direct
indirect
reported clause
statement
-clause
question
clause clause
clause
command
-infinitive clause
Indirect speech: reporting statements
Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that -clause. We often omit that , especially in informal situations:
The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as the plane came in to land. (The pilot’s words were: ‘The weather was extremely bad as the plane came in to land.’ )
I told my wife I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday. ( that -clause without that ) (or I told my wife that I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday .)
Reporting yes-no questions and alternative questions.
Indirect reports of yes-no questions and questions with or consist of a reporting clause and a reported clause introduced by if or whether . If is more common than whether . The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:
She asked if [S] [V] I was Scottish. (original yes-no question: ‘Are you Scottish?’ )
The waiter asked whether [S] we [V] wanted a table near the window. (original yes-no question: ‘Do you want a table near the window? )
He asked me if [S] [V] I had come by train or by bus. (original alternative question: ‘Did you come by train or by bus?’ )
Questions: yes-no questions ( Are you feeling cold? )
Indirect reports of wh -questions consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a wh -word ( who, what, when, where, why, how ). We don’t use a question mark:
He asked me what I wanted.
Not: He asked me what I wanted?
The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:
She wanted to know who [S] we [V] had invited to the party.
Not: … who had we invited …
In indirect questions with who, whom and what , the wh- word may be the subject or the object of the reported clause:
I asked them who came to meet them at the airport. ( who is the subject of came ; original question: ‘Who came to meet you at the airport?’ )
He wondered what the repairs would cost. ( what is the object of cost ; original question: ‘What will the repairs cost?’ )
She asked us what [S] we [V] were doing . (original question: ‘What are you doing?’ )
Not: She asked us what were we doing?
We also use statement word order (subject + verb) with when , where, why and how :
I asked her when [S] it [V] had happened (original question: ‘When did it happen?’ ).
Not: I asked her when had it happened?
I asked her where [S] the bus station [V] was . (original question: ‘Where is the bus station?’ )
Not: I asked her where was the bus station?
The teacher asked them how [S] they [V] wanted to do the activity . (original question: ‘How do you want to do the activity?’ )
Not: The teacher asked them how did they want to do the activity?
Questions: wh- questions
Indirect reports of commands consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a to -infinitive:
The General ordered the troops to advance . (original command: ‘Advance!’ )
The chairperson told him to sit down and to stop interrupting . (original command: ‘Sit down and stop interrupting!’ )
We also use a to -infinitive clause in indirect reports with other verbs that mean wanting or getting people to do something, for example, advise, encourage, warn :
They advised me to wait till the following day. (original statement: ‘You should wait till the following day.’ )
The guard warned us not to enter the area. (original statement: ‘You must not enter the area.’ )
Verbs followed by a to -infinitive
We can use the reporting verb in the present simple in indirect speech if the original words are still true or relevant at the time of reporting, or if the report is of something someone often says or repeats:
Sheila says they’re closing the motorway tomorrow for repairs.
Henry tells me he’s thinking of getting married next year.
Rupert says dogs shouldn’t be allowed on the beach. (Rupert probably often repeats this statement.)
We often use the present simple in newspaper headlines. It makes the reported speech more dramatic:
JUDGE TELLS REPORTER TO LEAVE COURTROOM
PRIME MINISTER SAYS FAMILIES ARE TOP PRIORITY IN TAX REFORM
Present simple ( I work )
Reported speech
Reported speech: direct speech
In indirect speech, we can use the past continuous form of the reporting verb (usually say or tell ). This happens mostly in conversation, when the speaker wants to focus on the content of the report, usually because it is interesting news or important information, or because it is a new topic in the conversation:
Rory was telling me the big cinema in James Street is going to close down. Is that true?
Alex was saying that book sales have gone up a lot this year thanks to the Internet.
‘Backshift’ refers to the changes we make to the original verbs in indirect speech because time has passed between the moment of speaking and the time of the report.
direct speech | indirect speech |
not very happy at work.’ | not very happy at work. |
going home.’ | going home. |
be late.’ | be late. |
been working,’ she said. | . |
to make her so angry?’ he asked. | to make her so angry. |
In these examples, the present ( am ) has become the past ( was ), the future ( will ) has become the future-in-the-past ( would ) and the past ( happened ) has become the past perfect ( had happened ). The tenses have ‘shifted’ or ‘moved back’ in time.
direct | indirect | |
present simple | → | past simple |
present continuous | → | past continuous |
present perfect simple | → | past perfect simple |
present perfect continuous | → | past perfect continuous |
past simple | → | past perfect simple |
past continuous | → | past perfect continuous |
future (will) | → | future-in-the-past (would) |
past perfect | ↔ | past perfect (no change) |
The past perfect does not shift back; it stays the same:
Direct speech | Indirect speech |
| already left. |
Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift back’ in time and change in indirect speech.
direct speech | indirect speech | change | |
| be there,’ he promised. | be there. | becomes |
| need more money.’ I open it?’ she asked. | need more money. open it. | usually becomes in reported questions, becomes |
| see you at 2.30,’ he added. | see me at 2.30. | becomes |
| be back later,’ she said. wait in the hallway,’ he said. | be back later. wait in the hallway. | (possibility) becomes (permission) becomes |
| pay by 30th April.’ be awful to live in such a noisy place,’ she said. | pay by 30th April. be awful to live in such a noisy place. | (obligation) usually becomes (speculation) does not change |
| sell it for about 2,000 euros,’ he said. | sell it for about 2,000 euros. | no change |
| go there immediately,’ she said. | go there immediately. | no change |
| buy it if I had the money,’ he said. | buy it if he had the money. | no change |
| snow tonight,’ he warned. | snow that night. | no change |
| come till six o’clock,’ he said. | come till six o’clock. | no change |
We can use a perfect form with have + - ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past:
He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ )
He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’ )
Used to and ought to do not change in indirect speech:
She said she used to live in Oxford. (original statement: ‘I used to live in Oxford.’ )
The guard warned us that we ought to leave immediately. (original statement: ‘You ought to leave immediately.’ )
We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:
He told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.)
She said she ’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)
He said he ’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.)
She promised she ’ll help us. (The promise applies to the future.)
Changes to personal pronouns in indirect reports depend on whether the person reporting the speech and the person(s) who said the original words are the same or different.
direct | indirect | |
don’t want to shock people,’ Tom said. | said he didn’t want to shock people. | different speakers ( changes to ) |
’ll look after Toby,’ I said. | said I would look after Toby. | same speaker (no change) |
need to be here at nine o’clock,’ George told Beatrice. | told Beatrice she needed to be there at nine o’clock. | different speakers ( changes to ) |
hope you will join us tonight,’ I said to James. | told James I hoped he would join us that night. | same speaker (no change to ; changes to ) |
We often change demonstratives ( this, that ) and adverbs of time and place ( now, here, today , etc.) because indirect speech happens at a later time than the original speech, and perhaps in a different place.
direct speech | indirect speech |
.’ | the next/following day. |
this moment in time.’ | . |
.” | . |
,’ the boy protested. | . |
direct | indirect | |
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The word order in indirect reports of wh- questions is the same as statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order:
She always asks me where [S] [V] I am going .
Not: She always asks me where am I going .
We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh- questions:
I asked him what he was doing.
Not: I asked him what he was doing?
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Home / English Grammar / Direct and Indirect Speech Rules with Examples (Updated)
Understanding Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for conversion is crucial for effective communication. This updated guide explains the key rules, including how to choose the right reporting verbs, handle tense changes, and accurately convert speech. With clear examples and practical tips, it’s an ideal resource for students, ESL learners, and exam preparation.
Direct speech is a form of reporting that presents someone’s exact words without any alterations. It is commonly enclosed in quotation marks.
Direct speech consists of the following elements.
Explanation: “I shall not go to school,” are the exact words of Riya, enclosed in quotation marks/inverted commas (“….”). This format, which uses commas and quotation marks/inverted commas, is called direct speech . In this sentence, ‘Riya’ is the subject or speaker, ‘says’ is the reporting verb, and ‘I shall not go to school’ is the reported speech.
For examples,
People also ask
Indirect speech , on the other hand, involves paraphrasing someone’s words and reporting them indirectly, without using quotation marks. It requires a few changes in structure, such as tense and pronoun.
Similarly, we can report the above sentence without quoting Riya’s exact words while keeping the meaning the same. This format is called indirect speech. In this format, no commas or quotation marks/inverted commas are used; only a full stop (.) is used at the end of the sentence.
Direct Speech: “We can’t be quite happy in life,” he said. Indirect Speech: He said that they couldn’t be quite happy in life.
Direct Speech: He said, “The Muslims bury their dead.” Indirect Speech: He said that the Muslims bury their dead.
Direct Speech: “You’ve overcooked the steak again, Mary”, he said. Indirect Speech: He told Mary that she had overcooked the steak again.
Direct Speech: Ramen said to Bina, “I’m going to your house this, week.” Indirect Speech: Ramen told Bina that he was going to her house that week.
Direct Speech: John said, “I am going to the store.” Indirect Speech: John said that he was going to the store.
Direct Speech: “I can’t believe it,” she whispered, “but I saw a unicorn in the garden.” Indirect Speech: She whispered that she couldn’t believe it but that she had seen a unicorn in the garden.
The following comparison highlights the key differences between direct and indirect speech rules, including punctuation, tense changes, and adjustments to pronouns and time references.
Quotes the exact words spoken. | Reports the message without quoting exactly. | |
Uses quotation marks (“…”). | No quotation marks are used. | |
Tense stays the same as originally spoken. | Tense often shifts back (e.g., present to past). | |
Pronouns remain the same. | Pronouns change to fit the reporting perspective. | |
Time references remain unchanged. | Time references often change (e.g., “today” becomes “that day”). | |
She said, “I am going to the store.” John asked, “Can you help me?” | She said that she was going to the store. John asked if I could help him. |
Discover the essential rules of direct and indirect speech with a variety of examples to improve your language skills. Effortlessly understand the intricacies of converting statements, questions, and commands from one form to another.
“Say” and “tell” are two frequently used reporting verbs. “Say” is generally followed by the reported speech, while “tell” is followed by the indirect object (the person being addressed).
Direct: He says , “I am your friend.” Indirect: He says that he is your friend.
Direct: He said to me, “I’m going to the store.” Indirect: She told me that he was going to the store.
say | say |
say to me | tell me |
says to them | tells them |
said | said |
said to him | told him |
shall/will say | shall/will say |
shall/will say to her | shall/will tell her |
When reporting questions , “ ask “ and “ inquire “ are commonly employed reporting verbs.
Direct: He said to me, “Where are you going?” Indirect: He asked where I was going.
Direct: She said , “When will the concert start?” Indirect: She inquired, “When will the concert start?”
Direct: Sarah said , “What time does the movie start?” Indirect: Sarah asked what time the movie started.
Direct: “Could you please provide more details?” she said to me. Indirect: She inquired politely if I could provide more details.
Direct: The customer said , “Do you have this item in stock?” Indirect: The customer i nquired if that item had in stock.
To report imperative sentences, “Request”, “Advise”, “Order”, and “beg” are often used.
Direct: “Please close the door,” she said . Indirect: She requested that the door be closed.
Direct: “You should study regularly,” he said. Indirect: He advised that regular studying should be done.
Direct: “Stand up straight,” the sergeant said . Indirect: The sergeant ordered that they stand up straight.
Direct: He said to me, “Go home at once” Indirect: He ordered me to go home at once.
Direct: She said , “Do not run in the sun” Indirect: She advised not to run in the sun.”
Direct: “Please forgive me,” she said. Indirect: She begged for forgiveness.
If the Reporting Verb is in the Present Tense , there is no change in the tense in the Reported Verb when Direct Speech is converted into Indirect Narration.
