DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

Reported Speech- A form of speech used to convey what was said by someone at some point of time.

DIRECT SPEECH: The way in which we use the exact words of the speaker to report his/her speech.

Rahim said, "I will call tomorrow."

INDIRECT SPEECH: We report the speech by conveying it in our own words. When the meaning of the speech is conveyed the reporter's words, it is called Indirect Speech. Here verbs move back one tense.

He said that he would call me the next day.

Jeevan said that they would go for a trip tomorrow.

Princy said that she wanted to participate in the competition.

If the reporting verb is in past tense, the tenses in the reported speech are converted into its corresponding past tense. If the reporting verb is in present tense ("says") the tense will remain the same.

Simple Present Tense---Past Tense

Rajeen said, "I go to watch a movie.".

Rajeen said that he went to watch a movie.

Rajeen said, "I go to watch a movie."

Rajeen said that he went to watch a movie.

Jeeva says, "I work in the office."

Jeeva says that he works in the office.

Present Continuous ---Past Continuous Tense

He said, "I am studying for my exam."

He said that he was studying for his exam.

Rajeen said, "I am watching TV."

Rajeen said that he was watching TV.

Jeeva says, "I am reading a book."

Jeeva says that he is reading a book.

Present Perfect Tense ---Past Perfect Tense

Priya Said, "I have bought a new car".

Priya said that she had bought a new car.

Rajeen said, "I have completed my homework."

Rajeen said that he had completed his homework.

Jeeva says, "I have been to the museum."

Jeeva says that he has been to the museum.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense---Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Rahim said, "He has been working on this project for two hours."

Rahim said that he had been working on this project for two hours. Rajeen said, "I have been waiting for you." Rajeen said that he had been waiting for me.

Jeeva says, "I have been working all day." Jeeva says that he has been working all day.

Simple Past Tense---Past Perfect Tense

Rani said, "She went to the garden last week."

Rani said that she had gone to the garden last week.

Rajeen said to me, "I visited Paris last year."

Rajeen told me that he visited Paris last year.

Jeeva says, "I saw a movie yesterday."

Jeeva answers that he saw a movie yesterday.

Past Continuous ---Past Perfect Continuous Tense

She said to me, 'I was studying all night.'.

She told me that she had been studying all night.

Rajeen said, "I was studying when you called." Rajeen argued that he was studying when I called.

Jeeva says, "I was cooking when the guests arrived." Jeeva informs us that he was cooking when the guests arrived.

Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Tense---Unchanged

Reyan said, "I had visited the place".

Reyan said that he had visited the place.

He said, 'I had been working on this project for months.'

He said that he had been working on that project for months.

Rajeen said, "I had finished the project before the deadline." Rajeen explained that he had finished the project before the deadline.

Jeeva says, "I had already eaten when you called." Jeeva answers that he had already eaten when I called.

Future Tense (Shall/Will)---Should/Would

Sherin said, "He will come tomorrow."

Sherin said that he would come the next day.

Revision Question

She said, "I love reading books."

John said, "I am feeling tired."

They said, "We watched a movie last night."

He said, "I will complete my project tomorrow."

She said, "I can solve this problem easily."

Rahul said, "I have finished my lunch."

My mother said, "You should eat more vegetables."

She said, "I had already seen that movie."

Rahul said, "I was playing football in the evening."

If the reporting verb is in present tense or future tense , the tense of the reported speech remains unchanged.

Anya says, "I want to enjoy every moments of my life".

Anya says that she wants to enjoy every moments of her life".

The teacher will say, "The entire class needs to be shifted".

The teacher will say that the entire class needs to be shifted.

Change of Pronouns:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
I	He, she
Me	Him, her
We	They
Us	Them
You	He, she, they
You	Him, her, them
My	His, her
Mine	His, hers
Our	Their
Ours	Theirs
Your	His, her, their
Yours	His, hers, theirs

Table 2 – Change of Adverbs of Place and Adverbs of Time

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
This	That
These	Those
Adverbs of Place
Here	There
Adverbs of Time
Now	Then
Today	That day
Tomorrow	The next day / The following day
Yesterday	The previous day
Tonight	That night
Last week	The week before
Next week	The week after
Last month	The previous month
Next month	The following month
Last year	The previous year
Next year	The following year
Ago	Before
Thus	So

Asking Questions

The question form is changed into a statement form and the question mark is removed.

The reporting verb becomes asked, enquired, demanded, requested etc.

We remove the conjunction 'that' while reporting a question.

If it is an yes or no question, if or whether is used as a conjunction.

Ex. He said, "Are you not afraid"?

He asked me if I was not afraid.

Direct speech	Reported speech
Are you going to my house?	She asked me if I was going to her house.
Where were you going?	He asked me where I had been going.
Where have you been?	She asked me where I had been.

TEXT NOTES

Some other words that can be used a reporting verb (said) are:

answer, argue, explain, reply, promise, remark, point out, assure etc.

Statements (verbs move back one tense)

Direct speech: "I will finish my homework later," said Rahul.
Reported speech: Rahul said that he would finish his homework later.
Direct speech: "We are going to the park," said Neha.
Reported speech: Neha said that they were going to the park.

Yes/No Questions (use "if" or "whether," word order changes, verbs move back one tense)

Direct speech: "Do you like chocolate?" she asked.
Reported speech: She asked if I liked chocolate.
Direct speech: "Are you coming to the party?" he asked.
Reported speech: He asked whether I was coming to the party.
Direct: “Do you live here?” the man asked.
Reported: The man asked if I lived there.

Direct: “Did you finish your homework?” the teacher asked.
Reported: The teacher asked whether I had finished my homework.

