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Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Pdf!

Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct Sentences

Study these direct sentences

1. The boy said to the girl, “I can hear you.”
2. The little girl remarked, “I shall always remember this day
3. The man said to the children, “I know you and your parents.”
4. The man cried out “We are not foes, but friends.”
5. He said to me, “Go away.”
6. Leo said to his sister, “Why are you crying?
7. He said, “Hurrah! We have won.”
8. Gilbert said to me, “I am very busy and so cannot accompany you to the station now.”

Indirect Sentences

Study these indirect sentences of upper direct sentences.

1. The boy told the girl that he could hear her.
2. The little girl remarked that she would always remember that day.
3. The man told the children that he knew them and their parents.
4. The man cried out that they were not foes, but friends.
5. He told me to go away.
6. Leo asked his sister why she was crying.
7. He cried out joyfully that they had won.
8. Gilbert told me that he was very busy and so could not accompany me to the station just then.

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Pdf

Let us! Learn in Detail.

There are two ways in which the words of a speaker can be reported:

1. Direct speech/Direct Narration

We may quote the actual words used by the speaker. This is called Direct Narration or Direct Speech.

1. Indirect Narration

We may have the substance of the words used by the speaker and not his actual words. This is called Indirect Narration or Indirect Speech.

Examples:

Direct: Afzal said, “I am going home.”

Indirect: Afzal said that he was going home.

 

It will be seen that in Direct Speech, (I) the exact words of the speaker have been used, (II) the words quote have been put within Quotation Marks or Inverted Commas, (III) the first letter of the quotation begins with a capital letter, and (IV) there is always a comma, a colon after ‘said’ that introduces the spoken words.

 

In Indirect Speech, the speech that is reported is not put within inverted commas and does not begin with a capital letter. That has been placed before the Indirect Speech.

 

When the verb in one sentence reports, what is said by some speaker in another sentence, the verb in the sentence is called the reporting verb and what is said in the second sentence is called the Reported speech.

Reporting Verb

Reported Speech

My mother said,
“Here is the pen you were looking for yesterday.”

My father said,
“It is time to go away.”

 

While changing Direct into Indirect Speech the Personal Pronouns and the tense of the verbs in the reported speech undergo certain changes as explained below.

 

RULES FOR THE CHANGE OF PRONOUNS

First-person in the reported speech:-

Direct: He says to me”l am tired.”

Indirect: He tells me that he is tired.

 

Direct: He said to me,”l am faithful.”

Indirect: He told me that he was faithful.

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Pdf

From the study of the foregoing examples we learn:-

 

Rule 1. Pronouns of the First Person in the Reported Speech are changed in Indirect Speech to the same person as the subject of the Reporting Verb.

All nouns are considered to be in the Third Person e.g.,

 

Direct: The man said to the children, “I know you and your parents”

Indirect: The man told the children that he knew them and their parents.

 

Second Person in the Reported Speech:-

 

Direct: He says to me,” You are tired.”

Indirect: He tells to me that I am tired.

 

Direct: He said to lite,” You lack courage.”

Indirect: He told lite that I lacked courage.

 

From the study of the foregoing examples we learn:-

 

Rule 2. Pronouns of the Second Person in the reported speech are changed in Indirect to the same person as the noun or pronoun coming after the Reporting Verb. If the object of the reporting verb is not given, the sense of the Pronoun to be used should be carefully determined. Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Pdf

 

Direct: Joe said to me,” You can go.”

Indirect: Joe told me that I could go.

 

Third Person in the Reported Speech.

 

Direct: He says to me, “He is tired.”

Indirect: He tells me that he is tired.

 

Direct: He said to me, “He is still absent.”

Indirect: He told me that he (another person) was still absent.

 

From the foregoing examples we conclude:-

 

Rule 3. Pronouns of the Third Person in the Reported Speech remain unchanged in the Indirect Speech.

 

Direct: Joe said to her mother, “She is to be blamed.”

Indirect: Joe said to her mother that she was to be blamed

 

In sentences like the above, the meaning is ambiguous as she in the Indirect Speech may apply to Joe, or her mother, or to a third person, spoken of. In such cases, it is better to name the person in brackets after the pronoun thus:-

 

Joe told her mother that she (Joe) was to be blamed.

OR

Joe told her mother that she (her mother) was to be blamed.

OR

Joe told her mother that she (another person) was to be blamed.

 

RULES FOR THE CHANGE OF TENSES

 

Study the following examples:-

 

Reporting Verb in the Present or Future Tense:-

 

Direct: Salim says, “The teacher is not at home.”