Direct: Arnab says , “The room is dark.” Indirect: Arnab says that the room is dark.
Direct: Arnab says , “The room was dark.” Indirect: Arnab says that the room was dark.
Direct: Arnab says , “I shall finish the work.” Indirect: Arnab says that he will finish the work.
Direct: Mary says , “I am going to the party.” Indirect: Mary says that she is going to the party.
Direct: He tells us, “I will finish the project by tomorrow.” Indirect: He tells us that he will finish the project by tomorrow.
If the Reporting Verb is in the Future Tense , there is no change in the tense in the Reported Verb when Direct Speech is converted into Indirect Narration.
Direct: Sarah will say , “I am going to the store.” Indirect: Sarah will say that she is going to the store.
Direct: John will say, “I have completed the assignment.” Indirect: John will say that he has completed the assignment.
Direct: Arnab will say, “The room is dark.” Indirect: Arnab will say that the room is dark.
Direct: Arnab will say , “The room was dark.” Indirect: Arnab will say that the room was dark.
Direct: Arnab will say, “I shall finish the work.” Indirect: Arnab will say that he will finish the work.
If the Reporting verb of the Direct Narration is in the Past Tense , the Present Tense of the Verb in the Reported Speech of Direct Narration is changed into the corresponding Past Tense in Indirect Narration .
Past He , | Present Indefinite ” I you” | Past Indefinite He said that he me. |
Past The teacher , | Universal Truth or Regular Habits ” The sun in the east.” | Remains Unchanged The teacher said that the sun in the east. |
Past She , | Present Continuous ” I a song.” | Past Continuous She said that she . |
Past Mother , | Present Perfect ” I cooking.” | Past Perfect Mother said that she cooking. |
Past Maria , | Past Indefinite “You the work.” | Past Perfect Maria said that I the work. |
Past Soumen , | Past Continuous ” I football.” | Soumen said that he football. |
Past Ravvi , | Past Perfect ” You me.” | Remains Unchanged Ravi said that I him. |
Past They said, | Shall/Will “We help him.” | Should/Would They said that they help him. |
Past Doctor , | Can / May ” You do it.” | Could / Might The doctor said that I do it. |
Direct: Rohan said , “She works hard.” Indirect: Rohan said that she worked hard.
Direct: Rohan said, “She is singing a song.” Indirect: Rohan said that she was singing a song.
Direct: The guest said shouting, “We have arrived .” Indirect: The guest shouted that they had arrived.
Direct: My sister said , “It has been raining hard for 3 days”. Indirect: My sister said that it had been raining hard for 3 days.
Direct: Father said, “I visited the Taj yesterday.” Indirect: Father said that he had visited the Taj the previous day.
Direct: The boys said, “They were traveling in the park.” Indirect: The boys said that they had been traveling in the park.
Direct: The reporters commented , “The Kohinoor had been lost long ago”. Indirect: The reporters commented that the Kohinoor had been lost long ago.
Direct: Jyotsna said, “ She had been doing the work for 3 hours”. Indirect: Jyotsna said that she had been doing the work for 3 hours.
The Tense of the Verb remains unchanged in Indirect Narration in cases of General Statements of Facts , Universal Truths , Commonplace Occurrences , and Habitual or Repeated Actions . No real change occurs in these cases. Only there will be present Tense alone.
Direct: The boy said to his mother, “ The sun rises in the East”. Indirect: The boy told his mother that the sun rises in the East. [ Universal Truth ]
Direct: The monk answered , “ Man is mortal”. Indirect: The monk answered that man is mortal. [ Universal Truth ]
Direct: The teacher told the students, “ Perseverance always leads to success.” Indirect: The teacher told the students that perseverance always leads to success.
First person.
(a) If the subject of the reported speech of direct form is in the first person, the subject of the reported speech will be replaced by the subject of the reporting verb in indirect form, but the number must be the same. [ singular > singular and plural > plural ]
Direct: She says, “ I am ill today.” Indirect: She says that she is ill that day.
(b) If the subject of the reported speech in the Direct Form is in the second person, the subject of the reported speech will be replaced by the object of the reporting verb in the indirect form, but the number must be the same. [ singular > singular and plural > plural ]
Direct: He says to me , ” You can do this work.” Indirect: He tells me that I can do that work.
(c) If the subject of the reported speech of Direct Form is in the third person, there will be no change in the person of the Indirect Form.
Direct: I said, “ He will not wait for his friend.” Indirect: I said that he would not wait for his friend.
I (1st person, singular) | me (1st person, singular) |
We (1st person, plural) | us (1st person, plural) |
You (2nd person, singular / plural) | You (2nd person, |
He (3rd person, singular) | him (3rd person, singular) |
She (3rd person, singular) | her (3rd person, singular) |
They (3rd person, plural) | them (3rd person, plural) |
In the case of demonstrative pronouns, replace them with appropriate pronouns in indirect speech.
Direct: “ This is my book,” she said. Indirect: She said that this was her book.
When introducing indirect speech with a reporting verb, use a comma to separate the reporting verb from the reported speech.
Example: She said, “I’ll be there on time.”
If the direct speech is a question, change the question mark to a full stop when converting to indirect speech.
Direct: He asked, “Are you coming to the party ?” Indirect: He asked if I was coming to the party .
In cases where the direct speech has an exclamation mark, replace it with a full stop in indirect speech.
Direct: She exclaimed, “What a beautiful day !” Indirect: She exclaimed that it was a beautiful day .
When dealing with modals like can, could, will, would, may, might, shall, should, must, etc., use the appropriate past form in indirect speech.
Direct: She said, “You should respect your elders. Indirect: She said that I should respect my elders.
Direct: She said, “I can speak French fluently. Indirect: She said that she could speak French fluently.
Direct: May I borrow your pen?” she asked. Indirect: She asked if she might borrow my pen.
Direct: He said, “You must complete the assignment by tomorrow. Indirect: He said that I must complete the assignment by the next day.
In indirect speech, conditional sentences undergo specific changes, especially when they involve “will” or “would.”
Direct: He said, “I will help you.” Indirect: He said that he would help me.
Direct: He said, “I will help you with your project Indirect: He said that he would help me with my project.
When using adverbs of time in indirect speech, adjust them to match the new timeframe.
Direct: “I will come tomorrow ,” she said. Indirect: She said that she would come the next day.
Similar to adverbs of time, adverbs of place need modification in indirect speech.
Direct: ” I live here ,” he said. Indirect: He said that he lived there.
We can also use Adverbs of manner in indirect speech, requiring appropriate adjustments.
Direct: “He ran quickly,” she said. Indirect: She said that he ran quickly.
In Indirect Narration, words denoting Time, Place, Manner, Distance, and Direction used in the quoted speech are correspondingly changed to conform to the point of view of the Reporter. Thus, the sense of nearness is changed into that of Distance, and so on.
now | then /at that time |
ago | before |
henceforth | thenceforth |
long ago | long before |
henceforward | thenceforward |
today | That day /the same day |
tonight | that night /the same night |
tomorrow | the next day /the following day |
yesterday | the previous day /the day before |
yesterday night | the previous night /the night before |
last night | the previous night /the night before |
last evening | the previous evening /the evening before |
last week | the previous week /the week before |
last fortnight | the previous fortnight /the fortnight before |
last month | the previous month /the month before |
last year | the previous year /the year before |
last occasion | the previous occasion |
next day | the following day /the day after |
next week | the following week /the week after |
next fortnight | the following fortnight /the fortnight after |
next month | the following month /the month after |
next year | the following year /the year after |
on the next occasion | on the following occasion |
here | there |
at this place | at that place |
thus | so /in that way |
in this way | in that way |
in this manner | in that manner |
hereby | thereby |
this | that |
these | those |
hither | thither |
hence | thence |
From here | From there |
To convert Assertive sentences into indirect speech the following rules are applied.
(a) No comma and Inverted comma in Indirect Speech, only full stop at the end. (b) Reporting Verbs changed from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech ; ‘say – say’, ‘says – says’, ‘said – said’, ‘said to – told’, ‘say to – tell’, ‘says to – tells’. (c) Connective ‘that’ added before Reported Speech in indirect Narration.
Direct: He said to me, “I am ill.” Indirect: He told me that he was ill.
Direct: Mary said, “I am happy with my results.” Indirect: Mary said that she was happy with her results.
Direct: Tom said, “I will attend the meeting tomorrow.” Indirect: Tom said that he would attend the meeting the next day.
Direct: Alice said, “I have finished my homework.” Indirect: Alice said that she had finished her homework.
Direct: David said, “We are planning a trip to the mountains.” Indirect: David said that they were planning a trip to the mountains.
Forming indirect speech with questions necessitates some adjustments:
When reporting yes/no questions, use “if” or “whether” and invert the subject and auxiliary verb in indirect speech.
Direct: John asked, “Are you coming to the party?” Indirect: John asked if I was coming to the party.
Direct: Sarah asked, “Do you like chocolate?” Indirect: Sarah asked if I liked chocolate.
Direct: Mike asked, “Have you finished your project?” Indirect: Mike asked if I had finished my project.
Direct: Emma asked, “Will you help me with my homework?” Indirect: Emma asked if I would help her with her homework.
Direct: “Will you be there?” he asked. Indirect: He asked if I would be there.
For reporting wh-questions, maintain the question word and adjust the word order in indirect speech.
(a) ‘Tell’ and ‘say’ in Direct Narration are changed to ‘ask’, ‘enquire of’, ‘question’, ‘want to know’ etc. in Indirect Narration. (b) In place of introductory ‘that’. ‘if’ or ‘whether’ should be used. (c) In Indirect Narration a full stop (.) must be put in place of a question mark(?) at the end of the sentence. (d) In Direct Narration the Reported Speech begins with W-word or how, in Indirect Narration the same Wh-word or how is retained.
Direct: Lisa asked, “Where are you going?” Indirect: Lisa asked where I was going.
Direct: Mark asked, “What time does the movie start?” Indirect: Mark asked what time the movie started.
Direct: Jennifer asked, “Why did you leave early?” Indirect: Jennifer asked why I had left early.
Direct: Tom asked, “How do you solve this problem?” Indirect: Tom asked how I solved that problem.
Direct: “Where are you going?” she asked. Indirect: She asked where I was going.
Direct: The teacher said to me, “Why are you late?” Indirect: The teacher asked me why I was late.
The indirect speech also involves reporting imperatives, which are commands, requests, or advice:
When reporting commands, use the reporting verb “tell” and change the imperative verb to the corresponding infinitive.
Direct: The teacher said, “Open your books.” Indirect: The teacher told the students to open their books.
For reporting requests, employ the reporting verb “ask” and convert the imperative verb to the corresponding infinitive.
Direct: She said, “Please help me with this.” Indirect: She asked for help with that.
(a) Reporting verbs of Direct Speech changed into order or command, advise, or request according to sense in Indirect Speech. (b) ‘To’ is placed before Reported speech in Indirect Narration; for the negative imperative sentence ‘not to’ is used. (c) ‘not to’ can also be replaced by ‘forbid’, or ‘prohibit’. (d) ‘Let’ implies ‘suggestion’ or ‘proposal’; Reporting verb will be ‘suggest’ or ‘propose’ in Indirect Speech. ‘that’ is used before Reported speech in Indirect Narration (e) ‘Let’ without ‘suggestion’ or ‘proposal’; Reporting verb will be ‘tell’, or ‘wish’ according to sense in Indirect Speech. ‘that’ is used before Reported speech in Indirect Narration.
Direct: Mother said to me, “Don’t run in the sun.” Indirect: Mother advised me not to run in the sun.
Direct: She said to me, “Let us go for a picnic.” Indirect: She suggested that we should go for a picnic.
