INTERNATIONAL INDIAN SCHOOL, DAMMAM

BOYS MIDDLE SECTION

E-LEARNING NOTES 2020-21
CLASS: VIII SUBJECT: ENGLISH Prepared by: Jyothsna
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Lesson No & Name: L-3 Glimpses of the Past (Reported Speech) Text Book Page No: 46

Direct Speech: We may y quote the actual words used by the speaker.
Eg: He said, “I am tired of hearing these complaints.”
Indirect or Reported) Speech: We may give an account of what another person has said.
Eg: He said that he was tired of hearing those complaints.
Examine the following sentences, and notice the changes that are made in converting a
sentence from Direct to Indirect Speech:
He said, “I am glad to be here this evening.”
He said that he was glad to be there that evening.
(a) The inverted commas are omitted.
(b) The pronoun I, of the first person, is changed to the pronoun he, of the third person.
(c) The verb am (present tense) is changed to was (past tense).
(d) The adverb here (expressing nearness) is changed to there (expressing distance).
(e) The demonstrative adjective this is changed to that.

Interrogatives: (Remember the rules)

Change the question into a Statement.
1. Change SAID / SAID TO into ASKED (enquired).
2. Change Conjunction word THAT into IF or WHETHER.
3. Change of Personal Pronoun, tense and Special words.
4. Remove commas, quotation marks and question marks.
If question starts with 'question word' (what when, where, how etc) then we will use the same
question word in our indirect speech
Example - Tom said to me, 'How are you?’ Tom asked me how I was.

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 INTERNATIONAL INDIAN SCHOOL, DAMMAM
BOYS MIDDLE SECTION
E-LEARNING NOTES 2020-21
CLASS: VIII SUBJECT: ENGLISH Prepared by: Jyothsna
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Examples:
1. Atif said. “What is your name?”
Atif asked me what my name was.

2. He said, “How is your brother?”

He asked me how my brother was.

3. The policeman said to the boy, “Where do you live?”

The policeman asked the boy where he lived.

4. Sheema said to her sister, “What time does the train arrive?”
Sheema asked her sister what time the train arrived.

5. Rahul said, “When can we have dinner?”

Rahul asked when they could have dinner.

6. Peter said to John, “Why are you so late?”

Peter asked John why he was so late.

Working with Language

Q1. Change the following sentences into indirect speech.

(1) First man: We must educate our brothers.

Second man: And try to improve their material conditions.
Third man: For that we must convey our grievances to the British Parliament.
The first man said that _______________a____________________________
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The second man added that ___________b___________________________
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The third man suggested that __________c__________________________
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Q2. First soldier: The white soldier gets huge pay, mansions and servants.
Second soldier: We get a pittance and slow promotions.
Third soldier: Who are the British to abolish our customs?
The first soldier said that _____________a___________________________
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The second soldier remarked that _______b_________________________
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The third soldier asked _________________c__________________________

Ans. (1) (a) they must educate their brothers.

(b) should try to improve their material conditions,
(c) they must convey their grievances to the British Parliament.

2. (a)the white soldier got huge pay, mansions and servants.

(b) they got a pittance and slow, promotions.
(c) who were the British to abolish their customs.

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