write 5 direct and indirect speech

What is Direct and Indirect Speech with Examples?

Direct and indirect speech are two different ways of reporting spoken or written language. Let's delve into the details and provide some examples.

Direct Speech

Direct speech refers to the exact words someone said, often (but not always) enclosed in quotation marks. It is also known as quoted speech or direct discourse. This method is useful when you want to convey someone's words verbatim. For example: Sarah said, "I'm feeling very happy today." "It's a beautiful day," commented John. In these examples, the words within the quotation marks are exactly what the speaker said.

Indirect Speech

Indirect speech, also known as reported speech or indirect discourse, is when you report what someone said, but not in their exact words. You're paraphrasing their words. When you use indirect speech, you don't use quotation marks. For example: Sarah said that she was feeling very happy that day. John commented that it was a beautiful day. In these examples, you're reporting the essence of what the speaker said, but not using their exact words. It's also worth noting that in indirect speech, verb tenses, pronouns, and words expressing time and place may need to change to reflect the shift in perspective. Here is an example: Direct speech: He said, "I am going to the store now." Indirect speech: He said that he was going to the store then. Notice how "am" changed to "was" and "now" changed to "then". This is because the time and context have shifted from when the speaker originally spoke to when the speaker's words were reported. Click here if you want to read more about direct and indirect speech.

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17 Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for Conversion

Understanding direct and indirect speech conversion rules is crucial for clear and accurate communication. We will explore these rules with detailed examples to master this aspect of the English language in an easy way.

Have you ever found yourself confused about how to accurately report someone else’s speech or statements? If so, you’re not alone. Direct and indirect speech, also known as reported speech, can be tricky to navigate.

But fear not! In this article, we will explore the world of direct and indirect speech conversion rules, guiding you through the intricacies of transforming spoken words into written form.

Let’s now discover the Direct and Indirect Speech Rules in this informative article.

What is Direct Speech or Narration?

Direct speech is a form of reporting that presents someone’s exact words without any alterations. It is commonly enclosed in quotation marks, allowing readers to see the speaker’s statements precisely as they were uttered. For example:

Direct Speech: Riya says, “I shall not go to school.”

“I shall not go to school. ” – are actual words of Riya. So, it is in the Quotation Marks / Inverted Comma (“ ”) . This format of a sentence with commas and Quotation Marks / Inverted Commas is called Direct Speech where ‘Riya’ is the subject or speaker, ‘ says’ is the reporting verb, and ‘ I shall not go to school’ is called reported speech.

What is Indirect Speech or Narration?

Indirect speech , on the other hand, involves paraphrasing someone’s words and reporting them indirectly, without using quotation marks. It requires a few changes in structure, such as tense and pronoun shifts. Let’s convert the previous example of direct speech into indirect speech:

Indirect Speech: Riya says that she will not go to school.

Similarly, we can report the above-mentioned sentence without quoting Riya’s actual words but keeping the meaning the same. This Format of the sentence is called Indirect Speech . In this format, no Comma and no Quotation Mark / Inverted Comma are used. Only Full Stop ( . ) is used at the end of the sentence.

Direct and Indirect Speech General Rules

Now, learn the general rules of direct and indirect speech with numerous examples to enhance your language skills. Understand the subtleties of transforming statements, questions, and commands from one form to another effortlessly.

A. Direct and Indirect Speech (Reporting Verbs) Rules

Different reporting verbs are used to introduce indirect speech. The choice of reporting verb can convey the speaker’s attitude towards the reported speech.

Changes in reporting verbs according to tense are one of the most important rules for converting direct speech into indirect speech.

Remember: If the reporting verbs are in the presen t or future tense, the tense of the verb in the reported speech is not changed .

Remember: If the reporting verbs are in the past t ense, the tense of the verb in the reported speech will be in the corresponding past tense.

Here are some commonly used reporting verbs:

Rule 1: Reporting verbs ‘Say’ and ‘Tell’

“Say” and “tell” are two frequently used reporting verbs. “Say” is generally followed by the reported speech, while “tell” is followed by the indirect object (the person being addressed).

Direct: He says , “I am your friend.”

Indirect: He says that he is your friend.

Direct: He said to me, “I’m going to the store.”

Indirect: She told me that he was going to the store.

Rule 2: Reporting Verb ‘Ask’ and ‘Inquire’

When reporting questions , “ask” and “inquire” are commonly employed reporting verbs.

Direct: He said to me, “Where are you going?”

Indirect: He asked where I was going.

Direct: She said , “When will the concert start?”

Indirect: She inquired , “When will the concert start?”

Rule 3: Reporting Verb Request, Advise, Order, and Beg

To report imperative sentences, “Request”, “Advise”, “Order”, and “beg” are often used.

Direct: He said to me, “Go home at once”

Indirect: He ordered me to go home at once.

Direct: She said , “Do not run in the sun”

Indirect: She advised not to run in the sun.”

B. Direct and Indirect Speech ( Tenses ) Rules

The second most important rule is the changes of Tenses for converting direct speech to indirect speech

When transforming direct speech into indirect speech, there are specific rules to follow regarding tense changes:

Rule 4: Reporting Verb Present Tense:

If the Reporting Verb is in the Present Tense, there is no change in the tense in the Reported Verb when Direct Speech is converted into Indirect Narration.

Direct: Arnab says , “The room is dark.”

Indirect: Arnab says that the room is dark.

Direct: Arnab says , “The room was dark.”

Indirect: Arnab says that the room was dark.

Direct: Arnab says , “I shall finish the work.”

Indirect: Arnab says that he will finish the work.

Rule 5: Reporting Verb Future Tense:

If the Reporting Verb is in the Future Tense, there is no change in the tense in the Reported Verb when Direct Speech is converted into Indirect Narration.

Direct: Arnab will say , “The room is dark.”

Indirect: Arnab will say that the room is dark.

Direct: Arnab will say , “The room was dark.”

Indirect: Arnab will say that the room was dark.

Direct: Arnab will say , “I shall finish the work.”

Indirect: Arnab will say that he will finish the work.

Rule 6: Reporting Verb Past Tense:

If the Reporting verb of the Direct Narration is in the Past Tense, the Present Tense of the Verb in the Reported Speech of Direct Narration is changed into the corresponding Past Tense in Indirect Narration.

Direct Speech: Rohan said , “She works hard.”

Indirect Speech: Rohan said that she worked hard.

Direct Speech: Rohan said , “She is singing a song.”

Indirect Speech: Rohan said that she was singing a song.

Direct Speech: The guest said shouting, “We have arrived .”

Indirect Speech: The guest shouted that they had arrived .

Direct Speech: My sister said , “It has been raining hard for 3 days”.

Indirect Speech: My sister said that it had been raining hard for 3 days.

Direct Speech: Father said , “I visited the Taj yesterday.”

Indirect Speech: Father said that he had visited the Taj the previous day.

Direct Speech: The boys said , “They were traveling in the park.”

Indirect Speech: The boys said that they had been traveling in the park.

Direct Speech: The reporters commented, “The Kohinoor had been lost long ago”.

Indirect Speech: The reporters commented that the Kohinoor had been los t long ago.

D i rect Speech: Jyotsna said , “ She had been doing the work for 3 hours”.

Indirect Speech: Jyotsna said that she had been doing the work for 3 hours.

Rule: 7 Direct Indirect Speech (Universal Truth or Habitual Fact) Rules.

The Tense of the Verb remains unchanged in Indirect Narration in cases of General Statements of Facts , Universal Truths , Commonplace Occurrences , and Habitual or Repeated Actions . No real change occurs in these cases. Only there will be present Tense alone.

Direct: The boy said to his mother, “ The sun rises in the East”.

Indirect: The boy told his mother that the sun rises in the East. [ Universal Truth ]

Direct: The monk answered , “ Man is mortal”.

Indirect: The monk answered that man is mortal. [ Universal Truth ]

Direct: The teacher told the students, “ Perseverance always leads to success.”

Indirect: The teacher told the students that perseverance always leads to success.

3. Direct and Indirect Speech ( Changing of Pronouns) Rules

There are certain rules to follow regarding the changes of pronouns from direct speech to indirect speech:

Rule 8: Personal Pronouns

First person.

(a) If the subject of the reported speech of direct form is in the first person, the subject of the reported speech will be replaced by the subject of the reporting verb in indirect form, but the number must be the same. [ singular > singular and plural > plural ]

Direct: She says, “ I am ill today.”

Indirect: She says that she is ill that day.

Second Person

(b) If the subject of the reported speech in the Direct Form is in the second person, the subject of the reported speech will be replaced by the object of the reporting verb in the indirect form, but the number must be the same. [ singular > singular and plural > plural ]

Direct: He says to me , ” You can do this work.”

Indirect: He tells me that I can do that work.

Third Person

(c) If the subject of the reported speech of Direct Form is in the third person, there will be no change in the person of the Indirect Form.

Direct: I said, “ He will not wait for his friend.”

Indirect: I said that he would not wait for his friend.

Changing pronouns Chart

Rule 9: demonstrative pronouns.

In the case of demonstrative pronouns, replace them with appropriate pronouns in indirect speech.

Direct: “ This is my book,” she said.

Indirect: She said that it was her book.

4. Direct and Indirect Speech (Punctuation and Quotation Marks ) Rules

Understanding how to punctuate and use quotation marks correctly is crucial when dealing with direct and indirect speech. Here are some guidelines:

Rule 10: Comma and Reporting Verb

When introducing indirect speech with a reporting verb, use a comma to separate the reporting verb from the reported speech.

Example: She said, “I’ll be there on time.”

Rule 11: Question Mark to Full Stop

If the direct speech is a question, change the question mark to a full stop when converting to indirect speech.

Direct: He asked, “Are you coming to the party?”

Indirect: He asked if I was coming to the party.

Rule 12: Exclamation Mark to Full Stop

In cases where the direct speech has an exclamation mark, replace it with a full stop in indirect speech.

Direct: She exclaimed, “What a beautiful day!”

Indirect: She exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.

Direct to Indirect speech (Modals and Conditional Sentences) Rules

Indirect speech involving modals and conditional sentences requires careful attention to maintain accuracy:

Rule 13: Modals in Indirect Speech

When dealing with modals like can, could, will, would, may, might, shall, should, must, etc., use the appropriate past form in indirect speech.

Direct: She said , “I can swim.”

Indirect: She said that she could swim.

Rule 14: Conditional Sentences in Indirect Speech

In indirect speech, conditional sentences undergo specific changes, especially when they involve “will” or “would.”

Direct: He said , “I will help you.”

Indirect: He said that he would help me.

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules: (Modifying Words – Time, Place, Manner)

Adding modifying words or phrases can alter the meaning of the reported speech:

Rule 15: Reporting with Adverbs of Time

When using adverbs of time in indirect speech, adjust them to match the new timeframe.

Direct: “I will come tomorrow,” she said.

Indirect: She said that she would come the next day.

Rule 16: Reporting with Adverbs of Place

Similar to adverbs of time, adverbs of place need modification in indirect speech.

Direct: ” I live here,” he said.

Indirect: He said that he lived there.

Rule 17: Reporting with Adverbs of Manner

We can also use Adverbs of manner in indirect speech, requiring appropriate adjustments.

Direct: “He ran quickly,” she said.

Indirect: She said that he ran quickly.

Time, Place, Manner, Distance, and Direction Chart

In Indirect Narration, words denoting Time, Place, Manner, Distance, and Direction used in the quoted speech are correspondingly changed to conform to the point of view of the Reporter. Thus, the sense of nearness is changed into that of Distance, and so on.

Place Chart

Manner chart, distance chart, direction chart, direct and indirect speech advanced rules.

It is necessary to know about the Direct Indirect Speech Advanced Rules to change the mode of narration from direct to indirect speech of different sentences. All five sentences of Direct Indirect Speech Conversion Rules are shown with proper examples below.

A. Assertive Sentence Conversion Rules

To convert Assertive sentences into indirect speech the following rules are applied.

(a) No comma and Inverted comma in Indirect Speech, only full stop at the end.

(b) Reporting Verbs changed from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech ; ‘say – say’, ‘says – says’, ‘said – said’, ‘said to – told’, ‘say to – tell’, ‘says to – tells’.

Direct: He said to me, “I am ill.”

Indirect: He told me that he was ill.

B. Interrogative sentences Conversion rules

Forming indirect speech with questions necessitates some adjustments:

Reporting Yes/No Questions

When reporting yes/no questions, use “if” or “whether” and invert the subject and auxiliary verb in indirect speech.

Direct: “Will you be there?” he asked.

Indirect: He asked if I would be there.

Reporting Wh-Questions

For reporting wh-questions, maintain the question word and adjust the word order in indirect speech.

(a) ‘Tell’ and ‘say’ in Direct Narration are changed to ‘ask’, ‘enquire of’, ‘question’, ‘want to know’ etc. in Indirect Narration. (b) In place of introductory ‘that’. ‘if’ or ‘whether’ should be used. (c) In Indirect Narration a full stop (.) must be put in place of a question mark(?) at the end of the sentence. (d) In Direct Narration the Reported Speech begins with W-word or how, in Indirect Narration the same Wh-word or how is retained.

Direct: “Where are you going?” she asked.

Indirect: She asked where I was going.

Direct: The teacher said to me, “Why are you late?”

Indirect: The teacher asked me why I was late.

C. Imperative Sentences Conversion rules

The indirect speech also involves reporting imperatives, which are commands, requests, or advice:

Reporting Commands

When reporting commands, use the reporting verb “tell” and change the imperative verb to the corresponding infinitive.

Direct: The teacher said, “Open your books.”

Indirect: The teacher told the students to open their books.

Reporting Requests

For reporting requests, employ the reporting verb “ask” and convert the imperative verb to the corresponding infinitive.

Direct: She said, “Please help me with this.”

Indirect: She asked for help with that.

(a) Reporting verbs of Direct Speech changed into order or command, advise, or request according to sense in Indirect Speech. (b) ‘To’ is placed before Reported speech in Indirect Narration; for the negative imperative sentence ‘not to’ is used. (c) ‘not to’ can also be replaced by ‘forbid’, or ‘prohibit’. (d) ‘Let’ implies ‘suggestion’ or ‘proposal’; Reporting verb will be ‘suggest’ or ‘propose’ in Indirect Speech. ‘that’ is used before Reported speech in Indirect Narration (e) ‘Let’ without ‘suggestion’ or ‘proposal’; Reporting verb will be ‘tell’, or ‘wish’ according to sense in Indirect Speech. ‘that’ is used before Reported speech in Indirect Narration.

Direct: Mother said to me, “Don’t run in the sun.”

Indirect: Mother advised me not to run in the sun.

Direct: She said to me, “Let us go for a picnic.”

Indirect: She suggested that we should go for a picnic.

D. Optative Sentence Conversion rules

The following rules are used to change an optative sentence from direct speech to indirect speech

(a) Reporting verbs changed to ‘ wish ’, ‘ pray ’, and ‘ bless ’ in Indirect Speech.

(b) Linker, ‘ that ’ is placed before Reported speech in Indirect Narration.

Direct: The monk said to me, “ May God bless you.”

Indirect: The monk wished that God might bless me.

E. Exclamatory Sentences Conversion rules

(a) The reporting verb is changed into exclaim (in joy), exclaim (in grief), cried out (in sorrow), pray, wish, etc. (b) Examinations are turned into statements. (c) Interjections (Alas, Oh, Hurrah) are omitted. (d) ‘What’, and ‘How’ used in exclamation should be replaced by great, great, very, very much, and big.

Direct: The boys said, “Hurrah! we have won the match.”

Indirect: The boy exclaimed in joy that they had won the match.

Solved Exercises Direct and Indirect Speech

Change the following sentences into indirect speech.

Q: Ratan said to Anita, “I don’t like your brother”.

Ans: Ratan told Anita that she did not like her brother.

Q: The hermit said to the boys, “God is present everywhere.”

Ans: The hermit told the boys that God is present everywhere.

Q: :He said to you, “You shouldn’t play in my garden.”

Ans: He told you that you should not play in his garden.

Q: The class teacher said to the students. “The inspector will visit our school today.”

Ans: The class teacher told the students that the inspector would visit their school that day.

Q: He said to me, “I don’t believe you.”

Ans: He told me that he didn’t believe me.

Q: She said to her son, “I’ve often told you not to play with fire.”

Ans: She told her son that she had often told him not to play with fire.

Q: Sitesh said to Lina, “I want you to go to Patna with me.”

Ans: Sitesh told Lina that he wanted her to go to Patna with him.

Q: “We can’t be quite happy in life,” he said.

Ans: He said that they couldn’t be quite happy in life.

Q: He said, “The Muslims bury their dead.”

He said that the Muslims bury their dead.

Q: “You’ve overcooked the steak again, Mary”, he said.

Ans: He told Mary that she had overcooked the steak again.

Q: Ramen said to Bina, “I’m going to your house this, week.”