The following rules are used to change an optative sentence from direct speech to indirect speech
(a) Reporting verbs changed to ‘ wish ’, ‘ pray’ , and ‘ bless ’ in Indirect Speech. (b) Linker, ‘ that ’ is placed before Reported speech in Indirect Narration.
Direct: The monk said to me, “ May God bless you.” Indirect: The monk wished that God might bless me.
(a) The reporting verb is changed into exclaim (in joy), exclaim (in grief), cried out (in sorrow), pray, wish, etc. (b) Examinations are turned into statements. (c) Interjections (Alas, Oh, Hurrah) are omitted. (d) ‘What’, and ‘How’ used in exclamation should be replaced by great, great, very, very much, and big.
Direct: The boys said, “Hurrah! we have won the match.” Indirect: The boy exclaimed in joy that they had won the match.
Change the following sentences into indirect speech.
Q: Ratan said to Anita, “I don’t like your brother”.
Ans: Ratan told Anita that she did not like her brother.
Q: The hermit said to the boys, “God is present everywhere.”
Ans: The hermit told the boys that God is present everywhere.
Q: :He said to you, “You shouldn’t play in my garden.”
Ans: He told you that you should not play in his garden.
Q: The class teacher said to the students. “The inspector will visit our school today.”
Ans: The class teacher told the students that the inspector would visit their school that day.
Q: He said to me, “I don’t believe you.”
Ans: He told me that he didn’t believe me.
Q: She said to her son, “I’ve often told you not to play with fire.”
Ans: She told her son that she had often told him not to play with fire.
Q: Sitesh said to Lina, “I want you to go to Patna with me.”
Ans: Sitesh told Lina that he wanted her to go to Patna with him.
Q: “We can’t be quite happy in life,” he said.
Ans: He said that they couldn’t be quite happy in life.
Q: He said, “The Muslims bury their dead.”
He said that the Muslims bury their dead.
Q: “You’ve overcooked the steak again, Mary”, he said.
Ans: He told Mary that she had overcooked the steak again.
Q: Ramen said to Bina, “I’m going to your house this, week.”
Ans: Ramen told Bina that he was going to her house that week.
Q: He said, “We will discuss this tomorrow.”
Ans: He said that they would discuss that the next day
Q: He said to me, “You are wicked; so I shall not mix with you.”
Ans: He told me that I was wicked; so he would not mix with me.
Q: He said to you, “I was much struck by your eloquence.”
Ans: He told you that he had been much struck by your eloquence.
Q: We remarked, “God is gracious.”
Ans: We remarked that God is gracious.
Q: I said to my mother, “I shall always obey you.”
Ans: I told my mother that I should always obey her.
Q: He said to Gopal, “You were a mere boy when I saw you last.”
Ans: He told Gopal that he was a mere boy when he had seen him last.
Q: I said to him, “The sky is blue.”
Ans: I told him that the sky is blue.
Q: He said to me, “You will feel the consequences.”
Ans: He told me that I should feel the consequences.
Q: She said to you, “I am not angry with you.”
Ans: She told you that she was not angry with you.
Q: I said to them, “You have done wrong.”
Ans: I told them that they had done wrong.
Q: He said, “I visit the temple every day.”
Ans: He said that he visited the temple every day.
Fill in the blanks with proper direct and indirect speech rules.
Q : what is the key difference between direct and indirect speech.
Ans: The main difference lies in the quoting style. Direct speech involves repeating someone’s exact words, while indirect speech reports what was said without quoting verbatim.
Ans: While backshifting is common, some exceptions exist, especially in cases where the statement’s truth remains constant.
Ans: When reporting multiple speakers, use appropriate reporting verbs and introduce each person’s dialogue in a logical sequence.
Ans: Combining direct and indirect speech in a sentence is possible, but it requires precision to avoid confusion.
Ans: Reporting verbs like “said,” “told,” “asked,” “claimed,” and “explained” are frequently employed.
Ans: Focus on maintaining consistency in style and verb tense to ensure a smooth transition between direct and indirect speech.
Ans: Direct speech is usually enclosed within quotation marks and directly quotes someone’s words. Indirect speech, on the other hand, reports those words without quotation marks, often using reporting verbs like “said,” “told,” “asked,” etc.
Ans: Yes, the choice of reporting verbs can convey the speaker’s attitude or emotions towards the reported speech. Different reporting verbs can modify the meaning slightly.
Ans: Common reporting verbs for indirect speech include “say,” “tell,” “ask,” “inquire,” “explain,” “describe,” and more.
Ans: The tense in indirect speech is generally shifted back one step. For example, present simple becomes past simple, present continuous becomes past continuous, and so on.
Ans: No, quotation marks are not used in indirect speech as they report the speech without directly quoting it.
Ans: Certainly! In the story, he said, “I love you,” to which she replied that she loved him too.
Ans: It is possible to omit the reporting verb in some cases, especially in informal contexts, but including it adds clarity and structure to the reported speech.
Ans: Most tenses change in indirect speech, but the changes depend on the context and the tense of the original statement.
Ans: Certainly! Here are a few more examples:
Direct: “I am reading a book,” she said. Indirect: She said that she was reading a book.
Direct: “We have completed the project,” they exclaimed. Indirect: They exclaimed that they had completed the project.
Ans: Practice by converting direct speech to indirect speech and vice versa using various reporting verbs, tenses, and pronouns. Additionally, read books or articles and identify the reported speech used by the authors.
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Welcome to a comprehensive tutorial providing guidance on the proper use, types, and rules of indirect speech in English grammar. Indirect speech, also called reported speech, allows us to share another person’s exact words without using quotes. It is particularly useful in written language. This tutorial aims to brief you about the changes that occur when switching from direct speech to indirect speech. It further explains the necessary rules which must be followed during this transition.
Table of Contents
Direct speech refers to the exact wording that someone uses when performing an act of speech. However, indirect speech implicitly shares the content of the person’s original words.
Direct Speech: He said, “I am hungry.” Indirect Speech: He said that he was hungry.
Notably, an essential component of indirect speech is the change in verb tense. In the direct speech example, the speaker uses the present tense “am.” In the indirect version, even though the speaker is still hungry, the tense changes to the past “was.”
The verb tense in indirect speech is one step back in time from the tense in the direct speech. Here are the common changes:
Direct: He says, “I need help.” Indirect: He said he needed help.
Direct: She is saying, “I am reading a book.” Indirect: She was saying that she was reading a book.
Besides the tense, word usage for place and time often changes when converting from direct to indirect speech.
Direct: He said, “I will do it tomorrow.” Indirect: He said that he would do it the next day.
Direct: She said, “I was here.”
Indirect: She said that she was there.
Modals also change when transforming direct speech into indirect speech. Here are some common changes:
Direct: She said, “I can play the piano.” Indirect: She said that she could play the piano.
Direct: He said, “I will go shopping.” Indirect: He said that he would go shopping.
When reporting orders, requests, and questions, the structure also changes. The following is the structure:
Direct: He said to her, “Close the door.” Indirect: He told her to close the door.
Direct: She asked, “Where is the station?” Indirect: She asked where the station was.
In conclusion, reported speech becomes easier to understand and use effectively with practice. Understanding the transition from direct to indirect speech is vital to expressing yourself accurately and professionally, especially in written English. This guide provides the foundational information for mastering the changes in indirect speech. Practice these rules to become more fluent and confident in your English communication skills.
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Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of communicating what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. For example, if your friend said, “ I am going to the store ,” in reported speech, you might convey this as, “ My friend said he was going to the store. ” Reported speech is common in both spoken and written language, especially in storytelling, news reporting, and everyday conversations.
Reported speech can be quite challenging for English language learners because in order to change direct speech into reported speech, one must change the perspective and tense of what was said by the original speaker or writer. In this guide, we will explain in detail how to change direct speech into indirect speech and provide lots of examples of reported speech to help you understand. Here are the key aspects of converting direct speech into reported speech.
Pronouns are usually changed to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. For example, “I” in direct speech may become “he” or “she” in reported speech, depending on the context. Here are some example sentences:
Reported speech: tense shifts.
When converting direct speech into reported speech, the verb tense is often shifted back one step in time. This is known as the “backshift” of tenses. It’s essential to adjust the tense to reflect the time elapsed between the original speech and the reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how different tenses in direct speech are transformed in reported speech:
Reported speech: question format.
When converting questions from direct speech into reported speech, the format changes significantly. Unlike statements, questions require rephrasing into a statement format and often involve the use of introductory verbs like ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’. Here are some examples to demonstrate how questions in direct speech are converted into statements in reported speech:
Reported speech quiz.
Published by
Olivia Drake
Reported speech and indirect speech are two terms that refer to the same concept, which is the act of expressing what someone else has said.
On this page:
Reported speech is different from direct speech because it does not use the speaker’s exact words. Instead, the reporting verb is used to introduce the reported speech, and the tense and pronouns are changed to reflect the shift in perspective. There are two main types of reported speech: statements and questions.
1. Reported Statements: In reported statements, the reporting verb is usually “said.” The tense in the reported speech changes from the present simple to the past simple, and any pronouns referring to the speaker or listener are changed to reflect the shift in perspective. For example, “I am going to the store,” becomes “He said that he was going to the store.”
2. Reported Questions: In reported questions, the reporting verb is usually “asked.” The tense in the reported speech changes from the present simple to the past simple, and the word order changes from a question to a statement. For example, “What time is it?” becomes “She asked what time it was.”
It’s important to note that the tense shift in reported speech depends on the context and the time of the reported speech. Here are a few more examples:
Reported speech is used to report what someone else has said, thought, or written. It is often used in situations where you want to relate what someone else has said without quoting them directly.
Reported speech can be used in a variety of contexts, such as in news reports, academic writing, and everyday conversation. Some common situations where reported speech is used include:
News reports: Journalists often use reported speech to quote what someone said in an interview or press conference.
Business and professional communication: In professional settings, reported speech can be used to summarize what was discussed in a meeting or to report feedback from a customer.
Conversational English: In everyday conversations, reported speech is used to relate what someone else said. For example, “She told me that she was running late.”
Narration: In written narratives or storytelling, reported speech can be used to convey what a character said or thought.
1. Change the pronouns and adverbs of time and place: In reported speech, you need to change the pronouns, adverbs of time and place to reflect the new speaker or point of view. Here’s an example:
Direct speech: “I’m going to the store now,” she said. Reported speech: She said she was going to the store then.
In this example, the pronoun “I” is changed to “she” and the adverb “now” is changed to “then.”
2. Change the tense: In reported speech, you usually need to change the tense of the verb to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here’s an example:
Direct speech: “I will meet you at the park tomorrow,” he said. Reported speech: He said he would meet me at the park the next day.
In this example, the present tense “will” is changed to the past tense “would.”
3. Change reporting verbs: In reported speech, you can use different reporting verbs such as “say,” “tell,” “ask,” or “inquire” depending on the context of the speech. Here’s an example:
Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked if I had finished my homework.
In this example, the reporting verb “asked” is changed to “said” and “did” is changed to “had.”
Overall, when making reported speech, it’s important to pay attention to the verb tense and the changes in pronouns, adverbs, and reporting verbs to convey the original speaker’s message accurately.
1. Changing Pronouns: In reported speech, the pronouns in the original statement must be changed to reflect the perspective of the new speaker. Generally, the first person pronouns (I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours) are changed according to the subject of the reporting verb, while the second and third person pronouns (you, your, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs) are changed according to the object of the reporting verb. For example:
Direct speech: “I love chocolate.” Reported speech: She said she loved chocolate.
Direct speech: “You should study harder.” Reported speech: He advised me to study harder.
Direct speech: “She is reading a book.” Reported speech: They noticed that she was reading a book.
