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.
Examples
• 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.

Grammar Express: Reported Speech is the complete course in mastering Direct and Indirect narration in English. It contains over 50 pages of lessons explaining rules for conversion of Direct Speech into Indirect Speech with several examples. You can learn the grammar rules, study the examples and test their understanding by taking quiz.

What is reported speech?
Reported speech is when you tell somebody else what you or a person said before.

Distinction must be made between direct speech and reported speech.
Direct speech vs Reported speech:
Direct speech Reported speech
She says: “I like tuna fish.” She says that she likes tuna fish.
She said: “I’m visiting Paris next weekend” She said that she was visiting Paris the following weekend.

Different types of sentences
When you use reported speech, you either report:
• statements
• questions
• requests / commands
• other types

A. Reporting Statements
When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
• pronouns
• tense
• place and time expression

1- Pronouns
In reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending on who says what.
Example:
She says, “My dad likes roast chicken.” – She says that her dad likes roast chicken. Social empires free download for pc.

• Download Direct And Indirect Speech for Android to this App 'Direct and Indirect Speech' help the user to learn Narration with easiest way. It is related the following terms.
• The difference between direct and indirect speech are discussed as under: Direct Speech refers to the literal repetition of the words spoken by someone, using a quotative frame. On the other hand, indirect speech is one that reports something said or written by another person, without making the use of exact words.

2- Tenses
• If the sentence starts in the present, there is no backshift of tenses in reported speech.
• If the sentence starts in the past, there is often backshift of tenses in reported speech.

Direct speech Reported speech
(no backshift) “I write poems.” He says that he writes poems.
(backshift) “I write poems.” He said that he wrote poems.
No backshift
Do not change the tense if the introductory clause is in a present tense (e. g. He says). Note, however, that you might have to change the form of the present tense verb (3rd person singular).
Example:
He says, “I write poems.” – He says that he writes English.
Backshift
You must change the tense if the introductory clause is in a past tense (e. g. He said).
Example:
He said, “I am happy.” – He said that he was happy.
Examples of the main changes in tense:
Direct Speech Reported Speech
Simple Present
He said: “I am happy” Simple Past
He said that he was happy
Present Progressive
He said: “I’m looking for my keys” Past Progressive
He said that he was looking for his keys
Simple Past
He said: “I visited New York last year” Past Perfect Simple
He said that he had visited New York the previous year.
Present Perfect
He said: ” I’ve lived here for a long time ” Past Perfect
He said that he had lived there for a long time
Past Perfect
He said: “They had finished the work when I arrived” Past Perfect
He said that they had finished the work when he had arrived”
Past Progressive
He said: “I was playing football when the accident occurred” Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football when the accident had occurred
Present Perfect Progressive
He said:”I have been playing football for two hours.” Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football for two hours
Past Perfect Progressive
He said: “I had been reading a newspaper when the light went off” Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been reading a newspaper when the light had gone off
Future Simple (will+verb)
He said: “I will open the door.” Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would open the door.
Conditional (would+verb)
He said: “I would buy Mercedes if I were rich” Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would buy Mercedes if he had been rich”
The modal verbs could, should, would, might, needn’t, ought to, used to do not normally change.
Example:
He said, “She might be right.” – He said that she might be right.
Other modal verbs may change:
Modal Direct speec Repored speech
can “I can do it.” He said he could do it.
may “May I go out?” He wanted to know if he might go out.
must “She must apply for the job.” He said that she must/had to apply for the job.
will “They will call you.” He tod her that they would call her.

3- Place, demonstratives and time expressions
Place, demonstratives and time expressions change if the context of the reported statement (i.e. the location and/or the period of time) is different from that of the direct speech.
In the following table, you will find the different changes of place; demonstratives and time expressions.
Direct Speech Reported Speech
Time Expressions
today that day
now then
yesterday the day before
… days ago … days before
last week the week before
next year the following year
tomorrow the next day / the following day
Place
here there
Demonstratives
this that
these those

B. Reporting Questions
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
• pronouns
• place and time expressions
• tenses (backshift)
Also note that you have to:
• transform the question into an indirect question
• use the question word (where, when, what, how) or if / whether

Types of questions Direct speech Reported speech
With question word (what, why, where, how…) “Why” don’t you speak English?” He asked me why I didn’t speak English.
Without question word (yes or no questions) “Do you speak English?” He asked me whether / if I spoke English.