Ans: Ramen told Bina that he was going to her house that week.

Q: He said, “We will discuss this tomorrow.”

Ans: He said that they would discuss that the next day

Turn the following sentences into direct speech.

Q: He said to me, “You are wicked; so I shall not mix with you.”

Ans: He told me that I was wicked; so he would not mix with me.

Q: He said to you, “I was much struck by your eloquence.”

Ans: He told you that he had been much struck by your eloquence.

Q: We remarked, “God is gracious.”

Ans: We remarked that God is gracious.

Q: I said to my mother, “I shall always obey you.”

Ans: I told my mother that I should always obey her.

Q: He said to Gopal, “You were a mere boy when I saw you last.”

Ans: He told Gopal that he was a mere boy when he had seen him last.

Q: I said to him, “The sky is blue.”

Ans: I told him that the sky is blue.

Q: He said to me, “You will feel the consequences.”

Ans: He told me that I should feel the consequences.

Q: She said to you, “I am not angry with you.”

Ans: She told you that she was not angry with you.

Q: I said to them, “You have done wrong.”

Ans: I told them that they had done wrong.

Q: He said, “I visit the temple every day.”

Ans: He said that he visited the temple every day.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Direct and Indirect Speech

Q : what is the key difference between direct and indirect speech.

Ans: The main difference lies in the quoting style. Direct speech involves repeating someone’s exact words, while indirect speech reports what was said without quoting verbatim.

FAQ 2: Is it always necessary to backshift the tense in indirect speech?

Ans: While backshifting is common, some exceptions exist, especially in cases where the statement’s truth remains constant.

FAQ 3: How do I handle multiple speakers in indirect speech?

Ans: When reporting multiple speakers, use appropriate reporting verbs and introduce each person’s dialogue in a logical sequence.

FAQ 4: Can I mix direct and indirect speech in the same sentence?

Ans: Combining direct and indirect speech in a sentence is possible, but it requires precision to avoid confusion.

FAQ 5: What are some reporting verbs commonly used in indirect speech?

Ans: Reporting verbs like “said,” “told,” “asked,” “claimed,” and “explained” are frequently employed.

FAQ 6: How can I ensure my writing maintains a natural flow when switching between direct and indirect speech?

Ans: Focus on maintaining consistency in style and verb tense to ensure a smooth transition between direct and indirect speech.

FAQ 7: How do I identify direct and indirect speech in a sentence?

Ans: Direct speech is usually enclosed within quotation marks and directly quotes someone’s words. Indirect speech, on the other hand, reports those words without quotation marks, often using reporting verbs like “said,” “told,” “asked,” etc.

FAQ 8: Can reporting verbs change the meaning of indirect speech?

Ans: Yes, the choice of reporting verbs can convey the speaker’s attitude or emotions towards the reported speech. Different reporting verbs can modify the meaning slightly.

FAQ 9: What are the common reporting verbs for indirect speech?

Ans: Common reporting verbs for indirect speech include “say,” “tell,” “ask,” “inquire,” “explain,” “describe,” and more.

FAQ 10: How do I change tenses in indirect speech?

Ans: The tense in indirect speech is generally shifted back one step. For example, present simple becomes past simple, present continuous becomes past continuous, and so on.

FAQ 11: Is it essential to use quotation marks in indirect speech?

Ans: No, quotation marks are not used in indirect speech as they report the speech without directly quoting it.

FAQ 12: Can you give an example of indirect speech in narratives?

Ans: Certainly! In the story, he said, “I love you,” to which she replied that she loved him too.

FAQ 14: Can we omit the reporting verb in indirect speech?

Ans: It is possible to omit the reporting verb in some cases, especially in informal contexts, but including it adds clarity and structure to the reported speech.

FAQ 15: Do all tenses change in indirect speech?

Ans: Most tenses change in indirect speech, but the changes depend on the context and the tense of the original statement.

FAQ 16: Can you provide more examples of direct and indirect speech transformations?

Ans: Certainly! Here are a few more examples:

Direct: “I am reading a book,” she said. Indirect: She said that she was reading a book.

Direct: “We have completed the project,” they exclaimed. Indirect: They exclaimed that they had completed the project.

FAQ 17: How can I practice using direct and indirect speech effectively?

Ans: Practice by converting direct speech to indirect speech and vice versa using various reporting verbs, tenses, and pronouns. Additionally, read books or articles and identify the reported speech used by the authors.

Tense in English Grammar Structure Definition and Examples

Direct And Indirect Speech Complete Rules

We often convey a message or give information about what someone said, thought or felt to somebody else. In order to do this you can use the grammar structure named direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech. Indeed this structure can be a source of confusion for ESL learners because they mix it with active and passive voice . Read the whole article to know about direct and indirect speech rules.

To learn more about direct and indirect speech click here.

Initially we will look at direct and indirect speech, then look at how to convert speech from direct to indirect or vice-versa.

Direct Speech / Quoted Speech Saying or quoting exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called quoted speech) Here what a person says appears within quotation marks (“…”) a nd should be word for word.

She said, “Today’s lesson is about direct and indirect speech.” or
“Today’s lesson is about direct and indirect speech.”, she said.

Indirect Speech / Reported Speech Saying or reporting what someone said without quoting his exact words is called indirect speech. Here we don’t use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and does not have to be word for word.

He said that yesterday’s lesson was about direct and indirect speech.

Reporting Verb The verb in the first part of sentence (i.e. say, said, tell, admit, complain, explain remind, reply think, hope, offer, refuse etc.) before the statement of a person in sentence is called reporting verb.

How to Change Direct Speech into Indirect Speech?

Rule 1. (Adverbs of Time and Place)

If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time of reporting, and adverb of nearness should be put into those of distance.

Today => y esterday/ that day
This evening => t hat evening
These (days) => those (days)
Now => then
(A week) ago => (a week) before
Last weekend => the previous weekend
Here => there
Here after => there after
Next (week) => the following (week)/ a week after
Tomorrow => the next/following day
Thus => so
Last night => the previous night
Yesterday => the day before / the previous day
Hither => thither
Hence => thence

Note: If something is said and reported at the same time, then the time expression can remain the same.

He told me today, “ I will go to Karachi tomorrow.”
He told me today he would go to Karachi tomorrow.
She told me this week, “ we gave our exam last week.”
She told me this week, they had given their exam last wee.

Rule 2. Tenses

A) If the reporting verb is in present or future (i.e say, says or will say) then don’t change the tense that you can find within the quotation marks.

He says,”I was a fool then.”
He says that he was a fool then.
I will say, “ He loves his mom.”
I will say that he loves his mom.

B) If reporting verb is in the past tense. the tense of the verbs in the reported speech or indirect speech must be generally changed. This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.

He said,”I am going to the cinema.”
He said he was going to the cinema.

Tense Change As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense. Present Simple › Past simple

She said, ”it is cold,”
She said it was cold.

Present continuous › Past continuous

She said, “I’m teaching Math online.”
She said she was teaching Math online.

Present perfect › Past perfect

She said, “I’ve lived in Pakistan since 1999.”
She said she had lived in Pakistan since 1999.

Present perfect continuous › Past perfect continuous

She said, “I’ve been teaching English for seven years.”
She said she had been teaching English for seven years.

Past simple › Past perfect

She said, “I taught active and passive yesterday.”
She said she had taught active and passive yesterday.

Past continuous › Past perfect continuous

She said, “I was teaching the lesson.”
She said she had been teaching the lesson.

Past perfect › Past perfect

She said, “The lesson had already started when he arrived.”
NO CHANGE – She said the lesson had already started when he arrived.

Past perfect continuous › Past perfect continuous

She said, “I’d already been teaching for five minutes.”
NO CHANGE – She said she’d already been teaching for five minutes.

Modal verb forms also sometimes change: Will › would

She said, “I’ll teach English online tomorrow.”
She said she would teach English online tomorrow.

Can › could

She said, “I can teach English online.”
She said she could teach English online.

Must › had to

She said, “I must have a computer to teach English online.”
She said she had to have a computer to teach English online.

Shall › › should/ would

She said, “What shall we learn today?”
She asked what we should learn today.
He said, ”I shall appreciate it.”
He said he would appreciate it.

May › might

She said, “May I open a new browser?”
She asked if she might open a new browser.

Note – There is no change to; could, would, should, might and ought to.

“I might go to the cinema”, he said.
He said he might go to the cinema.

Rule 3. (After wish, would rather, had better , it is time)

Ali said, ”I wish they were in Pakistan.”
Ali said he wished they were in Pakistan.
Hussain said, “ I would rather fly.”
Hussain said he would rather fly.
Zahra said, ” they had better go.”
Zahra said they had better go.
Ahmed said, “It is time I got up.”
Ahmed said it was time he got up.

If indirect speech the words within quotation marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action or when a sentence is made and reported at the same time and the fact is still true then the tense inside the quotation marks is not changed at all.

He said,”My name is Ali.”
He said his name was Ali Or He said his name is Ali.
The teacher said,” the sun rises in the east.”
The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
Shazia said, “ I am thirsty.”
Shazia said she is thirsty.

You can also use the present tense if you are talking about a future event.

She said,”next week’s lesson is on reported speech.”
She said next week’s lesson will be on reported speech.

Rule 6. (Pronouns)

We have to change the pronouns to keep the same meaning of a sentence.

Ali said, “ We are the best players.”
Ali said they were the best players.

Note: Sometimes we have to use a noun instead of a pronoun, otherwise the new sentence is confusing consider the examples below:

Mohammad said, “He killed them.”
Mohammad said that the man had killed them.

(If we only make mechanical changes, then the new sentence can have different meaning)

Mohammad said he had killed them. (Mohammad himself killed them)

Rule 7. Reported Speech In If-Clauses.

Hussain: “If I tidied my room, my dad would be happy.”
Hussain said that if he tidied his room, his dad would be happy.
Teacher: “If you concentrate, you will learn about direct and indirect speech.”
Teacher said if we concentrate we would learn about direct and indirect speech.

Rule 8. Reported Speech of Time-Clauses.

Ali: “When I was staying in Quetta I met my best friend.” –
He said that when he was staying in Quetta he met his best friend.

Rule 9. Reported Speech of Interrogative Sentences 1. Remove the quotation marks and question mark in the interrogative sentence. 2. Use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ if the sentence inside the quotation marks begins with a helping verb (Auxiliary verb). 3. Use the given interrogative word (what, when, where, why, who, whom, whose, which, now etc.) if it does not begin with the helping verb. 4. Don‘t use ‘that’ 5. Changing the reporting verb (say, said) into ‘ask, want to know wonder or inquire’ in its correct tense. 6. Omit helping verb like ‘do, does, did’. But don’t omit them when they are with ‘not’.

Said I to my teacher,” won’t you help me to learn about direct and indirect speech complete rules?”
I asked my teacher if he would not help me to learn about direct and indirect speech complete rules.
“ How often do you go to the cinema?” Ali said to Ahmed,
Ali asked Ahmed how often he went to the cinema.
“Where have you been?” he said.
He asked me where I had been.
“What time did it start?” he said.
He wanted to know what time it had started.
“Why won’t he do it?” she said.
She wondered why he wouldn’t do it.

Rule 10. Reported Speech of Yes/ No Questions

In yes/no questions we use if or whether in questions. If is more common and whether is more formal.

“Will you go?” she asked me.
She asked me if/whether I would go.
“Did he buy a car?” she said.
She wondered if/whether he had bought a car.

Rule 11. Reported Speech of Commands and Requests

1. Remove the quotation mark in an Imperative sentence. 2. Use ‘to’ if it is an affirmative sentence. (without don‘t) 3. Use ‘not to’ if the sentence begins without Don‘t. 4. Don‘t use ‘that’ 5. Omit the word ‘please’. Use the word ‘request’ instead of ‘say’. 6. If the direct speech contains a request or a command, the reporting verb (say, said) change to tell, request, order, command etc. in its correct tense. 7. The commands, requests and advice mostly have the same form in English: verb + object + infinitive (advise, ask, beg, forbid, order, persuade, recommend, tell, urge, warn etc.).

“Get up!” he said.
He warned me to get up.
“Please, revise for the test,” he said.
He requested me to revise for the test.
“Bring me a cup of tea” said Zahra to Sara.
Zahrs asked Sara to bring her a cup of tea.

Negative: + object + not + infinitive.

“Don’t hesitate,” he said.
He persuaded me not to hesitate.
“Don’t smoke,” the doctor warned my father.
The doctor warned my father not to smoke.

Rule 12. Reported Speech of Advice If it contains advice the reporting verb changes into advised.

“Put on your coat,” I said.
I advised him to put on his coat.

Rule 13. Reported Speech of Exclamatory Sentences

1. Change the exclamatory sentence into statement or assertive 2. Remove the quotation marks and exclamatory mark. 3. Use the conjunction ‘that’ 4. Omit the interjections such as Oh, O, Alas, how, what, hurrah. 5. Add the word ‘very’ to the adjective or adverb if necessary. 6. If the verb is not given, use ‘Be’ form verb (is, was, are, were, am) in its correct tense according to the subject. 7. Change the reporting verb (say, said) to ‘exclaim joyfully’ 8. Use ‘exclaim’ sorrowfully for sorrowful incidents.

She said ,” Wow, What a beautiful car that is!”
She exclaimed joyfully that was a verb beautiful car.
He said,” Alas! I have missed the paper.”
He exclaimed sorrowfully that he had missed the paper.

Rule 14. Use of ‘That’ in Reported Speech

In reported speech, the word that is often used, however it is optional. We recommend you no to use it because in some cases we don’t use ‘That’ in reported speech like: question, command request and order, so its better not to use it.

He told me that he lived in Hazara Town.
He told me he lived in Hazara Town.

Rule 15. Punctuation in Direct Speech

In direct speech, various punctuation conventions are used to separate the quoted words from the rest of the text: this allows a reader to follow what’s going on. Here are the basic rules: A) We use inverted commas (also called quotation marks, quotes or speech marks) to indicate direct speech. Double quotes (“) are preferred in American English, while single quotes (‘) are more common in British English:

“I’m coming home late tonight,” she said. (American English)
‘I’m coming home late tonight,’ she said. (British English)

B) Every time a new speakers says something, you should start a new paragraph:

“They think it’s a more respectable job,” said Ali.
“I don’t agree,” I replied.

C) There should be a comma, full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end of a piece of speech. This is placed inside the closing inverted comma or commas.

He asked, “ Can I go outside?”
She shouted, “ Sit down!”
We said, “ They are wrong.”

D) If the direct speech is broken up by information about who is speaking, you need a comma (or a question mark or exclamation mark) to end the first piece of speech and a full stop or another comma before the second piece (before the inverted comma or commas):

“You’re right,” he said. “It feels strange.”
“Thinking back,” she said, “he didn’t expect to win.”
“No!” he cried. “You can’t leave now!”

Conclusion: I hope that the points that I have mentioned above about direct and indirect speech may prove beneficial for people learning English. All you need to do is to understand the crucial rules of direct and indirect speech, and don’t mix it with passive and active voice.

Check out Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises With Answers

If you would like to know more about direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech, check out more in the book below.

Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct and indirect speech grammar rules vary so you need to understand them. We'll start by looking at what each one is. Note that indirect speech is also commonly knows as reported speech.

Definition of Direct Speech

Direct speech is when the words are given in exactly the way that the speaker said them. So in other words they are quoted with no change .

When presenting direct speech, the words are usually placed in quotation marks, with a comma after say(s) / said if it is used to present the speech. Say (s) / said can also be placed at the end of the quotation, in which case a comma comes before it.

Examples of Direct Speech:

He said, "Don't take the car without asking me".
John says, "I will help you with your work".
"We are prepared to revise the law if we can", they said.
The teacher said, "You must wear the proper uniform".

Definition of Indirect Speech

Indirect speech is also known as reported speech . You may also see it referred to as indirect discourse or indirect narration .

Indirect speech is the reporting of what someone else said in your own words but without changing the meaning of what was said.

Reporting verbs are used to present indirect speech. The common ones are:

say(s)/said (that)
told me (that)

That is in brackets as it can be omitted from the sentence, whether spoken or written.

Examples of Indirect Speech:

He said (that) he would definitely buy it.
Sheila told me (that) I had to come back in the afternoon.
The council said (that) they will try and clear the rubbish.
She told me (that) she was feeling unwell.

So the key difference between direct and indirect speech is that with direct speech the exact words are quoted but in indirect speech it is your own words .

Direct speech is fairly simple to use and understand as it involves just repeating what was said. There is not much to get confused about with the grammar, apart from getting say(s)/said correct.

But indirect or reported speech is more difficult so we will look at that in more detail now.

