DIRECT AND INDIRECT

SPEECH

Name : Hassan Ali

Registration Number : EE133009
Table of Slides
• Direct and Indirect speech
• Definition and difference
• Rules for changing direct speech into indirect speech
• Changes to remember
• Tense change
• Time change
• Pronoun change
• Examples
• Rules for changing indirect speech into direct speech
• Examples
• Sources
Definition and Difference
 Direct or quoted speech is a sentence that reports speech
or thought in its original form, as phrased by the original
speaker. It is usually enclosed in quotation marks.
 Indirect speech, also called reported speech , is a
sentence that reports speech or thought without quoting the
exact words(original form).
 Example:
Direct : John said, ‘ I am very busy now.’
Indirect : John said that he was very busy then.
 From the above example the difference between both is that
the direct speech is always contain inverted commas to mark
off the exact words of the speaker and in the indirect speech
there are no inverted commas.
 Rules for changing direct speech
into indirect.
 Rule 1: When the reporting verb(spoken statements like say,ask,ordered,laughed) is in the past tense , all
present tenses are changed into corresponding past tense.
 Simple present Simple past
 Present continuous Past continuous
 Present perfect Past perfect
 Rule 2: The tenses may not change if the statement is a universal truth. Its your choice to keep the original
tenses or make changes.
 Rule 3: If the reporting verb is in the present tense, the tenses of the direct speech do not change.
 Rule 4: The pronouns of the direct speech are changed where necessary. It depends upon the speaker and
hearer. Do not indicate the original speaker.
 Rule 5: Words expressing time are changed into words expressing distance.
For example: Now becomes then, today becomes that day.
 Rule 6: If the thing in the direct speech is near at hand then
 This that
 These those
 Rule 7: In reporting(direct) question the indirect speech is introduced by some such verbs as asked, inquired.
 Rule 8: In reporting commands and requests, the indirect speech is introduced by some verbs expressing
command or request such as ordered, urged, shouted.
 Rule 9: In reporting exclamations and wishes the indirect speech is introduced by some verb expressing
exclamation or a wish like Alas, Bravo, Heaven.
 Changes to remember
1) Tense Change Part 1
Direct speech Indirect speech
Present simple Past simple
` ›
She said, "It's cold." She said it was cold.

Present continuous Past continuous

›
She said, "I'm teaching English online." She said she was teaching English online.

Present perfect simple Past perfect simple

›
She said, "I've been on the web since 1999." She said she had been on the web since 1999.

Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

She said, "I've been teaching English for seven › She said she had been teaching English for
years." seven years.

Past simple Past perfect

›
She said, "I taught online yesterday." She said she had taught online yesterday.

Past continuous Past perfect continuous

›
She said, "I was teaching earlier." She said she had been teaching earlier.

Past perfect Past perfect

She said, "The lesson had already started when › NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had already
he arrived." started when he arrived.

Past perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

She said, "I'd already been teaching for five › NO CHANGE - She said she'd already been
minutes." teaching for five minutes.
Changes to remember
1) Tense change Part 2(Future
tense)
Direct speech Indirect speech
will would
She said, "I'll teach › She said she would teach
English online tomorrow." English online tomorrow.
can could
She said, "I can teach › She said she could teach
English online." English online.
must had to
She said, "I must have a She said she had to have
›
computer to teach a computer to teach
English online." English online.
shall should
She said, "What shall we › She asked what we
learn today?" should learn today.
may might
She said, "May I open a › She asked if she might
new browser?" open a new browse
Changes to remember
2) Time Change
Now Then
Here There
Ago Before
Thus So
Today That day
Tomorrow The next day
Yesterday The day before
Last night The night before
Changes to remember
3) Pronoun Change

Me You
Direct Speech

She said, "I teach English online."

"I teach English online", she said.
Reported Speech
"I teach English online."
She said she teaches English
online.
or
She said she taught English
online.
 Examples
DIRECT INDIRECT
"The exhibition finished last week," James explained that the exhibition
explained James had finished the preceding week
She said, "Today's lesson is on "Today's lesson is on presentations,"
presentations." she said.
He asked, "Why are you studying He asked me why I was studying
English?" English.
‘Where is the post office?’ asked the The stranger asked where the post
stranger. office was.

The speaker said, ‘Be quiet and listen He urged them to be quiet and listen
to my words. to them.
She said to me, ‘Please wait here till I She asked me to wait there till she
return.’ returned.
Rules for changing indirect into
direct
The conversion of indirect into direct generally
presents no special difficulties, as following
example will show :-
 Indirect : He inquired whether his name was
not Ahmed?
Direct : He said to him , ‘Is not your name
Ahmed’.
Sources
English book by wren & Martin