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:This post discusses in detail Direct and Indirect Speech Rules along with direct and indirect speech examples.
Table of Contents:
In this blog post, you will learn the following:
- Direct and Indirect Speech/Direct and Indirect Narration
- What is Direct Speech/Direct Narration
- Examples of Direct Speech/Direct Narration
- What is Indirect Speech/Indirect Narration
- Examples of Indirect Speech/Indirect Narration
- Changes in Reported verb according to the reported verb
- Changes of Present, Past, and Future Tenses in Direct and Indirect Narration
What is a Direct Speech?
A sentence describing exact words spoken by someone in speech marks (“”) is called direct speech. (Speech marks are also called Quotation Marks or Inverted Commas).
Example of Direct Speech/Narration :
Ali to Sara
Ali: How are you? Sara: I am fine.
Ahmed to Ali
Ahmed: How is Sara? Ali: Sara said, “I am fine.”
Indirect Speech:
What is an Indirect Speech?
A sentence describing words spoken by someone in his/her own words without speech marks. It does not use the person’s exact (actual) words. Instead of speech marks “that” is used. (Speech marks are also called Quotation Marks or Inverted Commas).
Example of Indirect Speech/Narration:
Ali to Sara
Ali: How are you? Sara: I am fine.
Ahmed to Ali
Ahmed: How is Sara? Ali: Sara said that she was fine.
Reported Speech & Reporting Speech:
Sara said, “I am fine.”
(The above Sentence has 2 parts)
1. Sara said (Reporting speech & Reporting Verb)
2. “I am fine” (Reported speech & Reported Verb)
Reporting Verb
There are two situations for Reporting verbs:
Situation 1: Verb in Present or Future Tense
Situation 2: Verb in Past Tense
Examples
Sara says, “I am ill”.
Ali will say, “I am ill”.
Ahmed said, “I am ill”.
Changes in Reported Verb According to Reporting Verb:
Situation 1: When the reporting verb is in the present or future tense; the reported verb does not change its tense.
Examples:
1. He says, “I learn the lesson”. (“Says” is a Present Tense Verb)
He says that he learns the lesson. (No change in Reporting Verb)
2. She will say, “I learn the lesson”. (“Will say” is Future Tense Verb)
She will say that she learns the lesson. (No change in Reporting Verb)
Situation 2: When the reporting verb is in the past tense; the reported verb will change its tense.
Examples:
1. He said, “I learn the lesson”. (“Said” is Past Tense Verb)
He said that he learned the lesson. (Reporting Verb will Change)
2. She said, “I am learning the lesson”. (“Said” is Past Tense Verb)
She said that she was learning the lesson. (Reporting Verb will Change)
Changes in Present Tense:
Examples of Present Tense Changes:
Present Simple/Indefinite
Aiza said, “I eat a mango.”
Aiza said that she ate a mango.
Present Continuous/Progressive
Ali said, “I am buying books”.
Ali said that he was buying books.
Present Perfect
Ahmed and Ali said, “We have passed the exam.”
Ahmed and Ali said that they had passed the exam.
Present Perfect Continuous
People said, “We have been facing many problems since 1990.”
People said that they had been facing many problems since 1990.
Changes of Past Tense:
Examples of Past Tense Changes:
Past Simple/Indefinite
Aiza said, “I ate a mango.”
Aiza said that she had eaten a mango.
Past Continuous/Progressive
Ali said, “I was buying books”.
Ali said that he had been buying books.
Past Perfect
Ahmed and Ali said, “We had passed the exam.”
Ahmed and Ali said that they had passed the exam.
Past Perfect Continuous
People said, “We had been facing many problems since 1990.”
People said that they had been facing many problems since 1990.
Changes of Future Tense:
Examples of Future Tense Changes:
Future Simple/Indefinite
Aiza said, “I will eat mango.”
Aiza said that she would eat mango.
Future Continuous/Progressive
Ali said, “I will be buying books”.
Ali said that he would be buying books.
Future Perfect
Ahmed and Ali said, “We will have passed the exam.”
Ahmed and Ali said that they would have passed the exam.
Future Perfect Continuous
People said, “We will have been facing many problems since 1990.”
People said that they would have been facing many problems since 1990.
Changes of Questions/Interrogative Sentences:
Questions are of 2 types:
Type 1 Questions
General or Yes/No Questions: Starting with the Helping Verb and Requiring a yes/no answer.
Example:
Question: Are you busy?
Answer: Yes/No
Type 2 Questions
Special or Wh-Questions: Starting with WH Family Word and Requiring detailed answers.
Example:
Question: What is your name?
Answer: Faiza
Changes of Questions Starting with Helping Verbs:
Reporting verb changes into asked and that changes into if/whether
The question changes into a positive statement or sentence.
Example:
Question Type 1:
Question: He said to me, “Do you like music?”
Answer: He asked me if/whether I liked music.
Changes of Questions Starting with WH-Family Word:
Reporting verb changes into asked and that/if/whether are removed.
The question changes into a positive statement or sentence.
Example:
Question Type 2:
Question: He said to me, “What are you reading?”
Answer: He asked me what I was reading.
Changes of Modal Verbs
Can changes to Could
May changes to Might
Must changes to Had to
Should changes to Should
Would changes to Would
Might changes to Might
Could changes to Could
Examples of Direct & Indirect Narration of Sentences with Modal Verbs:
1. She said, “I can sing a song”.
She said that she could sing a song.