View more examples of direct and indirect speech >>

Direct and Indirect Speech Conversion

With direct and indirect speech, there are three main things you need to be aware of when converting one to the other:

Changes in Tense
Changes in Person and Pronouns
Changes in Time Phrases

Changing Tenses

The tense of verbs when moving from direct to indirect speech do not necessarily change because if the circumstances of what someone said is the same, then it may be reported as that. For example:

"I am feeling tired" (= Direct Speech )
Present Continuous
She said she is feeling tired (= Indirect Speech )

However, as we are reporting what was said in the past, we often change the tense. This rule for this is related to backshifting, which means shifting back a tense. So the present will go back to the past. Some modals also change.

Here are examples using the previous examples of indirect speech, showing you how they look like in direct speech:

Direct Speech

"I want to meet you later".
"You have to come back in the afternoon"
"We like it a lot"
"I have been mowing the lawn"

Indirect Speech

He said he wanted to meet me later.
Sheila told me I had to come back in the afternoon.
They said they liked it a lot.
He said he had been mowing the lawn.

There are more details on the site about changing tenses in indirect / reported speech:

Learn more about changing tenses >>

Changing Pronouns

Pronouns in indirect speech also need to be changed from what they were in the indirect speech, as well as of course adapting the first pronoun to fit the person who said the statement:

" I want to meet you later".
" You have to come back in the afternoon"
" We like it a lot"
" I have been walking with my wife"
He said he had been walking with his wife.

Changing Time Phrases

You may also need to change phrases referring to time, though this depends on the context and when you are reporting the speech.

With these examples you have to assume the speech is being reported at a time in the future so the phrases such as 'yesterday' or 'tomorrow' would not makes sense any more in terms of the reported speech.

She said, "I saw her yesterday ".
He said, "He will bring the book tomorrow ".
She said, "I'm going to London today ".
He said, "We need your assistance now ".
She said that she had seen her the day before .
He said that he would bring the book the next day .
She said she was going to London that day .
He said they needed my assistance then .

Imperatives

Some different rules apply when turning direct speech using imperatives or commands into indirect speech. Check out the rules here:

Rules for Reported Speech Imperatives >>

More on Reported Speech:

Reported Speech Tenses Chart: How to convert tenses

Reported speech tenses may differ from the tense of the direct speech. The general rule for tenses in reported speech is that it changes to the past tense. This is called backshifting.

Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech

In these examples of direct and indirect speech you are given a sentence in direct speech which is then connected to indirect speech.

Reported Speech Imperatives: Reporting commands in indirect speech

Reported speech imperatives, also known as reported commands, follow a slightly different structure to normal indirect speech. We use imperatives to give orders, advice, or make requests.

Reported Speech Quiz - Practice forming indirect speech

This reported speech quiz gives you the chance to practice converting direct speech to reported speech, also known as indirect speech. This involves backshifting with the tenses.

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Direct To Indirect Speech: Complete Rules With Examples

Direct and indirect speech is often a confusing topic for English learners. The basic idea is this:

In direct speech, we quote a person’s exact words. For example, Meera said, “I can speak English fluently.”
In indirect speech, we do not quote the person’s exact words but provide a summary of what was said. For example, Meera said that she could speak English fluently.

The critical difference is that direct speech uses the exact words spoken by a person, while indirect speech summarizes what was said. While the definition is simple, the challenge for English language learners is using the proper tenses when converting a phrase from direct to indirect and vice versa.

Why Should You Learn Direct To Indirect Speech Rules?

There are several occasions – in your professional and personal – where you might need to describe an action or event to others. For example, you might have to repeat the team leader’s instructions to your teammates at the workplace. In this scenario, you convert your team leader’s direct to indirect speech.

Knowing conversion rules can help you present or describe the event correctly without making any grammatical errors or spoken English blunders.

In this post, we walk you through the rules of converting direct to indirect speech, helping you speak English fluently online and offline.

How To Use Direct Speech?

The rule is simple: Use direct speech when you want to repeat what someone says as it is, and ensure that the spoken text is sandwiched between quotation (speech) marks.

John said, “I want to learn to speak English fluently.”

It’s common to see the direct speech in newspaper articles and books. For example,

The District Collector announced, “The Chief Minister will inaugurate the city centre next week.”

As you can notice, in direct speech, we use the verb say (said in the past tense) to denote what was spoken. You can also use related verbs like ‘asked,’ ‘replied,’ ‘told,’ ‘informed,’ ‘shouted,’ etc.

How To Use Indirect Speech?

Indirect speech is also reported speech, as we use it to inform/repeat what someone else said. Using the two examples above, we can convert it into indirect speech as follows:

John said that he wanted to learn to speak English fluently.

The District Collector announced that the Chief Minister would inaugurate the city centre the week after.

Another example,

Direct Speech: “I feel cold.”

Indirect Speech: She says that she feels cold.

If you notice these examples carefully, you can see that the tense changes when converting from direct to indirect speech. To illustrate this point, in the following example, direct speech is in the present simple tense, while indirect speech is written in the simple past tense.

Direct Speech: “I live in the city centre.”

Indirect Speech: He said he lived in the city centre.

Tense Change Rules: Direct To Indirect Speech

Similarly, other tenses follow similar rules when changing from direct to indirect speech. Use the following table to help you better understand the tense change rules:

Modal Verbs: Direct To Indirect Speech

When converting direct to indirect speech, you must change modal verbs accordingly. Here are a few examples to help you understand better:

Changing Time Expressions: Direct To Indirect Speech

Sometimes it becomes necessary to change the time expressions when converting from direct to indirect speech. A few examples,

Direct speech: Sheila said, “I am meeting my brother tomorrow.”
Indirect speech: Sheila said that she was meeting her brother the following day.

Here are a few examples of other typical time expressions and how they change:

Changing Place Expressions: Direct To Indirect Speech

Like time expressions, you might also have to change words representing places when reporting indirect speech. For example,

Direct speech: “It’s raining here.”
Indirect speech: She said that it was raining there.

Here are a few examples of other common place expressions and how they change:

However, the place words only change when you report something from a different location.

Over To You

Now that you’ve seen the rules to convert direct to indirect speech, it’s time to put them into practice. The most efficient way to improve English speaking is to practice what you’ve learned. Join online English-speaking practice classes to gain confidence and mastery in your daily conversations.

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Transformation of Sentence: Direct & Indirect Speech

A direct speech can be transformed into an indirect speech and vice versa using a suitable reporting verb and a linker depending on the sentence. Let’s have an example first.

Tina said to me, “Are you busy now?” [direct speech]
Tina asked me whether I was busy then. [indirect speech]

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

Look, if the reporting verb in direct speech (said) is in past tense, the reporting verb in indirect speech (asked) would also be in past tense. ‘Whether’ is the linker added here as it is a ‘yes-no’ type question (Refer to list 1 below).
‘Are’ changes to ‘was’. As the reporting verb was in past tense, the verb in the reported speech will also be in past. (Refer to list 2 below)
‘Now’ has become ‘then’. Time and place expressions change if the reporting verb is in past tense. (Refer to list 3 below)
The question mark (?) has changed to a full stop(.).
Another important thing, the format of question (v + s + o) has changed to the format of a statement (s + v + o). In indirect speech the pattern always comes to subject + verb + object.

List of Reporting verbs and linkers (list 1)

Verbs of Reported speech (if the reporting verb is in past tense) (list 2) Direct speech → Indirect speech Am / is / are → was / were Was / were → had been Has / have → had Had → had had Shall / will → would Can → could May → might Must, should → must, should Verb1 → verb2 Verb2 → had + verb3

Change of time and place expressions in past tense (list 3) now → then ago → before today → that day yesterday → the previous day tomorrow → the next day last night → the previous night here → there this → that these → those

Narration change of Assertive sentence

Robin said, “I went to Delhi yesterday.” – Robin said that he had gone to Delhi the previous day .
She said to her husband, “I want to go with you.” – She told her husband that she wanted to go with him.

Narration change of Interrogative sentence

He said to me, “Do you know English?” – He asked me whether I knew English.
She said to me, “Did you go there?” – She wanted to know whether I had gone there.
I said to him, “What are you doing?” – I asked him what he was doing.
Rahul said to his mother, “How do you do all these things together?” – Rahul asked his mother how she did all those things together.

Narration change of Imperative sentence

He said to me, “Go there right now.” – He ordered me to go there right then.
My teacher said to me, “Obey your parents.” – My teacher asked me to obey my parents.
She said to me, “Please don’t go there.” – She requested me not to go there.
He said to her, “Let’s go home.” – He suggested her that they should go home.
His mother said, “Let him eat whatever he likes.” – His mother suggested that he might be allowed to eat whatever he liked.

Narration change of Optative sentence

He said to the boy, “May god bless you.” – He prayed that God might bless the boy.
The girl said, “Had I the wings of a dove.” – The girl wished that she had the wings of a dove.

Narration change of Exclamatory sentence

“How happy we are here!” said the children. – The children exclaimed in joy that they were very happy there.
The children said, “How happy we were there!” – The children exclaimed in sorrow that they had been very happy there.
He said to me, “Good bye!” – He bade me good bye.
She said to me, “Good evening!”—She wished me good evening.

Narration change of Vocatives

Teacher said, “ Robin , stand up.” – Teacher asked Robin to stand up.
The Bishop said to the convict, “Always remember, my son , that the poor body is the temple of the living God.” – The Bishop addressed the convict as his son and advised him to always remember that the poor body is the temple of the living God.

Narration change of question tag

He said to me, “You went to Kolkata, didn’t you?” – He asked me whether I had gone to Kolkata and assumed that I had.
I said to him, “Tina didn’t tell a lie, did she?” – I asked him if Tina had told a lie and assumed that she had not.

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Direct and Indirect Speech – Rules and Examples

13th June 2020 By Edify English Leave a Comment

Any word spoken by a speaker can be written in two different ways. Those two are direct and indirect speech. Direct Speech is when the speaker’s actual words are quoted and these words are put in inverted commas (“…..”) while Indirect Speech is when the speaker’s words are said indirectly with the same meaning without repeating the exact words. For Example, the statement in direct speech She said to me, “I am going to the park” changes into She told me that she was going to the park in indirect speech.

Basic Changes while changing from Direct speech to indirect speech

The comma ( , )after the reporting verb is removed and the conjunction that is added in the indirect speech.
If the direct speech contains ‘said to’ , it will be converted into ‘told’ in the indirect speech.
The quotation marks (Inverted commas) are to be removed in the indirect speech.
I becomes He/ She
We becomes they
You becomes He / She/ They
Me becomes Him/ he r (Depending on the gender in the direct speech)
My becomes His/ Her .
Our becomes their
Us becomes them
Your becomes His/ her/ their .

Rules in changing a sentence from Direct and Indirect Speech

Rule 1: The Verb in the simple present tense in the direct speech changes into the simple past tense in indirect speech

Example: He said to me, “I am happy” becomes He told me that he was happy

(The verb in the direct speech ‘am’ is converted into ‘was’.)

Rule 2: The verb in the simple past tense becomes past perfect tense in indirect speech.

Example: He said to me, “I was happy” changes into He told me that he had been happy

Rule 3: A present continuous tense in direct speech becomes past continuous tense in indirect speech.

Example: The peon said, “The professor is teaching in that classroom” changes into The peon said that the professor was teaching in that classroom.

Rule 4: If the direct speech contains present perfect tense, it changes into the past perfect tense in indirect speech.

Example: She said, “I have passed the test” becomes She said that she had passed the test.

Rule 5: If the direct speech contains a statement talking about a universal truth or a factual statement, there will be no change of tense in indirect speech.

Example: The teacher said, “The sun rises in the East” becomes The teacher said that the sun rises in the east in indirect speech.

Example: Samuel said, “I know the university’s address.” and the indirect speech for that is Samuel said that he knows the university’s address

Rules for converting Interrogatory sentences

Rule 6: While converting interrogative sentences, the verb ‘said to’ becomes ‘asked’ and if/ whether will come in the place of ‘that’. The connecting word ‘that’ will not be used in indirect speech. Also, the interrogation mark (?) is not repeated in the indirect speech.

Example: He said to her, “Will you marry me?” changes into He asked her whether she would marry him in the indirect speech.

Rules for Converting Imperative Sentences

Rule 7: During the conversion of imperative sentences, the verb “said to” is changed into ordered, advised, requested, suggested, proposed, etc. depending on the situation. Also, the connecting word ‘that’ is not used. Instead of that, ‘ to’ is used before the reporting verb.

Example: My father said to me, “prepare well for your examination” . It can be converted to My father advised me to prepare well for my examination.

Rules for Converting Exclamatory Sentences

Rule 8: For exclamatory sentences, the verb is converted into: exclaimed with joy or sorrow or with surprise, wished, prayed, applauded,/ etc. The exclamatory words and the exclamation are not mentioned anymore in the indirect speech. For example,

Example: The coach said, “Hurrah! we won the match!” is changed as The coach exclaimed with joy that we had won the match.

These are the changes in helping verbs while changing from Direct and Indirect Speech

Note: There is no change in the helping verbs “would, should, could, might, had” in the direct speech and they remain the s ame in indirect speech as well.

Changes in Time and Place

Cha nges in pronoun s

The changes in pronouns in indirect speech depends on the subject and the object of the reporting verb.

Rule 1: The first person of reported speech changes based on the subject of the reporting verb.

Example: She said, “I watched a movie” can be converted into She said that she had watched a movie . Hence, the first person in the direct speech “I” has become “she” based on the subject.

Had there been “he” instead of “she”, the first person in reported speech changes accordingly into “he”.

Rule 2: The second person in reported speech changes based on the object of the reporting verb.

Example: She said to me, “You watched a movie” can be converted into She told me that I had watched a movie.

Rule 3 : The third person in the reported speech remains unchanged.

Example: I said to her, “He will play Chess” can be converted into I told her that he would play Chess.

Stay tuned for more examples of direct and indirect speech.

For an extensive material on tenses, Click here

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English EFL

Reported speech

Direct and indirect speech

Direct and indirect speech can be a source of confusion for English learners. Let's first define the terms, then look at how to talk about what someone said, and how to convert speech from direct to indirect or vice-versa.

You can answer the question What did he say? in two ways:

by repeating the words spoken (direct speech)
by reporting the words spoken (indirect or reported speech).

DIRECT SPEECH

Direct speech repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in writing, we place the words spoken between quotation marks (" ") and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's being said NOW (for example a telephone conversation), or telling someone later about a previous conversation.

She says, "What time will you be home?"
She said, "What time will you be home?" and I said, "I don't know! "
"There's a fly in my soup!" screamed Simone.
John said, "There's an elephant outside the window."

INDIRECT SPEECH

Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.

She said, "I saw him." (direct speech) = She said that she had seen him . (indirect speech)

'That' may be omitted: She told him that she was happy. = She told him she was happy.

'SAY' AND 'TELL'

Use 'say' when there is no indirect object: He said that he was tired.

Always use 'tell' when you say who was being spoken to (i.e. with an indirect object): He told me that he was tired.

'TALK' AND 'SPEAK'

Use these verbs to describe the action of communicating: He talked to us. She was speaking on the telephone.

Use these verbs with 'about' to refer to what was said: He talked (to us) about his parents.

Course Curriculum

Direct and indirect speech 15 mins
Tense changes in reported speech 20 mins
Changing time and place in reported speech 20 mins
Reported questions 20 mins
Reporting verbs 20 mins
Reporting orders and requests 15 mins
Reporting hopes, intentions and promises 20 mins

Direct and Indirect Speech: The Ultimate Guide

Learn how and when to use direct and indirect speech with this guide., i want to learn....

When you need to report what other people have said in English , you’ll need to use direct and indirect speech. This might seem difficult at first. But once you’ve learned how to use direct and indirect reported speech, you’ll be able to report and quote what others have said with ease.

Read on to learn all about direct and indirect speech and how to use them correctly.

Want to become an expert in using direct speech?

You will learn when and how to use direct speech, like saying directly where you went to school, and become an English pro via free online courses and learning resources from Busuu!

What are direct and indirect speech?

Direct and indirect reported speech refer to how you quote or report what someone else has said. They have a similar function in both speaking and writing, but their grammar is very different. We’ll get into the differences between them in the following sections.

When to use direct speech

Use direct reported speech when you want to quote the exact words someone has said. Let’s imagine your friend said, “I learned a lot of English using the Busuu app.” To quote your friend directly you would say or write the following sentence:

My friend said, “I learned a lot of English using the Busuu app.”

You can see that nothing changes. You repeat the words you want to report and that’s it. When you use direct speech, you bring the original speaker’s exact words into your speaking or — more commonly — your writing.

When to use indirect speech

Use indirect reported speech to report what someone else has said without necessarily using the same words. You keep the original speaker’s meaning and intent but can rephrase their sentences. When you use indirect speech, you often have to change the tense , pronouns , and time references.

Let’s look at the previous example again. In indirect speech, “I learned a lot of English using the Busuu app” can become:

My friend said she learned a lot of English using the Busuu app.

