Direct speech Vs. Indirect speech (An outlook)

Direct speech Vs. Indirect speech

(An outlook)

Direct speech:

Quoting the exact words of the speaker is called “The Direct Speech”.

Mani said, “I am writing a letter now”.

Indirect speech

Reporting of what a speaker said without quoting his exact words is called ‘Indirect Speech’.

Mani said that he was writing a letter then.

Rules for changing Direct speech into Indirect Speech

Rule 1: (dialogue verb)

          If the reporting verb [(dialogue verb) or (introductory verb)] is in the present tense, or future tense, the tense of the verb in the reported speech is not changed.(e.g., say, will say)

Suman says, “I eat a mango”. (D.S.)
Suman says that he eats a mango”. (I.S.)

Rule 2: (tense)

          If the reporting verb [(dialogue verb) or (introductory verb)]  is in the past tense, the tense of the verb in the reported speech is changed into one of the forms of the past tense.

1. Present Tense in the Direct becomes past tense.
Johnsi said, “I write a letter”. (D.S)
Johnsi said that she wrote a letter. (I.S)

2. Past Tense in the direct becomes past perfect.
Amar said, “I brought a pen yesterday”. (D.S)
Amar said that she had bought a pen the day before. (I.S)

3. Present Continuous in the direct becomes past continuous.
John said, “I am going to church”. (D.S)
John said that he was going to church. (I.S)

4. Past Continuous in the direct becomes past perfect continuous.
Sachin said, “I was playing cricket”. (D.S)
Sachin said that he had been playing cricket. (I.S)

5. Present Perfect in the direct becomes past perfect.
Kamal said, “I have done my homework”. (D.S)
Kamal said that he had done his homework. (I.S)

6. Present Perfect Continuous in the direct becomes past perfect continuous.
He said, “I have been reading a novel”. (D.S)
He said that he had been reading a novel. (I.S)

7. ‘Will’ and ‘Shall’ are changed to ‘would’.
He said, “I will go to London tomorrow”. (D.S)
He said that he would go to London the next day. (I.S)

May	Might
Can	Could
Must	Had to (or) must

Johnsi said, “I must go now”. (D.S)
Johnsi said that she must (or) had to go then. (I.S)

Exceptional cases:

1.     If the reported speech expresses some universal truth or habitual fact, the tense of the verb in the reported speech is not changed into the corresponding past tense form.

The teacher said, “The sun rises in the East”. (D.S)
The teacher said that the sun rises in the East. (I.S)

Rule 3: (pronouns)

          Pronouns and possessive adjectives or the first and second persons in direct speech are changed into third person in indirect speech.

I, you (singular)		he, she
My, your (singular)		his, her
We, you (plural)		they
Our, your (plural)		their

         

          Exceptional cases:

1.     The nouns or pronouns in vocative case are turned into objects in the indirect speech.

Direct : The nurse said, “Renu, you should take your medicine.”

Indirect : the nurse told Renu that she should take her medicine.

2.     If the pronoun he or she stands for different persons, then the names of the person referred to are inserted in brackets after the pronouns. Besides, nouns could be used instead of pronouns whenever possible.

Direct : Nidhi said to Nisha, “I like your dress.”

Indirect : Nidhi told Nisha that she (Nidhi) liked her (Nisha’s) dress.

Rule 4 (adverbs)

          In the reported speech, the words expressing nearness of time or place are changed into words showing distance.

Now		then
This		that
Here		there
These		those
Hence		thence
Hither		thither
Thus		so
Ago		before
Come		go
Today		that day
Yesterday		the previous day (or) the day before
Tonight		that night
Last night		the previous night
Tomorrow		the next day (or) the following day
Last week		the week before (or) the previous week
Next month		a month after

1. I asked the policeman the way to the hospital.

          “Could you please tell me the way to the hospital”, I asked the policeman

2. Meera said to me, “Please do not forget to prig your passport tomorrow.”

I was requested by Meera not to forget to bring my passport the next day.

3. “You can go now, Simi,” he said.

He told Simi that she could go them.

4. She said to us, “Let us go through the syllabus.”

She suggested that we should go through the syllabus.

5. “Do not drive rashly in the city,” he said to her.

He wanted her not to drive rashly in the city.