Indirect: Salim says that the teacher is not at home.

 

Direct: I say, “I am reading.”

Indirect: I say that I am reading.

 

Direct: He will say, “I did not know it.”

Indirect: He will say that he did not know it.

 

Direct: He will say, “l am not at home.”

Indirect: He will say that he is not at home.

 

From the study of the foregoing examples we learn:-

 

Rule 1. If the Reporting Verb is in the Present or Future tense, the tense of the verb in the Reported Speech is not changed. Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Pdf

 

Reporting verb in the Past tense followed by a verb in the Present Indefinite tense in the Reported Speech. Study the following examples:-

 

Direct: Gilbert said, “I want peace.”

Indirect: Gilbert said that he wanted peace.

 

Direct: He said, “The doctor may come.”

Indirect: He said that the doctor might come.

 

The above examples show that:-

 

Rule 2. After a reporting verb in the Past tense, a verb in the Present Indefinite tense in the Reported Speech is changed into the Past Indefinite tense.

 

Reporting verb in the past tense followed by a verb in the Present Continuous tense in the Reported Speech.

Continuous tense in the Reported speech.

Study the following examples:-

 

Direct: He said, “The king is coming now.”

Indirect: He said that the king was coming then.

 

Direct: Leo said, “I am riding a horse.”

Indirect: Leo said that he was riding a horse.

 

The foregoing examples show that:-

 

Rule 3. After a reporting verb in the Past tense, a verb in the Present Continuous tense in the Reported Speech is changed into the Past Continuous tense.

 

Reporting verb in the Past tense followed by a verb in the Present Perfect tense in the Reported Speech.

 

 Study the following examples:–

 

Direct: Joe said, “I have ridden a horse.”

Indirect: Joe said that he had ridden a horse.

 

Direct:  He said, “My son has come.”

Indirect: He said that his son had come.

 

The following examples show that:

 

Rule 4. After a reporting verb in the Past tense, a verb in the Present Perfect tense in the Reported Speech is changed into the Past Perfect tense.

 

Reporting verb in the Past tense followed by a verb in the Present Perfect Continuous tense in the Reported Speech. Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Pdf

 

Study the following examples:-

 

Direct: Joe said, “I have ridden a horse.”

Indirect: Joe said that he had been riding a horse.

 

Direct: He said, “It has been snowing yesterday.”

Indirect: He said that it had been snowing the previous day.

 

These examples show that:–

 

Rule 5. After a verb in the Past tense, a verb in the Present Perfect Continuous tense in the Reported Speech is changed into the Past Perfect Continuous tense.

 

Rules 2, 3, 4 and 5 may be briefly summed up as follows:-          

 

If the Reporting verb is in the past tense, the Present tense in the Reported Speech is changed into its corresponding past form.

 

Reporting Verb in the Past tense by a verb in the Past Indefinite tense in the Reported Speech.

 

Study the following examples:–

 

Direct: Joe said, “I spoke the truth.”

Indirect: Joe said that he had spoken the truth.

 

Direct: She said, “He came at dinner-time.”

Indirect: She said that he had come at dinner-time.

 

These examples show that:-

 

Rule 6. After a Reporting Verb in the Past tense, a verb in the Past Indefinite tense in the Reported Speech is changed into the Past Perfect tense.

 

Reporting Verb in the Past tense followed by a verb in the Past Continuous tense in the Reported Speech.

 

Study the following examples:–

 

Direct: He said, “It was snowing yesterday.”

Indirect: He said that it had been raining the previous day.

 

Rule 7. After a reporting verb in the Past tense, a verb in the Past Continuous tense in the Reported Speech is changed into Past Perfect Continuous.

 

Reporting in the verb in the Past Speech tense followed by a verb in the Past Perfect tense Reported speech.

 

Study the following examples:–

 

Direct: Joe said, “I had spoken the truth.”

Indirect: Joe said that he had spoken the truth.

 

Direct: He said, “I had written a letter.”

Indirect: He said that he had written a letter.

 

Rule 8. After a reporting verb in the Past tense, a verb in the Past Perfect tense in the Reported Speech remains unchanged.

 

Reporting Verb in the Past tense followed by a verb in the Past Perfect Continuous tense in the Reported Speech.

 

Study the following examples:–

 

Direct: John said, “The man had been working.”

Indirect: John said that the man had been working.

 

Direct: He said, “The man had been coming.”

Indirect: He said that the man had been coming.

 

From the foregoing examples we learn:–

 

Rule 9. After a reporting verb in the Past tense a verb in the Past Perfect Continuous tense in the Reported Speech remains unchanged.