C. Reporting requests / commands
When transforming requests and commands, check whether you have to change:
• pronouns
• place and time expressions
Direct speech Reported speech
“Nancy,do the exercise.“ He told Nancy to do the exercise.
“Nancy, give me your pen, please.” He asked Nancy to give him her pen.

Tenses are not relevant for requests – simply use to / not to + verb (infinitive without “to”)

Example:
She said, “Sit down.” – She asked me to sit down.
She said, “don’t be lazy” – She asked me not to be lazy
For affirmative use to + infinitive (without to)
For negative requests, use not to + infinitive (without to).

D. Other transformations
• Expressions of advice with must, should and ought are usually reported using advise / urge.
Example:
“You must read this book.“
He advised / urged me to read that book.
• The expression let’s is usually reported using suggest. In this case, there are two possibilities for reported speech: gerund or statement with should.
Example:
“Let’s go to the cinema.“=
1. He suggested going to the cinema.
2. He suggested that we should go to the cinema.
Main clauses connected with and/but
If two complete main clauses are connected with ‚and or ‚but, put ‚that after the conjunction.
Example:
He said,“I saw her but she didn’t see me.“ – He said that he had seen her but that she hadn’t seen him.“
If the subject is dropped in the second main clause (the conjunction is followed by a verb), do not use ‚that‘.
Example:
She said,“I am a nurse and work in a hospital.“ – He said that she was a nurse and worked in a hospital.“
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-reported-speech.php
Grammar Exercise – Reported Speech
________________________________________
Do the exercise below on reported speech and click on the button to check your answers.
(Before doing the exercises you may want to read the lesson on reported speech)
Complete the sentences in reported speech.
1. John said, “I love this town.”
John said
2. “Do you like soccer ?” He asked me.
He asked me
3. “I can’t drive a lorry,” he said.
He said
4. “Be nice to your brother,” he said.
He asked me
5. “Don’t be nasty,” he said.
He urged me
6. “Don’t waste your money” she said.
She told the boys
7. “What have you decided to do?” she asked him.
She asked him
8. “I always wake up early,” he said.
He said
9. “You should revise your lessons,” he said.
He advised the students
10. “Where have you been?” he asked me.
He wanted to know
Warning
Before submitting the test, check the following:
• Punctuation and capitalization
• Spelling
• Spaces (don’t add any unnecessary spaces)

Answer
Do the exercise below on reported speech and click on the button to check your answers.
(Before doing the exercises you may want to read the lesson on reported speech)
Complete the sentences in reported speech.
1. John said, “I love this town.”
John said that he loved that town.
2. “Are you sure?” He asked me.
He asked me if / whether I liked soccer.
3. “I can’t drive a lorry,” he said.
He said that he couldn’t drive a lorry.
4. “Be nice to your brother,” he said.
He asked me to be nice to my brother.
5. “Don’t be nasty,” he said.
He urged me not to be nasty.
6. “Don’t waste your money” she said.
She told the boys not to waste their money.
7. “What have you decided to do?” she asked him.
She asked him what he had decided to do.
8. “I always wake up early,” he said.
He said that he always woke up early.
9. “You should revise your lessons,” he said.
He advised the students to revise their lessons.
10. “Where have you been?” he asked me.
He wanted to know where I had been.

1 Tips

Looking for Questions instead of tips? - You can directly jump to English Grammar Test Questions on Direct and Indirect Speech

What is Direct & Indirect Speech?

Direct Speech: the message of the speaker is conveyed or reported in his own actual words without any change.

Indirect Speech: the message of the speaker is conveyed or reported in our own words.

Example on Process of Conversion from Direct to Indirect Speech

a) Direct: Radha said, “I am very busy now.”

b) Indirect: Radha said that she was very busy then.