6. “This is how you make a pot,” the potter said to us.

The potter explained to us how to make a pot.

7. “Don’t play on the road,” the teacher said to the children.

The teacher forbade the children from playing on the road.

8. He said to me, “What a pity, you missed our function!”

He exclaimed and regretted that I missed their function.

9. “If you need help, contact the travel agent,” I advised the tourists.

The tourists were advised to contact the travel agent if needed.

10. He said, “I have not done that.”

He denied having done that.

11. She said, “Shall I close the door, madam?”

She asked madam’s permission to close the door.

12. The teacher said to me, “I have never seen such a clover boy like you.”

The teacher told me that he had never seen such a clever boy like me.

13. “May I have a glass of water?” he said.

He asked if he could have a glass of water.

14. “If you don’t come out, we will break open the door,” the police threatened.

The police threatened them that if they did not come out, they would break open the door.

Direct speech Vs. Indirect speech Interrogative sentences:

Direct speech Vs. Indirect speech

Interrogative sentences:

Interrogative Sentence (Questions)
Rules :

·         Remove the quotation marks and question mark in the interrogative sentence.

·         Use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ if the sentence inside the quotation marks begins with a helping verb (Auxiliary verb).

·         Use the given interrogative word (what, when, where, why, who, whom, whose, which, now etc.) if it does not begin with the helping verb.

·         Don‘t use ‘that’

·         Changing the reporting verb (say, said) into ‘ask’ or ‘enquire’ in its correct tense.

·         Omit helping verb like ‘do, does, did’. But don’t omit them when they are with ‘not’.

Auxiliary questions should begin with:

if / whether

Direct Speech	My friend said, “Are they coming with us?”
Indirect Speech	My friend asked me whether they were coming with us.
Direct Speech	I said, “Were they angry with you?”
Indirect Speech	I asked him whether they had been angry with him.
Direct Speech	Sarah said to her mother, “Can the milk man bring milk in this heavy rain?”
Indirect Speech	Sarah asked her mother if the milkman could bring milk in that heavy rain.

Do / Does / Did Questions:

When using;
do, does (present tense) - the main verb converts
into the past (does / do go - went)
did (past tense) - the main verb converts
into past perfect. (did go - had gone)

Direct Speech	“Does David study late at night?” said Sonia.
Indirect Speech	Sonia asked me whether David studied late at night.
Direct Speech	Jems said, “Do college students use cellphones?”
Indirect Speech	Jems asked me whether college students used cellphones.

The question form will change into a statement form:

“Is he here?”

Whether he was there

W/h Questions:

These questions begin with a question word (Who, What, When, Why, Where, How, How long ...). While changing such a question into reported form we do not use any conjunction. We simply invert the word order (Verb + Subject is changed into Subject + Verb). Do not use if/whether in W/h Questions.

Verb + Subject	She said to me, “What do you want?”
Subject + Verb	She asked me what I wanted.

Direct Speech	My neighbour said, “When did the men catch the stray dogs”
Indirect Speech	My neighbour asked me when the men had caught the stray dogs.
Direct Speech	My friend said, “Which colour will you choose?”
Indirect Speech	My friend asked me which colour I would choose.
Direct Speech	Father said to mother, “Why was Angelina crying when she returned from school?”
Indirect Speech	Father asked mother why Angelina had been crying when she had returned from school.

Verbal Questions:

These are questions beginning with a verb. (Are you ready? Is it true?)
Here we use the conjunction ‘if’ or ‘whether’. The word order is changed as mentioned earlier.

Verb + Subject	She said to me, “Is Tom at home?”
Subject + Verb	She asked me if Tom was at home.

1. “Won’t you help me to caary this box?” said I to my friend. (D.S.)
I asked my friend if he would not help me to carry that box. (I.S.)

2. Mohan said to Stalin, “Why did not you attend the meeting yesterday”? (D.S.)
Mohan asked Stalin why he had not attended the meeting the day before. (I.S.)

3. “How often do you go to the theatre?” said David to John. (D.S.)
David asked John how often he went to the theatre. (I.S.)

