DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH-ANSWER KEY
B.Change the following sentences into indirect speech.
1. Direct: He said, ‘I have read this book.’
Indirect: He said that he had read that book.
2. He said, ‘If I had the tools I could mend the bicycle.’
Indirect: He said that if he had the tools he could mend the bicycle.
3. He says, ‘I am very grateful’.
Indirect: He says that he is very grateful.
4. Daniel says, ‘Perry is working in Arizona.’
Indirect:Daniel says that Perry is working in Arizona
5. Annie said. ‘It is time to leave for the meeting.’
Indirect:Annie said that it was time to leave for the meeting.
6. The old woman said, “I would soon leave the house.”
Indirect: The old woman said that she would soon be leaving the house.
7. Ila said, “I may just go home tomorrow with my sister.”
Indirect: Ila said that she might go home the next day with her sister.
8. He said, “I was doing it.”
Indirect: He said that he had been doing it.
9. “I intend to leave for Melbourne tonight,” he said.
Indirect: He said that he intended to leave for Melbourne that night.
10.“I have been watching a movie,” he replied.
Indirect: He said that he had been watching a movie.
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES
These are the sentences that ask questions. These are of two kinds:
a) Yes/ No questions – where the answer is either a yes or a no.
b) ‘Wh’ questions – where a complete answer is required.
Example: What, where, when, why, whom, whose, which, how much, and how
many?
When the reported part is a question:
a) ‘Said’ or ‘said to’ is changed to ‘asked’ or ‘enquired’.
b) The conjunctions if or whether are added to yes/no questions. No conjunction is
added to a ‘wh’ question.
c) Helping verbs (is, am, are) and auxiliary verbs are put after the subject.
d) The question mark (?) is removed and a full stop (.) is added.
Example:
Direct: I said to her, “When do you do your homework?”
Indirect: I asked her when she did her homework.
Direct:He said to her, “Will you go to the Peshawar Radio Station?”
Indirect: He asked her if she would go to the Peshawar Radio Station.
C. Change the following interrogative direct sentences to indirect :
1.‘Are you coming with me?’ he asked me.
Indirect: He asked me if I was going with him.
2.He asked, ‘When do you intend to send the payment?’
Indirect: He asked me when I intended to send the payment.
3.‘Do you come from Japan?’ said the prince to the girl.
Indirect: The prince asked the girl if she came from Japan.
4.The man exclaimed, ‘Will none of you help me?’
Indirect: The man asked if none of them would help him.
5.‘Which way should I go?’ asked the little boy.
Indirect: The little boy asked which way he should go.
6. The prince was impressed with the magician and asked, ‘What can I do for you?’
Indirect: On being impressed, the prince asked the magician what he could do for
him.
7.‘Don’t you know the way?’ I said to her.
Indirect: I asked her if she didn’t know the way.
8.‘Do you write?’ the boy said to the girl.
Indirect: The boy asked the girl if she wrote.
9.‘Have you anything to say on behalf of the accused?’ said the judge finally.
Indirect: The judge finally asked if I had anything to say on behalf of the accused.
10.‘Have you anything to tell me, little bird?’ asked Ulysses.
Indirect: Ulysses asked the little bird if she had anything to tell him.
IMPERATIVE SENTENCES
These are sentences representing orders or requests.
When the sentence represents an order, direct command or request:
a) ‘Said to’ is changed as follows:
In case of the following
‘Said to’ is changed to
an order or command
commanded/ ordered
an advice or suggestion
advised/ suggested
a request
requested
a threat or warning
warned
denial
forbade
b) The conjunctions ‘to’ (for positive) and ‘not to’ (for negative) sentences are
added.
c) The tense of the verb of the imperative mood is not changed. The tense of the
other verb is changed.
Example:
Direct Speech: The teacher said to me, “Shut the door.”
Indirect Speech: The teacher ordered me to shut the door.
Direct Speech: He said to me, “Not to touch.”
Indirect Speech: He forbade me to touch.
D.Change the following into indirect speech.
1. Mother said to daughter, "Put on your gloves."
Indirect: The mother ordered the daughter to put on her gloves.
2. The teacher said to me, "Open the door."
Indirect: The teacher commanded me to open the door.
3. Merry said to her uncle, "Don't be angry at me."
Indirect: Merry requested her Uncle to not be angry at her.
4. Coach said to Joe, "Get on your feet!"
Indirect: Coach commanded Joe to get on his feet.
5. The cashier said to Marina, "Deposit the money."
Indirect: The cashier advised Marina to deposit the money.
6. Alan said to his mother, "Help me with my assignment."
Indirect: Alan requested his mother to help him with his assignment.
7. The officer said to us, "Do not stand here."
Indirect: The officer ordered us to not stand here.
8. The ambulance driver said to pedestrians, "Move out of the way!"
Indirect: The ambulance driver requested the pedestrians to move out of
the way.