2. Changing Adverbs: In reported speech, the adverbs and adverbial phrases that indicate time or place may need to be changed to reflect the perspective of the new speaker. For example:
Direct speech: “I’m going to the cinema tonight.” Reported speech: She said she was going to the cinema that night.
Direct speech: “He is here.” Reported speech: She said he was there.
Note that the adverb “now” usually changes to “then” or is omitted altogether in reported speech, depending on the context.
It’s important to keep in mind that the changes made to pronouns and adverbs in reported speech depend on the context and the perspective of the new speaker. With practice, you can become more comfortable with making these changes in reported speech.
In reported speech, the tense of the reported verb usually changes to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here are some guidelines on how to change the tense in reported speech:
Present simple in direct speech changes to past simple in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I like pizza.” Reported speech: She said she liked pizza.
Present continuous in direct speech changes to past continuous in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I am studying for my exam.” Reported speech: He said he was studying for his exam.
Present perfect in direct speech changes to past perfect in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I have finished my work.” Reported speech: She said she had finished her work.
Past simple in direct speech changes to past perfect in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I visited my grandparents last weekend.” Reported speech: She said she had visited her grandparents the previous weekend.
Will in direct speech changes to would in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I will help you with your project.” Reported speech: He said he would help me with my project.
Can in direct speech changes to could in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I can speak French.” Reported speech: She said she could speak French.
Remember that the tense changes in reported speech depend on the tense of the verb in the direct speech, and the tense you use in reported speech should match the time frame of the new speaker’s perspective. With practice, you can become more comfortable with changing the tense in reported speech.
No, you do not always need to use a reporting verb in reported speech. However, using a reporting verb can help to clarify who is speaking and add more context to the reported speech.
In some cases, the reported speech can be introduced by phrases such as “I heard that” or “It seems that” without using a reporting verb. For example:
Direct speech: “I’m going to the cinema tonight.” Reported speech with a reporting verb: She said she was going to the cinema tonight. Reported speech without a reporting verb: It seems that she’s going to the cinema tonight.
However, it’s important to note that using a reporting verb can help to make the reported speech more formal and accurate. When using reported speech in academic writing or journalism, it’s generally recommended to use a reporting verb to make the reporting more clear and credible.
Some common reporting verbs include say, tell, explain, ask, suggest, and advise. For example:
Direct speech: “I think we should invest in renewable energy.” Reported speech with a reporting verb: She suggested that they invest in renewable energy.
Overall, while using a reporting verb is not always required, it can be helpful to make the reported speech more clear and accurate
How to use reported speech to report questions and commands?
1. Reporting Questions: When reporting questions, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “asked” or “wondered” followed by the question word (if applicable), subject, and verb. You also need to change the word order to make it a statement. Here’s an example:
Direct speech: “What time is the meeting?” Reported speech: She asked what time the meeting was.
Note that the question mark is not used in reported speech.
2. Reporting Commands: When reporting commands, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “ordered” or “told” followed by the person, to + infinitive, and any additional information. Here’s an example:
Direct speech: “Clean your room!” Reported speech: She ordered me to clean my room.
Note that the exclamation mark is not used in reported speech.
In both cases, the tense of the reported verb should be changed accordingly. For example, present simple changes to past simple, and future changes to conditional. Here are some examples:
Direct speech: “Will you go to the party with me?”Reported speech: She asked if I would go to the party with her. Direct speech: “Please bring me a glass of water.”Reported speech: She requested that I bring her a glass of water.
Remember that when using reported speech to report questions and commands, the introductory phrases and verb tenses are important to convey the intended meaning accurately.
To make questions in reported speech, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “asked” or “wondered” followed by the question word (if applicable), subject, and verb. You also need to change the word order to make it a statement. Here are the steps to make questions in reported speech:
Identify the reporting verb: The first step is to identify the reporting verb in the sentence. Common reporting verbs used to report questions include “asked,” “inquired,” “wondered,” and “wanted to know.”
Change the tense and pronouns: Next, you need to change the tense and pronouns in the sentence to reflect the shift from direct to reported speech. The tense of the verb is usually shifted back one tense (e.g. from present simple to past simple) in reported speech. The pronouns should also be changed as necessary to reflect the shift in perspective from the original speaker to the reporting speaker.
Use an appropriate question word: If the original question contained a question word (e.g. who, what, where, when, why, how), you should use the same question word in the reported question. If the original question did not contain a question word, you can use “if” or “whether” to introduce the reported question.
Change the word order: In reported speech, the word order of the question changes from the inverted form to a normal statement form. The subject usually comes before the verb, unless the original question started with a question word.
Here are some examples of reported questions:
Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?”Reported speech: He wanted to know if I had finished my homework. Direct speech: “Where are you going?”Reported speech: She wondered where I was going.
Remember that when making questions in reported speech, the introductory phrases and verb tenses are important to convey the intended meaning accurately.
Here you can find more examples of direct and indirect questions
In reported or indirect speech, you are retelling or reporting what someone said using your own words. The tense of the reported speech is usually shifted back one tense from the tense used in the original statement. For example, if someone said, “I am going to the store,” in reported speech you would say, “He/she said that he/she was going to the store.”
The main difference between reported speech and indirect speech is that reported speech usually refers to spoken language, while indirect speech can refer to both spoken and written language. Additionally, indirect speech is a broader term that includes reported speech as well as other ways of expressing what someone else has said, such as paraphrasing or summarizing.
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Easy Insightful Literature Notes
A direct speech can be transformed into an indirect speech and vice versa using a suitable reporting verb and a linker depending on the sentence. Let’s have an example first.
Direct Speech
Tina | said | “Are you busy now?” |
Indirect Speech
Tina | asked | whether | I was busy then. |
List of Reporting verbs and linkers (list 1)
Said, told | That | |
1. Yes-no question 2. Wh-question | Asked, wanted to know, enquired | If / whether |
Asked, wanted to know, enquired | wh-word | |
1. Without ‘Let’ 2. With ‘Let’ | Told, ordered, advised, requested, asked | to / not to |
Suggested, proposed | that | |
Wished, prayed | that | |
Exclaimed in joy / sorrow / wonder / fear / disgust etc. | that |
Verbs of Reported speech (if the reporting verb is in past tense) (list 2) Direct speech → Indirect speech Am / is / are → was / were Was / were → had been Has / have → had Had → had had Shall / will → would Can → could May → might Must, should → must, should Verb1 → verb2 Verb2 → had + verb3
Change of time and place expressions in past tense (list 3) now → then ago → before today → that day yesterday → the previous day tomorrow → the next day last night → the previous night here → there this → that these → those
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We are talking about a very important and interesting topic. We are talking about direct and indirect speech in English and what is the correct formula of the usage.
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This topic can seem complicated at the beginning, but necessary to learn. Having this topic solved, you improve your English to a new level, so let’s start to deal with it.
In English, there are two ways how we can tell what another person said. Two ways you can say what someone else has said before.
Note : Indirect speech in different textbooks can be called differently: Indirect Speech or Reported Speech . But these two names mean the same.
Indirect Speech = Reported Speech
Direct speech in English is a type of speech when we retell someone’s speech as it was. We don’t change anything.
John says: I’m a good boy.
To tell what John said, we will say:
We say: John said, “I’m a good boy.”
Indirect speech differs from direct speech in that we DO NOT tell exactly what another person said. We are NOT repeating what someone else said. Indirect speech is when we tell the MEANING of what someone else said.
We say: John said he was a good boy.
Pay attention to what this sentence looks like. Earlier, when John said this, the sentence looked like this:
I am a good boy.
But after WE retell John’s words, in the indirect speech, this sentence looks like this:
John said he was a good boy.
The Quotes and the comma that stood after the name John, separating the speaker from his direct speech, disappeared from this sentence.
In indirect speech, we do not use the separating comma and quotation marks. Because now it is WE are retelling the meaning of what the other person (John) said.
In direct speech, the speaker most often speaks in the first person. That is, the speaker speaks from his person.
John will not talk about himself: John is a good boy . John will say it on his behalf: I am a good boy.
But when we retell the words of John (indirect speech), we cannot speak on his behalf. We cannot say “I am a good boy” because those are not our words. This is John a good boy.
Therefore, in indirect speech, we change “I” to the third person.
He says: I hate you but I need your help.
I retell: He said that he hated me but he needed my help.
To translate direct speech into indirect speech, we use certain rules that you should know.
Let’s take a look at these rules and formulas in order.
In direct speech, we use a comma to separate the speaker from what he is saying. Direct speech (what the speaker says) is in quotation marks.
When we translate direct speech into indirect speech, we remove quotes and commas.
Jessica says , “I’m from the future.”
We retell Jessica’s words: She said that she was from the future.
When translating direct speech into indirect speech, we change personal and possessive pronouns to third-person pronouns.
Direct Speech : He says, “ I couldn’t stay” Indirect Speech : He said that he couldn’t stay. Direct Speech : Tom says, “ I am deeply disturbed” Indirect Speech : Tom said that he was deeply disturbed.
Note: If in direct speech the speaker tells his own words, then we do not change personal and possessive pronouns.
Direct Speech: I said, “ I will do that” Indirect Speech: I said that I would do that.
When we translate adverbs from direct speech to indirect, adverbs change their form.
You can see how adverbs look in direct speech and how adverbs look in indirect speech in this table:
But we don’t always change adverbs this way. We change adverbs only if, when translating from direct speech into indirect speech adverbs cannot express the same meaning as in direct speech.
Take a look at an example:
Mom says, “ Tomorrow we will go to Uncle John’s.” Mom said that the next day we would go to Uncle John’s.
In these examples, we have replaced the adverb tomorrow with the next day . Because we retell Mom’s words on another day. We cannot say tomorrow anymore.
Now look at another example:
Mom says, “We went to visit Uncle John yesterday .”
Now imagine that we are retelling this the next day. We have to say:
Mom said that we went to visit Uncle John the day before yesterday .
If we said “ yesterday “, it would change the meaning of what we want to tell.
If in direct speech in the main sentence the predicate is in Past Simple, then in indirect speech we use the agreement rules.
We put the conjunction “ that ” in front of indirect speech.
Note: We may not use the conjunction that after verbs such as:
He said he found it on the island. He thought he was better than me. He knew he could call you anytime.
If in direct speech after the verb to say there is a prepositional object, then in order to translate such a sentence into indirect speech, we change the verb to say to tell . In this case, tell is used without the preposition to .
Incorrect : to tell Correct : tell
This means:
She said to me … changes to She told me that …
Note : Remember that in this case we also change the adverbs of place and time and demonstrative pronouns, if they are in direct speech.
For modals, we use several important rules.
We change modal verbs as well as main verbs when moving from direct to indirect speech.
But we do not change all modal verbs. We leave some verbs in their original form.
Let’s talk about modals in more detail.
If in direct speech the verb must means an obligation or command, then in the subordinate clause in indirect speech must does NOT change and looks like must .
The teacher says, “You must behave well in class.” The teacher said that we must behave well in class.
If in direct speech the verb must expresses the need, then in the subordinate clause in indirect speech we change the verb must to had to .
Mom says, “You must visit the doctor.” Mom said that I had to visit the doctor.
Can and could..
We change the modal verb can in direct speech to could in indirect speech. Could is the past form of the modal verb can .
She says, “I can swim.” She said that she could swim.
We change the modal verb may in direct speech to might in indirect speech. Might is the past form of the modal verb may .
John says, “I may propose to Maria.” John said that he might propose to Maria.
We change the modal verb must in direct speech to had to in indirect speech (if the verb must expresses the need). Had to is the past analog of the modal verb must .
The following verbs move from direct to indirect speech in their original form. They don’t change in any way.
He says, “I could do this.” He said he could do that.
Let’s take a closer look at these verbs:
The modal verb would in direct speech remains in the form would in indirect speech too.