2. He said, “I may go to Lahore”.
He said that he might go to Lahore.
3. They said, “We must study for the exam”.
They said that they had to study for the exam.
4. Sara said, “I should take a good decision.”
Sara said that she should take a good decision.
5. Ahmed and Akbar said to me, “We would wait for you.”
Ahmed and Akbar told me that they would wait for me.
6. Ali said, “I might eat something”.
Ali said that he might eat something.
7. Naima’s mother said, “We could leave the house.”
Naima’s mother said that they could leave the house.
Indirect Speech for Imperative Sentences:
What is an Imperative Sentence?
A sentence that expresses a request, order, or advice is called an imperative sentence.
Examples:
Please help me. (Request)
Respect the elders. (Advice)
Shut the door. (Order)
(For these sentences, the following reporting verbs are used: requested, ordered, advised, forbade, etc., and after these verbs to or not to are used).
Examples of Direct & Indirect Narration of Imperative Sentences:
Request
He said to me, “Please help me.”
He requested me to help him.
Advice
The doctor said to the patient, “Take medicine timely.”
The doctor advised the patient to take medicine timely.
Order
He said to me, “Open the door.” He ordered me to open the door.
Advice
The teacher said to the student, “Do not waste water.”
The teacher advised the student not to waste water.
Indirect Speech for Exclamatory Sentences:
What is an Exclamatory Sentence?
A sentence that expresses sudden emotion or feeling of happiness, sorrow, surprise, wonder, or joy is called an exclamatory sentence.
Examples:
Hurrah! We won the match. (Joy)
Alas! My father died in an accident. (sorrow)
Wow! What a beautiful car. (Wonder)
(For these sentences, the following reporting verbs are used: exclaimed with joy, exclaimed with sorrow, exclaimed with wonder, etc., and after these verbs “that” is used).
Exclamatory Word & Emotion Indirect Speech
Happiness or Joy (Hurrah) Exclaimed with Joy
Sorrow or grief (Alas) Exclaimed with sorrow
Wonder or Surprise (Wow/What/How) Exclaimed with wonder
Disgust or anger or Contempt (Fie) Exclaimed with disgust/anger
Applaud or Praise or Commend (Bravo) Applauded/Praised/Commended
Regret (Oh) Exclaimed with Regret
Examples of Direct & Indirect Narration of Exclamatory Sentences:
Happiness or Joy (Hurrah)
He said, “Hurrah! I won the match.”
He exclaimed with joy that he had won the match.
Sorrow or grief (Alas)
He said, “Alas! My father has died.”
He exclaimed with sorrow that his father had died.
Wonder or Surprise (Wow/What/How)
She said, “Wow! What a beautiful scene.”
She exclaimed with wonder what a beautiful scene it was.
Applaud or Praise or Commend (Bravo)
The commander said to him, “Bravo! You did well”.
The commander applauded him that he had done well.
Disgust or anger or Contempt (Fie)
The woman said to her, “Fie! Go away from here.
The woman exclaimed with anger that she should go away from here.
Regret (Oh)
The man said to me, “Oh! I made a mistake”.
The man regretted that he had made a mistake.
Indirect Speech for Optative Sentences:
What is an Optative Sentence?
A sentence that expresses a wish, prayer, blessing, or curse is known as an optative sentence. These sentences always start with “May” and “Would that”.
Examples:
Would that I were rich! (wish)
May you succeed in the exam! (Prayer)
May your enemy go to hell! (Curse)
(In indirect speech exclamation mark is removed)
Examples of Direct & Indirect Narration of Optative Sentences:
He said, “May you live long!” (Prayer)
He prayed that I might live long.
She said, “Would that I were rich.” (Wish)
She wished that she were rich.
He said, “May your enemy go to hell”. (Curse)
He cursed that my enemy might go to hell.
Changes in Time and Adverb
Direct Indirect
Here There
Today That day
This That
These Those
Now Then
Thus So
Hence Thence
Tomorrow The next day
Yesterday The previous day
Last night The previous night
Last week The previous week
Tonight That night
The next day The following day
Say Say
Says Says
Say to Tell
Says to Tells
Said Said
Said to Told
Will say Will say
Rules for the changes of Pronouns:
1. First-person pronouns in the reported speech of Direct Narration (I, we, me, mine, us, ours) normally change to the third-person pronouns in Indirect Speech (he, she, they, his, her, their, him, her, them).
2. There will be no change in the pronoun when the speaker reports his own words.
3. Second-person pronouns (you, yours) change according to the person or the object of the reporting verb.
4. Third-person pronouns do not normally change in the reported speech.
Final Words:
This post discusses in detail Direct and Indirect Speech Rules along with direct and indirect speech examples. It explains the concept of Direct and Indirect Speech in detail. The main components of the blog post are:
- Direct and Indirect Speech/Direct and Indirect Narration
- What is Direct Speech/Direct Narration
- Examples of Direct Speech/Direct Narration
- What is Indirect Speech/Indirect Narration
- Examples of Indirect Speech/Indirect Narration
- Changes in Reported verb according to the reported verb
- Changes of Present, Past, and Future Tenses in Direct and Indirect Narration
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