This is the simplest way to make indirect speech. Notice the change to the pronoun — the word ‘I’ from the original sentence changes to ‘she’ in the reported sentence. This keeps the meaning and intent the same and only slightly changes the words. You can be more flexible though — take a look at the next sentence:

My friend said she loves the Busuu English app.

Here the meaning and intent are the same. But the words are different. When using indirect speech, paraphrasing is fine, just as long as you keep the original meaning.

Indirect speech is a big part of everyday communication — much more so than direct speech. Although it’s a little more complicated, it’s also more useful.

How to use direct speech

Direct speech isn’t common in spoken English, but it’s totally fine to use it when speaking. It’s easy too. You don’t need to change anything or do anything when you speak. Writing is a different story though.

Here are some key rules and tips to help you use direct speech in your writing:

Quotation marks

Always use quotation marks around the words you quote. See example below:

My friend said, “I am learning Spanish.”

Reporting clause

You can put the reporting clause (‘he said,’ ‘she asked,’ and so on) either before or after the quoted speech. See examples below:

“I’m going to the store,” she said.

She said, “I’m going to the store.”

Punctuation

Make sure commas, periods, question marks or exclamation marks at the end of the quoted speech are inside the quotation marks. See example below:

“Did you finish your homework?” asked John.

Capitalization

Give the first word in the quotation marks a capital letter. See example below:

He asked, “Are we meeting at 3pm?”

Changing Speakers

Use a new line or paragraph when the speaker changes. See example below:

“I can’t wait for the weekend,” said Alex. “Me neither,” replied Mia.

Ready to learn how to use indirect speech?

You will learn how to use indirect speech at work, when you want to report that your colleague is not at her office or “She's not at her desk at the moment”, with Busuu’s free English courses and learning resources!

How to use indirect speech

When you use indirect (or reported) speech, you need to make more changes to the original sentence. This is true whether you’re speaking or writing. Here are some important rules for you to remember:

You don’t need to use quotation marks when you make an indirect speech sentence. So, “I’m going to the gym” becomes:

He said he was going to the gym.

Usually — but not always — when you use indirect speech you need to take a step back with the verb tense . So present tense verbs in the original sentence become past tense verbs in indirect speech. Here are a bunch of examples showing you how this works.

Examples of indirect speech

Like many things in English, there are exceptions to this:

1) If something is still true or always true, you don’t need to change the tense. So the sentence, “The sun is big and round,” becomes:

He said the sun is big and round.

2) If you use a present tense reporting verb, don’t change the verb tense. “August is the best time of year to visit” becomes:

She says August is the best time of year to visit.

3) Past perfect tenses stay the same. So “I had left the house before Mum got up” becomes:

She said she had left the house before her mum got up.

Change the pronouns so the meaning stays the same. For example, “I love this app” becomes:

She said she loved the app. (Or use ‘he’ for a male speaker.)

Time and place references

Make sure the time and place references still mean the same thing too. If someone says ‘next week’ one week ago, you need to change it to ‘this week,’ for example. Or if someone says ‘here,’ you might need to change it to a place name or the word ‘there’ so the meaning stays the same.

Everything needs to match the context of when you’re reporting their words. This is tricky, so let’s look at an example sentence: “I’ll meet you outside the school tomorrow.”

If it’s now one day later and you’re outside the school, the indirect speech sentence becomes:

He said he would meet me here today.

Change the word order of questions to look like a normal (non-question) sentence. For example, “Where are you going?” becomes:

They asked where I was going.

Reporting verbs

Choose the right reporting verb to match the tone of the original speaker. Reporting verbs are a huge part of indirect speech. You can use them to show the attitude or emotion of either yourself or the original speaker.

Let’s look at some of the most useful reporting verbs and whether they’re common in casual or formal language. (I’ve listed them in the past tense because that’s usually how they’ll appear in indirect speech, but of course they can be present tense too.)

Commands and requests

Suggestions.

Pro tip: When you’re speaking, stick to ‘said,’ ‘told,’ and ‘asked’ — they’ll get you a long way. If you need to write official or formal documents, look at some of the other words.

Direct and indirect speech for effective communication

To sum up, you need to know how to use direct and indirect speech to become fluent in English . For most people though — unless you do creative writing — indirect speech is the most common. Just remember that you often need to change the verb tense, and that you’ll need to make sure everything makes sense in the new context by using the right pronouns, time and place references, and so on.

If you follow the tips in this guide, you’ll be using direct and indirect speech like a pro in no time!

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Direct and Indirect Speech (Examples & Rules)

Post author: Skillslelo
Post published: May 22, 2021
Post category: English Grammar
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Suppose, yo u w a n t to tell somebody what your friend Riya said. There are two ways of doing this : Direct Speech and Indirect speech.

The first way, You can repeat Riya’s exact words without change :

Riya said, ‘I’m feeling ill.’

This type of reporting is called direct speech.

Direct speech refers to the direct quotation of something that someone else said.

It is sometimes known as quoted speech b ecause we use quotation marks to show direct speech.

American English uses double quotation marks ( “ ” ), while British English typically uses single quotation marks ( ‘ ’ ).

The second way, you can use indirect speech :

Riya said that she was feeling ill.

When we tell other people what someone else told us without directly quoting that person, it is called indirect speech .

Indirect speech is also known as reported speech or indirect quotation .

In the reported speech, we write or present in our own words what someone else said .

Reporting and Reported Clause

Both direct speech and indirect consist of reporting clause and reported clause.

Reporting Verbs

We use reporting verbs to introduce the information that was spoken previously.

Both direct and indirect speech use reporting verbs .

The most common so-called “reporting verbs” are say , tell and ask .

1. Tell (Reporting Verb)

When we use tell , we need to use another person’s name or a personal pronoun as an indirect object after tell . ( tell somebody…). We don’t use to after tell .

For Example:

He told me he was sad. (Not “ told to me ”)

2. Say (Reporting Verb)

We can use to me etc after say if we want to, but we can’t say “ He said me. ”

3. Ask (Reporting Verb)

We can use to me etc after ask if we want to. “ Are you comfortable? ” He asked me.

Other reporting verbs include ask, instruct, explain, mention, suggest, claim, and many more.

Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

There are many rules for conversion from direct speech to indirect speech. These rules are as below:

1. Change in Punctuation

A direct speech can have : Question mark (?), Mark of Exclamation (!), or full stop (.) at the end of a sentence.

But reported speech has only full stop (.) at the end of the sentences.

Direct: He said, “Is he unhappy?” Indirect: He said if he was unhappy .

Direct: He said, “What a beautiful flower!” Indirect: He exclaimed that it was a very beautiful flower.

2. Change In Pronouns

Pronouns should be kept in mind when you change the narration from direct to indirect.

The change in pronouns of reported speech depends on the view of the reporter. See rules;

1. Change the 1st person (I, me, my, etc) according to the subject of the reporting verb.

See examples;

Direct: She said, “ I had done my duty for my family and myself .

Indirect: She said that she had done her duty for her family and herself .

Direct: You said, “ I will have completed my homework in class.”

Indirect: You said that you would have completed your homework in your class.

2. Change the 2nd person (you, your, etc) according to the object of the reporting verb.

For Example;

Direct: He said to her, “ You had prepared your plan yourself.”

Indirect: He told her that she had prepared her plan herself.

Direct: She said to me, ” You know your enemies.”

Indirect: She told me that I knew my enemies.

If the object is not there then imagine a boy or a girl and change accordingly.

Direct: He said, “You will do your work yourself.”

Here I imagine a girl, then

Indirect: He said that she would do her work herself.

3. No change in 3rd person (he, she, her, etc)

Direct: You said, “ She is writing a novel.”

Indirect: You said that she was writing a novel.

3. Change in Tense A fter Past Reporting Verbs

1. simple present -> simple past.

In general, the present form in direct speech changes to the past form in reported speech:

Direct: She said, “ I need help .”

Indirect: She said that she needed help .

2. Present Progressive –> Past Progressive

Direct: She said, “ My English is getting better. “

Indirect: She said that her English was getting better .

3. Present Perfect -> Past Perfect

Direct: She said, “ I have read the book. “ Indirect: She said that she had read the book .

4. Past -> Past Perfect

Direct: She said, “ Neha grew up in Kenya. “ Indirect: She said that Neha had grown up in Kenya .

5. Will -> Would

Direct: They said, “The exam will be difficult.” Indirect: They said that the exam would be difficult.

6. Can -> Could

DIRECT: I can fly! INDIRECT: Poor chap – he thought he could fly.

6. May -> Might

Direct: They said, “We may come back early.” Indirect: They said that they might come back early.

7. Past Perfect Tenses do not change.

Direct: He said, “ I arrived late because I had lost the address.” Indirect: He said that he had arrived late because he had lost the address.

8. Would, Could, etc: No change

Past modal verbs are usually unchanged in indirect speech.

Direct: He said, “It would be nice if we could meet.” Indirect: He said that it would be nice if we could meet.

3. Reporting Verb in Present or Future

After present and future reporting verbs, tenses are usually the same as in the original ( No Change )

Direct: He will say, ” I don’t want to play any more. “

Indirect: He will say that he doesn’t want to play any more .

Direct: He says, “ Harry will be crossing the river . “

Indirect: He says that Harry will be crossing the river .

4. General Truth and Habitual Action

In the case of universal truth, general truth, and habitual actions , tense should not be changed. So the verb will be the same.

Direct: The teacher said, “ Man is mortal .”

Indirect: The teacher said that man is mortal .

Direct: He said, “ The sun rises in the east . “

Indirect: He said that the sun rises in the east .

5. Wh-Word Questions (What/When/Who etc)

Use ‘asked’ in place of ‘said’ and helping verb after the subject in the indirect speech.

Direct: You said , “What has she prepared?”

Indirect: You asked what she had prepared.

6. Yes-No Questions

When a yes-no question is reported indirectly, if or whether is used.

Direct: They said , “Is he trying to expose the secret?”

Indirect: They asked if he was trying to expose the secret.

Direct: He said , ” Will they get up early?”

Indirect: He asked if they would get up early.

7. Orders, Requests, or Advice

When we report orders, requests, or advice, we can use the infinitive form of the verbs that the other person has said.

Imperatives (orders):

Direct Speech: The teacher said, “Stand up straight!”

Indirect Speech: The teacher said to stand up straight.

Direct speech: He said, “Can you take me to the airport, please?” Reported speech: He asked me to take him to the airport.

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20 sentences of direct and indirect speech

Direct speech is the ones that the person establishes himself / herself. Usually used in writing language such as novels, stories etc.

Transferring the sentence that someone else says is called indirect speech . It is also called reported speech . Usually, it is used in spoken language . If the transmitted action is done in the past, the sentence becomes the past tense.

Here are 20 examples of direct and indirect speech;

1. Direct : My boyfriend asked, “Do you like horror films?” Indirect : Do you like horror films? my boyfriend asked.

3. Direct : She said, “I might come early.” Indirect : She said she might come early.

4. Direct : I am leaving home now.” Indirect : He said that he left home then.

5. Direct : Are you living here? Indirect : He asked me if I was living here.

6. Direct : I’m going to come. Indirect : She said that she was going to come.

7. Direct : We can communicate smoothly. Indirect : They said that they could communicate smothly.

8. Direct : My mother isn’t very well. Indirect : She said that her mother wasn’t very well.

9. Direct : I need help with my work. Indirect : George said “I need help with my homework.”

10. Direct : I was walking along the Street. Indirect : He said he had been walking along the Street.

11. Direct : I haven’t seen George recently. Indirect : She said that she hadn’t seen George recently.

12. Direct : I would help, but… Indirect : He said he would help but…

13. Direct : I’m waiting for Michael, she said. Indirect : She said (that) she was waiting for Michael”.

14. Direct : They said, “They have taken exercise.” Indirect : They said that they had taken exercise.

15. Direct : I can speak perfect Spanish. Indirect : He said he could speak perfect Spanish.

17. Direct : What is your name? she asked me. Indirect : She asked me what my name was.

18. Direct : I was sleeping when Mary called. Indirect : He said that he had been sleeping when Mary called.

19. Direct : Please help me! Indirect : He asked me to help his.

20. Direct : I have been to France, she told me. Indirect : She told me that she had been to France.

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4.3 GRAMMAR: Reported Speech

There are two basic ways: direct speech and indirect speech. Direct speech is an exact account of what someone said or wrote. To include direct speech in your writing, enclose the words in “quotation marks.” Indirect speech is a restatement of what someone said or wrote. Indirect speech does not use the person’s exact words. You do not need to use quotation marks for indirect quotations.

Direct speech (quoting)

One way to report what a person said or wrote is to repeat their exact words. This is called direct speech. The person’s words are called a quotation.

To use direct speech, you must repeat the person’s words exactly. You use a verb of attribution and specific punctuation. Quotation marks show readers another person’s exact words. Often, you will want to identify who is speaking. You can do this at the beginning, middle, or end of the quote. Notice the use of commas and capitalized words.

Look at these examples:

“I’m no prophet. My job is making windows where there were once walls,” said philosopher Michel Foucault.
Michel Foucault said, “I’m no prophet. My job is making windows where there were once walls.”
“I’m no prophet,” said philosopher Michel Foucault. “My job is making windows where there were once walls.”

They all mean exactly the same thing. The difference between these three options is merely a matter of style. What is important, however, is the punctuation. Pay attention to quotation marks, commas, periods, and spaces.

Use single quotation marks to enclose a quote within a quote. For example: “He said, ‘The futurist told me to buy stock in plastics.'”

A quotation must be exactly the same as the original text.
A quotation must use “quotation marks” surrounding the exact text.
A quotation must give credit to the original author or speaker.
According to Sports Illustrated , “Eliminating drug use from Olympic Sports would be no small challenge.”
“ Eliminating drug use from Olympic Sports would be no small challenge,” according to Sports Illustrated .

Indirect speech (paraphrasing)

Another way to report what a person says is indirect speech. Here, you don’t need to use the other person’s exact words. In informal situations, you may change only a word or two (such as the verb tense). Other times, such as in formal academic research writing, you paraphrase, or say the same thing using different words or a different word order. When you paraphrase, you usually use a verb of attribution followed by a noun clause, often introduced by the relative pronoun that . Here’s how you can paraphrase the example from above:

Philosopher Michel Foucault says he doesn’t see the future, but instead helps people find ways to put windows in walls.
Michel Foucault says he’s not a philosopher; rather, he helps people see beyond what is immediately in front of them.

The 4 Rs of paraphrasing

According to the Virtual Library, here are four steps to paraphrase:

Reword the text by using synonyms or different parts of speech; change verb tense or change active verbs to passive and vice versa.
Rearrange by moving words to make new sentences or reorganize the sentences in a passage.
Realize that not all words or phrases can be changed; you won’t be able to replace names, dates, titles, or technical words.
Recheck your work to make sure it carries the same meaning as the original; a paraphrase does not add or omit any information, and it does not include your personal opinion.

NOTE: In formal academic writing, we often use a reporting verb in the present simple tense. Example: The author of this book suggests that the real reason for the wildfires was human carelessness.

Let’s look at another example:

Using quotation : Many people believe they can get more done if they do several things at the same time. However, Steven Pinker disagrees. In his article “Mind Over Mass Media” in The New York Times (2010), Pinker says, “Genuine multitasking, too, has been exposed as a myth, not just by laboratory studies but by the familiar sight of an S.U.V. undulating between lanes as the driver cuts deals on his cellphone” (A31). Pinker goes on to explain that there are better ways to be more effective and efficient …

Using paraphrase : Many people believe they can get more done if they do several things at the same time. However, Steven Pinker disagrees. Pinker (2010) writes that people cannot really do more than one thing at a time; one can see this from scientific research projects and also from just watching a car moving unpredictably down the highway while the driver is talking on a cell phone (A31). Pinker goes on to explain that there are better ways to be more effective and efficient …

Note the three steps we took in making this paraphrase:

We defined the key term. (“Genuine multitasking” = “do more than one thing at a time”)
We used different vocabulary. (“laboratory studies” = “scientific research projects”; “an S.U.V. undulating between lanes” = “a car moving unpredictably down the highway”)
We used different grammar. (“has been exposed” = “one can see”; “by the familiar sight” = “from just watching”)
A paraphrase has the same meaning (all main ideas included; no new ideas added).
A paraphrase is different enough to be considered your own words (uses no more than a few words in a row from the original source; changes vocabulary and grammar as much as possible)
A paraphrase refers to (cites) the original source.

Use the following exercise to check your understanding. This exercise is for practice; it is not graded, and you may complete it as many times as you wish.

1. Which of the options below describes this sentence best? The artist said the studio smelled like “paint and possibility.”

The sentence uses a quotation to explain what the artist said.
There is no paraphrase (because there are “quotation marks”), but there is also no direct speech because the quote is not a full sentence.
The sentence uses a quotation, but the whole sentence is incomplete and therefore only a fragment.
The sentence paraphrases what the artist said.

