Direct and Indirect Speech

Rules
READING AND WRITING SKILLS
 Identify Reporting Verb and Reported Speech

REPORTING
DIRECT SPEECH SENTENCE REPORTED SPEECH
SPEECH
He said, " I am looking for reported speech He said, I am looking for reported speech
definition" definition"

She said, "I teach direct and indirect speech" She said, "I teach direct and indirect speech"

"Alex says, "I am happy to see you" Alex says, "I am happy to see you"

Mark said, "I will write a letter to the Mark said, "I will write a letter to the manager"
manager"
Direct and Indirect Speech Punctuation Rules

1. Inverted comma are excluded

2. The question mark is converted into a full stop
3. The exclamation mark is silenced
4. Comma, in some cases, is used
 Direct and Indirect Speech Punctuation Rules

PUNCTUATION
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
OMITTED
Alex said, " I am quite good here" Alex said that he was quite good there Quotation marks

Mark said, "How old your puppy is? Mark asked how old my puppy was Question mark

Alex said, "Hurrah! such a cool day Alex exclaimed with joy that it was a cold day Sign of
Exclamation

Alex said, " I, who am the winner, shall Alex said, he, who was the winner, would Comma retained
appear tomorrow appear the next day
 Use of Conjunction “that”

 Use of the word “that” to connect the reporting speech with the
reported speech. However, there is a certain exception where ‘that’
is excluded.
 Use of Conjunction “that”

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

He said, "we are going to a dancing concert." He said that they were going to a dancing concert.

She said, " I have to obey my father's commands." She said that she had to obey her father's commands.

The Policemen said, "Did you see anyone here." The Policemen asked if I had seen anyone there.

I said, "We should listen to the demands of students.“ I said that we should listen to the demands of the
She says, “open your books”. students.
She orders to open our books.
 Use of Conjunction

Who, where, when, why, what, which, how

She says, “when will you come.”
She says when will I come.

‘Said’ in reporting verb is changed into ‘told’ when takes an objective pronoun with it, e.g. “said to
me” into “told me”.
She said to me, "It is not a profitable business."
She told me that it was not a profitable business.
 Rules for Changing Pronouns in Indirect
Speech (First Person)

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

She said, " I am quite fine here." She said that she was quite fine there.
He said, " I write everyday." He said that he wrote everyday.
They said, " We have made good progress." They said that had made good progress.
She said, " My job is writing a letter." She said that her job was writing a letter.
They said, " we have good friends." They said that they had good friends.
I said, " I am making practice of reported speech." I said that I was making practice of reported speech.

We said, " We are learning English." We said that we were learning English.
 Rules for Changing Pronouns in Indirect
Speech (Second Person)

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

He said to her, " You are an intelligent He said to her that she was an intelligent girl
girl."
She said to him, " You are not real." She said to him that he was not real

He said to me," You are a clever guy." He said to me that I was a clever guy

She said to Alex, " You are cool guy." She said to Alex that he was a cool guy
 Rules for Changing Pronouns in Indirect
Speech (Third Person)

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

He said, "They prefer singing." He said that they preferred singing

They said, "It is hard to bear cold." They said that it was hard to bear cold

Alex said, "He likes chocolate." Alex said that he liked chocolate

They said, "She is waiting for Alex." They said that she was waiting for Alex
 Universal truth

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

Sunny said, " Earth is round." Sunny said that earth is round.

Martin said, " There is God." Martin said that there is God.

Maria said, " Honesty is the best policy." Maria said that honesty is the best policy.

Father said, "Truth never fails." Father said that the truth never fails.
DIRECT SPEECH WORD INDIRECT SPEECH WORD
Today That day
Yesterday The day before
Rules
Tomorrow
for Change in Time and Adverb
The next day
in
Now Indirect Speech Then
Ago Before
Here There
This That
Next week The following week
Next month The following month
Thus So
Last night The night before
Can Could
May Might
Must Had to
These Those
Sir, madam Respectfully
Examples
He said, "I am waiting here for you" He said that he was waiting there for me.

She said, "We will come tomorrow" She said that she would come the next day.

They said, "It is hot today" They said that it was hot that day.

I said, "I found a purse yesterday" I said that I found a purse a day before.

