Direct & Indirect
Speech
Note
Direct and indirect speech are two ways of reporting or
conveying someone else's spoken words. They are used in
writing and conversation to report what someone else has
said without quoting their exact words. These forms are
essential for maintaining context, clarifying statements, and
making the text more readable. Let's delve into the details
of direct and indirect speech.
1. Direct Speech
• Direct Speech involves quoting the exact words
spoken by a person, using quotation marks (" ") to
enclose the spoken words. It allows the reader to see
the original statement exactly as it was spoken. For
example:
• Original speech: Mary said, "I am going to the store."
• In this case, the entire statement is quoted within the
quotation marks, and the verb tense remains
unchanged because it is a direct quote.
2. Indirect Speech
• Indirect Speech (also called reported speech or
reported discourse) involves reporting someone
else's speech without using their exact words.
• Instead of exact words, you convey the content,
meaning, or general idea of what was said. Indirect
speech often requires changes in pronouns, verb
tenses, and sometimes other elements to fit into the
reporting sentence's structure.
Continued…
Example:
Original speech: Mary said, "I am going to the store."
Indirect speech: Mary said that she was going to the
store.
• In this example, you can see that the verb tense "am"
changed to "was" and the pronoun "I" changed to
"she" in the indirect version. The introductory verb
"said" is usually followed by "that" in indirect speech.
Continued…
Changing Verb Tenses in Indirect Speech:
• When reporting speech indirectly, the choice of verb
tense changes depending on the context of the original
statement and the time when it is being reported. Here
are some common tense changes:
• Simple Present Tense→ Simple Past Tense
• Present Progressive Tense → Past Progressive Tense
• Present perfect Tense → Past perfect Tense
• Simple Past Tense→ Past perfect Tense
• Past Progressive Tense → Past Progressive Tense (sometimes no change)
• Past perfect Tense → Past perfect Tense (no change)
• Simple Future Tense → Conditional
Continued…
Changing Pronouns in Indirect Speech:
Pronouns in the original direct speech often need to be
changed in indirect speech to match the perspective of
the reporting speaker. For instance, "I" might become
"he" or "she" if the speaker is different.
Changing Time and Place Expressions:
Time and place expressions may also require
adjustments in indirect speech. For instance, "today"
might become "that day" or "yesterday" might become
"the previous day."
Continued…
Reporting Verb Changes:
The reporting verb (e.g., said, told, asked) can also vary
in indirect speech. For example, "said" can become
"told" when someone is being addressed directly.
• Here's an example with more changes in tense,
pronouns, and reporting verbs:
• Direct speech: John said, "I will call you tomorrow."
Indirect speech: John said that he would call me the
next day.
Continued…
Summary
• In summary, direct speech reproduces the exact words
spoken, while indirect speech conveys the content or
meaning of the original speech with potential changes
in verb tenses, pronouns, time expressions, and
reporting verbs.
Thanks for
being with us.
Do not forget Shir Jan
Musazai in your prayers.
Thanks again for being a
good human.