Mom says, “I would bake a cake.” Mom said she would bake a cake.
If we use the modal verb could in direct speech, then we do not change this verb in any way in indirect speech. Because could is a past form already (It’s the past form of the modal verb can ).
John says, “I could learn to swim” John said he could learn to swim.
The modal verb might does not change its form when we translate this verb from direct to indirect speech. Because the modal might is the past form of the modal may .
He says, “I might ask the same question again”. He said that he might ask the same question again.
We do not change should when switching to indirect speech. Because should is considered the past form of the modal verb shall .
He says, “We should see Mr. Gannon” He said that we should see Mr. Gannon.
We do not change the modal verb OUGHT TO when translating this verb into indirect speech.
She says, “You ought to be angry with John” She said that I ought to be angry with John
Let’s talk about the important exceptions to the rules of this lesson.
He said ( that ) he thought you seemed depressed. He said ( that ) there was no need. He said ( that ) he had many friends.
He says, “Gagarin went to space in 1961.” He said that Gagarin went to space in 1961.
The event that we are talking about in this example happened at exactly the specified time and did not happen anymore.
then when translating into indirect speech, we do not change the form of these verbs. These verbs remain in their form.
She says, “We might find some treasure” She said that we might find some treasure.
He says, “I should do it”. He said that he should do it.
then we translate such a sentence into indirect speech without changing the tense to the past:
She says, “I cook deliciously.” She says that she cooks deliciously. He says, “I have a new smartphone.” He says that he has a new smartphone. She will say, “I didn’t know it.” He will say (that) he didn’t know it.
He says, “After winter comes spring.” He said that after winter comes spring. She says, “Lions don’t hunt camels.” She said that lions don’t hunt camels.
then when translating into indirect speech, we do not change the sentence, we do not translate the sentence into the past.
He says, “I had fixed my car.” He said he had fixed his car. He says, “I was skiing .” He said he was skiing . He says, “I had been all alone for a very long time”. He said that he had been all alone for a very long time.
Look at the following rules and nuances to know how to correctly translate interrogative (question) sentences from direct speech to indirect speech:
He asks, “Do you play dominoes?” He asked if I played dominoes. He asked whether I played dominoes.
We remove the auxiliary verb that was used in the interrogative sentence. We put the subject before the predicate as it should be for the direct word order.
He asks, “Where are you going?” He asked where I was going.
She asks, “Where you are?” She wanted to know where you were.
She asks, “What do these letters mean?” She asked what those letters mean.
Special questions (or Wh-questions) are questions that begin with an additional, question word.
In indirect speech, such a question should also begin with a question word.
This question word also serves as conjunction. This word attaches the question part to the main sentence.
In the question part, we use direct word order.
At the same time, we comply with all the rules for the Sequence of tenses.
My dad asks, “What do you plan to do with yourself?” My dad asked what I planned to do with myself.
When translating imperative sentences from direct to indirect speech, we must take into account several nuances:
He said, “ Go now!” He said to go then. She says, “ Carry my bag” She asked to carry her bag.
We use the verb to say when we translate an ordinary sentence into indirect speech. But in imperative sentences, we change the verb to say to a verb that expresses an order or request:
She says , “Carry my bag” She asked to carry her bag.
let’s (let us)
let’s encourage the speaker and the person to do something together.
In indirect speech, we change let’s to to suggest . For example:
She says, “ let’s do that!” She suggested to do that.
She says, “Replace him, John “ She asked John to replace him.
She says , “Read this book” She ordered ( advised, recommend ) me to read that book.
not + infinitive
He says, “Don’t cry.” He said to me not to cry.
For this, we use a noun or a pronoun.
She says, “Speak to him!” She asked me to speak to you.
Most often, we translate the future and the present into the past.
He says, “I have two brothers” He says that he had two brothers She says, “I do this every time” She says that he did that every day. He says, “I write books” He says that he wrote books. She says, “I am reading” She said that she was reading. He says, “I can swim” He said that he could swim. He says, “I will help you” He said that he would help me.
When we translate a sentence written in the past into indirect speech, we can leave it unchanged or we can change the past to the Past Perfect.
He says, “I saw this movie” He said that he saw that movie. He said that he had seen that movie.
What if in direct speech the main verb is already in Past Perfect?
In this case, the verb in Past Perfect remains unchanged. The verb in Past Perfect in direct speech remains in Past Perfect in indirect speech too.
He says, “I had bought I new house” He said that he had bought a new house.
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Direct and indirect speech is often a confusing topic for English learners. The basic idea is this:
The critical difference is that direct speech uses the exact words spoken by a person, while indirect speech summarizes what was said. While the definition is simple, the challenge for English language learners is using the proper tenses when converting a phrase from direct to indirect and vice versa.
There are several occasions – in your professional and personal – where you might need to describe an action or event to others. For example, you might have to repeat the team leader’s instructions to your teammates at the workplace. In this scenario, you convert your team leader’s direct to indirect speech.
Knowing conversion rules can help you present or describe the event correctly without making any grammatical errors or spoken English blunders.
In this post, we walk you through the rules of converting direct to indirect speech, helping you speak English fluently online and offline.
The rule is simple: Use direct speech when you want to repeat what someone says as it is, and ensure that the spoken text is sandwiched between quotation (speech) marks.
John said, “I want to learn to speak English fluently.”
It’s common to see the direct speech in newspaper articles and books. For example,
The District Collector announced, “The Chief Minister will inaugurate the city centre next week.”
As you can notice, in direct speech, we use the verb say (said in the past tense) to denote what was spoken. You can also use related verbs like ‘asked,’ ‘replied,’ ‘told,’ ‘informed,’ ‘shouted,’ etc.
Indirect speech is also reported speech, as we use it to inform/repeat what someone else said. Using the two examples above, we can convert it into indirect speech as follows:
John said that he wanted to learn to speak English fluently.
The District Collector announced that the Chief Minister would inaugurate the city centre the week after.
Another example,
Direct Speech: “I feel cold.”
Indirect Speech: She says that she feels cold.
If you notice these examples carefully, you can see that the tense changes when converting from direct to indirect speech. To illustrate this point, in the following example, direct speech is in the present simple tense, while indirect speech is written in the simple past tense.
Direct Speech: “I live in the city centre.”
Indirect Speech: He said he lived in the city centre.
Similarly, other tenses follow similar rules when changing from direct to indirect speech. Use the following table to help you better understand the tense change rules:
Direct Speech | Tense | Indirect Speech | Tense |
The kids said, “We play football.” | Present Simple | The kids said that they played football. | Past Simple |
He said, “I’m having lunch.” | Present Continuous | He said that he was having lunch. | Past Continuous |
She said, “I have bought a new home.” | Present Perfect | She said that she had bought a new home. | Past Perfect |
The teacher said, “I have been teaching English for the last five years.” | Present Perfect Continuous | The teacher said she had been teaching English for the last five years. | Past Perfect Continuous |
The students exclaimed, “We won a prize.” | Past Simple | The students exclaimed that they had won a prize. | Past Perfect |
Jenifer said, “I was watching a movie.” | Past Continuous | Jenifer said that she had been watching a movie. | Past Perfect Continuous |
The project manager said, “We had resolved the issue.” | Past Perfect | The project manager said they had resolved the issue. | Past Perfect (Remains the same) |
The chef said, “I had been peeling onions since morning.” | Past Perfect Continuous | The chef said that he had been peeling onions since morning. | Past Perfect Continuous (Remains the same) |
Rahul said, “I will celebrate New Year’s Eve in Chennai.” | Future Simple | Rahul said he would celebrate New Year’s Eve in Chennai. | Note that “will” changes to “would” |
Neha said, “We will be waiting for you.” | Future Continuous | Neha said that they would be waiting for me. | Note that “will” changes to “would be” |
The scientist said, “We will have completed the mission in 2023.” | Future Perfect Continuous | The scientist said that they would have completed the mission in 2023. | Note that “will” changes to “would have” |
When converting direct to indirect speech, you must change modal verbs accordingly. Here are a few examples to help you understand better:
Direct Speech | Modal Verbs | Indirect Speech | Modal Verbs |
The kid said, “I can swim.” | Can | The kid said that she could swim. | “Can” changes to “could” |
Priya said, “I must go.” | Must | Priya said that she had to go. | “Must” changes to “had” |
Dad asked, “Shall we start?” | Shall | Dad asked if we should start. | “Shall” becomes “should” |
Sometimes it becomes necessary to change the time expressions when converting from direct to indirect speech. A few examples,
Here are a few examples of other typical time expressions and how they change:
Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
Yesterday | The day before |
Now | At that time, then |
Today | That day, on Sunday/Monday, etc. |
Tonight | That night |
Last night | The night before |
Last month | The previous month |
This week | That week, last week |
Five minutes ago | Five minutes before |
In one hour | One hour later |
Like time expressions, you might also have to change words representing places when reporting indirect speech. For example,
Here are a few examples of other common place expressions and how they change:
Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
here | There (or) the place |
this | that |
This pen | That pen |
In this room | In that room |
However, the place words only change when you report something from a different location.
Now that you’ve seen the rules to convert direct to indirect speech, it’s time to put them into practice. The most efficient way to improve English speaking is to practice what you’ve learned. Join online English-speaking practice classes to gain confidence and mastery in your daily conversations.
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50 examples of direct and indirect speech.
English Direct and Indirect Speech Example Sentences, 50 examples of direct and indirect speech
Transferring the sentence that someone else says is called indirect speech . It is also called reported speech . Usually, it is used in spoken language . If the transmitted action is done in the past, the sentence becomes the past tense.
Here are 50 examples of direct and indirect speech
1. Direct : Today is nice, said George. Indirect : George said that day was nice.
2. Direct : He asked her, “How often do you work?” Indirect : He asked her how often she worked.
3. Direct : He works in a bank. Indirect : She said that he worked in a bank.
6. Direct : I often have a big meat. Indirect : My son says that he often has a big hamburger.
7. Direct : Dance with me! Indirect : Maria told me to dance with her.
8. Direct : Must I do the city? Indirect : My sister asked if she had to do the city.
9. Direct : Please wash your hands! Indirect : My father told me to wash my hands.
10. Direct : She said, “I went to the shopping center.” Indirect : She said that she had gone to the shopping center.
11. Direct : I write poems. Indirect : He says that he writes poems.
12. Direct : She said: “I would buy new house if I were rich”. Indirect : She said that she would buy new house if she had been rich”.
13. Direct : May I go out? Indirect : She wanted to know if she might go out.
14. Direct : She is American, she said. Indirect : She said she was American.
15. Direct : My son, do the exercise.“ Indirect : Sh told her son to do the exercise.
16. Direct : I don’t know what to do. Indirect : Samuel added that he didn’t know what to do.
17. Direct : I am reading a book, he explained. Indirect : He explained that he was reading a book.
18. Direct : My father said, “I am cooking dinner.” Indirect : My father said he was cooking dinner.
21. Direct : I never get up late, my mother said. Indirect : My mother said that she never got up late.
22. Direct : She said, “I might come early.” Indirect : She said she might come early.
23. Direct : I am leaving home now.” Indirect : He said that he left home then.
24. Direct : Are you living here? Indirect : He asked me if I was living here.
25. Direct : I’m going to come. Indirect : She said that she was going to come.
26. Direct : We can communicate smoothly. Indirect : They said that they could communicate smothly.
27. Direct : My mother isn’t very well. Indirect : She said that her mother wasn’t very well.
28. Direct : I need help with my work. Indirect : George said “I need help with my homework.”
29. Direct : I was walking along the Street. Indirect : He said he had been walking along the Street.
30. Direct : I haven’t seen George recently. Indirect : She said that she hadn’t seen George recently.
31. Direct : I would help, but… Indirect : He said he would help but…
32. Direct : I’m waiting for Michael, she said. Indirect : She said (that) she was waiting for Michael”.
33. Direct : They said, “They have taken exercise.” Indirect : They said that they had taken exercise.
34. Direct : I can speak perfect Spanish. Indirect : He said he could speak perfect Spanish.
35. Direct : I haven’t seen Mary. Indirect : He said he hadn’t seen Mary.
36. Direct : What is your name? she asked me. Indirect : She asked me what my name was.
37. Direct : I was sleeping when Mary called. Indirect : He said that he had been sleeping when Mary called.
38. Direct : Please help me! Indirect : He asked me to help his.
39. Direct : “I’ve found a new job,” my mother said. Indirect : My mother said that she had found a new job.
40. Direct : Go to bed! mother said to the children. Indirect : Mother told the children to go to bed.
41. Direct : Mark arrived on Sunday, he said. Indirect : He said that Mark had arrived on Sunday.
44. Direct : My brother said, “I met Alex yesterday.’ Indirect : My brother said that he had met Alex yesterday.
45. Direct : The dentist said, “Your father doesn’t need an operation.” Indirect : Dentist said that my father doesn’t need an operation.