2. Paraphrasing, which is also called “indirect speech,” uses the exact same words as the original source.

3. Here is a sentence from an article by Mary Lynch: The value of education is more than knowledge. How would I report this as indirect speech (paraphrase)?

The value of education is more than knowledge, believes Mary Lynch.
In Mary Lynch’s opinion, “The value of education is more than knowledge.”
Mary Lynch suggests that knowledge is not the only important thing about learning.
Mary Lynch says education and training are very important.

4. Here is a sentence from an article by Doug Drial: Oregon became a state on February 14, 1859. How would I report this as direct speech (quotation)?

Doug Drial writes Oregon as a state in 1859.
According to Doug Drial, February 14, 1859 was the date when Oregon became a state.
Doug Drial says Oregon became a state on February 14, 1859.
Doug Drial says, “Oregon became a state on February 14, 1859.”

5. In formal academic writing, we should …

use a variety of both direct and indirect speech
use only direct speech
always use only my own ideas and never support from outside sources
use only indirect speech

6. Which of the following are ways to help you paraphrase? (choose all that apply)

change only the punctuation
change the word forms
change the word order
use the other person’s exact words
use synonyms
use quotation marks
change the verb tense
use a metaphor or simile

7. In formal academic writing, you usually use the __________________ tense to report what others have said or written.

present perfect
simple future
simple present
simple past

8. A comma or period usually goes outside (after) the quotation mark.

9. Which of the following uses correct grammar?

My teacher said me to cite my outside sources of information.
My teacher told me to cite my outside sources of information.
My teacher says me to cite my outside sources of information.
My teacher tells to cite my outside sources of information.

10. A quotation, which is also called “direct speech,” must use the speaker’s or writer’s exact words.

Some text has been adapted from “Quotation Marks | English 112: Exposition and Persuasion.” Courses.lumenlearning.com, courses.lumenlearning.com/ivytech-engl112/chapter/quotation-marks/ . Accessed 29 Dec. 2021.

Direct and Indirect Speech

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The function of direct speech

Direct speech is used to refer specifically to something someone has said. Typically, speech marks are used to indicate this.

“It’s a lovely day today,” he said.
“Yes,” she replied, “we haven’t had sun like this in weeks.”

The function of indirect speech

Indirect speech is used to report any speech that isn’t a direct quotation as in direct speech. This means it may not necessarily be verbatim.

She said we’re meeting at 4 pm today.
Frank said he won’t be able to make it today.

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Direct and Indirect Speech

Table of Contents

What is Speech (Narration):

If we want to describe the speech of some other people with other people in our own words, that speech is called a Reported speech or Narration.

Types of Speech

In the English language, there are certain ways to express the spoken words between two people.

The speech has two main types, Direct speech , and Indirect speech , respectively.

These two ways of narration of spoken words are also called Direct and Indirect speech, also known as Direct and Indirect narrations.

Direct and indirect speech is majorly used in any conversations, scripts, or any biographies, etc. where one or more than one person converses with each other.

Direct speech:

It is also called straight speech or quoted speech, which is spoken or written directly in the text by the speaker, writer, or the first person, who is going to speak with anyone with him.

The spoken statements of the speaker normally come under the inverted commas notation, and a speaker who speaks these sentences may come like “he said/he said that.”

The speaker’s words or statements are mentioned in a single phrase pattern or direct discussion.

Indirect speech:

An Indirect speech is also called a reported speech, or secondary speech means the speech, which has spoken indirectly.

It is simply an overlook statement that is used to say about the incident that has happened in the past time.

The actual words of the speaker changed into the past tense and the sentence, and hence the reported speech of the direct speech does not come inside the inverted commas.

Reporting speech:

A person who is going to report the speech or a speech that comes in the first part of the direct speech is called a reporting speech.

He says , “He cooks food”.

Reported speech:

Reported speech is a speech that is always in an inverted comma or quotation marks.

It is a second part of the direct speech sentence.

He says, “He cooks food.”

Reporting verb:

The verb, which is used in a reporting speech to report something in a direct speech, is called a reporting verb.

Zoya said , “I want to go there.”

Reported verb:

The verb which comes inside the reported speech is called reported verb, respectively.

Zoya said, “I want to go there.”

As we start writing any direct and indirect conversation, we often use reported verbs like “say, tell, ask, inform, instruct, claim, suggest, enquire, etc.”

These reported verbs, whenever used in direct or indirect speech, change into the past simple form like said, told, asked, informed, instructed, claimed, suggested, enquired, etc.

But the verbs used in a speech between the inverted commas will remain as it is.

Examples of direct and indirect speech:

Indirect speech: John said that she was looking so beautiful.
Indirect : He said that he was not a culprit.
Indirect : He said that she was working on that project.
Indirect : The teacher asked if he completed his homework.
Indirect : She says that she is an artist.
Indirect : Sam told me that he was not coming with me.
Indirect : He says that she is working on that project.

Some basic rules for converting direct speech into indirect speech:

Rule 1 : “no inverted commas.”.

The reported speech does not come into inverted commas or quotation in an indirect speech.

Example: Direct: He said, “I have completed my assignments yesterday.”

Indirect: He said that he had completed his assignments the previous day.

Rule 2: use of “that” conjunction

Using the conjunction word “that” in-between the reporting speech and reported speech in an indirect speech.

Example:

He said, “I have completed my assignment yesterday.”
He said that he had completed his assignment the previous day.

Rule 3: Change of tense

While writing a direct speech into an indirect speech, we have to change the tense of the reported speech because whatever we are writing in indirect speech has already happened in the past timing.

If the tense of a reporting speech of direct speech is in the present tense or future tense , then the tense of the reported speech in indirect speech will not change. It may be in the present tense, past tense, or future tense, respectively.
Indirect : He says that he is going to school. (no change in tense)
Indirect : She says that she will not come with me. (no change in tense)
Indirect : He says that he wrote a letter. (no change in tense)

If the tense of the reporting verb of direct speech is in the past tense, then the tense will change according to these criteria.

For the present tense:

Simple present tense will change into simple past tense..

Direct: He said, “They come to meet me.”

Indirect: He said that they came to meet him.

Present continuous tense will change into past continuous tense.

Direct: She said, “They are coming to meet me.”

Indirect: She said that they were coming to meet her.

Present perfect tense will change into past perfect tense.

Direct: He said, “They have come to meet me.”

Indirect: He said that they had come to meet him.

Present perfect continuous tense will change into past perfect continuous tense.

Direct: She said, “They have been coming to meet me.”

Indirect: She said that they had been coming to meet her.

For the past tense:

Simple past tense will change into the past perfect tense.

Direct: He said, “They came to meet me.”

Indirect: He said that they had come to meet him.

Past continuous tense will change into past perfect continuous tense.

Direct: She said, “They were coming to meet me.”

Indirect: She said that they had been coming to meet her.

Past perfect tense and past perfect continuous tense will remain the same.

Direct: He said, “They had come to meet me.”

Direct: She said, “They had been coming to meet me.”

For the future tense:

There are no changes in the future tense sentences; only shall/will may change into would, can change into could.

Direct: She said, “Can you come tomorrow.”

Indirect: She said that could he come on the next day

Direct: He said, “I will never forgive you.”

Indirect: He said that he would never forgive me.

Rule 4: Changing the pronoun

The pronoun used as an indirect subject speech sometimes needs to be changed accordingly in indirect speech as of the reported verb of the direct speech.

The pronoun used for representing the first person in reported speech changes based on the subject of the reporting speech in a direct speech.
The pronoun used for representing the second person in reported speech changes based on the report’s object in a direct speech.
The pronoun used for representing the third person remains the same in the reported speech.
Direct: He said, “ I am going to school.”
Indirect: He said that he is going to school.
Direct: She says, “ I will not come with you .”
Indirect: She says that she will not come with me .
Direct: They said, “ we are eating our tiffin box.”
Indirect: They said that they were eating their tiffin box.

Rule 5: Changing the time

The mentioned time (not the timing) in a direct speech sentence will have to change in indirect speech like now becomes then, tomorrow becomes the next day, yesterday becomes the previous day, today becomes that day, later becomes soon.

Direct: He told, “He is coming from Tokyo today .”
Indirect: He told me that he was coming from Tokyo that day .
Direct: She asked, “Will the parcel reach by tomorrow or not?”
Indirect: She asked whether the parcel will reach by the next day or not.
Direct: “The teacher has given some assignments yesterday ”, he reminds me.
Indirect: He reminds me that the teacher had given some assignments on the previous day.

Conversion of statements from direct speech into Indirect speech:

Assertive sentences:.

Assertive sentences are simple statements that may be affirmative or negative.

If we are going to convert assertive sentences from direct speech into indirect speech, we have to replace “said” with “told” sometimes.

Here, the subject in direct speech refers to someone in his talk.

Direct: He said to me, “she is working on this project.”

Indirect: He told me that she was working on that project.

Direct: She said to me, “I’m going for a long drive.”

Indirect: She told me that she was going for a long drive.

Imperative sentences:

Imperative sentences are statements that deliver a command, order, request, appeal, or advice.

It depends on the speaker, how he delivers the message to the other person.

Sit properly!
Stand by my side!
Come closer!

While converting these types of sentences cum statements from direct speech to indirect speech, we have to check the type of sentence, whether it is a command, order, request, or else.

Direct: The teacher said to me, “Sit properly!”

Indirect: The teacher ordered me to sit properly.

Direct: The Boss said to an office boy, “Bring one coffee for me.”

Indirect: The Boss commanded an office boy to bring a coffee for him.

Indirect: The teacher requested me to sit properly.

Direct: The bartender said to me, “try this drink.”

Indirect: The bartender advised me to try that drink.

Interrogative sentences:

An interrogative sentence is a sentence which interrogates or ask questions.

Each interrogative sentence ends with an interrogative sign or a question mark sign “?”.

What is your name?
Can you do me a favor?
Why are you laughing in the classroom?

While writing interrogative sentences from direct speech into indirect speech,

the reporting verb “said” in the direct speech is changed into “asked” in the indirect speech because it asks the question to another person.
If any reporting verb comes first in the reporting speech, then “If” is used despite “that.”
In a reporting speech, if any wh-type question words are present, then no other words will be used, and the sentence ends with a full stop sign instead of a question mark.
Indirect: He asked me what was my name.
Indirect: She asked if he could do her a favor.
Indirect: The teacher asked him why he was laughing in the classroom.

Exclamatory sentences:

Exclamatory sentences are those sentences that show emotions, feelings and ends with an exclamation mark!

Congratulations! You have a baby girl.
I am extremely sorry for your loss!
Most welcome!

If any interjection comes in an exclamation sentence, then the exclamation sign removes in an indirect speech, and an exclamatory sentence gets converted into an assertive sentence.

The replacement of reporting verb “said” with exclaimed with (great wonder, sorrow, joy) exclaimed (joyfully, sorrowfully)

Replace with very or very great , if words like how or what comes at the beginning of the reported speech.

Indirect: He exclaimed with joy that I had a baby girl.
Indirect: She exclaimed with sorrow that she felt sorry for my loss.
Indirect: They exclaimed with joy that most welcome.

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Rules For Direct And Indirect Speech With Examples And Exercises

English grammar has always remained trickier yet interesting to be learned. It is expected that to learn the English language, one must be able to form sentences or learn the other parts of its speech. In the IELTS examination, even 25% of marks are allotted for GRA (Grammatical Range and Accuracy) . So here we come up with another topic of grammar by adding into the collection of some previous grammar topics.

In today’s article, the topic of direct and indirect speech will be discussed in an elaborative way and its rules, examples, along with some exercises will be given.

What is 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

They said, “ We may go to Canada.”

They said that they might go to Canada.

She said, “I must finish the work on time.”

She said that she had to finish the work on time.

Michael said, “I ought to avoid junk food.”

Michael said that he ought to avoid junk food.

II. Rules as per Tense Change

Direct- John said,” I walk.” (simple present)

Indirect- John said that he walked. (Simple past)

Direct- Mr. Brown said, “My daughter has left for school.” (present perfect)

Indirect- Mr. Brown said that his daughter had left for school. (Past perfect)

Direct- They told, “we were living in Paris.” (past continuous)

Indirect- They told that they had been living in Paris. (Past perfect continuous tense)

Direct- Michael told, “he will be watering the plants .” (Future continuous)

Indirect- Michael told that he would be watering the plants. (Conditional continuous)

III. Rules as per Place & Time Change

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

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 Indirect sentence of interrogation, the answer is written in positive or assertive form, rather than the question form, and hence, the sentence ends with..

3. Inverted commas are removed in indirect speech.

4. Use verbs such as, ‘ask', ‘inquire' instead of say or tell.

Examples :-

Jackson said, “ what is John doing?”

Jackson asked that 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 expresses advice, request or order. So in order to convert it in indirect, some words need to be added like Requested, advised, suggested, ordered, forbade etc.

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.
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.

Take care of the small details of grammar and you will surely be perfect within some time with lots of practice. Hoping that above rules and examples of direct and indirect speech would work well for your practice. Keep working hard.

Best of luck!

Exercises for Competitive Exams

A. direct to indirect speech.

1. Ram said to me, “I am going to Jaipur.”

2. Mohan said to her, “you have completed your work.”

3. Maya said to him, “you can do this work.”

4. “If you don’t keep quiet, I shall shoot you”, she said to him in a calm voice.

5. He said to his father, “please increase my pocket-money.”

6. The boy said, “who dare call you a thief?”

7. She said to him, “why don’t you go today?”

8. Kanwal said, “what a beautiful rainbow it is.”

1. Ram told me that he was going to Jaipur.

2. Mohan told her that she had completed her work.

3. Maya told him that he could do this work.

4. She warned her calmly that she would shoot him if he didn’t keep quiet.

5. He requested his father to increase his pocket money.

6. The boy enquired who dared call him a thief.

7. She asked him why he didn’t go that day.

8. Kanwal exclaimed with wonder that the rainbow was very beautiful.

B. Indirect Speech to Direct Speech

1. She said that her brother was getting married.

2. She exclaimed with sorrow that was a very miserable plight.

3. Dhruv said that he was sick and tired of working in this company.

4. She exclaimed with joy that India had won the Sahara cup.

5. Nita ordered her servant to bring her a cup of tea.

6. She begged me not to go away.

7. She told her that she knew where was everyone.

8. John told me that when he went there, it was raining.

1. She said, “my brother is getting married.”

2. She said, “what a miserable plight it is.”

3. Dhruv said, “I am sick and tired of working in this company.”

4. She said, “hurrah! India has won the Sahara cup.”

5. Nita said to her servant, “Bring me a cup of tea.”

6. “Please don’t go away" , she said.

7. She said to her, “ I know where is everyone.”

8. John said to me, “when you came here, it was raining.”

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Direct and Indirect speech with examples and explanations

Welcome back, smart brains! This article will help you understand how direct speech and indirect speech (narration) work in the English language. What is a direct speech? What is an indirect speech? Why and how do we use direct and indirect speech? How to change direct speech to indirect speech? Going forward, we will know the answers to all these questions.

Whenever someone tells you something or shares something with you, there are two ways to narrate what the person said:

Direct speech
Indirect Speech

Let’s suppose you go to a mobile shop to buy a specific mobile phone. On reaching, one of the executives says, “We don’t have this phone.” You go back home. Your elder brother wants to know what happened. There are two ways to convey what the executive said to you.

Direct speech: One of the executives said, “We don’t have this phone.” (Quoting the exact words of the executive)

Indirect speech: One of the executives said that they did not have that phone. (Narrating the executive’s message in your own words)

What is direct speech?

Direct speech definition: It is a way to narrate what someone said using the speaker’s exact words. The reported speech (the speaker’s words) is placed within quotation marks, and it is offset using a comma.

What is indirect speech?

Indirect speech definition: In indirect speech, the original words of the speaker get changed. The pronoun/s, the tense, and the adverbs of time and place in the reported speech (the words of the speaker) get changed. These things, not always but often, are changed as the original message was delivered at some point in time in the past, but we narrate it after some time. That creates a time difference in receiving the message and narrating it to someone. Because of which we have to go back in the past to refer to the right time.

Direct speech: Sandhya said to me, “I love talking to you.” Indirect speech: Sandhya told me that she loved talking to me.

Note: The conjunction ‘ That ’ in the indirect speech can be eliminated too. The sentence is still correct without it.

Indirect speech: Sandhya told me she loved talking to me.

Note: Changing the tense of the reported speech in indirect speech is called back-shifting.

In the above example, when we are reporting the speaker’s words in indirect speech, we are backshifting the time(tense) of the action to further back. We backshift the tense as the speaker’s words might not fall true or be relevant at the time of narrating it to someone.

She loved talking to me at the time of delivering the message, but now, at the time of narrating to someone, this might not fall true. She might not love talking to me now. That is exactly why the tense is backshifted further back in the past to show the accurate time and action.