1. All inverted commas or quotation marks are omitted and the sentence ends with a full stop.

2. Conjunction ‘that’ is added before the indirect statement.

3. The pronoun ‘I’ is changed to ‘she’. (The Pronoun is changed in Person)

4. The verb ‘am’ is changed to ‘was’. (Present Tense is changed to Past)

5. The adverb ‘now’ is changed to ‘then’.

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Tips on Direct and Indirect Speech:

Tip 1: Conversion Rules as per the Reporting Verb

When the reporting or principal verb is in the Past Tense, all Present tenses of the direct are changed into the corresponding Past Tenses.

a) Direct: He said, “I am unwell.”

b) Indirect: He said (that) he was unwell.

If the reporting verb is in the Present or Future Tense, the tenses of the Direct Speech do not change.

a) Direct: He says/will say, “I am unwell.”

b) Indirect: He says/will say he is unwell.

The Tense in Indirect Speech is NOT CHANGED if the words within the quotation marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action.

a) Direct: They said, “We cannot live without water.”

b) Indirect: They said that we cannot live without water.

Tip 2: Conversion Rules of Present Tense in Direct Speech

Simple Present Changes to Simple Past

a) Direct: 'I am happy', she said.

b) Indirect: She said that she was happy.

Present Continuous Changes to Past Continuous

Direct To Indirect Speech Converter

a) Direct: 'I am reading a book', he explained.

b) Indirect: He explained that he was reading a book.

Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect

a) Direct: She said, 'He has finished his food“.

b) Indirect: She said that he had finished his food.

Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect

a) Direct: 'I have been to Gujarat', he told me.

b) Indirect: He told me that he had been to Gujarat.

Tip 3: Conversion Rules of Past & Future Tense

Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect

a) Direct: He said, “Ira arrived on Monday.'

b) Indirect: He said that Ira had arrived on Monday.

Past Continuous Changes to Past Perfect Continuous

a) Direct: 'We were living in Goa', they told me.

b) Indirect: They told me that they had been living in Goa.

Future Changes to Present Conditional

a) Direct: He said, 'I will be in Kolkata tomorrow.'

b) Indirect: He said that he would be in Kolkata the next day.

Future Continuous Changes to Conditional Continuous

a) Direct: She said, 'I'll be using the car next Friday.”

b) Indirect: She said that she would be using the car next Friday.

Tip 4: Changes in Modals

CAN changes into COULD

a) Direct: He said, 'I can swim.'

b) Indirect: He said that he could swim.

MAY changes into MIGHT

a) Direct: He said, 'I may buy a house.”

b) Indirect: He said that he might buy a house.

MUST changes into HAD TO/WOULD HAVE TO

a) Direct: He said, 'I must work hard.”

b) Indirect: He said that he had to work hard.

Modals that DO NOT Change: Would, Could, Might, Should, Ought to.

a) Direct: He said, 'I should face the challenge.”

b) Indirect: He said that he should face the challenge.

Tip 5: Conversion of Interrogative

Reporting Verb like ‘said/ said to’ changes to asked, enquired or demanded

a) Direct: He said to me, “What are you doing?”

b) Indirect: He asked me what I was doing.

If sentence begins with auxiliary verb, the joining clause should be if or whether.

a) Direct: He said, “Will you come for the meeting?”

b) Indirect: He asked them whether they would come for the meeting.

If sentence begins with ‘wh’ questions then no conjunction is used as the 'question-word' itself act as joining clause.

a) Direct: “Where do you live?” asked the girl.

b) Indirect: The girl enquired where I lived.

Tip 6: Command, Request, Exclamation, Wish

Commands and Requests

Indirect Speech is introduced by some verbs like ordered, requested, advised and suggested. Forbid(s)/ forbade is used for the negative sentences. The imperative mood is changed into the Infinitive.

a) Direct: Rafique said to Ahmed, “Go away.”

b) Indirect: Rafique ordered Ahmed to go away.

c) Direct: He said to her, “Please wait.”

d) Indirect: He requested her to wait.

Exclamations and Wishes

Indirect Speech is introduced by some words like grief, sorrow, happiness, applaud. Exclamatory sentence changes into assertive sentence and Interjections are removed.

a) Direct: He said, “Alas! I am undone.”

b) Indirect: He exclaimed sadly that he was broke.

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Tip 7: Change of Pronouns

The first person of the reported speech changes according to the subject of reporting speech.

a) Direct: She said, “I am in ninth class.”

b) Indirect: She says that she was in ninth class.