46. Direct : He said, “Man is mortal.” Indirect : He said that man is mortal.
47. Direct : Sansa said “I am very busy now”. Indirect : Sansa said that she was very busy then.
48. Direct : He said, “I am a football player.” Indirect : He said that he was a football player.
49. Direct : Michael said, “I will buy a new car.” Indirect : : Michael said that she will buy a new car.
50. Direct : Mark said, “Bill needs a pencil.” Indirect : : Mark said that Bill needed a pencil.
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All of these changes are necessary when the reporting verb is in the simple past. Remember, you don’t make changes if the reported verb is in the simple present.
Review the following time tense changes and examples:
Review the following modals that change and some examples:
Pronouns can be confusing to change because it depends on who said what, and who is telling the information to whom…
You can review some of the changes in the examples above. For example, She said, “I….” The first person pronoun changes to ‘she’ when someone else is telling another person what the original speaker said. This is also shown in the time tense changes with ‘he’. In those examples, if the two speakers had used “me”, they would have changes to “her” and “him” (EX: “Give them to me” ⇒ She/He said to give them to her/him.)
Other words that may need to change “we⇒ they” and “us ⇒ them” (We said, “Tell us” ⇒ They said to tell them)
*note the change for imperatives to the infinitive*
Time words can also be tricky because it depends on when the original sentence was said, and when it was repeated. The important thing to remember is that the words need to change to keep the same, original meaning. Here are some of the common changes, imagining they are being repeated on a different day, and the words must change :
Review these modals that don’t change:
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by Andrea Byaruhanga
Updated on December 12, 2022
If you’ve been wondering ‘What is indirect speech in English , and how do I use it?’ you’ve come to the right place!
Indirect speech can be confusing at first, but you’ll see plenty of explanations and examples below to get you on the right track.
In order to understand what indirect speech is, it’s important to first understand its counterpart: direct speech.
Direct speech refers to repeating, or quoting, what someone said, word for word.
Direct speech can be useful – and even important – in some scenarios, such as these:
The US president said, ‘I will end this pandemic’.
The man said, ‘If you give me all your money, no one will get hurt!’
Yesterday night, before we went to bed, you said to me (and I quote): ‘Honey, I promise I will take out the rubbish bin first thing in the morning’.
But in reality, indirect speech is more common in most everyday situations.
When and how to use a hyphen in English
Indirect speech is also known as reported speech . We use it to report on what someone has said, much like direct speech, but not as a direct quote.
To show you what we mean, let’s take one of the examples from above and turn it into an indirect statement:
While the message is the same, you can see that the indirect speech is no longer directly quoting the US president’s words.
Here’s another one:
Now, let’s discuss how to change direct speech into indirect speech!
How to use affect and effect in English
First, we’ll look at the most common forms of indirect speech, which most commonly use the reporting verbs say and tell . A reporting verb is the verb you use to introduce what someone said.
subject + reporting verb + (that) + clause
Direct: Brother: I’ve quit my job.
Indirect: My brother said (that) he had quit his job.
subject + reporting verb + direct object** + (that) + clause
Direct: Carmel: I am leaving.
Indirect: Carmel told me (that) she was leaving.
**While the verb ‘say’ can stand alone, the verb ‘tell’ must use a direct object (in the example above that’s ‘me’).
You’ll see in the forms above, the word ‘ that ’ is in parenthese. That’s because you can decide to use it or not – it doesn’t usually make much difference.
The main reason you’d add the word ‘that’ is to give a bit of extra clarity to a sentence whose meaning could otherwise be a bit confusing.
Use and used to in English
When we report on something someone tells or asks you to do, or something that they’ve promised or offered, the form is different. A variety of reporting verbs can be used, such as promise , offer , ask , and order . Sometimes you should use a direct object, whereas other times, you shouldn’t.
subject + reporting verb + infinitive
Direct: Brother: ‘I will pay you back in one month’.
Indirect: My brother promised to pay me back in one month.
Direct: Sister: I can help you with your homework, if you’d like.
Indirect: My sister offered to help me with my homework.
subject + reporting verb + direct object + infinitive
Direct: Uncle: ‘Can you please watch the movie with us?’
Indirect: My uncle asked me to watch the movie with them.
Direct: Grandmother: Wash the dishes before the party!
Indirect: My grandmother ordered me to wash the dishes before the party.
How to confidently use reported speech in English
When you change a sentence from direct to indirect, the verb tenses change. Let’s look at some general rules:
Karen: ‘I’m tired’. | → | Karen said she was tired. | ||
Bob and Mark: ‘They are travelling’. | → | Bob and Mark said that they were travelling. | ||
Mom: ‘Kara was nervous’. | → | Mom told me Kara had been nervous. | ||
Friends: ‘We’ve worked out every day’. | → | My friends said that they had worked out every day. | ||
Daughter: ‘I will help you cook’. | → | My daughter told me she would help me cook. |
In addition to the verb tense changes above, there are other words you need to change, such as time markers and modal verbs.
Lily: ‘I come to the party’. | → | Lily said she come to the party. |
Parents: ‘We get a new car soon’. | → | My parents told me they get a new car soon. |
Customer: ‘We’ll buy shoes’. | → | The customer said they would buy shoes. |
Little girl: ‘I want one’ | → | The little girl said she wanted one. |
Me: ‘He has to leave right ’. | → | I said he had to leave right . |
Friends: ‘It would be nice to walk in the park ’. | → | My friends told me it would be nice to walk in the park . |
Neighbour: ‘We just saw them ’. | → | My neighbour said they had just seen them . |
Nico: ‘I want to visit them ’. | → | Nico told me he wanted to visit them |
Alana: I might go shopping . | → | Alana said she might go shopping . |
When you’re reporting on what someone else has said, it’s important that you modify the pronouns accordingly. Check out the following rules:
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Andrea is a Canadian freelance writer and editor specializing in English, e-learning, EdTech, and SaaS. She has a background as an ESL teacher in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. In her free time, Andrea loves hanging out with her husband and children, creating recipes in the kitchen, and reading fiction. She also loves camping and jumping into lakes whenever possible. Learn more about Andrea on LinkedIn or check out her website .
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Change into indirect speech
1. John said, ‘I am trying to find a new job.’
2. He said, ‘I wrote a letter.’
3. The girl said, ‘I want something to eat.’
4. The teacher said, ‘Stop writing.’
5. The man said, ‘I have nowhere to go.’
6. The girl said, ‘I have been practicing the violin for six months.’
7. Mother said, ‘I have laid the table.’
8. He said, ‘Who are you?’
9. He said, ‘Are you happy here?’
10. The father said to his son, ‘Go and pay your fee at once.’
11. He said, ‘Let’s go for a drive.’
1. John said that he was trying to find a new job.
2. He said that he had written a letter.
3. The girl said that she wanted something to eat.
4. The teacher asked them to stop writing.
5. The man said that he had nowhere to go. / The man lamented that he had nowhere to go.
6. The girl said that she had been practicing the violin for six months.
7. Mother said that she had laid the table.
8. He asked who I was.
9. He enquired if I was happy there?’
10. The father told his son to go and pay his fee at once.
11. He suggested going for a drive. / He suggested that we should go for a drive.
Direct Speech:- Direct speech is a report of the exact words used by a speaker or writer. Direct speech is usually placed inside quotation marks and accompanied by a reporting verb, signal phrase, or quotative frame.
Indirect Speech:- Transferring the sentence that someone else says is called indirect speech. It is also called reported speech.
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Active Voice and Passive Voice
Direct: What are you doing? Indirect: He asked me what I was doing.
Direct: Today is nice, said George. Indirect: George said that day was nice.
Direct: Listen to me! Indirect: Mother told me to listen to him.
Direct: She said, “I went to the shopping center.” Indirect: She said that she had gone to the shopping center.
Direct: Why are you going to school? Indirect: Mary asked Alex why he was going to school.
Direct: I often have a big meat. Indirect: My son says that he often has a big hamburger.
Direct: He said, “I will wash my teeth”. Indirect: He said he would wash his teeth.
Direct: He said, “I live in the city center.” Indirect: He said he lived in the city center.
Direct: The butcher told us, “We are closing at 7 o’clock.” Indirect: The butcher told us that we were closing at 7 o’clock.
Direct: He asked her, “How often do you work?” Indirect: He asked her how often she worked.
Direct: I don’t understand you. Indirect: Teacher said that he didn’t understand me.
Direct: He works in a bank. Indirect: She said that he worked in a bank.
Direct: He said “I had lived in Paris.” Indirect: He said that she had lived in Paris.
Direct: Must I do the city? Indirect: My sister asked if she had to do the city.
Direct: He said, “I can swim.” Indirect: He said he could swim.
Direct: I’m angry with you. Indirect: My mother said she was angry with me.
Direct: My father is helping me study. Indirect: He said his father was helping his study.
Direct: I didn’t go to the party. Indirect: Alex said that he hadn’t gone to the party.
Direct: Dance with me! Indirect: Maria told me to dance with her.
Direct: I can help you tomorrow. Indirect: She said that she could help me tomorrow.
Direct: Michael asked Tom, “Are you married?” Indirect: Michael asked Tom whether she was married.
Direct: Please wash your hands! Indirect: My father told me to wash my hands.
Direct: Don’t smoke! Indirect: The teacher told us not to smoke.
Direct: I write poems. Indirect: He says that he writes poems.
Direct: She said: “I would buy new house if I were rich”. Indirect: She said that she would buy new house if she had been rich”.
Direct: May I go out? Indirect: She wanted to know if she might go out.
Direct: She is American, she said. Indirect: She said she was American.
Direct: My son, do the exercise.“ Indirect: She told her son to do the exercise.
Direct: I don’t know what to do. Indirect: Samuel added that he didn’t know what to do.
Direct: I am reading a book, he explained. Indirect: He explained that he was reading a book.
Direct: My father said, “I am cooking dinner.” Indirect: My father said he was cooking dinner.
Direct: I said, “He is driving a car” Indirect: I said that he was driving a car.
Direct: I am a doctor he said. Indirect: He said he was a doctor.
Direct: My sister said, “I had already eaten.” Indirect: My sister said she had already eaten.
Direct: I could swim when I was four. Indirect: He said he could swim when he was four.
Direct: George is said, “I write a letter”. Indirect: George is said that she wrote a letter.
Direct: I should call my mother. Indirect: He said he should call her mother.
Direct: I like ice cream. Indirect: He said that he liked ice cream.
Direct: Michael said, “I may go there.’ Indirect: Michael says that she may go there.
Direct: I’II see you later. Indirect: He said he would see me later.
