Direct and Indirect Speech
Rules
READING AND WRITING SKILLS
Identify Reporting Verb and Reported Speech
DIRECT SPEECH SENTENCE
REPORTING
SPEECH
REPORTED SPEECH
He said, " I am looking for reported speech
definition"
He said,
I am looking for reported speech
definition"
She said, "I teach direct and indirect speech"
She said,
"I teach direct and indirect speech"
"Alex says, "I am happy to see you"
Alex says,
"I am happy to see you"
Mark said, "I will write a letter to the
manager"
Mark said,
"I will write a letter to the manager"
Direct and Indirect Speech Punctuation Rules
1.
Inverted comma are excluded
2.
The question mark is converted into a full stop
3.
The exclamation mark is silenced
4.
Comma, in some cases, is used
Direct and Indirect Speech Punctuation Rules
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT SPEECH
PUNCTUATION
OMITTED
Alex said, " I am quite good here"
Alex said that he was quite good there
Quotation marks
Mark said, "How old your puppy is?
Mark asked how old my puppy was
Question mark
Alex said, "Hurrah! such a cool day
Alex exclaimed with joy that it was a cold day Sign of
Exclamation
Alex said, " I, who am the winner, shall
appear tomorrow
Alex said, he, who was the winner, would
appear the next day
Comma retained
Use of Conjunction “that”
of the word “that” to connect the reporting speech with the
reported speech. However, there is a certain exception where ‘that’
is excluded.
 Use
Use of Conjunction “that”
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT SPEECH
He said, "we are going to a dancing concert."
He said that they were going to a dancing concert.
She said, " I have to obey my father's commands."
She said that she had to obey her father's commands.
The Policemen said, "Did you see anyone here."
The Policemen asked if I had seen anyone there.
I said, "We should listen to the demands of students.“
She says, “open your books”.
I said that we should listen to the demands of the
students.
She orders to open our books.
Use of Conjunction
Who, where, when, why, what, which, how
She says, “when will you come.”
She says when will I come.
‘Said’ in reporting verb is changed into ‘told’ when takes an objective pronoun with it, e.g. “said to
me” into “told me”.
She said to me, "It is not a profitable business."
She told me that it was not a profitable business.
Rules for Changing Pronouns in Indirect
Speech (First Person)
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT SPEECH
She said, " I am quite fine here."
She said that she was quite fine there.
He said, " I write everyday."
He said that he wrote everyday.
They said, " We have made good progress."
They said that had made good progress.
She said, " My job is writing a letter."
She said that her job was writing a letter.
They said, " we have good friends."
They said that they had good friends.
I said, " I am making practice of reported speech." I said that I was making practice of reported speech.
We said, " We are learning English."
We said that we were learning English.
Rules for Changing Pronouns in Indirect
Speech (Second Person)
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT SPEECH
He said to her, " You are an intelligent
girl."
He said to her that she was an intelligent girl
She said to him, " You are not real."
She said to him that he was not real
He said to me," You are a clever guy."
He said to me that I was a clever guy
She said to Alex, " You are cool guy."
She said to Alex that he was a cool guy
Rules for Changing Pronouns in Indirect
Speech (Third Person)
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT SPEECH
He said, "They prefer singing."
He said that they preferred singing
They said, "It is hard to bear cold."
They said that it was hard to bear cold
Alex said, "He likes chocolate."
Alex said that he liked chocolate
They said, "She is waiting for Alex."
They said that she was waiting for Alex
Universal truth
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT SPEECH
Sunny said, " Earth is round."
Sunny said that earth is round.
Martin said, " There is God."
Martin said that there is God.
Maria said, " Honesty is the best policy."
Maria said that honesty is the best policy.
Father said, "Truth never fails."
Father said that the truth never fails.
DIRECT SPEECH WORD
Today
INDIRECT SPEECH WORD
That day
Yesterday
The day before
Rules
for
Change
in
Time
and
Adverb
in
Tomorrow
The next day
Indirect Speech
Now
Then
Ago
Before
Here
There
This
That
Next week
Next month
Thus
Last night
Can
May
Must
These
Sir, madam
The following week
The following month
So
The night before
Could
Might
Had to
Those
Respectfully
Examples
He said, "I am waiting here for you"
He said that he was waiting there for me.
She said, "We will come tomorrow"
She said that she would come the next day.
They said, "It is hot today"
They said that it was hot that day.
I said, "I found a purse yesterday"
I said that I found a purse a day before.
Alex said, "It is good time now to see him"
Alex said that it was good time then to see him.
Change in Tense Form
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT SPEECH
Alex says, " I love to learn
reported speech."
Alex says that he loves to
learn reported speech.
Alex said, "I am in the
classroom."
Alex said that he was in the
classroom.
Maria said, " I will learn
English soon."
Maria said that she would
learn English soon.
Lara will say, " I am
writing a letter."
Lara will say that she is
writing a letter.
Indirect Speech Rules for All Tenses
TENSE CHANGE
RULES
Present Simple into
Past Simple Tense
Present Continuous
into Past Continuous
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT SPEECH
Alex said, "I always wait for Alex said that he always waited
Mark here
for Mark there.
