Direct/ Indirect speech
What are Direct and Indirect Speech?
• Direct Speech
• The kind of speech where the message of the sender is
reported in the exact same words by the receiver of the
message. It is also quoted in the quotation marks.
• For example:- He said, “I can cook food.”
Indirect Speech
• A kind of speech where the message of the reporter is
reported in some other words but of the same meaning.
Here, the message is not quoted in speech marks.
• For example:- He said that he could cook food.
I. Rules as per Modal Verb Change
• Direct - Indirect
Modal Verbs in Indirect Speech*-
Can → Could- Could → Could (no change)-
May → Might- Might → Might (no change)-
Shall → Should- Should → Should (no change)-
Will → Would- Would → Would (no change)-
Must → Had to-
Need to → Needed to- Ought to → Ought to (no
change)Note that these rules apply when changing direct
speech to indirect speech or reported speech.
Example:Direct Speech: "I can do it."Indirect Speech:
"She said she could do it.
Direct Speech: "You must try it."Indirect Speech: "He said
we had to try it."Let me know if you have any more
Examples
• Michael said, “I ought to avoid junk food.”
• Michael said that he ought to avoid junk food.
• They said, “ We may go to Canada.”
• They said that they might go to Canada.
II. Rules as per Tense Change
• Here are the rules for changing verb forms in narration based on tense changes:*Direct Speech to Indirect
Speech*-
• Present Simple → Past Simple-
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous-
• Present Perfect → Past Perfect-
• Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous-
• Past Simple → Past Perfect-
• Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous-
• Past Perfect → Past Perfect (no change)-
• Past Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous (no change)-
• Future Simple → Future in the Past (would/could + infinitive)-
• Future Continuous → Future in the Past Continuous (would/could + be + infinitive)
• - Future Perfect → Future in the Past Perfect (would/could + have + past participle)
• - Future Perfect Continuous → Future in the Past Perfect Continuous (would/could + have been +
infinitive)*
Examples
• Direct Speech: "I go there every day.“
• → Indirect Speech: "She said she went there every day."-
• Direct Speech: "I am studying for my exam."
• → Indirect Speech: "He said he was studying for his exam.“
• - Direct Speech: "I have finished my work."
• → Indirect Speech: "They said they had finished their work.“
• - Direct Speech: "I will meet you at 5 pm.“
• → Indirect Speech: "She said she would meet me at 5 pm.”
III. Rules as per Place & Time Change
• 1. Now- Then
• 2. Here- There
• 3. Today- That day
• 4. Tomorrow- The next day
• 5. Last week- The previous week
• 6. This- That
• 7. Tonight- That night
• 8. Ago- Before
• 9. Thus- So
• 10. Hence- Thence
• 11. Next- Following
Examples
• She said, “ I saw him today.”
• She said that she had seen him that day.
• He said, “I will see him tomorrow.”
• He said that he would see him the next day.
IV. Rules as per Pronouns Change
• 1. I- He/she
• 2. You- He/ she/they
• 3. We- They
• 4. They- They
• 5. He- He
• 6. Us-Them
• 7. Our- Their
Examples
• He said, “I like your new car.”
• He told her that he liked her new car.
• He said, “I write a letter.”
• He said that he wrote a letter.
V. Direct and Indirect Speech for
Interrogative Sentences
• 1. The conjunction ‘that' is not used in the indirect speech
of interrogation sentences.
• 2. In the Indirect sentence of interrogation, the answer is
written in positive or assertive form, rather than the
question form, and hence, the sentence ends with a '?’.
• 3. Inverted commas are removed in indirect speech.
• 4. Use verbs such as, ‘ask', and ‘inquire' instead of say or
tell.
Examples
• Jackson said, “ what is John doing?”
• Jackson asked what John was doing.
• Esha said, “ will she come for lunch?”
• Esha asked if she would come for lunch.
• He said to me, “do you like coffee?”
• He asked me if I liked coffee.
• They said to me, “how is the weather?”
• They asked me how the weather was.
VI. Indirect Speech for Exclamatory
Sentences
• An Exclamatory sentence is a type of sentence that
expresses some joy, sorrow, excitement, or any other kind
of emotion. Here are some rules for the indirect speech of
exclamatory sentences.
• The imperative sentences express advice, request, or order.
So in order to convert it into indirect, some words need to
be added like Requested, advised, suggested, ordered,
forbade, etc.
Examples
• The old man said to him, “always speak the truth.”
• The old man advised him to always speak the truth.
• He said to me, “please make some tea for me.”
• He requested me to make some tea for him.
• There are exclamatory sentences that express joy or wonder so
some words like exclaimed with joy, exclaimed with wonder,
exclaimed with sorrow will be added.
• Examples:-
• She said, “hurrah! I passed the exam.”
• She exclaimed with joy that she had passed the exam.
• She said, oh! I lost my purse.
• She exclaimed with sorrow that she had lost her purse.
•Keep working hard.
•Thank you