Direct: My boyfriend asked, “Do you like horror films?” Indirect: Do you like horror films? my boyfriend asked.
Direct: I might be late. Indirect: He said he might be late.
Direct: We can´t go the zoo next week. Indirect: They said they couldn’t go to the zoo next week.
Direct: I never get up late, my mother said. Indirect: My mother said that she never got up late.
Direct: He said, “I was teaching earlier.” Indirect: He said he had been teaching earlier.
Direct: Mary said, “I have been writing this essay.” Indirect: Mary said that he had been writing that essay.
Direct: I could swim when I was five. Indirect: My girl friend said (that) she could swim when she was five.
Direct: She said, “I might come early.” Indirect: She said she might come early.
Direct: Michael was ill. Indirect: Michael’s father said (that) Michael had been ill.
Direct: I am leaving home now.” Indirect: He said that he left home then.
Direct: Are you living here? Indirect: He asked me if I was living here.
Direct: I’m going to come. Indirect: She said that she was going to come.
Direct: We can communicate smoothly. Indirect: They said that they could communicate smothly.
Direct: My mother isn’t very well. Indirect: She said that her mother wasn’t very well.
Direct: I need help with my work. Indirect: George said “I need help with my homework.”
Direct: I was walking along the Street. Indirect: He said he had been walking along the Street.
Direct: I haven’t seen George recently. Indirect: She said that she hadn’t seen George recently.
Direct: I would help, but… Indirect: He said he would help but…
Direct: I’m waiting for Michael, she said. Indirect: She said (that) she was waiting for Michael”.
Direct: My parents are very well. Indirect: Alex said that his parents were very well.
Direct: I bought a car. Indirect: He said he bought a car.
Direct: They said, “They have taken exercise.” Indirect: They said that they had taken exercise.
Direct: I am living in Paris. Indirect: He said that he was living in Paris.
Direct: Please don’t be late. Indirect: He asked their not to be late.
Direct: She said; “The exam is difficult. Indirect: She said the test was difficult.
Direct: I can speak perfect Spanish. Indirect: He said he could speak perfect Spanish.
Direct: I haven’t seen Mary. Indirect: He said he hadn’t seen Mary.
Direct: What is your name? she asked me. Indirect: She asked me what my name was.
Direct: I was sleeping when Mary called. Indirect: He said that he had been sleeping when Mary called.
Direct: Please help me! Indirect: He asked me to help his.
Direct: I’m living in Texas now. Indirect: Her father said that he was living in London now.
Direct: “I’ve found a new job,” my mother said. Indirect: My mother said that she had found a new job.
Direct: Go to bed! mother said to the children. Indirect: Mother told the children to go to bed.
Direct: Mark arrived on Sunday, he said. Indirect: He said that Mark had arrived on Sunday.
Direct: I will study”, Mary said. Indirect: I will study”, said Mary.
Direct: The Minister said, “There will be no growth this year.” Indirect: The Minister said that there will be no growth this year.
Direct: I have been to France, she told me. Indirect: She told me that she had been to France.
Direct: She says, “I am ill.” Indirect: She says that she is ill.
Direct: Michael said, “I have finished my lunch.” Indirect: She said that she had finished his lunch.
Direct: I’m sitting on the chair. Indirect: Arya said that she was sitting on the chair.
Direct: My brother said, “I met Alex yesterday.’ Indirect: My brother said that he had met Alex yesterday.
Direct: The dentist said, “Your father doesn’t need an operation.” Indirect: Dentist said that my father doesn’t need an operation.
Direct: He said, “Man is mortal.” Indirect: He said that man is mortal.
Direct: He said, “I like coffee.” Indirect: He said (that) he likes coffee.
Direct: Sansa said “I am very busy now”. Indirect: Sansa said that she was very busy then.
Direct: Everything is going fine. Indirect: The news says that everything is going fine.
Direct: I had taken Spanish lessons before. Indirect: He said he had taken Spanish lessons before.
Direct: Come at 11! Indirect: Alex told me to come at 11.
Direct: He said, “I am a football player.” Indirect: He said that he was a football player.
Direct: My father was born in 1962. Indirect: My father told us that he was born in 1962.
Direct: It is too late. Indirect: I said it was too late.
Direct: Did you do your homework? Indirect: He asked me if I did (had done) my homework.
Direct: I often enjoy myself. Indirect: Mary will say that that she often enjoys herself.
Direct: He said, “he is listening to the music” Indirect: He said that he was listening to the music.
Direct: She said, “I’ve missed my train.” Indirect: She said that she’d missed her train.
Direct: Please help me carry this! Indirect: My mother asked me to help her carry that.
Direct: Michael said, “I will buy a new car.” Indirect: Michael said that she will buy a new car.
Direct: Mercedes is a good car. Indirect: Tom said Mercedes was a good car.
Direct: I’m sorry for the accident. Indirect: Georger told Samuel (that) he was sorry for the accident.
Direct: Mark said, “Bill needs a pencil.” Indirect: Mark said that Bill needed a pencil.
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Understanding the Direct and Indirect Speech examples and rules is crucial for English grammar. Practice all the Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises, worksheet and the rules with examples here.
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Direct and Indirect Speech examples: The concept of indirect and direct speech is one of the fundamental concepts in English Grammar. As language is used to convey our thoughts and feelings to others, the concept of speech becomes even more important from the language perspective. When you use direct speaking, you repeat exactly what someone has stated. To indicate where the speaker’s words begin and end, you use quotation marks. When you report what someone has said without using their exact words, you are utilizing indirect speaking. You do not use quotation marks, and you modify the speaker’s words to fit the grammar and punctuation of the sentence in which they are reported. Here we discussed some direct and indirect speech examples which are very useful for board exams and other one-day exams.
Here are some direct and indirect speech examples are given below:
Direct Speech Examples:
Indirect Speech Examples:
Remember, when converting from direct to indirect speech:
Indirect speech is used when reporting what someone else said without quoting their exact words. It is essential to pay attention to the changes in pronouns, tenses, and reporting verbs to convey the speaker’s original message accurately.
Since all sentences are constructed, spoken, and written using either direct or indirect speech, as was previously mentioned, this is significant. When we need to repeat a remark or action of someone via written or verbal communication, we employ both direct and indirect speech. It is employed to provide a direct-indirect description of what someone stated. Before proceeding to the Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises and Examples
Direct speech repeats or quotes what has been expressed or spoken. We may need to quote something spoken by a third person while speaking to another. Direct speech is used when a third party is directly cited. Inverted commas (” “) are used to write sentences in direct speech. The cited statement or sentence is written between the commas.
Indirect speech or reported speech is typically used to discuss the past, therefore we modify the tense of the words uttered into. We employ reporting verbs such as ‘tell,”say,’ and ‘ask,’ and the word ‘that’ can be used to introduce the reported in place of (” “) Direct and indirect speech introduces the concepts of’reported speech’ and’reported verb’.
Direct and Indirect Speech are the two types of speech that are used to explain with examples what other people say (or reported Speech).
Direct Speech: Direct speech is exactly what it sounds like: text that records a person’s exact words as they were spoken at the moment. In order for the reader to realise that the quoted text is the speaker’s own story, it is frequently surrounded by quotation marks.
some examples of direct speech:
Indirect Speech: The terms reported speech, indirect narration, and indirect speech are all used to describe indirect communication. Indirect speech is the term used in grammar to describe when you describe someone else’s statement in your own words without changing the statement’s meaning.
some examples of direct speech transformed into indirect speech:
Indirect speech is commonly used in writing, conversations, and storytelling to report what someone else has said in a more contextual and flowing manner.
we can easily change into indirect speech answer examples are given below.
Direct speech – Reporting the message of the Speaker in the exact words as spoken by him.
Direct speech example : Suman said ‘I am busy now’.
Indirect speech : Reporting the message of the Speaker in our own words
Indirect speech example: Suman said that she was busy then.
Below we have mentioned some rules for converting direct speech into indirect speech. These rules will help students in mastering this topic.
Rule 1: All present tenses in indirect speech are converted to the matching past tense when the reporting verb in direct speech is in the past tense
For example, Direct: She said , ‘I am sad’.
Indirect: She said that she was happy
Rule 2: The tenses of the direct speech are not changed if the words used are within double quotes (“”) or the reporting verb is in the present or future tense
Direct: He said, ” Humans are social animals”
Indirect: He said that Humans are social animals.
Direct: He says/will say, ‘I am running’
Indirect: He says/will say he is running
Rule 3: Past Tense and Future Tense Conversion
The past tense and future tense will change in the following tense in indirect speech.
Rule 4: Interrogative sentences starting with Wh questions do not require a joining clause (conjunction) while converting into indirect speech. They act as a joining clause. Said/Said to changes into demanded, inquired, or asked
Direct: The boy asked, “Where do you live?”
Indirect: The boy inquired where I lived
Rule 5: Interrogative sentences starting with a helping verb or auxiliary verb, while converting them into indirect speech, joining clause “if” or “whether” is used.
Direct: She said, ‘Will you go home?’
Indirect: She asked whether we would go home.
Learn: Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech
Understanding Direct and Indirect Speech with Examples is the most significant component of English Grammar since direct and indirect speech construct questions in many competitive tests as well as in the board exams.
Simple Present to Simple Past
Direct: “I am happy”, he said. Indirect: He said that he was happy.
Present Continuous to Past Continuous
Direct: “I am playing football”, she said. Indirect: She said that she was playing football.
Present Perfect to Past Perfect
Direct: He said, “she has completed her work”. Indirect: He said that she had completed her work.
Present Perfect Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous
Direct: “I have been to San Francisco”, She told me. Indirect: She told me that she had been to San Francisco.
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Simple Past to Past Perfect
Direct: “I did the work”, he said. Indirect: He said that he had done the work.
Past Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous
Direct: “I was reading a novel”, she said. Indirect: She said that she had been reading a novel.
Direct: “Where do you stay?” asked the boy. Indirect: The boy enquired where I stayed.
Note: While changing the interrogative sentence into indirect speech remove the question mark ‘?’.
Direct: She said, “Will you come to the party?” Indirect: She asked whether I would come to the party.
Note: While changing the interrogative sentence reporting verbs (verbs used in the first part) such as ‘said/ said to’ changes to enquired, asked, or demanded.
Note: Could, Would, Should, Might, and Ought to modal verbs do not change.
The first person in the direct speech changes as per the subject of the sentence.
Direct: My brother said, “I am in class Twelfth.” Indirect: My brother said that he was in class Twelfth.
The second person of direct speech changes as per the object of reporting speech.
Direct: She says to her students, “You have done your work.” Indirect: She tells them that they have done their work.
The third person of direct speech doesn’t change.
Direct: My friend says, “She dances well.” Indirect: My friend says that she dances well.
Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises 1: Convert the following sentences from direct speech to indirect speech.
Direct and Indirect speech Exercises 2: Rewrite the following paragraph in indirect speech.
Direct: “I can’t come to the party,” Lisa said. “I have a doctor’s appointment. Peter won’t be able to make it either. He’s stuck in traffic. But we hope you all have a fantastic time.”
Indirect: Lisa said that she couldn’t come to the party as she had a doctor’s appointment. She also mentioned that Peter wouldn’t be able to make it as he was stuck in traffic. However, they hoped that everyone would have a fantastic time.
Direct and Indirect speech Exercises 3: Convert the following questions from direct speech to indirect speech.
Remember to change the pronouns, tenses, time expressions, and other relevant changes when converting from direct to indirect speech. Practicing these exercises will help you become more proficient in reporting speech accurately.
50 examples of direct and indirect speech exercises are given below. Read 50 examples of direct and indirect speech exercises to improve your practice
Example 1: Direct Speech: “I am going to the party tonight,” she said. Reported Speech: She said that she was going to the party tonight.
