Description of the topic, guidelines/types/rules. 3 practice exercises.

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Direct and Indirect Speech: Direct Indirect Speech Rules and
examples.
What is Direct & Indirect Speech?
Direct Speech: the message of the speaker is conveyed or reported in
his own actual words without any change.
Indirect Speech: the message of the speaker is conveyed or reported
in our own words.
Example on Process of Conversion from Direct to Indirect Speech
a) Direct: Radha said, “I am very busy now.”
b) Indirect: Radha said that she was very busy then.
1. All inverted commas or quotation marks are omitted and the
sentence ends with a full stop.
2. Conjunction ‘that’ is added before the indirect statement.
3. The pronoun ‘I’ is changed to ‘she’. (The Pronoun is changed in
Person)
4. The verb ‘am’ is changed to ‘was’. (Present Tense is changed to
Past)
5. The adverb ‘now’ is changed to ‘then’.
Tips on Direct and Indirect Speech:
Tip 1: Conversion Rules as per the Reporting Verb
When the reporting or principal verb is in the Past Tense, all Present
tenses of the direct are changed into the corresponding Past Tenses.
a) Direct: He said, “I am unwell.”
b) Indirect: He said (that) he was unwell.
If the reporting verb is in the Present or Future Tense, the tenses of
the Direct Speech do not change.
a) Direct: He says/will say, “I am unwell.”
b) Indirect: He says/will say he is unwell.
The Tense in Indirect Speech is NOT CHANGED if the words within
the quotation marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action.
a) Direct: They said, “We cannot live without water.”
b) Indirect: They said that we cannot live without water.
Tip 2: Conversion Rules of Present Tense in Direct Speech
Simple Present Changes to Simple Past
a) Direct: "I am happy", she said.
b) Indirect: She said that she was happy.
Present Continuous Changes to Past Continuous
a) Direct: "I am reading a book", he explained.
b) Indirect: He explained that he was reading a book.
Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect
a) Direct: She said, "He has finished his food“.
b) Indirect: She said that he had finished his food.
Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect
a) Direct: "I have been to Gujarat", he told me.
b) Indirect: He told me that he had been to Gujarat.
Tip 3: Conversion Rules of Past & Future Tense
Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect
a) Direct: He said, “Ira arrived on Monday."
b) Indirect: He said that Ira had arrived on Monday.
Past Continuous Changes to Past Perfect Continuous
a) Direct: "We were living in Goa", they told me.
b) Indirect: They told me that they had been living in Goa.
Future Changes to Present Conditional
a) Direct: He said, "I will be in Kolkata tomorrow."
b) Indirect: He said that he would be in Kolkata the next day.
Future Continuous Changes to Conditional Continuous
a) Direct: She said, "I'll be using the car next Friday.”
b) Indirect: She said that she would be using the car next Friday.
Tip 4: Changes in Modals Verbs
CAN changes into COULD
a) Direct: He said, "I can swim."
b) Indirect: He said that he could swim.
MAY changes into MIGHT
a) Direct: He said, "I may buy a house.”
b) Indirect: He said that he might buy a house.
MUST changes into HAD TO/WOULD HAVE TO
a) Direct: He said, "I must work hard.”
b) Indirect: He said that he had to work hard.
Modals that DO NOT Change: Would, Could, Might, Should, Ought
to.
a) Direct: He said, "I should face the challenge.”
b) Indirect: He said that he should face the challenge.
Tip 5: Conversion of Interrogative
Reporting Verb like ‘said/ said to’ changes to asked, enquired or
demanded
a) Direct: He said to me, “What are you doing?”
b) Indirect: He asked me what I was doing.
If sentence begins with auxiliary verb, the joining clause should be if
or whether.
a) Direct: He said, “Will you come for the meeting?”
b) Indirect: He asked them whether they would come for the
meeting.
If sentence begins with ‘wh’ questions then no conjunction is used as
the "question-word" itself act as joining clause.
a) Direct: “Where do you live?” asked the girl.
b) Indirect: The girl enquired where I lived.
Tip 6: Command, Request, Exclamation, Wish
Commands and Requests
Indirect Speech is introduced by some verbs like ordered, requested,
advised and suggested. Forbid(s)/ forbade is used for the negative
sentences. The imperative mood is changed into the Infinitive.
a) Direct: Rafique said to Ahmed, “Go away.”
b) Indirect: Rafique ordered Ahmed to go away.
c) Direct: He said to her, “Please wait.”
d) Indirect: He requested her to wait.
Exclamations and Wishes
Indirect Speech is introduced by some words like grief, sorrow,
happiness, applaud. Exclamatory sentence changes into assertive
sentence and Interjections are removed.
a) Direct: He said, “Alas! I am undone.”
b) Indirect: He exclaimed sadly that he was broke.
Tip 7: Change of Pronouns
The first person of the reported speech changes according to the
subject of reporting speech.
a) Direct: She said, “I am in ninth class.”
b) Indirect: She says that she was in ninth class.
The second person of reported speech changes according to the object
of reporting speech.
a) Direct: He says to them, "You have completed your job.”
b) Indirect: He tells them that they have completed their job.
The third person of the reported speech doesn't change.
a) Direct: He says, "She is in tenth class.”
b) Indirect: He says that she is in tenth class.
Tip 8: Change of Place and Time
Words expressing nearness in time or place in Direct Speech are
generally changed into words expressing distance in Indirect Speech.
Now -- then
Here -- there
Ago -- before
Thus -- so
Today -- that day
Tomorrow -- the next day
This -- that
Yesterday -- the day before
These -- those
Come -- go
Hence -- thence
Next week/month -- following week/month
a) Direct: She said, “My father came yesterday.”
b) Indirect: She said that her father had come the day before.
c) Direct: She says/will say, “My father came yesterday.”
Indirect: She says/will say that her father had come yesterday. (Here
the reporting verb ‘says’ is in the present tense OR ‘will say’ is in
future tense; hence the time expression ‘yesterday’ won’t change.)
Tip 9: Punctuation
The words that are actually spoken should be enclosed in quotes and
begin with a capital letter
Example: He said, “You are right.”
Comma, full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark must be
present at the end of reported sentences and are placed inside the
closing inverted comma or commas.
Example: He asked, “Can I come with you?”
If direct speech comes after the information about who is speaking,
comma is used to introduce the piece of speech, placed before the first
inverted comma.
Example: She shouted, “Stop talking!”
Example: “Thinking back,” she said, “he didn't expect to win.”
(Comma is used to separate the two reported speech and no capital
letter to begin the second sentence).
Exercises for Practice
Read the following conversion and complete the passage in indirect
speech.
1)Nicholas: Bobby won’t enjoy himself much, and he won’t race
much either. His boots are hurting him. They are too tight.
Aunt: Why didn’t he tell me they were hurting?
Nicholas: He told you twice, but you weren’t listening. You often
don’t listen when we tell you important things.
Fill in the blanks.
Nicholas said that Bobby …………………………… and
………………………. because ………………………. and
………………..His aunt asked ……………………………Nicholas
replied that ………………………………………. He added
that……………………….. .
2) Soumya: Nice to meet you. Where have you been all these days?
Kirthi: I went to Pune to attend a seminar on environmental pollution.
Soumya: How was the seminar?
Kirthi: Quite informative and worth attending.
Now report their conversation.
Soumya …………………………………. all those days. Kirthi
…………………………… on environmental pollution. Soumya
wanted to know …………………………….. Kirthi told
………………………………..
3) Rama: I am going to jungle.
Sita: Why?
Rama: I have been banished for fourteen years by father.
Sita: Oh! It is very sad. Can I go with you?
Rama: No. Stay at home to care of my old parents.