But when you are narrating the speaker’s message right after it is being said, you don’t need to backshift the tense as there is almost no difference between the time of receiving the speaker’s message and narrating it to someone.

Let’s suppose we were at a party. Sandhya and I were exchanging words. You were right there too. She said, “I love talking to you.” You didn’t hear it. You come to me and ask, “What did she say to you?”

I tell you that she said that she loves talking to me. It is fairly unlikely for her to change her mind in just a few seconds. 😉

Examples of direct and indirect speech

Direct speech: She said to me, “It is raining outside.”
Indirect speech: She told me that it was raining outside.
Direct speech: “I bought my favorite phone yesterday,” he told me with excitement.
Indirect speech: He told me with excitement that he had bought his favorite car the previous day.
Direct speech: Max said, “This is my school.”
Indirect speech: Max said that that was his house. (You are not there in front of the school.)
Indirect speech: Max said that this was his house . (You are still there in front of the school.)

How to change direct speech to indirect speech?

Here are the changes you need to make in order to change a direct speech to indirect speech:

1. Remove quotation marks and the comma from the direct speech.

2. use the conjunction that before the reported speech. its use is optional though..

Direct speech: Sandhya said to me, “I love talking to you.”
Indirect speech: Sandhya told me that she loved talking to me.

3. Change the pronoun/s of the reported speech.

The subject (pronoun) of the reported speech (indirect speech) is changed according to the subject or the object of the introductory clause, and its object is changed according to the object of the introductory clause.

According to the subject

According to the object

Direct speech: The students said to me, “You were teaching amazingly well.”
Indirect speech: The students said that I had been teaching amazingly well.

These are some direct and indirect speech rules we need to master!

3.1 Backshift the tense

3.2 change the adverb of time and place, how to change direct speech to indirect speech in different tenses , 1. present simple to past simple tense.

When the direct speech is in the Present Simple tense , it is changed to the Past Simple tense in the indirect speech.

Direct indirect speech examples:

Direct speech: “I work with the top CEOs of the world,” he boasted.
Indirect speech: He boasted that he worked with the top CEOs of the world.
Direct speech: Sandhya told me, “You look amazing in this dress.”
Indirect speech: Sandhya told me that I looked amazing in that dress.
Direct speech: “The sun rises in the east,” my father informed us.
Indirect speech: My father informed us that the sun rises in the east.

NOTE : When what’s being said is still valid or related or universal, we don’t backshift the tense. In the third example, we have not changed the tense.

2. Present continuous to past continuous tense

When the direct speech is in the Present Continuous tense , it is changed to the Past Continuous tense in the indirect speech.

Direct speech: “You are making a lot of noise,” the teacher said angrily.
Indirect speech: The teacher said angrily that we were making a lot of noise.
Direct speech: She said, “I am getting married next month.”
Indirect speech: She said that I am getting married next month.

NOTE : The next month has not come yet. She narrated the message before the message gets irrelevant.

3. Present perfect tense to past perfect tense

When the direct speech is in the Present Perfect tense , it is changed to the Past Perfect tense in the indirect speech.

Direct speech: “I have finished the work,” Max said to me.
Indirect speech: Max told me that he had finished the work.
Direct speech: She said, “You have not helped me now.”
Indirect speech: She said that I had not helped her then.

4. Simple past tense to past perfect tense

When the direct speech is in the Simple Past tense, it is changed to the Past perfect tense in the indirect speech.

Direct and indirect speech examples:

Direct speech: “We finished the task on time,” he said to me.
Indirect speech: He told me that they had finished the task on time.
Direct speech: Rahul said to me, “I enjoyed working with you.”
Indirect speech: Rahul told me that he had enjoyed working with me.

5. Past continuous tense to past perfect continuous tense

When the direct speech is in the Past Continuous tense, it is changed to the Past Perfect Continuous tense in the indirect speech.

Direct speech: “He was sleeping here,” the lady told me.
Indirect speech: The lady told me that he had been sleeping here.

Modal auxiliary verbs in direct and indirect speech

Direct speech: “ You can’t beat me in a street fight,” He said to me.
Indirect speech: He told me that I could not beat him in a street fight.
Direct speech: “We will screw your career,” the company said.
Indirect speech: The company said that it would screw my career.
Direct speech: “We might visit you tomorrow, “my friends said to him.
Indirect speech: My friends said to him that they might visit him the next day.
Direct speech: “You may get the Job,” Ronny said to me.
Indirect speech: Ronny told me that I might get the job.
Direct speech: “I should start working on my communication skills,” He said in frustration.
Indirect speech: He said in frustration that he should start working on his communication skills.

Important points:

SAY can’t be followed by an indirect object without the preposition TO . TELL is followed by an indirect object.
He said me that I teach amazingly well. (Incorrect)
He said to me that I teach amazingly well. (Correct)
He told me that I teach amazingly well. (Correct)
Don’t backshift the tense of the reported speech if what’s been said is universally true or is still relevant at the time of narrating it to someone.
Direct speech: “He is my father,” Jon informed me.
Indirect speech: Jon informed me that he is his father.
Direct speech: “We are going to London in 2022,” She said.
Indirect speech: She said that they are going to London in 2020. (You are saying it in 2021).
Direct speech: Rahul said, “India is a democratic country.”
Indirect speech: Rahul said that India is a democratic country.

Now, we know what a direct and an indirect speech is in English. Feel free to share your question, doubt, or feedback in the comment section, and also, share the post with the people that need it.

For one-on-one classes, contact me at [email protected] .

Here’s my video lesson on the narration!

Click here to learn how to change interrogative sentences into assertive sentences in reported speech!

Ashish Sharma

Ashish found his first love—the English language—a few years back. Since then, he has been immersed in the language, breaking down the language and teaching it to passionate English learners. He has a flair for listening to the English language (podcasts, sitcoms, stories), observing the nuances, and making it easy for English learners. He is known for breaking down complex English topics and making them easy to be understood.

2 thoughts on “Direct and Indirect speech with examples and explanations”

Direct speech: Max said, “This is my school.” Indirect speech: Max said that that was my house. (You are not there in front of the school.) Indirect speech: Max said that this is my house. (You are still there in front of the school.) please check! I think there is an error in indirect sentence as my must be change into his what I believe?!!!!!!\

Hello Imran, Thank you for pointing out the mistake. The verb tense ‘is’ was also needed to be backshifted in the past. It has been taken care of.

Direct and Indirect Speeches

What are direct and Indirect Speeches?

Indirect speech: In grammar, when we want to report what someone said, without speech marks and without necessarily using exactly the same words, we use indirect speech. It is also known as reported speech. Look at the following sentences:

Direct speech: he says, “I am going to school.”

Indirect speech: he says that he is going to school.

In above sentences, the reporter delivers the message of the boy using his real words (e.g.“I am going to school.”) In the indirect speech sentence, the reporter delivers his message but in his own words without any change in the meaning. Thus, both direct and indirect speeches are two different ways of reporting a statement of person. In simple words, quoting a person using your own words is called an indirect speech.

Direct speech: Direct speech is also called reporting speech. There are two parts in a sentence in direct speech first part is known as reporting speech (in this sentence we know about reporting person) and the second part which is known as reported speech (indirect narration “example”, or indirect discourse). When we want to describe what someone said, one option is to use direct speech . We use direct speech when we simply repeat what someone says, putting the phrase between speech marks:

Saif came in and said, “I’m really happy”.

As you can see, with direct speech it is common to use the verb ‘to say’ and ‘to says’ (‘said’ in the past). But you can also find other verbs used to indicate direct speech such as ‘ask’, ‘reply’, and ‘shout’.

Basic Rules in Direct and Indirect Speech Changes

During the process, you will come across many important terms that you need to know better so that you can convert any direct speech into indirect speech easily and without any irritation. Consider the following rules.

When we change direct speech to indirect speech always we will replace inverted commas with word ‘ that’ .
When we combine reporting and reported speech we use that between these sentences.
If the first part of the sentence does not include word said then tense will not be changed.
At the end of reporting speech if there is a comma then it will be removed.

Say always will be changed into tell .

Says always will be changed into tells .

Said will be changed into told only in one condition when there is object in reporting speech.

Direct : You said to Saif, “you are going to Lahore”.

Indirect : you told Saif that he was going to Lahore.

Changes in person of pronouns

1 st person 2 nd person 3 rd person

Subject Object No change

I, we, you he, she, it,

My, our, your they and noun.

us, me your they and noun

1 st Person pronouns in reported speech are always changed according to the subject of the reporting speech.
2 nd Person pronouns in reported speech are always changed according to the object of the reporting speech.
3 rd Person pronouns in reported speech are not changed.

Important Word Changes in Direct and Indirect Speeches

The above rules are mandatory for converting direct speech into indirect speech. Hence, they should be memorized thoroughly. The following examples cover all the aforementioned rules. So, focus on every sentence to know how the above-mentioned rules have been used here.

Some special words will be changed when direct speech changes into indirect speech

Now into then

Today into that day

Yesterday into the previous day

This into that

Last night into the previous night

Tomorrow into the next day

These into those

Here into there

Next day into the following day

Ago into before

Come into go

Will into would

Shall into should

May into might

Can into could

Good Morning, into greeted

Good Evening, into greeted

Good Day into greeted

Madam into Respectfully

Sir into Respectfully

Changes of Verbs in Direct and Indirect Speeches:

If the reporting speech is in present tense or future tense, then no change is required to be made in the verb of reported speech.

Direct Speech: he says, “I live in Pakistan”.

Indirect Speech: he tells that he lives in Pakistan.

Direct Speech: you say to me, “you will go to Lahore”.

Indirect Speech: you tell me that I shall go to Lahore.

Direct Speech: I say, “she was ill”.

Indirect Speech: I tell that she was ill.

How to change tense

Present indefinite will be changed into past into past indefinite tense.

(First form into second form)

Direct: I said, “I go to school”.

Indirect: I said that I went to school.

Present continues will be changed into past continues tense.

(is, am, are into was, were)

Direct: Raza said, “I am a boy”.

Indirect : Raza said that he was a boy.

Present perfect will be changed into past perfect tense.

(has, had into had)

Indirect : You told Saif that he was going to Lahore.

Present perfect continues will be changed into past perfect continues tense.

(has been, have been into had been)

Direct : The guard said to the passenger, “the train has come”

Indirect : The guard told to the passenger that the train had come.

Past indefinite will be changed into past perfect tense.

(second form into had)

Direct : Aslam said, “They played cricket”.

Indirect: Aslam said that they had played cricket.

Past continues will be changed into past perfect continues tense.

(was, were into had been)

Direct : The policeman said, “The thief has been stealing for two year”.

Indirect : The policeman told that the thief had been stealing for two year.

Note : Past perfect, past perfect continues, future indefinite, future continues, future perfect, future perfect continues tense will not be changed.

Assertive Sentences in Direct and Indirect Speeches

Sentences that make a declaration are called assertive sentences. These sentences may be positive, negative, false, or true statements. To convert such sentences into indirect speech, use the rules as declared above except said is sometimes replaced with told . Look at the following examples:

Direct Speech: She says, “I am writing a letter to my brother.”

Indirect Speech: She says that she is writing a letter to her brother.

Direct Speech: She says, “I was not writing a letter to my brother.”

Indirect Speech: She says that she was not writing a letter to her brother.

Direct Speech: She said to me, “I am writing a letter to my brother.”

Indirect Speech: She told me that she was writing a letter to her brother.

Imperative Sentences

Imperative sentences are sentences that give an order or a direct command. These sentences may be in the form of advice, appeal, request, or order. Mostly, it depends upon the forcefulness of the presenter. Thus, a full stop (.) or sign of exclamation (!) is used at the end of the sentence.

When we will be convert these types of sentences into indirect speech, follow the following rules along with the above-mentioned rules:

Both sentences will be joined with the conjunction
If in the reported sentence word do not then it will be changed with the word not to.

Direct speech : Aslam said, “Do not beat him”.

Indirect speech: Aslam ordered to not beat him.

The direct verb is changed according to indirect speech in case order the speaker gives a direct command. Then said will be changed into ordered For example:

Direct Speech: The father said to me, “Sit down.”

Indirect Speech: The father ordered me to sit down.

The direct verb is changed according to indirect speech in case request the speaker gives a request command. Then said will be changed into request

For example:

Direct Speech: The man said, “Please show me your pen.”

Indirect Speech: the man requested to show him my door.

The direct verb is changed according to indirect speech in case guide the speaker gives a piece of advice. Then said will be changed into advised .

Direct Speech: The headmaster said, “Write neat and clean.”

Indirect Speech: the headmaster advised to write neat and clean.

The direct verb is changed according to indirect speech in case forbade the speaker stopped to do something. Then said will be changed into forbade .

Direct Speech: The teacher said, “Don’t sit.”

Indirect Speech: The teacher forbade to sit.

Optative & Exclamatory Sentences

The sentence which expresses a prayer, keen wish, curse, happiness etc. is called an optative sentence . This kind of sentence generally starts with ‘may’ and ‘wish’. Sometimes, ‘may’ remains hidden.

The sentence which expresses a sudden and deep excitement, wonder, shock, or sorrow, etc. is called an exclamatory sentence . In this kind of sentence must have exclamation mark (!) at the end of sentence or in the central of the sentence.

May you succeed in the test!
May you get well soon!
Would that I was rich!

When we will be converted these types of sentences into indirect speech, follow the following rules along with the above-mentioned rules:

In a prayer sentence said will be replaced by
When we will be changed direct speech to indirect speech always we will be replaced inverted commas that .

Direct speech : He said, “May you live long”.

Indirect speech : He prayed that I might live long.

In a hope sentence said will be replaced by

Direct speech: The father said, “May my son get first position”.

Indirect speech: The father wished that his son might get first position.

In a glad & happy sentence said will be replaced by exclaimed with joy or exclaimed with joyfully. And exclamatory mark (!) will be removed.

Direct speech: The boys said, “Hurrah! We have won the match”.

Indirect speech: The boys exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.

In a sad or sorrow sentence said will be replaced by exclaimed with sorrow or exclaimed with sorrowfully.

Direct speech: The bagger said, “Ah! I am undone”.

Indirect speech: The exclaimed with sorrow that he was undone.

Interrogative Sentences

Which sentences, ask questions, are called interrogative sentences. Every interrogative sentence has question mark (?) at the ends.

Where are you going?
Where did you live?
Are you want to go with me?

To change interrogative sentences from direct speech into indirect speech, follow the following rules along with the above-mentioned rules:

When we will be changed sentence direct speech to indirect Said will be replaced by asked .
If interrogative sentence will be started from “ Wh ” mean when, whom, what, where, who, which, why, how, whose when we will be changed sentence direct speech to indirect speech inverted commas will not be replaced. Just it will be removed.
If the reported sentence will be started form helping verb, then if will be used in place of that .
After the changing sentence mark of interrogation (?) will be replaced with full stop (.).

Direct speech: He said to me, “Who are you”?

Indirect speech: He asked me who I was.

Direct speech: He said to me, “Where are you going”?

Indirect speech: He asked me where I was going.

Direct speech: Sunny said to me, “will you help me”?

Indirect speech: Sunny asked me if I would help him.

Universal Sentence

Sentences which have natural truth or universal truth in the part of reported speech are called universal sentences .

Allah is one.
Honesty is the best policy.

To change universal sentences from direct speech into indirect speech, follow the following rules along with the above-mentioned rules:

When we will be changed sentence direct speech to indirect Said will be replaced by
When we will be changed direct speech to indirect speech always we will be replaced inverted commas with that .
Always remember that universal truth will never change so we will not be changed reported speech portion.

Direct speech: The teacher said to the boys, “The earth revolves around the sun”.

Indirect speech: The teacher told the boys that the earth revolves around the sun.

Direct speech: Saif said, “Allah is one”.

Indirect speech: Saif told that Allah is one.

Direct speech: She said to him, “Honesty is the best policy”.

Indirect speech: She told him that honesty is the best policy.

Direct speech: Sunny said to Farrukh, “The sun rises in the east”.

Indirect speech: Sunny told Farrukh that the sun rises in the east.

Thank you for learning direct and Indirect Speeches with us. Stay blessed.

About Authoress:

Syeda Adina Mehmood wrote this article ” DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECHES IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR “. She has published several other unique articles on same website. You can reach her at [email protected]

Capitalization Rules

Direct and Indirect

Active Voice Passive Voice

Punctuation Marks

Describe a Person

English Phrases

How to Teach Direct and Indirect Speech

Last Updated: October 19, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 58,198 times.

Direct and indirect speech, also known collectively as reported speech, refer to the ways in which a person can report what someone else has said to them. To effectively teach reported speech to your students, it’s important that you first explain what these terms mean and how they should be used. Then, you can use various games and activities to help your students understand and accurately use direct and indirect speech.

Explaining Direct and Indirect Speech

Step 1 Define direct speech so your students will understand what it means.