Alex said, "It is good time now to see him" Alex said that it was good time then to see him.
Change in Tense Form
DIRECT SPEECH
Alex says, " I love to learn
reported speech."
Alex said, "I am in the
classroom."
Maria said, " I will learn
English soon."
Lara will say, " I am
writing a letter."
INDIRECT SPEECH
Alex says that he loves to
learn reported speech.
Alex said that he was in the
classroom.
Maria said that she would
learn English soon.
Lara will say that she is
writing a letter.
 Indirect Speech Rules for All Tenses

TENSE CHANGE
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
RULES
Present Simple into Alex said, "I always wait for Alex said that he always waited
Past Simple Tense Mark here for Mark there.
Present Continuous Alex said, "I am waiting for Alex said that he was waiting for
into Past Continuous Mark" Mark
Present Perfect into Alex said, "I have completed Alex said that he had completed
Past Perfect my essay" his essay.
Present Perfect Alex said, "I have been Alex said that he had been
Continuous into Past Perfect waiting for Mark" waiting for Mark.
Continuous
Simple past into Past Perfect Tense Alex said, "Mark Alex said that Mark had received a
received a letter" letter.

Indirect Speech
Past Perfect into Past Perfect Tense
Rules for All Tenses
Alex said, "I had Alex said that he had listened to his
listened to your questions.
questions”

He said, “It was He said that it had been raining the

Past continuous into past perfect continuous raining yesterday.” last day.
Future simple tense (will into would)' Alex said, "I will Alex said that he would teach me
teach you reported reported speech.
speech"
Future Continuous (will be into would be) Alex said, "I will be Alex said that he would be teaching
teaching you me reported speech.
reported speech"
Future Perfect Tense (Will have into would have) Alex said, "I will Alex said that he would have
have written a written a letter.
letter"
Change in Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are changed in indirect speech-like:

Can into Could, May into Might, Must into had to.
However, some Modals like, Would, could, might, should,
ought to, are not changed in indirect speech.
Change in Modal Verbs
Alex said, "I can swim"
He said, "It may rain today"
She said, "I must run fast"
They said, "They would speak
English"
He said, "It might cost me more
money"
Alex said that he could swim.
He said that it might rain that day.
She said that she had to run fast.
They said that they would speak
English.
He said that it might cost him
more money.
Imperative sentences consist of command,
request, order, suggestion, or advice)
MOOD OF
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
SENTENCE
Alex said, "please come here" Request Alex requested to come
there.
Mark said to him, "Do not take this Advice Mark advised students not to
exercise easy" take that exercise easy.
Dentist said to Alex, "Stay away Advice/Sugge The dentist advised Alex to
from smoking" stion stay away from Smoking.
He said to the guard, "open the Oder He ordered guard to open the
door" door.
He said, "Lets wait for Alex here" Suggestion He suggested to wait for
Alex there.
 Indirect Speech for Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamatory
sentences express the state of grief, wonder, or happiness)

MOOD OF
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
SENTENCE

Alex said, "Hurrah! I have solved Joy
reported speech pdf assignment"
Alex said, "Alas! I have failed the exam" Sorrow
Alex said, "How cool the weather is!" Wonder
She said, "Vow! what a good watch it is" Wonder
Alex expressed with joy that he had
solved reported speech pdf assignment.
Alex expressed with sorrow that he had
failed the exam.
Alex expressed with wonder that it was
the cool weather.
She exclaimed with wonder that it was a
good watch.
Direct and Indirect Speech with Optative Sentences(The
sentence in which we express hope, the prayer of any wish,
is called optative sentences.)

1. Understand the sentence whether it shows prayer, hope or

wish.
2. Omit the word ‘May’ or ‘Would that from the start of
reported speech and replace said with ‘prayed’ and ‘wished’,
respectively.

3. Replace mark of Exclamation with a full stop.

Examples
INDIRECT
DIRECT SPEECH
SPEECH
The beggar said, "May The beggar prayed
God, you be lucky that I might be lucky
today." that day.

He said, "Would that! He wished that his

father had not listened father had not
to his call." listened to his call.

She said, "O that! a She wished for a

single last chance to single last chance to
meet my son." meet her son.
The teacher said, "May The teacher prayed
God bless you a that God might bless
success." me for success.
Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentences

1. Punctuation marks (comma, inverted comma, question

marks ) are removed.
2. The conjunction “that” is omitted.
3. Interrogative form is changed into the assertive form of
the sentence.
4. ‘Said’ is changed into asked or inquired.
5. Use ‘if or whether if the reported speech is starting with
auxiliary verbs.
Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentences
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
He said to me, "Will you be here He asked me whether I would be there the
tomorrow?" next day.
Mother said to son, "Do you think to Mother asked son if he thought to disobey
disobey me?" her.
Teacher said, "Do you know the exact Teacher asked students whether they
answer?" knew the exact answer.
She said to me, "What is the name of She asked me what was the name of great
great Mughal King?" Mughal King.
They said, "What is the schedule of They asked what was the schedule of
examination?" examination.
He said to me, "Have you been to He asked me if I had been to Turkey.
Turkey?"
Further Study

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/reported-speech/reported-
speech-indirect-speech
https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/reported.htm
https://www.thoughtco.com/backshift-sequence-of-tense-rule-in-grammar-1689017
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercise-1.html
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercise-4.html
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?10