What is Direct & Indirect Speech?
Direct speech – reporting the message of the speaker in the exact words as spoken by
him.
Direct speech example: Maya said ‘I am busy now’.
Indirect speech: reporting the message of the speaker in our own words
Indirect speech example: Maya said that she was busy then.
Direct And Indirect Speech Rules
Rule 1 – Direct To Indirect Speech Conversion – Reporting
Verb
When the reporting verb of direct speech is in past tense then all the
present tenses are changed to the past tense in indirect speech.
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: She said, ‘I am happy’.
Indirect: She said (that) she was happy.
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.
The tenses of direct speech do not change if the reporting verb is in
the future tense or present tense.
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: She says/will say, ‘I am going’
Indirect: She says/will say she is going.
Rule 2 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech conversion –
Present Tense
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.
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.
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.
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
Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: She said, “Irvin arrived on Sunday.”
Indirect: She said that Irvin had arrived on Sunday.
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.
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.
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 the following
Tuesday.
Rule 4 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion –
Interrogative Sentences
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.
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 for the party’?
Indirect: She asked whether we would come for the party.
Reporting verbs such as ‘said/ said to’ changes to enquired, asked, or demanded.
Direct to indirect speech example
Direct: She said to me, ‘What are you eating’?
Indirect: She asked me what I was eating.
Rule 5 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion –
Changes in Modals
While changing direct speech to indirect speech, the modals used in the sentences
change like:
1. Can becomes could
2. May becomes might
3. Must becomes 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: Rama said, ‘I must complete the assignment’.
Indirect: Rama said that he had to complete the assignment.
There are modals that do not change – 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
The first person in 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 says that he was in class Twelfth.
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.
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
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 the 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.
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
In direct speech, the words actually spoken should be in (‘’) quotes and always
begin with a capital letter.
Example: She said, “I am the best.”
Full stop, comma, exclamation or question mark, are placed inside the closing
inverted commas.
Example: They asked, “Can we sing with you?”
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.” (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 (to this place)becomes thither(to that place)
Come becomes go
Hence becomes thence
Next week or month becomes following week/month
Examples:
Direct: He said, ‘His friend came yesterday.’
Indirect: He said that his friend had come the day before.
The time expression does not change if the reporting verb is in the
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 the day before.
Rules of converting Indirect Speech into Direct Speech
The following rules should be followed while converting an indirect speech to direct
speech:
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 letter.
3. Insert question mark, quotation marks, exclamation mark and full stop, based on
the mood of the sentence.
4. Remove the conjunctions like (that, to, if or whether) wherever necessary.
5. Where the reporting verb is in past tense in indirect, change it to present tense in
the direct speech.
6. Change the past perfect tense either into present perfect tense or past tense, as
necessary.
Check the examples:
Indirect: She asked whether she was coming to the prom night.
Direct: She said to her, “Are you coming to the prom night?”
Indirect: The girl said that she was happy with her result.
Direct: The girl said. “I am happy with my result.”