9. Simon said to his mother, "Wait for me."
Indirect: Simon requested his mother to wait for him.
10.Sheen to her husband, "Stop behaving like a child."
Indirect: Sheen forbade her husband from behaving like a child.
EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES
Sentences that express sudden feelings are known as Exclamatory Sentences.
To change exclamatory sentences into indirect speech, follow the following rules
along with the above-mentioned rules:
● In case, there is an interjection, i.e., alas, aha, hurray, etc. in the
reported speech, then they are omitted along with sign of exclamation.
● Reporting verb, i.e., said is always replaced with exclaimed with joy,
exclaimed with sorrow, exclaimed joyfully, exclaimed sorrowfully or
exclaimed with great wonder or sorrow.
● In case, there is what or how at the beginning of the reported speech,
then they are replaced with very or very great.
● In an indirect sentence, the exclamatory sentence becomes an assertive
sentence.
When the reported verb has any of the following words, “said” or “said to” are
changed as follows:
Said/ said to
Changed to
Ah! Alas!
exclaimed with sorrow/ grief
Hurrah! Aha!
exclaimed with joy
How! What! Oh!
exclaimed with surprise
Sorry! Oh no!
exclaimed with regret
Pooh!
exclaimed with contempt
Bravo!
Applauded... saying
Example:
a. Direct: Kartik said, “Please have some juice, Amy!”
Indirect: Kartik requested Amy to have some juice.
b. Direct: I said, “How lucky I am!”
Indirect: I said in great wonder that I was very lucky.
E.Read the sentences given below and change them into Indirect Speech.
1. Kim said, " Oh! I have fallen again."
Indirect: Kim exclaimed with sorrow that she had fallen again.
2. Rita said," Alas! My dog is dead."
Indirect: Rita exclaimed with sorrow that his dog was dead.
3. The teacher said, " Nonsense ! I want the work redone.”
Indirect: The teacher exclaimed that it was nonsense and added that she
wanted the whole work redone.
4. George said," Hurray! I have crossed the traffic jam ultimately."
Indirect: George exclaimed with joy that he had crossed the traffic jam
ultimately.
5. Maria said ," What a beautiful garden it is !"
Indirect: Maria exclaimed with wonder that it was a very beautiful garden.
6. She said, "My God ! You have injured your wrist. "
Indirect: She exclaimed with shock that I had injured my wrist.
7. The girl said," Help! Help !"
Indirect: The girl shouted for help.
8. Johnsy said," Oh dear ! I have spilled your tea."
Indirect: Johnsy exclaimed with sorrow that she had spilled my tea.
9. I said to him," Congratulations !"
Indirect: I congratulated him.
10.He said," Ugh ! It's very hot today ."
Indirect: He exclaimed with disgust that it was very hot that day.
Exercise: Choose the correct answer from the options.
1. Ritwik said to Rashi, “Thank you for your help.”
i)
Ritwik thanked Rashi for her help.
ii)
Ritwik exclaimed, thank you, Rashi for your help.
iii)
Rashi was thanked by Ritwik for her help.
iv)
Ritwik said that Rashi, thank you for your help.
2. Kajal said to Rishi, “Oh! I am so happy that you have reached.”
i)
Kajal exclaimed with joy that Rishi had reached.
ii)
iii)
iv)
Kajal was happy to see Rishi.
Kajal exclaimed with joy that she was very happy that Rishi had
reached.
Oh! I am so happy that you have reached, Rishi, said Kajal with joy.
3. Ketan said to Manya, “Should we go to the hills to spend the coming
weekend?”
a) We should go to the hills to spend the coming weekend, said Ketan to
Manya.
b) Ketan asked Manya if they should go to the hills to spend the coming
weekend.
c) Ketan asked Manya if she would like to go to the hills to spend the
weekend.
d) We should go to the hills to spend the weekend, Ketan said to Manya.
4. Misha said to Rajat, “I will complain to mother if you trouble me.”
a) Misha requested Rajat not to trouble her.
b) I will complain against you if you trouble me, Rajat, said Misha.
c) Misha told Rajat, you will be complained against if you trouble me.
d) Misha warned Rajat that she would complain to their mother if he
troubled her.
5. God said, “Let there be light!”
a) “Let there be light,'' said God.
b) God commanded that there be light.
c) God requested for light to be spread.
d) God said that there should be light.
Exercise: Change the following sentences from direct to reported speech.
1. Kartik said, “Rohan is an entrepreneur.”
Indirect: Kartik said that Rohan was an entrepreneur.
2. Khushal said, “Riddhi was unwell.”
Indirect: Khushal said that Riddhi had been unwell.
3. Ramya said, “Kretanya had been very successful in her business venture.”
Indirect: Ramya said Kretanya had been very successful in her business
venture.
4. Bharat said, “The sky is overcast today.”
Indirect: Bharat said that the sky was overcast that day.
5. “Justice was not delivered,''said the prosecution lawyer.
Indirect: The prosecution lawyer said that Justice had not been delivered.