 

Reporting Verb in the Past tense followed by a verb in the Past Perfect tense in the Reported Speech.

 

Study the following examples:-

 

Direct.   Joe said, “He had spoken the truth.”

Indirect: Joe said that he had spoken the truth.

 

Direct: He said, “I had written a letter.

Indirect: He said that he had written a letter.

 

From the foregoing examples we learn:–            

 

Rule 10. After a reporting verb in the Past tense, a verb in the Past Perfect tense in the Reported Speech remains unchanged. Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Pdf

 

Reporting Verb in the Past tense followed by a verb in the Past Perfect Continuous tense in the Reported Speech.

 

Study the following examples:-

 

Direct: John said, “The man had been working.”

Indirect: John said that the man had been working.

 

Direct: He said, “The man had been coining.”

Indirect: He said that the man had been coming.

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Pdf

From the foregoing examples we learn:-

 

Rule 11. After a reporting verb in the Past tense a verb in the Past Perfect Continuous tense in the Reporting Speech remains unchanged.

 

Rule 12. After a reporting verb in the Past tense shall will, may, and can would in might the Reported Speech are changed the respective application into of the should, would might and could. This is practically the application of the rule according to which the Present Tense in the Reported Speech is changed Into its corresponding Past form.

 

Examples:-

 

Direct: He said, “The man shall come.”

Indirect: He said that the man should come.

 

Direct: He said, “The man will come.”

Indirect: He said that the man would come.

 

Direct: He said, “The man may come.”

Indirect: He said that the man ‘night come.

 

Direct: He said, “The man can come.”

Indirect: He said that the man could come.

 

According to one of the rules relating to the change of tense: If the reporting verb is a Past tense, the tense of the verb in the reported speech must be changed to one or other of the four forms of the Past tense.

There is one exception to this rule similar to that described in connection with the Sequence of Tenses.

If the reported Speech relates to some universal or habitual fact, then the Present Indefinite in the reported speech is not changed into the corresponding Past but remains exactly as it was

 Past tense, “Present tense”

Direct
He said, “We cannot be quite happy in this life.”

Indirect
He said that we cannot be quite happy in this life

 
Direct
He said, “The earth moves around the sun.”

Indirect
He said that the earth moves around the sun.

 

Some more examples of the Reported Speech expressing a universal truth or a habitual fact in the Present tense in the indirect Speech:

 

• The teacher taught us that water is a compound of Oxygen and Hydrogen.
• He informed the stranger that the Hindus burn their dead.
• The sage preached that flesh dies, but soul endures.
• Tolstoy believed that God is where love is.
• Joe said that his grandfather smokes occasionally.
• He said that his neighbor drinks but only now and then.
• The teacher told the boys that patience and preservance overcome mountains.

 

Words indicating the nearness of time or place in the Direct speech are changed into those indicating distance when converted into Indirect Speech. Thus:-

 

This
becomes
that

These
,,
Those

Thus
,,
So, in that way

Now
,,
Then

Here
,,
There

Hence
,,
Thence

Hither
,,
Thither

Today
,,
That day, the same day

Tomorrow
,,
The next day

Yesterday
,,
The day before, the previous day

Last night
,,
The previous night

Come
,,
Go

Ago
,,
before

 

Examples:

Direct
He Said, “I will leave you now.”

Indirect
He Said, that he would leave them then.

Direct
He Said, “I will come here.”

Indirect
He Said, that he would go there.

 

Infographics

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Pdf

Download pdf of this lesson “Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Pdf” below:

What is Speech (Narration):

If we want to describe the speech of some other people with other people in our own words, that speech is called a Reported speech or Narration.

Types of Speech

In the English language, there are certain ways to express the spoken words between two people.

The speech has two main types, Direct speech, and Indirect speech, respectively.

These two ways of narration of spoken words are also called Direct and Indirect speech, also known as Direct and Indirect narrations. 

Direct and indirect speech is majorly used in any conversations, scripts, or any biographies, etc. where one or more than one person converses with each other.

Direct speech:

It is also called straight speech or quoted speech, which is spoken or written directly in the text by the speaker, writer, or the first person, who is going to speak with anyone with him.

The spoken statements of the speaker normally come under the inverted commas notation, and a speaker who speaks these sentences may come like “he said/he said that.”

The speaker’s words or statements are mentioned in a single phrase pattern or direct discussion.

Indirect speech:

An Indirect speech is also called a reported speech, or secondary speech means the speech, which has spoken indirectly.

It is simply an overlook statement that is used to say about the incident that has happened in the past time.