Alex said, "I am waiting for Alex said that he was waiting for
Mark"
Mark
Present Perfect into
Alex said, "I have completed Alex said that he had completed
Past Perfect
my essay"
his essay.
Present Perfect
Alex said, "I have been
Alex said that he had been
Continuous into Past Perfect waiting for Mark"
waiting for Mark.
Continuous
Simple past into Past Perfect Tense
Alex said, "Mark
received a letter"
Indirect
Speech
Rules
for
All
Tenses
Past Perfect into Past Perfect Tense
Alex said, "I had
listened to your
questions”
Past continuous into past perfect continuous
Alex said that Mark had received a
letter.
Alex said that he had listened to his
questions.
He said, “It was
He said that it had been raining the
raining yesterday.” last day.
Future simple tense (will into would)'
Alex said, "I will
Alex said that he would teach me
teach you reported reported speech.
speech"
Future Continuous (will be into would be)
Alex said, "I will be Alex said that he would be teaching
teaching you
me reported speech.
reported speech"
Future Perfect Tense (Will have into would have)
Alex said, "I will
have written a
letter"
Alex said that he would have
written a letter.
Change in Modal Verbs
Modal verbs are changed in indirect speech-like:
Can into Could, May into Might, Must into had to.
However, some Modals like, Would, could, might, should,
ought to, are not changed in indirect speech.
Change in Modal Verbs
Alex said, "I can swim"
Alex said that he could swim.
He said, "It may rain today"
He said that it might rain that day.
She said, "I must run fast"
She said that she had to run fast.
They said, "They would speak
English"
They said that they would speak
English.
He said, "It might cost me more
money"
He said that it might cost him
more money.
Imperative sentences consist of command,
request, order, suggestion, or advice)
DIRECT SPEECH
MOOD OF
INDIRECT SPEECH
SENTENCE
Alex said, "please come here"
Request
Mark said to him, "Do not take this Advice
exercise easy"
Alex requested to come
there.
Mark advised students not to
take that exercise easy.
Dentist said to Alex, "Stay away
from smoking"
Advice/Sugge The dentist advised Alex to
stion
stay away from Smoking.
He said to the guard, "open the
door"
Oder
He ordered guard to open the
door.
He said, "Lets wait for Alex here"
Suggestion
He suggested to wait for
Alex there.
Indirect Speech for Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamatory
sentences express the state of grief, wonder, or happiness)
DIRECT SPEECH
Alex said, "Hurrah! I have solved
reported speech pdf assignment"
MOOD OF
INDIRECT SPEECH
SENTENCE
Joy
Alex expressed with joy that he had
solved reported speech pdf assignment.
Alex said, "Alas! I have failed the exam" Sorrow
Alex expressed with sorrow that he had
failed the exam.
Alex said, "How cool the weather is!"
Alex expressed with wonder that it was
the cool weather.
Wonder
She said, "Vow! what a good watch it is" Wonder
She exclaimed with wonder that it was a
good watch.
Direct and Indirect Speech with Optative Sentences(The
sentence in which we express hope, the prayer of any wish,
is called optative sentences.)
1. Understand the sentence whether it shows prayer, hope or
wish.
2. Omit the word ‘May’ or ‘Would that from the start of
reported speech and replace said with ‘prayed’ and ‘wished’,
respectively.
3. Replace mark of Exclamation with a full stop.
Examples
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT
SPEECH
The beggar said, "May
God, you be lucky
today."
The beggar prayed
that I might be lucky
that day.
He said, "Would that!
father had not listened
to his call."
He wished that his
father had not
listened to his call.
She said, "O that! a
single last chance to
meet my son."
She wished for a
single last chance to
meet her son.
The teacher said, "May
God bless you a
success."
The teacher prayed
that God might bless
me for success.
Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentences
1. Punctuation marks (comma, inverted comma, question
marks ) are removed.
2. The conjunction “that” is omitted.
3. Interrogative form is changed into the assertive form of
the sentence.
4. ‘Said’ is changed into asked or inquired.
5. Use ‘if or whether if the reported speech is starting with
auxiliary verbs.
Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentences
DIRECT SPEECH
INDIRECT SPEECH
He said to me, "Will you be here
tomorrow?"
He asked me whether I would be there the
next day.
Mother said to son, "Do you think to Mother asked son if he thought to disobey
disobey me?"
her.
Teacher said, "Do you know the exact Teacher asked students whether they
answer?"
knew the exact answer.
She said to me, "What is the name of She asked me what was the name of great
great Mughal King?"
Mughal King.
They said, "What is the schedule of
examination?"
They asked what was the schedule of
examination.
He said to me, "Have you been to
Turkey?"
He asked me if I had been to Turkey.
Further Study
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/reported-speech/reportedspeech-indirect-speech
https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/reported.htm
https://www.thoughtco.com/backshift-sequence-of-tense-rule-in-grammar-1689017
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercise-1.html
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercise-4.html
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?10