Direct And Indirect Speech

 

Direct And Indirect Speech

What is Direct & Indirect Speech?

Direct speech – Reporting the message of the speaker in the exact words as spoken by him.

Direct speech example: Mahesh said ‘I am busy now’.

Indirect speech: reporting the message of the speaker in our own words 

Indirect speech example: Mahesh said that she was busy then.

What is reporting clause and reported clause?

1.  Reporting Clause:

·         The reporting clause is the part of the sentence that attributes the spoken words to the speaker. It typically includes a reporting verb (e.g., "said," "asked," "shouted," etc.).

Example: "She said, 'I am going to the store.'"

In this, "She said" is the reporting clause, indicating who is speaking.

2.  Reported clause

·         The reported clause is the portion of the sentence that reports or conveys the words spoken by the original speaker

Example:

a)  "She said that she was going to the store."

In this "that she was going to the store" is the reported clause, as it indirectly conveys the words spoken by the original speaker.

                        b)  She said, "I am happy."

                        In this "I am happy." is the reported clause

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.

1. Change in Tense of Reported clause

Rule 1 – 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: She said, ‘I am happy’.

Indirect: She said (that) she was happy.

Rule 2 -If the reporting verb is in the future tense or present tense, Then tenses of direct speech do not change 

Direct: She says, ‘I am going’

Indirect: She says that she is going.

Rule 3 - In indirect speech, tenses do not change if the words used within the quotes (‘’ ”) talk of a habitual action or universal truth.

Direct: He said, ‘We cannot live without air’.

Indirect: He said that we cannot live without air. 

Rule 4. Tenses are changed as

• Simple Present Changes to Simple Past
• Present Continuous Changes to Past Continuous
• Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect.

• Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect

• Past Continuous Changes to Past Perfect Continuous

• Shall/will to would

• Can becomes could
• May becomes might
• Must becomes had to /would have to 

·         There are modals that do not change – Could, Would, Should, Might, Ought to

 

2. Change of Time or place

In direct speeches, the words that express nearness in time or place are changed to words that express distance in indirect speech. Such as:

• Now becomes then                  
• Here becomes there
• Ago becomes before                
• Thus becomes so
• Today becomes that day         
• Tomorrow becomes the next day
• This becomes that                 
• Yesterday becomes the day before
• These become those              
• Come becomes go                     
• Hence becomes thence
• Next week or month becomes following week/month

3. Change in Pronoun

·         The first person changes as per the subject of the reporting speech.

·         The second person  changes as per the object of reporting speech.

·         The third person of direct speech doesn’t change.

 

4. Change in Punctuation mark
When changing from direct to indirect speech, there are specific punctuation rules to follow:

1. Quotation Marks:
• In direct speech, the speaker's exact words are enclosed in quotation marks.
• In indirect speech, quotation marks are not used because the reported speech is no longer the exact words of the speaker.
2. Commas and Periods:
• In direct speech, commas and periods are placed inside the closing quotation mark.
• In indirect speech, commas and periods are placed outside the reported speech, after the reporting verb or before the conjunction "that."
3. Question Marks and Exclamation Points:
• In direct speech, question marks and exclamation points are placed inside the closing quotation mark if they are part of the quoted speech.
• In indirect speech, question marks and exclamation points are not used.

Direct: He said, “I am going to the store.”

Indirect: He said that he was going to the store.

Direct:  She asked if I was coming with them.

Indirect:  "She asked, 'Are you coming with us?'"

Converting from direct to indirect speech - interrogative Sentence

·         Change the order of the words to form a statement.

·         Change ‘said to’ to asked.

·         Remove comma and inverted comma

·         If the reported question begins with an auxiliary verb (e.g., is, can, will), use the same auxiliary verb in the reported clause.

·         If the reported question contains question words (who, what, when, where, why, how), retain the question word in the reported clause.

·         If the reported question does not contain a question word, use "if" or "whether" in the reported clause.

Direct Speech: "She asked, 'Are you coming with us?'"

Indirect Speech:

·         She asked if I was coming with them.

• She asked whether I was coming with them.

 

Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Request, Command, Wish, Exclamation

• Indirect Speech is supported by some verbs like requested, ordered, suggested and advised. Forbid-forbade is used for negative sentences.
• Therefore, the imperative mood in the direct speech changes into the Infinitive in indirect speech.

Direct: She said to her ‘Please complete it’.

Indirect: She requested her to complete it.

Direct: Hamid said to Ramid, ‘Sit down’.

Indirect: Hamid ordered Ramid to sit down.

Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Exclamatory sentence

 In Exclamatory sentences that express grief, sorrows, happiness, applaud, Interjections are removed and the sentence is changed to an assertive sentence.

Direct: She said, ‘Alas! I am undone’.

Indirect: She exclaimed sadly that she was broke.

Check more Examples:

Direct: He said, ‘His girlfriend came yesterday.’

Indirect: He said that his girlfriend had come the day before.

Direct: He says/will say, ‘My girlfriend came yesterday.’

Indirect:  He says/will say that his girlfriend had come the day before.

Direct: “Where do you live?” asked the boy.

Indirect: The boy enquired where I lived.

Direct: She said, ‘Will you come for the party’?

Indirect: She asked whether we would come for the party.

Direct: He said to me, ‘What are you wearing’?

Indirect: He asked me what I was wearing.

Direct: She said to her, “Are you coming to the prom night?”

Indirect: The girl said that she was happy with her result.

Direct: The girl said. “I am happy with my result.”

Direct : She said, ‘She can dance’.

Indirect: She said that she could dance. 

Direct: She said, ‘I may buy a dress’.

Indirect: She said that she might buy a dress.

Direct: Rama said, ‘I must complete the assignment’.

Indirect: Rama said that he had to complete the assignment.

Direct: She said, ‘I should clean the house’

Indirect: She said that she should clean the house.