The actual words of the speaker changed into the past tense and the sentence, and hence the reported speech of the direct speech does not come inside the inverted commas.

Reporting speech:

A person who is going to report the speech or a speech that comes in the first part of the direct speech is called a reporting speech.

• He says, “He cooks food”.

Reported speech:

Reported speech is a speech that is always in an inverted comma or quotation marks.

It is a second part of the direct speech sentence.

• He says, “He cooks food.”

Reporting verb:

The verb, which is used in a reporting speech to report something in a direct speech, is called a reporting verb.

• Zoya said, “I want to go there.”

Reported verb:

The verb which comes inside the reported speech is called reported verb, respectively.

• Zoya said, “I want to go there.”

As we start writing any direct and indirect conversation, we often use reported verbs like “say, tell, ask, inform, instruct, claim, suggest, enquire, etc.”

These reported verbs, whenever used in direct or indirect speech, change into the past simple form like said, told, asked, informed, instructed, claimed, suggested, enquired, etc.

But the verbs used in a speech between the inverted commas will remain as it is.

Examples of direct and indirect speech:

1. Direct speech: John said, “You are looking so beautiful.”
   • Indirect speech: John said that she was looking so beautiful.
2. Direct: He said, “He is not a culprit.”
   • Indirect: He said that he was not a culprit.
3. Direct: He said, “she is working on this project.”
   • Indirect: He said that she was working on that project.
4. Direct: The teacher said, “Do you complete your homework?”
   • Indirect: The teacher asked if he completed his homework. 
5. Direct: She says, “She is an artist.”
   • Indirect: She says that she is an artist.
6. Direct: Sam told, “I’m not coming with you.”
   • Indirect: Sam told me that he was not coming with me.
7. Direct: He says, “she is working on this project.”
   • Indirect: He says that she is working on that project.

Some basic rules for converting direct speech into indirect speech:

Rule 1

: “No inverted commas.”

The reported speech does not come into inverted commas or quotation in an indirect speech.

Example: Direct: He said, “I have completed my assignments yesterday.”

    Indirect: He said that he had completed his assignments the previous day.

Rule 2:

use of “that” conjunction

Using the conjunction word “that” in-between the reporting speech and reported speech in an indirect speech.

Example: 

1. He said, “I have completed my assignment yesterday.”
2. He said that he had completed his assignment the previous day.

Rule 3:

Change of tense

While writing a direct speech into an indirect speech, we have to change the tense of the reported speech because whatever we are writing in indirect speech has already happened in the past timing.

• If the tense of a reporting speech of direct speech is in the present tense or future tense, then the tense of the reported speech in indirect speech will not change. It may be in the present tense, past tense, or future tense, respectively.

Example: 

1. Direct: He says, “I am going to school.”
   • Indirect: He says that he is going to school. (no change in tense)
2. Direct: She says, “I will not come with you.”
   • Indirect: She says that she will not come with me. (no change in tense)
3. Direct: He says, “He wrote a letter”.
   • Indirect: He says that he wrote a letter. (no change in tense)

If the tense of the reporting verb of direct speech is in the past tense, then the tense will change according to these criteria.

For the present tense:

Simple present tense will change into simple past tense.

Direct: He said, “They come to meet me.”

Indirect: He said that they came to meet him.

Present continuous tense will change into past continuous tense.

Direct: She said, “They are coming to meet me.”

Indirect: She said that they were coming to meet her.

Present perfect tense will change into past perfect tense.

Direct: He said, “They have come to meet me.”

Indirect: He said that they had come to meet him. 

Present perfect continuous tense will change into past perfect continuous tense.

Direct: She said, “They have been coming to meet me.”

Indirect: She said that they had been coming to meet her. 

For the past tense:

Simple past tense will change into the past perfect tense.

Direct: He said, “They came to meet me.”

Indirect: He said that they had come to meet him.

Past continuous tense will change into past perfect continuous tense.

Direct: She said, “They were coming to meet me.”

Indirect: She said that they had been coming to meet her.

Past perfect tense and past perfect continuous tense will remain the same.

Direct: He said, “They had come to meet me.”

Indirect: He said that they had come to meet him.

Direct: She said, “They had been coming to meet me.”

Indirect: She said that they had been coming to meet her.

For the future tense:

There are no changes in the future tense sentences; only shall/will may change into would, can change into could.

Examples:

1. Direct: She said, “Can you come tomorrow.”

Indirect: She said that could he come on the next day

1. Direct: He said, “I will never forgive you.”

Indirect: He said that he would never forgive me.

Rule 4:

Changing the pronoun

The pronoun used as an indirect subject speech sometimes needs to be changed accordingly in indirect speech as of the reported verb of the direct speech.