For example, if your boss asks you “What did you have for dinner last night?” while you’re at work and later, you tell your spouse, “My boss asked me today, ‘What did you have for dinner last night?’,” you have reported what your boss asked you using direct speech.

Step 2 Explain the definition of indirect speech and how it's different from direct speech.

For example, if your boss asks you “What did you have for dinner last night?” while you’re at work and later, you tell your spouse, “My boss asked me what I had for dinner last night,” you’ve used indirect speech to report what your boss asked you.
Indirect speech often is marked by the word "that" before the clause containing what the other person said.

Step 3 Clarify how verb tenses change from direct to indirect speech.

When using direct speech to report, the tenses of the verbs within the quotations do not change, since direct speech involves an exact recitation of the original words spoken.
Simple present tense direct speech changes to simple past tense indirect speech. For example, “She said ‘I am happy’” becomes “She said that she was happy.”
Present continuous direct speech changes to past continuous tense in indirect speech. For example, “He said, ‘I am reading a book’” becomes “He said he was reading a book.”
Simple past tense direct speech changes to past perfect tense in indirect speech. For example, “She said, ‘Meagan arrived on Tuesday’” becomes “She said that Meagan had arrived on Tuesday.”
Past continuous tense direct speech changes to past perfect continuous tense indirect speech. For example, “They said, ‘We were living in Paris’” changes to “They said they had been living in Paris.” [4] X Research source

Step 4 Explain that verb tense never changes for universal truths.

For example, when converted to indirect speech, the direct speech sentence “They said, ‘We can’t live without water’” becomes “They said that we can’t live without water” because the words spoken are a universal truth.

Using Activities to Teach Reported Speech

Step 1 Have your students rephrase sentences using reported speech.

For example, you could read out the sentence, “I don’t like muffins.” The student should then report this information back to you, stating it first in direct speech (“you said, ‘I don’t like muffins’”), followed by indirect speech (“you said you don’t like muffins”).

Step 2 Ask your students to report on each other’s answers to your questions.

The sentences can be statements, questions, or a mix of both.
For example, you could write “Do we know each other?” on an index card. Hand this card to one student and have them read it to a second student. Then, ask the second student to report what the first student read to them. The second student should then respond using direct speech (“She asked me, ‘Do we know each other?’”) or indirect speech (“She asked me if we know each other”).
You can make this activity a bit more fun by telling the students to pretend they are at a party where everyone must circulate and talk to each other. [8] X Research source

Step 4 Get your students to correct a story using reported speech.

For example, write “I live in a big house” on the board. Then, tell a short story stating “I bought a new dining table but it was too big for my small apartment so I had to get another one.” The students will interrupt you after stating that you live in a small apartment. You can then have the students ask for clarification using direct (“But didn’t you say, “I live in a big house”?) or indirect speech (“Didn’t you say you lived in a big house?”). [10] X Research source

Step 5 Play reported speech telephone for a fun learning activity.

For example, ask the first student “What are you doing this summer?” and have them answer to a second student “I am going to the beach.” Then, have the second student report to a third student on what the first student said using direct speech (“John said, “I’m going to the beach”). The third student will then report to a fourth student using indirect speech (“Katie said that John said that he’s going to the beach”) and so on until all the students have had a turn.

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Government Exam Articles

Rules For Direct And Indirect Speech For English Language

In this article, we will cover important rules of direct and indirect speech, relevant for the English Language section of various competitive exams.

Aspirants of various Government exams such as SSC, RRB, IBPS, Insurance, etc. must go through the concept and rules of direct – indirect speech carefully, as the English language is a part of the syllabus for most of these exams.

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.

Let us understand the direct and indirect rules with examples and for all tenses so that you can apply them correctly, without making any mistakes in the exams.

Direct And Indirect Speech Rules PDF:- Download PDF Here

Direct And Indirect Speech Rules

Rules for converting Direct into Indirect speech

To change a sentence of direct speech into indirect speech there are various factors that are considered, such as reporting verbs, modals, time, place, pronouns, tenses, etc. We will discuss each of these factors one by one.

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 corresponding 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: 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: “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: “I am playing the guitar”, she explained.

Indirect: She explained that she was playing the guitar.

Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect

Direct: He said, “She has finished her homework“.

Indirect: He said that she had finished her homework.

Simple Present Changes to Simple Past

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: 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: 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: 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.

To ace the verbal ability section, it is important to have a clear conceptual knowledge of Direct and Indirect Speech, their usage and applications in English language. Therefore, candidates can go through the video on Direct and Indirect Speech rules in English Language, given below for better understanding-

For the preparation of the English language section in a better way, it is important that you go through the following topics thoroughly.

Tenses rules
Conjunctions rules
Prepositions Rules
List of Prefix and Suffix With Examples
Active And Passive Voice Rules
List of Homophones/Homonyms
List of Synonyms and Antonyms

Candidates are advised to check the General English for Competitive Exams page for more articles on rules for English grammar, list of idioms and phrases, synonyms & antonyms, etc.

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: “ 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: She said, ‘W ill 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: He said to me, ‘What are you wearing’?

Indirect: He asked me what I was wearing.

Candidates can also check the links given below to understand the concept of word formation in English and to learn the common words in English Language that appear in most of the competitive exams-

English Root Words
Most asked English Vocabulary Words

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:

Can becomes could
May becomes might
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: 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.

Aspirants are well aware that English is an important component of the syllabus of various competitive exams and it is important to be clear with the basic concepts. Therefore, given below are a few articles to clarify the confusion between usage of common but confusing words in the English Language.

More such concept-wise, subject-wise differences can be found on the 100 Difference between Articles page linked here.

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

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 following week/month

Direct: He said, ‘His girlfriend came yesterday.’

Indirect: He said that his girlfriend had come the day before.

The time expression does not change if the reporting verb is in the present tense or future tense .

Direct: He says/will say, ‘My girlfriend came yesterday.’

Indirect: He says/will say that his girlfriend had come the day before.

Video – Direct & Indirect Speech in English Grammar

Rules of converting Indirect Speech into Direct Speech

The following rules should be followed while converting an indirect speech to direct speech:

Use the reporting verb such as (say, said to) in its correct tense.
Put a comma before the statement and the first letter of the statement should be in capital letter.
Insert question mark, quotation marks, exclamation mark and full stop, based on the mood of the sentence.
Remove the conjunctions like (that, to, if or whether) wherever necessary.
Where the reporting verb is in past tense in indirect, change it to present tense in the direct speech.
Change the past perfect tense either into present perfect tense or past tense, as necessary.
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.”

Direct-Indirect Speech – Sample Questions For the English Language

The significance of knowing the rules of direct and indirect speech for the English language section of various competitive exams can only be understood by knowing the type of questions asked in the examination, based on the same.

Given below are samples of direct and indirect speech questions asked in the English language section of various government examinations:

Q.1. Find out the correct indirect speech for the given sentence.

She said,’ I have baked a cake’

She said that she baked a cake
She said that she had baked a cake.
She said that I baked a cake.
She said that she had bake a cake.

Answer (2) She said that she had baked a cake.

Q.2. Choose the correct sentence.

Aviral said, ‘What a beautiful rainbow it is’.

Aviral exclaimed wonderfully that the scenery was very beautiful.
Aviral said with wonder that the scenery was very beautiful.
Aviral exclaimed with wonder that the scenery is very beautiful.
Aviral exclaimed with wonder that the scenery was very beautiful.

Answer (4) Aviral exclaimed with wonder that the scenery was very beautiful.

Q.3. The correct indirect speech for ‘This world’, she said, ‘is full of sorrow. Wish that I were dead’. is?

She observed that the world is full of sorrow. She wished to be dead.
She said that the world was full of sorrow. She wished to be dead.
She observed that the world was full of sorrow. She wished to be dead.
She observed that the world was full of sorrow. She wished to die.

Answer (1) She observed that the world is full of sorrow. She wished to be dead

Q.4. The policeman said, ‘Where are the weapons?’

The policeman inquired where was the weapons.
The policeman enquired where are the weapons.
The policeman enquired where were the weapons.
The policeman questioned where were the weapon.

Answer (3) The policeman enquired where were the weapons.

Q.5. The man said, ‘Ah! I am ruined.’

The man cried that he was in ruined.
The man exclaimed in grief that he was ruin.
The man said that Ah, he is ruined.
The man exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.

Answer (4) The man exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.

To prepare well for the English section, it is essential to practise and revise regularly for conceptual clarity. Hence, go through the exercise on Direct and Indirect Speech Questions and Answers in the given link.

For more variety and scope of direct and indirect speech questions asked in the English section of various competitive exams, go through Previous Year Question Papers PDF with Solutions .

Candidates can also check the variations and scope of questions asked in the competitive exams on the other relevant topics of English language below:

One Word Substitution Questions & Answers
Tenses Questions And Answers
Idioms and Phrases Questions and Answers
Synonyms Questions And Answers

Check the Verbal Ability page to get more Question and Answer articles based on different general English topics.

Candidates who are preparing for the upcoming government exams must carefully go through the concept of Direct and Indirect speech rules, as candidates tend to score the least in the English Language section of these exams.

Aspirants of various government exams can refer to the detailed exam syllabus in the links given below:

For further questions or information regarding competitive exams, study material or best books for preparation, candidates can turn to BYJU’S.

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Direct and Indirect Speech Exercise

Turn the following sentences into indirect speech.

1. John said, ‘I am very busy now.’ 2. He said, ‘The horse has been fed.’ 3. ‘I know her name and address,’ said John. 4. ‘German is easy to learn,’ she said. 5. He said, ‘I am writing letters.’ 6. ‘It is too late to go out,’ Alice said. 7. He said to me, ‘I don’t believe you.’ 8. He says, ‘I am glad to be here this evening.’ 9. He said to me, ‘What are you doing?’ 10. ‘Where is the post office?’ asked the stranger. 11. He said, ‘Will you listen to me?’ 12. John said to Peter, ‘Go away.’ 13. She said to me, ‘Please wait here till I return.’ 14. ‘Call the witness,’ said the judge. 15. The speaker said, ‘Be quiet and listen to my words.’

1. John said that he was very busy then. 2. He said that the horse had been fed. 3. John said that he knew/knows her name and address. (Note that the tenses may not change if the statement is still relevant or if it is a universal truth.) 4. She said that German is/was easy to learn. 5. He said that he was writing letters. 6. Alice said that it was too late to go out. 7. He told me that he didn’t believe me. OR He said he didn’t believe me. 8. He says that he is glad to be here this evening. (When the reporting verb is in the present tense, adverbs of time and place do not normally change in indirect speech.) 9. He asked me what I was doing. 10. The stranger asked where the post office is/was. 11. He asked me if I would listen to him. 12. John ordered Peter to go away. 13. She asked me to wait there till she returned. 14. The judge commanded them to call the first witness. 15. He urged them to be quiet and listen to them.

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English - Class 5

Topic outline

Direct and Indirect Speech

We can report the words of a speaker in two ways:

1. By repeating the exact words used by the speaker.

2. By reporting only the material of what he said.

Now read the following sentences.

1. Ram said , “ Anand is a good boy .”

2. Ram said that Anand was a good boy.

In the first sentence , we repeat, or quote, the exact words spoken by the speaker. This is called Direct Speech or Narration . Here we put the exact words of the speaker within quotation marks (" ") and we place a colon after 'said'. We write first word inside the quotation marks with a capital letter.

A comma is placed after the Reporting Verb to separate it from the second part of the sentence. In the first sentence, “ said ” is called the reporting verb, and “ Anand is a good boy .” is called the Reported Speech.

In the second sentence , we do not give the exact words of the speaker but give only the substance of what he said. This is called Indirect Speech or Narration .

In Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech ), we do not use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word. Here colon is not used after said. Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. The Verb ‘is’ is changed to was. (The Tense of the Verb in the Reported Speech is changed from the Present to the Past.). Here the Reported Speech is introduced by the Conjunction ‘that’.

Rules For Changing Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Rule 1: If the Reporting Verb is in the Present or Future Tense, the Verb in the Reported Speech is not changed at all. In other words, if in direct speech we find say, says or will say then we will not change the tense of the verb inside the quotation marks.

Here are some examples:

Direct Speech - Dia says, “There is no water in the glass.”

Indirect Speech - Dia says that there is no water in the glass.

Direct Speech - Ram will say, “Nobody was in the auditorium.”

Indirect Speech - Ram will say that nobody was in the auditorium.

Direct Speech - The tutor will say, “Hari will pass the entrance exam.”

Indirect Speech - The tutor will say that Hari will pass the entrance exam.

Direct Speech - She says, “Meena likes chicken curry.”

Indirect Speech - She says that Meena likes chicken curry.

Rule 2: If the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense, the Verb in the Reported Speech is also changed to the Past Tense. In other word, if in direct speech we find reporting verb “said” then we will change the tense of the verb inside the quotation marks to the past tense.

1. The Simple Present becomes the Simple Past.

Direct Speech - Tia said, “Neena works very hard.”

Indirect Speech - Tia said that Neena worked very hard.

Direct Speech - She said, "It is cold outside."

Indirect Speech - She said it was cold outside.

2. The Present Continuous becomes the Past Continuous.

Direct Speech - He said, "I visited Delhi last year”

Indirect Speech - He said that he had visited Delhi the previous year.

Direct Speech - Meera said, "I'm teaching French online."

Indirect Speech - Meera said she was teaching French online.

3. The Present Perfect becomes the Past Perfect.

Direct Speech - Anu said, "I have lived here for a long time.”

Indirect Speech - Anu said that she had lived there for a long time.

Direct Speech - Meena said, “Kapil has written the article.”

Indirect Speech - Meena said that Kapil had written the article.

4. May is changed into might; can is changed into could.

Direct Speech - He said, “Rahul may clear the exam.”

Indirect Speech - He said that Rahul might clear the exam.

Direct Speech - I said, “I can solve this problem.”

Indirect Speech - I said that I could solve this problem.

5. The Simple Past becomes the Past Perfect.

Direct Speech - Dev,”Avi reached at night.”

Indirect Speech - Dev said that Avi had reached at night.

Direct Speech - He said, “She came at 11 a.m. in the morning.”

Indirect Speech - He said that she had come at 11 a.m. in the morning.

6. The Past Continuous becomes the Past Perfect Continuous.

Direct Speech - Ravi said, “All were looking at the magician.”

Indirect Speech - Ravi said that all had been looking at the magician.

Direct Speech - Jimmy said, “All the boys were shouting.”

Indirect Speech - Jimmy said that all the boys had been shouting.

7. Shall is changed into should; will is changed into would.

Direct Speech - Radha said, "I will open the door."

Indirect Speech - Radha said that she would open the door.

Direct Speech - I said, “I shall try to assist her.”

Indirect Speech - I said that I should try to assist her.

Rule 3: If in direct speech the Reported Speech contains some universal or habitual fact, then we will follow RULE ONE or in other words the tense inside the quotation marks remains unchanged.

Direct Speech - Ravi said, “Everything happens for a reason.”

Indirect Speech - Ravi said that everything happens for a reason.

Direct Speech - Teacher said, “The moon moves round the earth.”

Indirect Speech - Teacher said that the moon moves round the earth.

Direct Speech - She said, “God is never in hurry, but he is always on time.”

Indirect Speech - She said that God is never in hurry, but he is always on time.

Direct Speech - The teacher said,” The sun rises in the east”

Indirect Speech - The teacher said the sun rises in the east.

Rule 4: Pronouns of the First Person in Direct Speech are changed in indirect Speech to the same person as the subject of the introductory verb.

Direct Speech - Tia said, “I am tired.”

Indirect Speech - John said that I was tired.

Direct Speech - Sita said, “I have done my homework.”

Indirect Speech - Sita said that she had done her homework.

Direct Speech - He said, “I shall do my best.”

Indirect Speech - He said that he would do his best.

Direct Speech - He said, “I will not come.”

Indirect Speech - He said that he would not go there.

Direct Speech - I said, “The little boy calls me.”

Indirect Speech - I said that the little boy called me.

Rule 5: Pronouns of the Second Person in Direct Speech are changed in Indirect Speech to the same person as the noun or pronoun which comes after the introductory verb.

Direct Speech - Heera said to me, “You are genius.”

Indirect Speech - Heera told me that I was genius.

Direct Speech - Avi said to Abhi,”You are a smart boy.”

Indirect Speech - Avi told Abhi that he was a smart boy.

Direct Speech - Sia said to Kareena,”You are a nice girl.”

Indirect Speech - Sia told Kareena that she was a nice girl.

Direct Speech - Tom said to him, “You have not done your assignment.”

Indirect Speech - Tom told him that he had not done his assignment.

Direct Speech - Jimmy said to her, “You have done your job.”

Indirect Speech - Jimmy told her that she had done her job.

Rule 6: Pronouns of the Third Person in Direct Speech remain the same in Indirect Speech.

Direct Speech - Harmeet said to me, “She is not well.”

Indirect Speech - Harmeet told me that she was not well.

