In direct speech, we convey the message of the speaker in his own actual words without any change to another person.
In indirect speech, we convey the message of the speaker in our own words to another person.
Indirect Speech Conversion | Direct Speech Condition |
---|---|
Present Tenses in the Direct Speech are changed into Past Tense. | If the reporting or principal verb is in the Past Tense. |
Do Not Change Tense of reported Speech in Indirect Speech sentence | If in direct speech you find say/says or will say. |
Direct speech the words within the quotation marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action. | |
The reporting verb is in a present tense. |
Change of place and time | Direct Speech Word | Indirect Speech Word |
---|---|---|
Here | There | |
Today | that day | |
this morning | that morning | |
Yesterday | the day before | |
Tomorrow | the next day | |
next week | the following week | |
next month | the following month | |
Now | Then | |
Ago | Before | |
Thus | So | |
Last Night | the night before | |
This | That | |
These | Those | |
Hither | Thither | |
Hence | Thence | |
Come | Go |
The pronouns of the Direct Speech are changed where necessary, according to their relations with the reporter and his hearer, rather than with the original speaker. If we change direct speech into indirect speech, the pronouns will change in the following ways.
Rules | Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
---|---|---|
The first person of the reported speech changes according to the subject of reporting speech. | She says, "I am in tenth class." | She says, "I am in tenth class." |
The second person of reported speech changes according to the object of reporting speech. | He says to them, "You have completed your job." | He tells them that they have completed their job. |
The third person of the reported speech doesn't change. | She says, "She is in tenth class." | She says that she is in tenth class. |
The past perfect and past perfect continuous tenses do not change.
Rules | Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
---|---|---|
Simple Present Changes To Simple Past |
"I always drink coffee", she said | She said that she always drank coffee. |
Present Continuous Changes To Past Continuous |
"I am reading a book", he explained. | He explained that he was reading a book |
Present Perfect Changes To Past Perfect |
She said, "He has finished his work" | She said that he had finished his work. |
Present Perfect Continuous Changes To Past Perfect Continuous |
"I have been to Spain", he told me. | He told me that he had been to Spain. |
Simple Past Changes To Past Perfect |
"Bill arrived on Saturday", he said. | He said that Bill had arrived on Saturday |
Past Perfect Changes To Past Perfect (No Change In Tense) |
"I had just turned out the light," he explained. | He explained that he had just turned out the light. |
Past Continuous Changes To Past Perfect Continuous |
"We were living in Paris", they told me. | They told me that they had been living in Paris. |
Future Changes To Present Conditional |
"I will be in Geneva on Monday", he said | He said that he would be in Geneva on Monday. |
Future Continuous Changes To Conditional Continuous |
She said, "I'll be using the car next Friday." | She said that she would be using the car next Friday. |
Rules | Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
---|---|---|
CAN changes into COULD | He said, "I can drive a car". | He said that he could drive a car. |
MAY changes into MIGHT | He said, "I may buy a computer" | He said that he might buy a computer. |
MUST changes into HAD TO | He said, "I must work hard" | He said that he had to work hard. |
These Modals Do Not Change: Would, could, might, should, ought to. | ||
Would | They said, "we would apply for a visa" | They said that they would apply for visa. |
Could | He said, "I could run faster" | He said that he could run faster. |
Might | John said, "I might meet him". | John said that he might meet him. |
Should | He said, "I should avail the opportunity" | He said that he should avail the opportunity. |
Ought to | He said to me, "you ought to wait for him" | He said to me that I ought to wait for him. |
Imperative sentences consist any of these four things:
Most commonly used words to join clauses together are ordered, requested, advised and suggested. Forbid(s)/ forbade is used for the negative sentences.
Mood of Sentence in Direct Speech | Reporting verb in indirect verb |
---|---|
Order | ordered |
Request | requested / entreated |
Advice | advised / urged |
Never | told, advised or forbade (No need of "not" after "forbade") |
Direction | directed |
Suggestion | suggested to |
Warning | warn |
(If a person is addressed directly) | called |
Exclamatory sentences expresses emotions. Interjections such as Hurrah, wow, alas, oh, ah are used to express emotions. The word "that" is used as join clause.
Mood of Sentence in Direct Speech | Reporting verb in indirect verb |
---|---|
sorrow in reported speech | Exclaimed with sorrow/ grief/ exclaimed sorrowfully or cried out |
happiness in reported speech | exclaimed with joy/ delight/ exclaimed joyfully |
surprise in reported speech | exclaimed with surprise/ wonder/ astonishment" |
appreciation and it is being expressed strongly | applauded |
Interrogative sentences are of two types:
There are some rules to change direct to Indirect speech of Interrogative sentence:
Changes | Direct Speech Condition | Indirect Speech Condition |
---|---|---|
Reporting Verb | said/ said to | Asked, enquired or demanded. |
Joining Clause | If sentence begins with auxiliary verb | joining clause should be if or whether. |
If sentence begins with "wh" questions | then no conjunction is used as "question-word" itself act as joining clause. | |
Punctuation | Question Mark | Full Stop |
Helping Verbs | sentences is expressing positive feeling | do/does is removed from sentence. |
if 'No' is used in interrogative sentences | do/does is changed into did. | |
Did or has/have | Had |
In direct speech, various punctuation conventions are used to separate the quoted words from the rest of the text: this allows a reader to follow what's going on.
Here are the basic rules:
RULES | EXAMPLES |
---|---|
The words that are actually spoken should be enclosed in inverted commas | 'He's very clever, you know.' |
Start new paragraph every time when a new speaker says something. | 'They think it's a more respectable job,' said Joe. 'I don't agree,' I replied |
Comma, full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark must be present at the end of reported sentences. This is placed inside the closing inverted comma or commas. | 'Can I come in?' he asked. 'Just a moment!' she shouted. 'You're right,' he said. |
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. | Steve replied, 'No problem.' |
If the direct speech is broken up by information about who is speaking, comma (or a question mark or exclamation mark) is used to separate the two reported speech | 'You're right,' he said. 'It feels strange.' 'Thinking back,' she said, 'he didn't expect to win.' |
To change from Indirect to Direct Speech, keep the rules of the Direct Speech are applied in the reverse order.
The following table will enable to find the kind of sentence:
Indirect (Conjunction) | Direct (Kind of Sentence) |
---|---|
That | Statement (or) Exclamatory sentence |
to, not to | Imperative |
requested + to | Begin the imperative sentence with "please" |
if or whether | Interrogative sentence (Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + ...?) |
What, When, How etc., | (Wh or How + Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + ...?) |