On being banished by his father, King Dasharath, Rama told Sita

(a)_____________. She asked him (b)____________. Rama told that
(c) __________________.Sita exclaimed saying it was very bad and
asked Rama (d)_______________________. Rama asked her to stay
at home to take care of my old parents.
1. Read the conversation between Rama and Sita. Then report the
paragraph that follows.
Rama: I am going to jungle.
Sita: Why?
Rama: I have been banished for fourteen years by father.
Sita: Oh! It is very sad. Can I go with you?
Rama: No. Stay at home to care of my old parents.
On being banished by his father, King Dasharath, Rama told Sita
(a)_____________. She asked him (b)____________. Rama told that
(c) __________________.Sita exclaimed saying it was very bad and
asked Rama (d)_______________________. Rama asked her to stay
at home to take care of my old parents.
Answers
a- that he was going to jungle.
b- why he was going to jungle.
c- he had been banished for fourteen years by father.
d-if she could go with him.
Interviewer: So, why do you want to be a computer programmer?
Ravi: Well, I have always been interested in computers.
Interviewer: I see. Do you have any experience?
Ravi: No, but I’m a fast learner.
Interviewer: What kind of a computer do you use?
Ravi: Computer? Uhm, let me see. I can use a Mac. I also used
Windows 10 once.
Interviewer: That’s good.
Ravi recently attended an interview for the selection of a computer
programmer. At the interview he was asked
(a) ………………………. . To this question he replied that he wanted
to change his job because (b) ………………………. . When the
interviewer asked him (e) ………………………. he replied that he
(d) ………………………. . Finally the interviewer wanted to know
(e) ………………………. . Ravi replied that he could use a Mac and
had also used Windows 10 once in the,.past. The interviewer seemed
to be pleased with his answers.
Answer:
(a) why he wanted to be a computer programmer
(b) he had always been interested in computers
(c) whether he had any experience
(d) didn’t but that he was a fast learner
(e) the kind of computer he used