The second person of reported speech changes according to the object of reporting speech.

a) Direct: He says to them, 'You have completed your job.”

b) Indirect: He tells them that they have completed their job.

The third person of the reported speech doesn't change.

a) Direct: He says, 'She is in tenth class.”

b) Indirect: He says that she is in tenth class.

Tip 8: Change of Place and Time

Words expressing nearness in time or place in Direct Speech are generally changed into words expressing distance in Indirect Speech.

Now -- then

Here -- there

Ago -- before

Thus -- so

Today -- that day

Tomorrow -- the next day

This -- that

Yesterday -- the day before

These -- those

Hither-- thither

Come -- go

Hence -- thence

Change Direct To Indirect Speech

Next week/month -- following week/month

a) Direct: She said, “My father came yesterday.”

b) Indirect: She said that her father had come the day before.

c) Direct: She says/will say, “My father came yesterday.”

Indirect: She says/will say that her father had come yesterday. (Here the reporting verb ‘says’ is in the present tense OR ‘will say’ is in future tense; hence the time expression ‘yesterday’ won’t change.)

Tip 9: Punctuation

The words that are actually spoken should be enclosed in quotes and begin with a capital letter

Example: He said, “You are right.”

Comma, full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark must be present at the end of reported sentences and are placed inside the closing inverted comma or commas.

Example: He asked, “Can I come with you?”

If direct speech comes after the information about who is speaking, comma is used to introduce the piece of speech, placed before the first inverted comma.

Example: She shouted, “Stop talking!”

Example: “Thinking back,” she said, “he didn't expect to win.” (Comma is used to separate the two reported speech and no capital letter to begin the second sentence).

Tip 10: Conversion of Indirect to Direct Speech

1. Use the reporting verb, 'say' or 'said to' in its correct tense.

2. Remove the conjunctions 'that, to, if or whether etc' wherever necessary.

3. Insert quotation marks, question mark, exclamation and full stop, as per the mood of the sentence.

4. Put a comma before the statement.

5. Write the first word of the statement with capital letter.

6. Change the past tense into present tense wherever the reporting verb is in the past tense.

7. Convert the past perfect either into past tense or present perfect as found necessary.

Example

a) Indirect: He asked whether he is coming.

b) Direct: He said to him, “Are you coming?”

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Spot the Errors:

Each of the following sentences will contain a mistake in the usage of Direct and Indirect Speech. See if you can spot that mistake.

#1:

Direct: The boy said, “I’m happy with my results.”

Indirect: The boy said that he is happy with his results. (Incorrect)

Indirect: The boy said that he was happy with his results. (Correct)

#2:

Direct: She said, “I have baked a cake.”

Indirect: She said (that) she baked a cake. (Incorrect)

Indirect: She said (that) she had baked a cake. (Correct)

#3:

Direct: He said, “All people have equal rights.”

Indirect: He said that all people had equal rights. (Incorrect)

Indirect: He said that all people have equal rights. (Correct)

#4:

Direct: Roshni said, “I may meet him here”.

Indirect: Roshni said that she may meet him here. (Incorrect)

Indirect: Roshni said that she might meet him there. (Correct)

#5:

Direct: She says, “I will go to school tomorrow.”

Indirect: She says that she would go to school the day after. (Incorrect)

Indirect: She says that she will go to school tomorrow. (Correct)

#6:

Direct: He said, “She is coming this week to discuss this.”

Indirect: He said that she was coming this week to discuss this. (Incorrect)

Indirect: He said that she was coming that week to discuss it. (Correct)

#7:

Direct: He said to them, “Will you come for dinner?”

Indirect: He said to them will they come for dinner? (Incorrect)

Indirect:He asked them whether they would comefordinner.(Correct)

#8:

Direct: The teacher said, “Be quiet and listen to my words.”

Indirect: The teacher said them to be quiet and listen to my words. (Incorrect)

Indirect: The teacher urged /ordered them to be quiet and listen to his words. (Correct)

#9:

Direct: The old man said, “Ah! I am ruined.”

Indirect: The old man said that Ah he was ruined! (Incorrect)

Indirect: The old man exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.

#10:

Indirect: The policeman enquired where we were going.

Direct: The policeman enquired where are you going. (Incorrect)

Direct: The policeman said, “Where are you going?” (Correct)

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