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Direct and Indirect Speech

The document discusses the differences between direct and indirect speech. Direct speech reproduces someone's exact words, while indirect speech reports the essence of what someone said but changes pronouns, adverbs, and verb tenses. When changing direct speech to indirect speech, pronouns are altered according to grammar rules and adverbs are modified to reflect changes in place or time. Verb tenses in the reporting clause determine how the verb tenses are adjusted in the dependent clause.

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Taranu Valentina
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79 views

Direct and Indirect Speech

The document discusses the differences between direct and indirect speech. Direct speech reproduces someone's exact words, while indirect speech reports the essence of what someone said but changes pronouns, adverbs, and verb tenses. When changing direct speech to indirect speech, pronouns are altered according to grammar rules and adverbs are modified to reflect changes in place or time. Verb tenses in the reporting clause determine how the verb tenses are adjusted in the dependent clause.

Uploaded by

Taranu Valentina
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

I. Direct Speech:

 It reproduces somebody’s speech as it is.

E.g. The teacher says: “Go to the blackboard and write the date!”

II. Indirect Speech:

 It retells what somebody has said.

E.g. The teacher says to go to the blackboard and write the date.

 Changes: When we say in our own words what somebody said we have to
make some changes in the subordinate clause.

1. The pronouns are changed according to the logic of the sentence.


E.g. John says: “I want to go to the mountains.”
John says that he wants to go to the mountains.

2. The adverbs are changed according to the logic of the sentence. Thus they become:

 this → that;
 these → those;
 today → that day;
 yesterday → the day before;
 tomorrow → the next day;
 ago → before;
 next week → the next week;
 here → there;
 now → then;
E.g. Mother says: “Give me this book!”
Mother says to give her that book.

3. The questions:
a. The YES / NO questions, will be introduced by “if” and the word order
will be: S+P (because it is no more an interrogative sentence)
E.g. My friend asks me: “Do you want to go there?
My friend asks me if I want to go there.
b. The “Wh-“questions will keep the interrogative word, but they will
change the word order in the subordinate clause: S+P, instead of the inverted
order.
E.g. My father asks me: “When do you start school?”
My father asks me when I start school.

4. The Imperative Mood will be changed into a long infinitive:


E.g. My sister orders me: “Go there and bring me that book!”
My sister orders me to go and to bring her that book.

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5. The tenses are changed as follows:

Main Clause Subordinate Clause

Present/ Future Any Tense


E.g. D.S. “I go to the market.”
I.S. Mary says that she goes to the market.
Mary will tell you that she goes to the
market.
Past present - PAST;
past - PAST PERFECT;
future - FUTURE–IN–THE–PAST (would + Vb.)

Examples:

 Mother says: “I don’t go to work on Sundays.” (Present Simple)


Mother says she doesn’t go to work on Sundays. (Present Simple- no changes
because the verb from the main sentence is at Present Tense)

 Mother said: “I don’t go to work on Sundays.” (Present Simple)


Mother said she didn’t go to work on Sundays. (Present Simple – becomes Past
Simple)

 Mother said: “I went to work last Sunday.” (Past Simple)


Mother said she had gone to work the last Sunday. (Past Simple – becomes Past
Perfect)

 Mother said: “I have gone to work twice this week.” (Present Perfect)
Mother said she had gone to work twice that week. (Present Perfect – become Past
Perfect)

 Mother said: “I will go to work on Sunday.” (Future Simple)


Mother said she would go to work on Sunday. ( Future Simple – becomes Future-
in-the-Past)

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Direct and Indirect Speech
- Exercises -

1. Turn the sentences into Indirect Speech, using the verb from the main clause to Present Tense
Simple.
Model: I like music.
She says (that) she likes music.

a) I don’t want to play chess.

b) She loves him.

c) Mary is a good student.

d) You are not a good doctor.

2. Turn the sentences into Indirect Speech, using the verb from the main clause to Past Tense
Simple.
Model: We are eating apples.
She said (that) they were eating apples.

a) I listen to you.

b) She is drawing a horse.

c) She has just bought a present for him.

d) John went to the mountain a week ago.

e) Mary had had a terrible headache yesterday.

f) I will go to the seaside tomorrow.

3. Turn the interrogative sentences into Indirect Speech as in the model:


 Model: Why are you crying?
She asks me why I am crying.
She asked me why I was crying.
 Model: (for yes/ no question): Do you like music?
She asks me if I like music.
She asked me if I liked music.

a) Where do you go?


 …………………………………………………………..
 ………………………………………………………….
b) What are you doing there?
 …………………………………………………………….

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 ……………………………………………………………

c) Did you eat in a restaurant yesterday?


 …………………………………………………………….
 ……………………………………………………………
d) Have you already finished your project?
 …………………………………………………………..
 ………………………………………………………….
e) Will you go to him tomorrow?
 ……………………………………………………………….
 ………………………………………………………………

4) Turn the imperative sentences to Indirect Speech as in the model:


 Model: He says/said: “Go there!”
He asks/asked me to go there.
 Model (for negative imperative): He says/said: “Don’t go there!”
He asks/asked me not to go there.

a) “Do your homework!”

b) “Be quiet!”

c) “Buy a ticket for me, please!”

d) “Don’t enter this room!”

e) “Don’t cry over the spilt milk!”

f) “Don’t be shy!”

g) “Don’t listen to him!”

h) “Change the place!”

i) “Finish your project!”

j) “Make a cake!”

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