Direct: “Can you help me?” she asked.
Reported: She asked if I could help her.

Direct: “Will you come tomorrow?” he asked.
Reported: He asked if I would come the next day.

Wh-Questions (wh-word + word order changes, verbs move back one tense)

Direct: “Why are you crying?” Mom asked.
Reported: Mom asked why I was crying.

Direct speech: "Where did you go yesterday?" he asked.

Reported speech: He asked where I had gone yesterday.

Direct speech: "What time does the train leave?" she asked.

Reported speech: She asked what time the train left.

Commands (use "to" + verb, verb changes)

Direct speech: "Close the door," the teacher said.
Reported speech: The teacher told us to close the door.
Direct speech: "Please be quiet," she asked.
Reported speech: She asked us to be quiet.

Reporting Verbs

Direct speech: "I didn't break the vase," he admitted.
Reported speech: He admitted that he hadn't broken the vase.
Direct speech: "I will be there at 6 PM," she promised.
Reported speech: She promised that she would be there at 6 PM.

Reporting Questions with "ask," "wonder," "inquire," etc.

Direct speech: "Why are you upset?" she asked.
Reported speech: She asked why I was upset.
Direct speech: "How much does this cost?" he inquired.
Reported speech: He inquired how much it cost.

Reporting Commands with "tell," "order," "advise," etc.

Direct speech: "Don't run," the teacher warned.
Reported speech: The teacher warned us not to run.
Direct speech: "Call me when you arrive," he asked.
Reported speech: He asked me to call him when I arrived.

In reported speech, universal truths do not change their form.

Direct speech: "Water boils at 100°C," he said.

Reported speech: He said that water boils at 100°C.

(No change in the tense or form of the universal truth.)

Direct speech: "The Earth orbits the Sun," she stated.

Reported speech: She stated that the Earth orbits the Sun.

(Again, no change in the universal truth.)

Convert the following into indirect speech.

Sarah said, "I am going to the store."
Tom exclaimed, "We won the game."
John asked, "Where are you going?"
Jane said, 'Could you please pass the salt?
David said, "I'll be back soon."
Ambika said, "I am shifting to my new premises today."
He said, "The film was dull."
He said, "I am not ready."
Preethi said, "I cook pasta."

He asked, "Do you know the answer?"

She asked, "Can you help me with this?"

They asked, "Have you seen that movie?"

The teacher asked, "Will you finish your homework on time?"

Rahim asked, "Is she coming to the party?"

Ravi asked, "Did you go to the market yesterday?"

She asked, "Are you free this weekend?"

John asked, "Have you ever travelled abroad?"

Mother asked, "Did you clean your room?"

The student asked, "Can I leave early today?"

The manager asked, "Will you attend the meeting tomorrow?"

He asked, "Do you like chocolate?"

The principal asked, "Is everyone present in the class?"

She asked, "Will you join us for dinner?"

He asked, "Are you coming to the concert?"

Gita asked, "Can you come with me?"

Rahim asked, "Did you complete your homework?"

The teacher asked, "Are you ready for the test?"

Ravi asked, "Will you help me with this project?"

She asked, "Do you like ice cream?"

Amit asked, "Have you ever been to Delhi?"

Mother asked, "Is your room clean?"

The boy asked, "May I borrow your book?"

They asked, "Shall we go to the park?"

She asked, "Must I submit the form today?"

Convert to indirect speech:

He said, "I am coming tomorrow."

She said, "I will finish the project by next week."

They said, "We are going to the park."

John said, "I have completed my homework."

She said, "I am feeling better today."

He said, "I can help you with that."

Tom said, "I will meet you at the cafe."

Sarah said, "I love reading books."

He said, "I am working on a new idea."

She said, "I have seen that movie before."

Sarah said, "I will call you tomorrow."
Tom exclaimed, "What an amazing movie this is!"
Anna asked, "How do you solve this problem?"
The manager said to Rohan, "Please submit your reports by Friday."
She said, "I have been waiting here for two hours."
He asked, "Who is responsible for this mistake?"
The child said, "I can tie my shoelaces myself."
She asked, "Why are you late today?"

[Emma]: "Hey, how was your weekend?"

[David]: "It was pretty adventurous! I went on a road trip to explore some nearby national parks."

[Emma]: "Wow, that sounds exciting! When did you leave?"

[David]: "We started early Saturday morning."

[Emma]: "Who did you go with?"

[David]: "I went with a couple of friends from work."

[Emma]: "What did you guys do there?"

[David]: "We did some hiking, visited some scenic viewpoints, and even went stargazing at night."

[Emma]: "Sounds like an amazing trip! Did you take any photos?"

[David]: "Absolutely! I couldn't resist capturing the breath-taking landscapes."

[Emma]: "I can't wait to see them! Did you bring back anything special from the trip?"

[David]: "Yeah, I picked up some local crafts and artisanal snacks from the park's gift shop as souvenirs."

Emma asked David how his weekend _________. David _______ that it _______ quite adventurous and he _______ on a road trip to explore some nearby national parks. With great excitement, Emma asked when he _______. David noted her interest and informed her that they _______ early Saturday morning. Curious about his companions, Emma_______ whom he had gone with. David answered that he ________ with a couple of friends from work. Emma further asked about their activities during the trip. David elaborated, mentioning that they had done some hiking, visited scenic viewpoints, and even indulged in stargazing at night. Emma asked if they had taken any photos. David confirmed that they couldn't resist capturing the breathtaking landscapes. Emma expressed anticipation in seeing the photos. She then asked if David had brought back anything special from the trip. David concluded by mentioning that he had picked up some local crafts and artisanal snacks from the park's gift shop.

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