Narration: Direct Speech and Indirect Speech

Determiners	VerbsList	Tense
Voice	Narration	Preposition

Direct and Indirect Speech

Table of Contents

Direct and Indirect Speech

What is Direct Speech

What is Indirect Speech

What is Reporting Verb

What is Reported Speech

Pronouns in Reported Speech

Rules for changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

• Rule 1
• Rule 2
• Rule 3
• Rule 4
• Rule 5
• Rule 6

Changes of time expression from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

Interrogative Sentences

Commands and Requests

Exclamations and Wishes

Direct and Indirect Speech

Narration

Narration

We communicate with others through speech. We utilize our speech to convey our own ideas and thoughts to different people that we come across everyday. We often speak to say the speech of any other person to still another person. This activity of exchanging communication takes place in two different ways; directly and indirectly, that we call Direct Speech and Indirect Speech.

What is Direct Speech?

In Direct Speech, we report the speaker’s or writer’s exact words. The following is an example of Direct Speech--

Jim says, “I never waste my time with losers.”

In this example, Jim’s speech is spoken as is and nothing is changed, so we can say it is Jim’s Direct Speech.

Always follow the following when you have a sentence in Direct Speech--

• Put exact words of the speaker or writer in inverted commas (“ ”).
• Put the first word of the reported speech in a capital letter.
• Put a comma after the reporting verb.

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What is Indirect Speech?

In Indirect Speech, we use substance of the spoken or written words of Direct Speech. It means we are changing a bit the exact words of the speaker or writer. Upon conversion of the above example into Indirect Speech, it will look like as follows--

Jim says that he never wastes his time with losers.

Always follow the following when you have a sentence in Indirect Speech--

• Do not put inverted commas in reported words.
• Do not put comma after the reporting verb.

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What is Reporting Verb?

In this example - Jim says, “I never waste my time with losers.” – Here, says is a reporting verb. Some of the reporting verbs are said, told, promised, and offered, which we will use in this lesson.

What is Reported Speech?

Let’s take the same example. Jim says, “I never waste my time with losers.” Here, “I never waste my time with losers” is called the Reported Speech.

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Pronouns in Reported Speech

When turning Direct Speech into Indirect Speech, the pronouns in Reported Speech are changed as follows--

Direct		Indirect
I	changes into	he, she
we	changes into	they
this	changes into	that
our	changes into	their
us	changes into	them
me	changes into	him, her
these	changes into	those

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Rules for changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

Rule 1: If the Reporting Verb is in the Present or Future tense, the verb in the Reported Speech is not changed at all.

See the examples below--

• Direct: He says, “I am unwell.”
• Indirect: He says that he is unwell.
  
  
• Direct: Reena is saying, “I have a ring.”
• Indirect: Reena is saying that she has a ring.
  
  
• Direct: She will say, “I am pretty.”
• Indirect: She will say that she is pretty.
  
  
• Direct: John says, “There is no milk in the jug.”
• Indirect: John says that there is no milk in the jug.

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Rule 2: If the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense, the verb in the Reported Speech is also changed to the Past Tense.

(a) The Simple Present becomes the Simple Past.

See the examples below--

• Direct: Jill said, “Jack works very hard.”
• Indirect: Jill said that Jack worked very hard.
  
  
• Direct: Tom said, “John exercises daily.”
• Indirect: Tom said that John exercised daily.

(b) The Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous

• Direct: She said, “Sheila is studying very hard to score good marks.”
• Indirect: She said that Sheila was studying very hard to score good marks.
  
  
• Direct: He said, “The girls are laughing.”
• Indirect: He said that the girls were laughing.

(c) The Present Perfect becomes the Past Perfect

• Direct: Tom said, “Timothy has finished his lunch.”
• Indirect: Tom said that Timothy had finished his lunch.
  
  
• Direct: He said, “Seema has written the letter.”
• Indirect: He said that Seema had written the letter.

