Direct And Indirect Speech Rules
What is Direct & Indirect Speech?
Direct speech - reporting the message of the speaker in exact words as spoken by him.
Direct speech example: Raima said, „She is busy now‟.
Indirect speech: reporting the message of the speaker in our own words.
Indirect speech example: Raima said that she was very busy then.
Rules For Direct And Indirect Speech Rules for converting Direct into Indirect speech
To change a sentence of direct speech into indirect speech various factors are considered such
as reporting verbs, modals, time, place, pronoun, tense, etc.
We will take up all the factors one by one.
Rule 1 - Direct To Indirect Speech Conversion
Reporting Verb
1. When The reporting verb of direct speech is in past tense then all the present
tenses are changed to corresponding past tense in indirect speech.
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: she said, “I am happy‟
Indirect: She said (that) she was happy.
2. In indirect speech tenses do not change if the words used within the quotes
(„‟) talk of a habitual action or universal truth.
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: He said, „We cannot live without air‟.
Indirect: He said that we cannot live without air.
3. The tenses of direct speech do not change if the reporting verb is in future
tense or present tense.
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: She says/will say, „She is going‟
Indirect: She says/will say she is going.
Rule 2 - Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion
Present Tense
1. Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect.
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: "I have been to Boston", She told me.
Indirect: She told me that she had been to Boston.
2. Present Continuous Changes to Past Continuous.
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: "I am playing the guitar", she explained.
Indirect: She explained that she was playing the guitar.
3. Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: He said, "She has finished her homework“.
Indirect: He said that she had finished her homework.
4. Simple Present Changes to Simple Past
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: "I am unwell", she said.
Indirect: She said that she was unwell.
Rule 3 - Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion
Past Tense & Future Tense
1. Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: She said, “Irum arrived on Sunday."
Indirect: She said that Irum had arrived on Sunday.
2. Past Continuous Changes to Past Perfect Continuous
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: "We were playing basketball", they told me.
Indirect: They told me that they had been playing basketball.
3. Future Changes to Present Conditional
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: She said, "I will be in Scotland tomorrow."
Indirect: She said that she would be in Scotland the next day.
4. Future Continuous Changes to Conditional Continuous
Direct to indirect speech example
Direct: He said, "I'll be disposing of the old computer next Tuesday.”
Indirect: He said that he would be disposing of the old computer next Tuesday.
Rule 4 - Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion
Interrogative Sentences
1. No conjunction is used if a sentence in direct speech begins with a question
(what/where/when) as the "question-word" itself acts as a joining clause.
Direct to indirect speech example :
Direct: “Where do you live?” asked the boy.
Indirect: The boy enquired where I lived.
2. If a direct speech sentence begins with an auxiliary verb/helping verb, the joining clause
should be if or whether.
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: She said, „Will you come to the party‟?
Indirect: She asked whether we would come to the party.
3. Reporting verbs such as „said/ said to‟ changes to enquired, asked, or demanded
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: He said to me, “What are you wearing‟?
Indirect: He asked me what I was wearing.
Rule 5 - Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion
Changes in Modals While changing direct speech to indirect speech the models used in the
sentences change like:
1. Can becomes Could
2. May becomes Might
3. Must become had to /Would have to
Check the examples:
Direct: She said, „She can dance‟.
Indirect: She said that she could dance.
Direct: She said, „I may buy a dress‟.
Indirect: She said that she might buy a dress.
Direct: Roma said, „I must complete the assignment‟.
Indirect: Roma said that she had to complete the assignment.
4. Some modals do not change like (Could, Would, Should, Might, Ought to)
Direct: She said, „I should clean the house‟
Indirect: She said that she should clean the house.
Rule 6 - Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion
Pronoun
1. The first person in the direct speech changes as per the subject of the speech.
Direct speech to indirect speech examples
Direct: He said, “I am in class Twelfth.”
Indirect: He said that he was in class Twelfth.
2. The second person of direct speech changes as per the object of reporting speech.
Direct speech to indirect speech examples:
Direct: She says to them, "You have done your work.”
Indirect: She tells them that they have done their work.
3. The third person of direct speech doesn't change.
Direct speech to indirect speech examples:
Direct: He says, "She dances well.”
Indirect: He says that she dances well.
Rule 7 - Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion
Request, Command, Wish, Exclamation
1. Indirect Speech is supported by some verbs like requested, ordered, suggested and advised.
Forbid-forbade is used for negative sentences. Therefore, the imperative mood in direct speech
changes into the Infinitive in indirect speech.
Direct: She said to her „Please complete it‟.
Indirect: She requested her to complete it.
Direct: Hamid said to Ramid, „Sit down‟.
Indirect: Hamid ordered Ramid to sit down.
2. In Exclamatory sentences that express (grief, sorrow, happiness, applaud) Interjections are
removed and the sentence is changed to an assertive sentence.
Direct: She said, „Alas! I am undone‟.
Indirect: She exclaimed sadly that she was broke.
Rule 8 - Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion
Punctuations
1. In direct speech the words spoken should be in („‟) quotes and always begin with a capital
letter.
Example: She said, “I am the Best.”
2. Full stop, Comma, exclamation, or question marks, are placed inside the closing inverted
commas.
Example: They asked, “Can we sing with you?”
3. If direct speech comes after the information about who is speaking, a comma is used to
introduce the speech, placed before the first inverted comma.
Direct speech example: He shouted, “Shut up!”
Direct speech example: “Thinking back,” he said, “she didn't expect to win.”
(A comma is used to separate the two direct speeches and no capital letter to begin the
second sentence).
Rule 9 - Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion
Change of Time
1. In direct speeches, the words that express nearness in time or place are changed to words
that express distance in indirect speech.
Such as :
Now becomes then
Here becomes there
Ago becomes before
Thus becomes so
Today becomes that day
Tomorrow becomes the next day
This becomes that
Yesterday becomes the day before
These become those
Hither becomes thither
Come becomes go
Hence becomes thence
Next week Or month becomes the following week/month
Examples:
Direct: He said, „His friend came yesterday.‟
Indirect: He said that his friend had come the day before.
2. The time expression does not change if the reporting verb is in present tense or future tense.
Examples:
Direct: He says/will say, „My friend came yesterday.‟
Indirect: He says/will say that his friend had come yesterday.
1. Use the reporting verb such as (say, said to) in its correct tense.
2. Put a comma before the statement and the first letter of the statement should be in capital
letters.
3. Insert question marks, quotation marks, exclamation marks,s, and full stops, based on the
mood of the sentence.
4. Remove the conjunctions like (that, too, if, or whether) wherever necessary.
5. Where the reporting verb is in past tense in indirect, change it to present tense in direct
speech.
6. Change the past perfect tense either into the present perfect tense or past tense as
necessary.
Check the examples:
Indirect: She asked whether she was coming at bonfire night.
Direct: She said to her, “Are you coming to the bonfire night?”
Indirect: The girl said that she was happy with her result