Direct Speech - He said to me, “She was correct.”

Indirect Speech - He told me that she was correct.

Direct Speech - Bali said to you, “You are mistaken.”

Indirect Speech - Bali told you that you are mistaken.

Note : - In all the above examples, the verb ‘said’ in Direct Speech becomes ‘told’ in Indirect Speech and the Preposition ‘to’ is omitted.

Rule 7: When turning a sentence from Direct into indirect Speech words showing ‘nearness’ are changed into words showing ‘distance.’ Thus:

Now becomes then.

Here becomes there.

Ago becomes before.

Today becomes before.

This becomes that.

These become those.

Tomorrow becomes the next day.

Yesterday becomes the day before (or the previous day).

Last night becomes the night before (or the previous night).

Direct Speech - Tim said, “I am free now.”

Indirect Speech - Tim said that he was free then.

Direct Speech - He said, “I have seen this woman in the market.”

Indirect Speech - He said that he had seen that woman in the market.

Direct Speech - I said, “These oranges are sour.”

Indirect Speech - I said that those oranges were sour.

Direct Speech - Heena said, “The red basket is here.”

Indirect Speech - Heena said that the red basket was there.

Direct Speech - She said,”Aftab may go tomorrow.”

Indirect Speech - She said that Aftab might go the next day.

Direct Speech - Teacher said, “Today is a sunny day.”

Indirect Speech - Teacher said that day was a sunny day.

Direct Speech - Ram said, “I went to the mall last night.”

Indirect Speech - Ram said that he had gone to the mall the night before.

Direct Speech - She said, “I went to cinema yesterday.”

Indirect Speech - She said that she had gone to the cinema the day before.

Rule 8: Commands and Requests

In reporting a Command or a Request in the Indirect Speech, we change the introductory Verb to request, order, command, advice or some other word suiting the sense. Here the verb in Reported Speech is put in the Infinitive.

Direct Speech - I said to Karishma,”Please give me your pen.”

Indirect Speech - I requested Karishma to give me her pen.

Direct Speech - “You must read this article” said the teacher to Riya.

Indirect Speech - Teacher advised Riya to read that article.

Direct Speech - He said to the Principal, “Forgive me.”

Indirect Speech - He begged the Principal to forgive him.

Direct Speech - The teacher said, “Do your best, Radhika.”

Indirect Speech - The teacher advised Radhika to do her best.

Direct Speech - He said, “Listen to me carefully.”

Indirect Speech- He urged them to listen to him carefully.

Rule 9: In reporting question in the Indirect Speech, we change introductory Verb to ask or inquire. We use ‘whether’ or ‘if’ if the interrogative sentence begins with a verb. Here interrogative form is changed into the Declarative form. There is no need to use new connective is used if the interrogative sentence begins with who, whose, whom, which, what, how, when or why.

Direct Speech - He said to me, “Where are you staying in Delhi?”

Indirect Speech - He asked me where I was staying in Delhi.

Direct Speech - Rosy said to her,” How are you doing?”

Indirect Speech - Rosy asked her how she was doing.

Direct Speech - The teacher said to the boy, “Why are you crying?”

Indirect Speech - The teacher asked the boy why he was crying.

Direct Speech - She said to me, “Have you completed your project?”

Indirect Speech - She asked me if I had completed my project.

Direct Speech - Mahesh said to me, “Do you play badminton?”

Indirect Speech - Mahesh asked me whether I played badminton.

Rule 10: Exclamations and Wishes

In reporting an Exclamation or Wish in the Indirect Speech, we omit words showing exclamation such as alas, hurrah, etc. and sign of exclamation. We change the introductory Verb into wish, claim, pray, bless, curse, etc.

Direct Speech - Students said, “Hurrah! We have won the series.”

Indirect Speech - Students exclaimed with joy that they had won the series.

Direct Speech - She said to her, “May you live long!”

Indirect Speech - She wished that she might live long.

Direct Speech - Harish said to her, “My God bless you!”

Indirect Speech - Harish prayed that god might bless her.

Download to practice offline.

What would the indirect speech be: Maria said, "It's my car."

What would the indirect speech be: martin said, "i work here every day.", what would the indirect speech be: monica said, "i have finished my homework.", what would the indirect speech be: my daughter said to me, "i can sleep alone.", what would the indirect speech be: leo said, "my friend may come tonight.", what would the indirect speech be: jullie said to me, "i have to win this game.", what would the indirect speech be: he said, "i am a man.", what would the indirect speech be: mary said, "i am coming here.", what would the indirect speech be: my brother said, "i went to school yesterday.", what would the indirect speech be: mathew said, "i will go to school next year.".

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Mp board exams 2024: class 5th, 8th declared; here’s direct link, students/guardians can check and download these results on the official website rskmp.in..

Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) has declared the result of the Class 5th and Class 8th exams today, April 23. Students/guardians can check and download these results on the official website rskmp.in .

The final exams for MP Board Class 5 were held from March 6 to 13 and Class 8 exams were conducted from March 6 to 14. This year around 24 lakh students have appeared for Class 5, 8 examinations in the state out of which more than 12 lakh have appeared for Class 5 examination and more than 11 lakh have appeared for Class 8 examination, reports Hindustan Times .

Steps to download MP Board results 2024

Visit official website rskmp.in

Click on the link for MP board Class 5 or Class 8 result 2024

Key in your login details and submit

The MPBSE result will appear on the screen

Download and check

Take a printout for future reference.

Direct link to check MP Board Class 5 & Class 8 results

rsk mp.in login
www.rskmp.in 2024 result

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Direct and Indirect Speech Examples
Direct and Indirect Speech With Examples and Detailed Explanations
20 sentences of direct and indirect speech
100 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct and Indirect Speech Rules and Examples » Onlymyenglish.com
Direct and Indirect Speech: Useful Rules and Examples

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Direct And Indirect Speech
Class 5 Direct and Indirect Speech

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Direct and Indirect Speech Examples
Direct and Indirect Speech Examples in sentences. Direct: He said, "You are intelligent." Indirect: He said that I was intelligent. Direct: You will say, "I am right." Indirect: You will say that you are right. Direct: Rita said, "She is my favourite player." Indirect: Rita said that she was her favourite player. Direct: I said to you, 'I wish to start a business next year.'
What is Direct and Indirect Speech with Examples?
Here is an example: Direct speech: He said, "I am going to the store now." Indirect speech: He said that he was going to the store then. Notice how "am" changed to "was" and "now" changed to "then". This is because the time and context have shifted from when the speaker originally spoke to when the speaker's words were reported.
17 Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for Conversion
Rule 3: Reporting Verb Request, Advise, Order, and Beg. To report imperative sentences, "Request", "Advise", "Order", and "beg" are often used. Direct: He said to me, "Go home at once". Indirect: He ordered me to go home at once. Direct: She said, "Do not run in the sun". Indirect: She advised not to run in the sun.".
Direct And Indirect Speech Complete Rules
Here are the basic rules: A)We use inverted commas (also called quotation marks, quotes or speech marks) to indicate direct speech. Double quotes (") are preferred in American English, while single quotes (') are more common in British English: "I'm coming home late tonight," she said.
Direct and Indirect Speech: The differences explained
So the key difference between direct and indirect speech is that with direct speech the exact words are quoted but in indirect speech it is your own words . Direct speech is fairly simple to use and understand as it involves just repeating what was said. There is not much to get confused about with the grammar, apart from getting say (s)/said ...
Direct To Indirect Speech: Complete Rules With Examples
Direct speech: Sheila said, "I am meeting my brother tomorrow.". Indirect speech: Sheila said that she was meeting her brother the following day. Here are a few examples of other typical time expressions and how they change: Direct Speech. Indirect Speech. Yesterday. The day before. Now.
Transformation of Sentence: Direct & Indirect Speech
Verbs of Reported speech (if the reporting verb is in past tense) (list 2) Direct speech → Indirect speech Am / is / are → was / were Was / were → had been Has / have → had Had → had had Shall / will → would Can → could May → might Must, should → must, should Verb1 → verb2 Verb2 → had + verb3 Change of time and place expressions in past tense (list 3) now → then ago → ...
Direct and Indirect Speech
Cha nges in pronoun s. The changes in pronouns in indirect speech depends on the subject and the object of the reporting verb. Rule 1: The first person of reported speech changes based on the subject of the reporting verb. Example: She said, "I watched a movie" can be converted into She said that she had watched a movie.Hence, the first person in the direct speech "I" has become "she ...
Direct Speech
INDIRECT SPEECH. Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used. She said, "I saw him." (direct speech) = She said that she had ...
Direct and Indirect Speech: The Ultimate Guide
Use direct reported speech when you want to quote the exact words someone has said. Let's imagine your friend said, "I learned a lot of English using the Busuu app.". To quote your friend directly you would say or write the following sentence: My friend said, "I learned a lot of English using the Busuu app.". You can see that nothing ...
Direct and Indirect Speech (Examples & Rules)
3. Change in Tense A fter Past Reporting Verbs 1. Simple present -> Simple past. In general, the present form in direct speech changes to the past form in reported speech:. Direct: She said, "I need help." Indirect: She said that she needed help. 2. Present Progressive -> Past Progressive. Direct: She said, "My English is getting better. Indirect: She said that her English was getting ...
20 sentences of direct and indirect speech
20 sentences of direct and indirect speech Direct speech is the ones that the person establishes himself / herself. Usually used in writing language such as novels, stories etc. Transferring the sentence that someone else says is called indirect speech. It is also called reported speech. Usually, it is used in spoken language. If the transmitted action is done in the past, the sentence becomes ...
4.3 GRAMMAR: Reported Speech
There are two basic ways: direct speech and indirect speech. Direct speech is an exact account of what someone said or wrote. To include direct speech in your writing, enclose the words in "quotation marks." Indirect speech is a restatement of what someone said or wrote. Indirect speech does not use the person's exact words.
Direct Speech
Direct speech is used to refer specifically to something someone has said. Typically, speech marks are used to indicate this. Examples: "It's a lovely day today," he said. "Yes," she replied, "we haven't had sun like this in weeks." The function of indirect speech. Indirect speech is used to report any speech that isn't a ...
Direct and Indirect Speech Rules and Examples
Zoya said, "I want to go there."; Reported verb: The verb which comes inside the reported speech is called reported verb, respectively. Zoya said, "I want to go there."; As we start writing any direct and indirect conversation, we often use reported verbs like "say, tell, ask, inform, instruct, claim, suggest, enquire, etc.". These reported verbs, whenever used in direct or ...
Rules For Direct And Indirect Speech With Examples And Exercises
2. In Indirect sentence of interrogation, the answer is written in positive or assertive form, rather than the question form, and hence, the sentence ends with.. 3. Inverted commas are removed in indirect speech. 4. Use verbs such as, 'ask', 'inquire' instead of say or tell. Examples :-.
Narration: Direct and Indirect speech
Direct speech: Sandhya said to me, "I love talking to you.". Indirect speech: Sandhya told me that she loved talking to me. According to the object. Direct speech: The students said to me, "You were teaching amazingly well.". Indirect speech: The students said that I had been teaching amazingly well.
Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises
It need not necessarily be so; if you understand how it works, you can easily use it in your writing. Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises with Answers. When converting direct speech to indirect speech or vice-versa, you will have to take care to convert the verb, pronoun and the adverb appropriately. Go through the following exercises and try ...
Direct and Indirect Speeches
Direct speech: Aslam said, "Do not beat him". Indirect speech: Aslam ordered to not beat him. The direct verb is changed according to indirect speech in case order the speaker gives a direct command. Then said will be changed into ordered For example: Direct Speech: The father said to me, "Sit down.".
How to Teach Direct and Indirect Speech: 9 Steps (with Pictures)
2. Ask your students to report on each other's answers to your questions. First, ask one student a question. Once they answer, ask another student to report what the first student said using direct speech. Then, ask a third student to report what the first student said using indirect speech.
Rules For Direct And Indirect Speech For Competitive Exams
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 corresponding past tense in indirect speech. Direct to indirect speech example: Direct: She said, 'I am happy'. Indirect: She said (that) she was happy.
Direct and Indirect Speech Exercise
The speaker said, 'Be quiet and listen to my words.'. Answers. 1. John said that he was very busy then. 2. He said that the horse had been fed. 3. John said that he knew/knows her name and address. (Note that the tenses may not change if the statement is still relevant or if it is a universal truth.)
Topic: Direct and Indirect Speech
Indirect Speech - Ravi said that all had been looking at the magician. Direct Speech - Jimmy said, "All the boys were shouting.". Indirect Speech - Jimmy said that all the boys had been shouting. 7. Shall is changed into should; will is changed into would. Direct Speech - Radha said, "I will open the door."
Direct And Indirect Speech Quiz: Test Your Skills
Explanation: The correct answer is, "Maria said that it was her car." In indirect speech, we change the pronouns and verb tenses to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. Since the speaker is referring to Maria in the third person, the pronoun "my" changes to "her." Additionally, the present tense "is" changes to the past ...
MP Board Exams 2024: Class 5th, 8th declared; here's direct link
Steps to download MP Board results 2024. Visit official website rskmp.in. Click on the link for MP board Class 5 or Class 8 result 2024. Key in your login details and submit. The MPBSE result will ...

What is Direct and Indirect Speech with Examples?

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

17 Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for Conversion

What is Direct Speech or Narration?

What is Indirect Speech or Narration?

Direct and Indirect Speech General Rules

A. Direct and Indirect Speech (Reporting Verbs) Rules

Rule 1: Reporting verbs ‘Say’ and ‘Tell’

Rule 2: Reporting Verb ‘Ask’ and ‘Inquire’

Rule 3: Reporting Verb Request, Advise, Order, and Beg

B. Direct and Indirect Speech ( Tenses ) Rules

Rule 4: Reporting Verb Present Tense:

Rule 5: Reporting Verb Future Tense:

Rule 6: Reporting Verb Past Tense:

Rule: 7 Direct Indirect Speech (Universal Truth or Habitual Fact) Rules.

3. Direct and Indirect Speech ( Changing of Pronouns) Rules

Rule 8: Personal Pronouns

Second Person

Third Person

Changing pronouns Chart

4. Direct and Indirect Speech (Punctuation and Quotation Marks ) Rules

Rule 10: Comma and Reporting Verb

Rule 11: Question Mark to Full Stop

Rule 12: Exclamation Mark to Full Stop

Direct to Indirect speech (Modals and Conditional Sentences) Rules

Rule 13: Modals in Indirect Speech

Rule 14: Conditional Sentences in Indirect Speech

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules: (Modifying Words – Time, Place, Manner)

Rule 15: Reporting with Adverbs of Time

Rule 16: Reporting with Adverbs of Place

Rule 17: Reporting with Adverbs of Manner

Time, Place, Manner, Distance, and Direction Chart

Place Chart

A. Assertive Sentence Conversion Rules

B. Interrogative sentences Conversion rules

Reporting Yes/No Questions

Reporting Wh-Questions

C. Imperative Sentences Conversion rules

Reporting Commands

Reporting Requests

D. Optative Sentence Conversion rules

E. Exclamatory Sentences Conversion rules

Solved Exercises Direct and Indirect Speech

Turn the following sentences into direct speech.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Direct and Indirect Speech

FAQ 2: Is it always necessary to backshift the tense in indirect speech?

FAQ 3: How do I handle multiple speakers in indirect speech?

FAQ 4: Can I mix direct and indirect speech in the same sentence?

FAQ 5: What are some reporting verbs commonly used in indirect speech?

FAQ 6: How can I ensure my writing maintains a natural flow when switching between direct and indirect speech?

FAQ 7: How do I identify direct and indirect speech in a sentence?

FAQ 8: Can reporting verbs change the meaning of indirect speech?

FAQ 9: What are the common reporting verbs for indirect speech?

FAQ 10: How do I change tenses in indirect speech?

FAQ 11: Is it essential to use quotation marks in indirect speech?

FAQ 12: Can you give an example of indirect speech in narratives?

FAQ 14: Can we omit the reporting verb in indirect speech?

FAQ 15: Do all tenses change in indirect speech?

FAQ 16: Can you provide more examples of direct and indirect speech transformations?

FAQ 17: How can I practice using direct and indirect speech effectively?

Related posts:

Direct And Indirect Speech Complete Rules

Rule 1. (Adverbs of Time and Place)

Rule 2. Tenses

Past continuous › Past perfect continuous

Shall › › should/ would

Rule 3. (After wish, would rather, had better , it is time)

Rule 6. (Pronouns)

Rule 7. Reported Speech In If-Clauses.

Rule 8. Reported Speech of Time-Clauses.

Rule 10. Reported Speech of Yes/ No Questions

Rule 11. Reported Speech of Commands and Requests

Rule 13. Reported Speech of Exclamatory Sentences

Rule 14. Use of ‘That’ in Reported Speech

Rule 15. Punctuation in Direct Speech

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Direct and Indirect Speech