Example 2: Direct Speech: “We have been working on this project for months,” they exclaimed. Reported Speech: They exclaimed that they had been working on that project for months.
Example 3: Direct Speech: “He will come back tomorrow,” he assured us. Reported Speech: He assured us that he would come back the next day.
Example 4: Direct Speech: “I won’t be able to attend the meeting,” she told him. Reported Speech: She told him that she wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting.
Example 5: Direct Speech: “They had already left,” he informed me. Reported Speech: He informed me that they had already left.
Example 6: Direct Speech: “I didn’t see her at the event,” John said. Reported Speech: John said that he hadn’t seen her at the event.
Example 7: Direct Speech: “We’re planning a surprise for you,” they whispered. Reported Speech: They whispered that they were planning a surprise for me.
Example 8: Direct Speech: “It’s raining outside,” she observed. Reported Speech: She observed that it was raining outside.
Example 9: Direct Speech: “I have finished my homework,” he mentioned. Reported Speech: He mentioned that he had finished his homework.
Example 10: Direct Speech: “I am reading a great book,” she told me. Reported Speech: She told me that she was reading a great book.
Remember that in reported speech, the tense may shift back (usually one tense back) from the original direct speech, and some pronoun changes might occur depending on the context. Also, changes in time expressions, adverbs, and demonstratives might be necessary.
Direct and Indirect Speech Worksheet
Direct and indirect speech worksheet is a great way to practice and understand how reported speech works in English. Below, you’ll find a direct and indirect speech worksheet with exercises designed to test knowledge of converting sentences from direct to indirect speech and vice versa.
Instructions: Convert the following sentences from direct speech to indirect speech, and vice versa. Make sure to change the tense, pronouns, and time expressions where necessary.
Part A: Convert from Direct to Indirect Speech
Part B: Convert from Indirect to Direct Speech
This worksheet covers basic transformations between direct and indirect speech, focusing on the changes in verb tenses, pronouns, and time expressions. Adjustments in complexity can be made to cater to different learning levels.
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Ans. Direct speech is exactly what it sounds like: text that records a person's exact words as they were spoken at the moment. Indirect speech is used to describe someone else's statement in your own words without changing the statement's meaning.
Ans. Indirect speech is used to report what someone may have said, so it is always used in the past tense.
Ans. The two parts of direct speech are reporting verb and reported speech.
Ans. Direct speech reveals the tone and moods of the characters. Indirect speech, if not used properly, creates a distance between the utterance and the reader's perception of it.
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English notes latest questions, he said, “i have done my homework.” change into indirect speech.
Indirect Speech: He said that he had done his homework .
Explanation : When the reporting verb is in the past (said) and the direct speech is in the present perfect tense, then the indirect (reported) speech will change into the past perfect tense.
Present Perfect Tense > Past Perfect Tense.
Learn Narration
He said that he had done his homework.
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Direct and indirect speech: this article brings to you complete details about direct and indirect speech. find definitions of direct and indirect speech, conversion exercises, examples, rules, and much more. through this article, we aim to teach you the basics of direct and indirect speech, while also imparting the correct method of doing related exercises. .
While speaking to another person, we might have to quote something the third person has said. If the third person is being directly quoted, then it is called direct speech. In order to write a sentence in direct speech, inverted commas are used (“ “). The statement or sentence that is to be quoted is written in between the commas. For example: Ram said, “I am working on the project right now”.
If the third person is being quoted indirectly, without using his exact words or phrases, then the speech is said to be indirect. For indirect speech, inverted commas are not used and the sentences are written in the third form, referring to the third person. For example: Ram said that he was working on the project at that time. While converting direct speech into indirect speech, the form of tense and subject are changed. One important aspect is to keep the meaning of the sentence intact.
There are some important rules for writing direct and indirect speeches and for conversion of the two. These are important for forming correct sentences. Check all the rules for direct and indirect speech here.
1. While converting direct speech into indirect speech, remove the inverted commas and replace them with that.
For example: Riya said, “I am honest”. (Direct)
Riya said that……. (Indirect)
2. If the quote or message under inverted commas is a universal truth or a habitual action, then the tense remains the same.
3. If the reporting verb of the sentence is in the present tense, then the tense remains unchanged.
For example: He says” There are eight planets in the world”. (Direct)
He says that there are eight planets in the world. (Indirect)
4. If the reporting verb of the sentence is in past tense, the reporting speech will be changed to past tense.
For Example: Rahul said, “He is playing” (direct)
Simple Present | Simple Past |
Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
Present Perfect Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
Simple Past | Past Perfect |
Past Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
Will | Would |
May | Might |
Can | Could |
Shall | Should |
5. While converting direct speech into indirect speech, the subject in the reported speech gets changed to pronouns, as present in the reporting verb.
For Example: She said “I am smart” (Direct)
She said that she is smart (indirect)
6. If there’s a mention of time in the reported speech, then the way of referring to that particular time gets changed in indirect speech.
For example: Rita said “I will be going to the temple tomorrow” (Direct)
Today | That Day |
Tomorrow | The Next Day/The Following Day |
Yesterday | The Previous Day |
Now | Then |
Tonight | That Night |
Yesterday Night | Previous Night |
Tomorrow Night | Following Night |
Here | There |
This | That |
Say | Say |
These | Those |
Say To | Tell |
Said to | Told |
7. If a sentence in direct speech starts with a question, no conjunction will be used while converting it into indirect speech and the question mark will be removed.
For Example: “What are you doing” asked Riya (Direct)
Riya asked me what I was doing. (Indirect)
8. If a sentence in direct speech starts with a helping verb/auxiliary verb, then the joining clause gets changed to if/whether. During conversion, if the reporting verb has words like said or said to, then it gets changed to asked/enquired/demanded, depending on the nature of the sentence.
For Example: He asked me “Do you listen to Hindi music?” (Direct)
He asked me if I listen to Hindi music
9. Interjections are removed while converting direct speech into indirect speech. The sentence is turned into an assertive sentence.
For example: Riya said, “Wow, I won the competition”. (Direct)
1. He said, “I arrived before you”.
Answer. He said that he had arrived before you.
2. Harish said, “I have a headache today”.
Answer. Harish said that he had a headache that day.
3. He asked me, “When are you leaving?”
Answer. He questioned me when I was leaving.
4. Rahul said, “Can you call me back later?”
Answer. Rahul asked me if I could call him back later.
5. Mom said to me, “May God Bless you”.
1. She asked whether I would come to the sun festival
Answer. She said, “Will you come to the Sun Festival?”.
2. My friend says that she dances well.
Answer. My friend says, “She dances well”.
3. Ram said that he was walking alone on the street the previous night.
Answer. Ram said, “I was walking alone on the street yesterday night”.
4. He enquired me if I reach home by 9 PM every day.
Answer. He asked me, “Do you reach home by 9 PM every day?”.
5. The boy said that he has a habit of biting nails.
Answer. The boy said, “I have a habit of biting nails”.
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I need help with my work. Indirect: George said "I need help with my homework." 11: Direct: I was walking along the Street. Indirect: He said he had been walking along the Street. 12: Direct: I haven't seen George recently. Indirect: She said that she hadn't seen George recently. 13: Direct: I would help, but… Indirect: He said he ...
Reported speech: indirect speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Rule 4: Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for Present Tense. If the Reporting Verb is in the Present Tense, there is no change in the tense in the Reported Verb when Direct Speech is converted into Indirect Narration. Examples: Direct: Arnab says, "The room is dark.". Indirect: Arnab says that the room is dark.
Indirect: He said that he would do it the next day. Direct: She said, "I was here." Indirect: She said that she was there. Changes in Modals. Modals also change when transforming direct speech into indirect speech. Here are some common changes: 'Can' changes to 'could'. 'May' changes to 'might'. 'Will' changes to ...
Direct: "I do my exercises every morning.". Reported: He explained that he did his exercises every morning. Direct: "She is going to start a new job.". Reported: He heard she was going to start a new job. Direct: "I can solve this problem.". Reported: She said she could solve that problem.
Reported speech: She said she was going to the store then. In this example, the pronoun "I" is changed to "she" and the adverb "now" is changed to "then.". 2. Change the tense: In reported speech, you usually need to change the tense of the verb to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here's an example:
A direct speech can be transformed into an indirect speech and vice versa using a suitable reporting verb and a linker depending on the sentence. Let's have an example first. Tina said to me, "Are you busy now?" [direct speech] Tina asked me whether I was busy then. [indirect speech] Direct Speech. Speaker. Reporting verb. Direct speech ...
Therefore, in indirect speech, we change "I" to the third person. He says: I hate you but I need your help. I retell: He said that he hated me but he needed my help. To translate direct speech into indirect speech, we use certain rules that you should know. Let's take a look at these rules and formulas in order. Quotation marks and comma
General rules for changing direct speech into indirect speech. Omit all inverted commas or quotation marks. End the sentence with a full stop. If the verb inside the inverted commas/quotation marks is in the present tense, change it into the corresponding past tense. If it is in the simple past tense, change it into the past perfect tense.
When converting direct to indirect speech, you must change modal verbs accordingly. Here are a few examples to help you understand better: Direct Speech. Modal Verbs. Indirect Speech. Modal Verbs. The kid said, "I can swim.". Can. The kid said that she could swim.
Direct: I need help with my work. Indirect: George said "I need help with my homework.". 10. Direct: I was walking along the Street. Indirect: He said he had been walking along the Street. 11. Direct: I haven't seen George recently. Indirect: She said that she hadn't seen George recently. 12.
Direct: I need help with my work. Indirect: George said "I need help with my homework." 29. Direct: I was walking along the Street. Indirect: He said he had been walking along the Street. 30. Direct: I haven't seen George recently. Indirect: She said that she hadn't seen George recently. 31. Direct: I would help, but…
The teacher asked the boys if they had done their homework. 2. The little girl asked the man if he would help her. 3. Janaki said that she had been reading that book. 4. Mother told the daughter to go and change her dresses. 5. Susie said that she had read that book before she gave it to me.
Other words that may need to change "we⇒ they" and "us ⇒ them" (We said, "Tell us" ⇒ They said to tell them) *note the change for imperatives to the infinitive*. 4. Time Words. Time words can also be tricky because it depends on when the original sentence was said, and when it was repeated. The important thing to remember is ...
Direct: Sam: 'I'm so excited to visit my sister in Spain!'. Indirect: Sam said that she was so excited to visit her sister in Spain. If the direct speech uses a second-person pronoun as an object, report it using a first-person pronoun: Direct: Michael: 'I'm going to miss you so much.'. Indirect: Michael said he was going to miss me ...
Indirect speech - reported speech
Direct and indirect speech
100 Examples of direct and indirect speech
Indirect speech - reported speech - Page 2 of 3
Now consider the different grammatical aspects of both. Reporting Speech: The first part of the direct speech is called reporting speech (she says). Reported Speech: The second part of the sentence, which is enclosed in inverted commas or quotation marks, is called reported speech (I am a little bit nervous). Reporting Verb: The verb of the reporting speech is called the reporting verb (says).
Direct: I need help with my work. Indirect: George said "I need help with my homework." Direct: I was walking along the Street. Indirect: He said he had been walking along the Street. Direct: I haven't seen George recently. Indirect: She said that she hadn't seen George recently. Direct: I would help, but… Indirect: He said he would ...
Zainab Shaikh. Added an answer on August 27, 2021 at 12:19 pm. Indirect Speech: He said that he had done his homework. Explanation: When the reporting verb is in the past (said) and the direct speech is in the present perfect tense, then the indirect (reported) speech will change into the past perfect tense. Present Perfect Tense > Past Perfect ...
Direct and Indirect Speech: Definitions, Examples, Exercise ...