6. Radha said to Nayan, “Your parents are waiting for you in the lounge.”
Indirect: Radha told Nayan that his parents were waiting for him in the
lounge.
7. Luv said to Ananya, “May I accompany you to the party tomorrow?”
Indirect: Luv told Ananya if he might accompany her to the party the next
day.
8. He said, “there are many mistakes in Rhea’s project.”
Indirect: He said that there were many mistakes in Rhea’s project.
9. Shweta said to Mayank, “Finish your lunch before you get up from the table.”
Indirect: Shweta told Mayank to finish his lunch before he got up from the
table.
10.“Hurray!” said Manya, “I have won the championship.” “Congratulations,” said
I.
Indirect: Manya exclaimed with joy that she had won the championship and
I congratulated her.
Q. Read the conversation given below and fill in the blanks that follow.
1. Teacher: Kriti, you have made the same mistakes in your answers as your partner.
What do you have to say about this?
Kriti: We believe in collaborative learning.
The teacher chided Kriti saying that (a)she had made the same mistake in her
answers as the one sitting next to her and asked her (b)what she had to say about
that. At this Kriti innocently replied that (c) they believed in collaborative learning.
2. Doctor: This medicine will do half of your work.
Patient: That’s okay. I will take two.
The doctor told the patient that (a) that medicine would do half of his work. The
happy patient said merrily (b) he would take two.
3. Teacher: By when will the poster be complete?
Aanya: We will be able to finish it by tomorrow morning.
Teacher: That would be too late since today is the last day for submission.
Aanya: Don’t worry, ma’am. In that case, we will finish it by today.
The teacher asked Aanya (a) by when the poster would be complete. To this Aanya
replied that (b) they would be able to finish it by the next morning. The teacher
told them that (c) that would be too late since (d) that day was the last day for
submission. Aanya assured her teacher that (e) they would finish it by that day.
4. Parth: Will you come to the concert where I am performing?
Pritha: Yes, I will, but only if you give me a free VIP entry pass.
Parth asked his sister Pritha (a) if she would come to the concert where he was
performing. To this Pritha replied that (b) she would do so only if he gave her a free
VIP entry pass.
5. Kritika: Nayan, please do not open the door to anyone when I am not at home.
Nayan: Ok, mother. However, please ask father not to complain later about having to
stand out.
Kritika advised her son (a) not to open the door to anyone when she wasn’t at
home. To this, Nayan innocently replied in affirmation but However, he requested (b)
ask father not to complain later about having to stand out.
6. Pooja: Can I borrow your English textbook?
Payal: Sure, you can. But when will you return it?
Pooja: I will return it to you after two days from today.
Payal: Please do as I have to prepare for the exams.
Pooja asked Payal if (a) she could borrow her English book. Payal replied that she
could and asked her (b) when she would return it. Pooja said she that she would
return it to her after two days from that day. Payal urged her to do so since she had
to prepare for her exams.
7. Anne:I want to order a big Chocolate cake for my father’s birthday.
Confectioner: When is your father’s birthday?
Anne: It is tomorrow.
Confectioner: You can collect it by noon.
Anne told a confectioner (a) that she wanted to order a big chocolate cake for her
father’s birthday. The confectioner asked her(b)when was her father’s birthday.
Anne replied (c) that it was the next day . The confectioner told her (d) that she
could collect it by noon.
8. Roohi: Do you know that Romil met with an accident and is in hospital?
Rhea: Oh! I don’t. Is he badly hurt? Which hospital is he in?
Roohi: The doctors say that there is nothing to worry. He is admitted to Breach Candy
Hospital.
Roohi asked Rhea (a) If she knew that Romil had met with an accident and was
hospitalized.Rhea expressed her ignorance and enquired (b) if he was badly hurt.
she also asked (c ) which hospital he was in.Roohi told him that according to the
doctors (d) there was nothing to worry and said that he was admitted to the Breach
Candy Hospital.
9. Mother : Why are you late from school, Aron ?
Aron : While coming from school, I slipped on a banana peel.
Mother : O, my son! Did you hurt yourself ?
Aron :I got a bad bruise on my right knee.
Mother asked Aron why was he late from school. Aron replied that while coming from
school to bus stop he had slipped on a banana peel. Mother was shocked to hear this.
She further asked if he had hurt himself. Aron answered that he had gotten a bad
bruise on his right knee.
10.Rohan : Do you know that Tom met with an accident and is in hospital ?
Nathalie : Oh! I don’t. Is he badly hurt ? Which hospital is he in ?
Rohan : The doctors say that there is nothing to worry. He is admitted to Medica
Hospital.
Rohan asked Nathalie if she knew that that Tom had met with an accident and was
hospitalized.Nathalie expressed her ignorance and enquired if he was hurt badly.
She also asked which hospital was he in. Rohan told her that according to the doctors
there was nothing to worry and said that he was admitted to the Medica Hospital.