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Direct And Indirect Speech
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 to indirect speech example:
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 to indirect speech example:
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 to indirect speech example:
Direct: “I am playing the guitar”, she explained.
Indirect: She explained that she was playing the guitar.
- Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect
Direct to indirect speech example:
Direct: He said, “She has finished her homework“.
Indirect: He said that she had finished her homework.
- Simple Present Changes to Simple Past
Direct to indirect speech example:
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 to indirect speech example:
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 to indirect speech example
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 to indirect speech example
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.
Indirect Speech
When we want to report what someone said without speech marks and without necessarily using exactly the same words, we can use indirect speech (also called reported speech). For example:
- Direct speech: “We’re quite cold in here.”
- Indirect speech: They say (that) they’re cold.
When we report what someone says in the present simple, as in the above sentence, we normally don’t change the tense, we simply change the subject. However, when we report things in the past, we usually change the tense by moving it one step back. For example, in the following sentence the present simple becomes the past simple in indirect speech:
- Direct speech: “I have a new car.”
- Indirect speech: He said he had a new car.
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 to indirect speech example
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 to indirect speech example
Direct: She said, ‘Will you come to the party’?
Indirect: She asked whether we would come to the party.
- Reporting verbs such as ‘said/ said to’ change to enquired, asked, or demanded.
Direct to indirect speech example
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 the English Language that appear in most of the competitive exams-
Language | English |
No. of Pages | 10 |
PDF Size | 0.06 MB |
Category | Education |
Source/Credits | images.static-collegedunia.com |
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Direct And Indirect Speech PDF Free Download