(d) May is changed into might. Can is changed into could

• Direct: The doctor said, “The boy may recover soon.”
• Indirect: The doctor said that the boy might recover soon.
  
  
• Direct: I said, “I can do the sum.”
• Indirect: I said that I could do the sum.

(e) The Simple Past becomes the Past Perfect

• Direct: Jack said, “Jill returned at noon.”
• Indirect: Jack said that Jill had returned at noon.
  
  
• Direct: He said, “Meera watched TV in the morning.
• Indirect: He said that Meera had watched TV in the morning.

(f) The Past Continuous becomes the Past Perfect Continuous

• Direct: He said, “All were laughing at the clown.”
• Indirect: He said that all had been laughing at the clown.
  
  
• Direct: Jack said, “All the girls were dancing.”
• Indirect: Jack said that all the girls had been dancing.

(g) Shall is changed into should. Will is changed into would

• Direct: The teacher said, “Robert will not pass.”
• Indirect: The teacher said that Robert would not pass.
  
  
• Direct: I said, “I shall try to earn more money.”
• Indirect: I said that I should try to earn more money.

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Rule 3: (Exception to Rule 2). If the Reported Speech contains some universal fact, habitual fact, or proverbs, then the Simple Present in the Reported Speech is not changed into the corresponding Simple Past but remains unchanged.

See the examples below--

• Direct: She said, “My father eats breakfast at 8 a.m. everyday.”
• Indirect: She said that her father eats breakfast at 8 a.m. everyday.
  
  
• Direct: The teacher said, “Honesty is the best policy.”
• Indirect: The teacher said that honesty is the best policy.
  
  
• Direct: He said, “The earth moves round the sun.”
• Indirect: He said that the earth moves round the sun.
  
  
• Direct: She said, “God loves good deeds.”
• Indirect: She said that God loves good deeds.

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Changes in Pronouns

Rule 4: Pronouns of the first person in Direct Speech are changed in Indirect Speech to the same person as the subject of the introductory verb.

See the examples below--

• Direct: Tom said, “I am busy.”
• Indirect: Tom said that he was busy.
  
  
• Direct: He said, “I have done my work.”
• Indirect: He said that he had done his work.
  
  
• Direct: He says to us, “You are to blame.”
• Indirect: He says to us that we are to blame.
  
  
• Direct: I said, “I will not go there.”
• Indirect: I said that I would not go there.
  
  
• Direct: I said, “The teacher likes me.”
• Indirect: I said that the teacher liked me.

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Rule 5: Pronouns of the second person in Direct Speech are changed in Indirect Speech to the same person as the Noun or Pronoun which comes after the introductory verb.

See the examples below--

• Direct: Harry said to me, “You are wrong.”
• Indirect: Harry told me that I was wrong.
  
  
• Direct: Billy said to Tom, “You are a good boy.”
• Indirect: Billy told Tom that he was a good boy.
  
  
• Direct: Harry said to him, “You have not done your work.”
• Indirect: Harry told him that he had not done his work.
  
  
• Direct: Jack said to her, “You have done your duty.”
• Indirect: Jack told her that she had done her duty.

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Rule 6: Pronouns of the Third Person in Direct Speech remain the same in Indirect Speech.

• Direct: Harry said to me, “He is ill.”
• Indirect: Harry told me that he was ill.
  
  
• Direct: He said to me, “She is not to blame.”
• Indirect: He told me that she was not to blame.

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Changes of time expression from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

When turning a sentence from Direct Speech into Indirect Speech, words showing nearness are changed into words showing distance.

See the list below--

Direct		Indirect
ago	changes into	before
come	changes into	go
here	changes into	there
hence	changes into	thence
hereby	changes into	thereby
last night	changes into	the previous night, the night before
last week	changes into	the previous week
month	changes into	the previous month
this	changes into	that
these	changes into	those
today	changes into	that day
tomorrow	changes into	the next day, the following day
yesterday	changes into	the previous day, the day before
tonight	changes into	that night

See the examples below--

• Direct: Bob said to her, “I will see you tomorrow.”
• Indirect: Bob told her that he would see her the next day.
  
