech and reported speech.
3. When reported speech begins with “Do not”, ‘do’ is removed in indirect speech and it begins with ‘not to’.
4. Such sentences in which reported speech begins with ‘Let us’, “said” is changed into “suggested” (or proposed) and
“should” is used before the verb. (Let us gives the meaning of plural, so “they” is used before ‘should’)

Composed by M. Khalid (Lecturer in English) Govt. Postgraduate College, Haripur

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Here are some examples for explanations.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
1 I said to my brother, “Go away.” 1 I ordered my brother to go away.
2 I said to his friend, “Wait here, till I return.” 2 I ordered his friend to wait there till he returned.
3 She said to him, “Polish my shoes.” 3 She ordered him to polish her shoes.
4 I said to Ali, “Kindly lend me your book.” 4 I requested Ali to lend me his book.
5 The beggar said to me, “please help me with some money.” 5 The beggar requested me to help him with some money.
6 He said to me, “Please vote for me in the election.” 6 He requested me to vote for him in the election.
7 He said to his sister, “Tell the truth.” 7 He advised his sister to tell the truth.
8 She said, “Do not tell a lie, Aslam.” 8 She advised Aslam not to tell a lie. OR
She forbade Aslam to tell a lie.
9 They said to students, “Do not waste your time.” 9 They advised students not to waste their time. OR
They forbade students to waste their time.
10 She said to us, “Let us go.” 10 She suggested (or proposed) that they should go.
11 They said to me, “Let us enjoy the party.” 11 They suggested that they should enjoy the party.
12 I said, “Let us stay here till the rain stops.” 12 I suggested (or proposed) that we should stay there till the rain stopped.

4. Exclamatory Sentences: an exclamatory sentence expresses sudden and strong feelings or emotions. When it is changed
from the direct to the indirect speech, following changes are made:
1. “Said” is changed into “exclaimed with joy/sorrow/grief” etc. according to the situation.
2. The reported speech is converted into a positive sentence.
3. The mark of exclamation is replaced by a full stop at the end of each sentence.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
1 He said, “Hurrah! My uncle has come.” 1 He exclaimed with joy that his uncle had come.
2 She said, “Alas! How foolish I have been.” 2 She exclaimed with sorrow that she had been very foolish.
3 They said, “Brovo! You have done well.” 3 They applauded him that he had done well.
4 He said, “Alas! I am ruined.” 4 He exclaimed with sorrow that he had been ruined.
5 The old man said, “Alas! My son has died.” 5 The old man exclaimed with sorrow that his son had died.
6 The boys said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.” 6 The boys exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
7 The boy said, “Oh! What a beautiful girl.” 7 The boy exclaimed with wonder that it was a beautiful girl.
8 My sister said, “Aha! Father has returned.” 8 My sister exclaimed with joy that father had returned.
5. Optative Sentences: an optative sentence expresses a wish or a strong desire. When it is changed from direct to indirect
speech, following changes are made.
1. “Said” is changed into “prayed” or “wished” according to the sense of the sentence in Reported speech.
2. “May” is changed into “might”.
3. ‘Prayed’ and ‘wished’ follow the subject of the reported speech.
4. “Would that” in reported speech is changed into “wished” and then “had been” is used.
5. The mark of exclamation is replaced by a full stop.
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
1 He said, “May God pardon this sinner!” 1 He prayed that God might pardon that sinner.
2 She said to him, “May you live long!” 2 She prayed that he might live long.
3 He said, “May the police arrest the murderer!” 3 He wished that the police might arrest the murderer.
4 My mother said to me, “May you live long!” 4 My mother prayed that I might live long.
5 My sister said, “May you succeed!” 5 My sister prayed that I might succeed.
6 He said, “May my son have a happy life!” 6 He prayed that his son might have a happy life.
7 You said, “May Pakistan prosper!” 7 You prayed that Pakistan might prosper.
8 The old man said, “May God help you!” 8 The old man prayed that God might help me.
9 I said to her, “Would that you are successful!” 9 I wished that she had been successful.
10 They said, “Would that our father were alive today!” 10 They wished that their father had been alive that day.
11 Asif said, “Would that I were a president of America!” 11 Asif wished that he had been the president of America.

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Composed by M. Khalid (Lecturer in English) Govt. Postgraduate College, Haripur