• The pronoun used for representing the first person in reported speech changes based on the subject of the reporting speech in a direct speech.
• The pronoun used for representing the second person in reported speech changes based on the report’s object in a direct speech.
• The pronoun used for representing the third person remains the same in the reported speech.

Example: 

1. Direct: He said, “I am going to school.”
2. Indirect: He said that he is going to school.
3. Direct: She says, “I will not come with you.”
4. Indirect: She says that she will not come with me.
5. Direct: They said, “we are eating our tiffin box.”
6. Indirect: They said that they were eating their tiffin box.

Rule 5:

Changing the time

The mentioned time (not the timing) in a direct speech sentence will have to change in indirect speech like now becomes then, tomorrow becomes the next day, yesterday becomes the previous day, today becomes that day, later becomes soon. 

Example:

• Direct: He told, “He is coming from Tokyo today.”
• Indirect: He told me that he was coming from Tokyo that day.
• Direct: She asked, “Will the parcel reach by tomorrow or not?”
• Indirect: She asked whether the parcel will reach by the next day or not.
• Direct: “The teacher has given some assignments yesterday”, he reminds me.
• Indirect: He reminds me that the teacher had given some assignments on the previous day.

Conversion of statements from direct speech into Indirect speech:

Assertive sentences:

Assertive sentences are simple statements that may be affirmative or negative.

If we are going to convert assertive sentences from direct speech into indirect speech, we have to replace “said” with “told” sometimes.

Here, the subject in direct speech refers to someone in his talk.

Examples:

• Direct: He said to me, “she is working on this project.”

Indirect: He told me that she was working on that project.

• Direct: She said to me, “I’m going for a long drive.”

Indirect: She told me that she was going for a long drive.

Imperative sentences:

Imperative sentences are statements that deliver a command, order, request, appeal, or advice.

It depends on the speaker, how he delivers the message to the other person.

• Sit properly!
• Stand by my side!
• Come closer!

While converting these types of sentences cum statements from direct speech to indirect speech, we have to check the type of sentence, whether it is a command, order, request, or else.

Examples:

Order:

• Direct: The teacher said to me, “Sit properly!”

Indirect: The teacher ordered me to sit properly.

Command:

• Direct: The Boss said to an office boy, “Bring one coffee for me.”

Indirect: The Boss commanded an office boy to bring a coffee for him.

Request:

• Direct: The teacher said to me, “Sit properly!”

Indirect: The teacher requested me to sit properly.

Advice:

• Direct: The bartender said to me, “try this drink.”

Indirect: The bartender advised me to try that drink.

Interrogative sentences:

An interrogative sentence is a sentence which interrogates or ask questions.

Each interrogative sentence ends with an interrogative sign or a question mark sign “?”.

• What is your name?
• Can you do me a favor?
• Why are you laughing in the classroom?

While writing interrogative sentences from direct speech into indirect speech,

• the reporting verb “said” in the direct speech is changed into “asked” in the indirect speech because it asks the question to another person.
• If any reporting verb comes first in the reporting speech, then “If” is used despite “that.”
• In a reporting speech, if any wh-type question words are present, then no other words will be used, and the sentence ends with a full stop sign instead of a question mark.

Examples:

1. Direct: He said to me, “What is your name?”
   • Indirect: He asked me what was my name.
2. Direct: She said, “Can you do me a favor?”
   • Indirect: She asked if he could do her a favor.
3. Direct: The teacher said to him, “Why are you laughing in the classroom?”
   • Indirect: The teacher asked him why he was laughing in the classroom.

Exclamatory sentences:

Exclamatory sentences are those sentences that show emotions, feelings and ends with an exclamation mark!

1. Congratulations! You have a baby girl.
2. I am extremely sorry for your loss!
3. Most welcome!

If any interjection comes in an exclamation sentence, then the exclamation sign removes in an indirect speech, and an exclamatory sentence gets converted into an assertive sentence.

The replacement of reporting verb “said” with exclaimed with (great wonder, sorrow, joy) exclaimed (joyfully, sorrowfully)

Replace with very or very great, if words like how or what comes at the beginning of the reported speech.

Examples:

1. Direct: He said, “Congratulations! You have a baby girl.”
   • Indirect: He exclaimed with joy that I had a baby girl.
2. Direct: She said, “I am extremely sorry for your loss!”
   • Indirect: She exclaimed with sorrow that she felt sorry for my loss.
3. Direct: They said, “Most welcome!”
   • Indirect: They exclaimed with joy that most welcome.