  
• Direct: Jack said, “I am busy now.”
• Indirect: Jack said that he was busy then.
  
  
• Direct: Tina said, “It is very hot today.”
• Indirect: Tina said that it was very hot that day.
  
  
• Direct: I said, “These mangoes are sour.”
• Indirect: I said that those mangoes were sour.
  
  
• Direct: He said to me, “I finished the work long ago.”
• Indirect: He told me that he had finished the work long before.
  
  
• Direct: Harry said, “The boy is here.”
• Indirect: Harry said that the boy was there.”
  
  
• Direct: He said, “Jack may come tomorrow.”
• Indirect: He said that Jack might come the next day.
  
  
• Direct: Jill said, “Today is a nice day.”
• Indirect: Jill said that that day was a fine day.
  
  
• Direct: Marry said, “I will go to London tomorrow.”
• Indirect: Marry said that she would go to London the next day.
  
  
• Direct: Ram said, “I went to the cinema last night.”
• Indirect: Ram said that he had gone to the cinema the night before.
  
  
• Direct: Kim said, “This happened yesterday.”
• Indirect: Kim said that that had happened the day before.

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Interrogative Sentences

The same word is used to introduce the Reported Speech if the question begins with an interrogative pronoun or adverb, such as what, who, which, whom, when, where, how and why.

In reporting a Question in the Indirect speech, the Introductory Verb is changed to ask, inquire, demand and so on. Whether or if is used when the direct question has yes or no for an answer.

See the examples below--

• Direct: The teacher said to me, “What is your name?”
• Indirect: The teacher asked me what my name was.
  
  
• Direct: He said to her, “Where do you live?”
• Indirect: He asked her where she lived.
  
  
• Direct: He said to me, “How old are you?”
• Indirect: He asked me how old I was.
  
  
• Direct: The tourist said, “Where is the Taj Mahal?”
• Indirect: The tourist inquired where the Taj Mahal was.
  
  
• Direct: Peter said to me, “Do you play cricket?”
• Indirect: Peter asked me whether I played cricket.
  
  
• Direct: He said to me, “Have you done your work.”
• Indirect: He asked me if I had done my work.
  
  
• Direct: The lady said to Sean, “When did you meet my sister?”
• Indirect: The lady asked Sean when he had met her sister.

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Commands and Requests

If reporting a Command or a Request in the Indirect Speech, the Introductory Verb is changed to request, order, command, beseech, advise and so on.

See the examples below--

• Direct: I said to Karen, “Please give me your book.”
• Indirect: I requested Karen to give me his book.
  
  
• Direct: “Clean this place,” said the principal to the boys.
• Indirect: The principal ordered the boys to clean that place.
  
  
• Direct: She said to the magistrate, “Pardon my son.”
• Indirect: She begged the magistrate to pardon her son.
  
  
• Direct: The teacher said, “Work hard John.”
• Indirect: The teacher advised John to work hard.
  
  
• Direct: He said, “Be quiet and listen to the priest.”
• Indirect: He urged them to be quiet and listen to the priest.

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Exclamations and Wishes

In reporting an Exclamation or a Wish in the Indirect Speech, the introductory Verb is changed into wish, exclaim, pray, cry, bless and so on.

See the examples below--

• Direct: The old woman said, “May you live long and prosper!”
• Indirect: The old woman wished that he might live long and prosper.
  
  
• Direct: They said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.”
• Indirect: They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
  
  
• Direct: He said to her, “May God bless you!”
• Indirect: He prayed that God might bless her.
  
  
• Direct: He said, “Bravo! You have played well.”
• Indirect: He applauded him saying that he had played well.

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Determiners	VerbsList	Tense
Voice	Narration	Preposition