Notes - Reported speech
Direct Speech
Reporting the message of the speaker in the exact words as spoken by the
speaker
Exact words are put within inverted commas.
The actual words of the speaker are separated by a comma after the reporting
verb.
The first word in the quoted section will always begin with a capital letter.
Punctuation marks like question marks, exclamation marks, commas are used.
Indirect speech
Reporting the message of the speaker in our own words without repeating the
actual words but the substance of the words used by the speaker.
Inverted commas are removed and the conjunction ‘that’ is used to connect
both parts of the sentence.
The punctuation marks like question marks, exclamation marks are removed.
Reporting Verb
When we are reporting someone’s words, the reporting verb that we use
should express the feelings of the speaker.
Say or tell as a reporting verb: We use say and tell in different ways in reported
speech. Say focuses on the words someone said and tell focuses more on the
content or message of what someone said:
Say' is usually used without an indirect object.
Tell is used with an indirect object after the reporting verb.
With 'tell' we NEED the object (e.g. 'me', 'you', 'her').
With 'say' we CAN'T use the object (e.g. 'me', 'them', 'us').
Direct : John said ,"I'll be late".
Indirect :John said (that) he would be late.
Direct : John told to her ,"I'll be late".
Indirect :John told to her (that) he would be late.
Direct and Indirect Speech Rules
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.
A conjunction, if required is used to join the direct speech with the rest of the
sentence.
Rule 1 – Direct To Indirect Speech Conversion – Reporting Verb
1. The tenses of direct speech do not change if the reporting verb is in the future
tense or present tense.
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: She says/will say, ‘I am going’
Indirect: She says/will say she is going.
2. 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.
Direct: She said, ‘I am happy’.
Indirect: She said (that) she was happy.
3. In indirect speech, tenses do not change if the words used within the quotes (‘’)
talk of a habitual action or universal truth.
Direct: He said, ‘We cannot live without air’.
Indirect: He said that we cannot live without air.
Rule 2 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech conversion – Change of Tenses
MCB Refer pg no 125
Direct speech Indirect speech
Simple Present Changes to Simple Past
Eg walk/walks Eg walked
Present Continuous Changes to Past Continuous
Am / is / are was / were
Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect.
Had
Has / have
Present Perfect continuous to Past Perfect continuous
Changes had been
Have been /has been
Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect
had written
wrote
Past Continuous Changes to
to Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous
Had been
Was/were
Past Perfect No Change
Past perfect continuous No Change
Would, should, might, could,
Modals (will,shall, may,can, must)
had to
Would,should,might,could,have
No change
to,ought to, must not
Rule 3 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Change of Pronouns
MCB Refer pg no 125
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
I He,she
We they
Singular ‘you’ used as subject I she ,he
Plural ‘you’ used as subject We ,they
He ,she, it ,they (as subject) No change
Me Him .her
Us them
Singular ‘you’ as object Me,him,her
Plural ‘you’ as object us,them
Him, her it, them No change
My His,her
Our their
Singular ‘your’ My,his,her
Plural ‘your’ their
His,her its,their No change.
Rule 4 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Change of time and
place.
MCB Refer pg no 125
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
This that
these those
today that day
tomorrow the next day / the following day
yesterday the previous day / the day before
now then
ago before
last the previous
next the following
here there
Rule 5 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Interrogative
Sentences
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.
Direct: “Where do you live?” asked the boy.
Indirect: The boy enquired where I lived.
If a direct speech sentence begins with an auxiliary verb/helping verb, the
joining clause should be if or whether.
Direct: She said, ‘Will you come for the party’?
Indirect: She asked whether we would come for the party.
Reporting verbs such as ‘said/ said to’ changes to enquired, asked, or
demanded.
Direct: He said to me, ‘What are you wearing’?
Indirect: He asked me what I was wearing.
Rule 6 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Imperative Sentences
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.
Direct: Hamid said to Ramid, ‘Sit down’.
Indirect: Hamid ordered Ramid to sit down.
When the imperative sentence in the direct speech is with ‘Let’s’ then we have
to remove let’s and should change into indirect speech as follows.
Reporting Verb + that + subject +should +rest of the sentence.
Direct: He said, “let`s sing a song together.”
Indirect: He suggested that we should sing a song together.
Rule 7 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Exclamatory
Sentences
1. In Exclamatory sentences that express grief, sorrow, happiness,
applauds, 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.
Rules of converting Indirect Speech into Direct Speech
The following rules should be followed while converting an indirect speech to direct
speech:
1. Use the reporting verb such as (say, said ) in its correct tense.
2. Put a comma before the statement and the first letter of the statement should
be in capital letter.
3. Insert question mark, quotation marks, exclamation mark and full stop, based
on the mood of the sentence.
4. Remove the conjunctions like (that, to, if or whether) wherever necessary.
5. Where the reporting verb is in past tense in indirect, change it to present tense
in the direct speech.
6. Change the past perfect tense either into present perfect tense or past tense,
as necessary.