4. Mohamed said to Sultan, “Do you like mangoes?” (D.S.)
Mohamed asked Sultan if he liked mangoes. (I.S.)

Direct speech Vs. Indirect speech Imperative sentences:

Direct speech Vs. Indirect speech

Imperative sentences:

Imperative Sentence (Order or Request)
Rules :

·         Remove the quotation mark in an Imperative sentence.

·         Use ‘to’ if it is an affirmative sentence. (without don‘t)

·         Use ‘not to’ if the sentence begins without Don‘t.

·         Don‘t use ‘that’

·         Omit the word ‘please’. Use the word ‘request’ instead of ‘say’.

·         If the direct speech contains a request or a command, the reporting verb (say, said) change to tell, request, order, command etc. In its correct tense.

1.     “Don‘t talk in the class” said the teacher to the boys. (D.S.)
The teacher advised the boys not to talk in the class. (I.S.)

2.“Please give me something to eat. I am hungry” the old man said to them. (D.S.)The old man requested them to give him something to eat and said that he was hungry (I.S.)

3. “Be careful” said he to her. (D.S.)He ordered her to be careful. (I.S.)

4. “Bring me a cup of tea” said Nelson to Andriya. (D.S.)Nelson asked Andriya to bring him a cup of tea. (I.S.)

In reporting an imperative sentence, the reporting verb say or tell is changed into a verb expressing a command, advice or request.

Command	command, order, bid, tell
Proposal	propose, suggest
Prohibition	forbid
Entreaty	entreat, pray, beg

Direct Speech	The Captain said, “Get ready to board the ship.”
Indirect Speech	The Captain commanded his sailors to get ready to board the ship.
Direct Speech	Teacher said to Jems, “Get out”
Indirect Speech	Teacher told Jems to get out.
Direct Speech	The Judge said to the culprit, “Tell me the truth.”
Indirect Speech	The Judge ordered the culprit to tell the truth.
Direct Speech	Headmaster said to the students, “Don’t copy in the examination”.
Indirect Speech	Headmaster asked the students not to copy in the examination.

(a)  The imperative mood is changed into the infinitive.

(b) ‘that’ is commonly not used. If it is used then instead of ‘to’, ‘should’ is placed before the imperative.

(c)  The rules for the change of pronouns must be observed.

Direct : She said to me, “Please give me your book.”

Indirect : She requested me to give her my book.

Direct : John said to his servant, “Go out at once.”

Indirect : John ordered his servant to go out at once

Requests:

Please - requested + whom + to + v

Direct Speech	The teacher said, “Please improve your knowledge.”
Indirect Speech	The teacher requested the student to improve his knowledge.
Direct Speech	Robert said to me, “Please post these letters”.
Indirect Speech	Robert requested me to post those letters.
Direct Speech	Mother said, “Please keep your room neat.”
Indirect Speech	Mother requested me to keep my room neat.

When ‘let’ in the direct speech expresses a proposal or a suggestion, we may use ‘should’ and change the reporting verb to propose or suggest.

Direct : He said to me, “Let us have some tea.”

Indirect : He proposed (or suggested) to me that we should have some tea.

When ‘let’ does not express a proposal, it should be changed into might or might be allowed, or into some other verb, according to the sense.

Direct : He said, “Let me have some water.”

Indirect : He wished that he might have some water.

Direct speech Vs. Indirect speech Exclamatory sentences:

Direct speech Vs. Indirect speech

Exclamatory sentences:

Exclamatory Sentence 
Rules :

·         Change the exclamatory sentence into statement or Assertive

·         Remove the quotation marks and exclamatory mark.

·         Use the conjunction ‘that’

·         Omit the interjections such as Oh, O, Alas, how, what, hurrah.

·         Add the word ‘very’ to the adjective or adverb if necessary.

·         If the verb is not given, use ‘Be’ form verb (is, was, are, were, am) in its correct tense according to the subject.

·         Change the reporting verb (say, said) to ‘exclaim joyfully’

·         Use ‘exclaim’ sorrowfully for sorrowful incidents.

1. “O, what a beautiful flower that is!” said she. (D.S.)
She exclaimed joyfully that that was a very beautiful flower. (I.S.)

2. “What a horrible sight!” we all exclaimed. (D.S.)
We all exclaimed that it was a very horrible sight. (I.S.)

3. “Alas! I have broken my brother’s watch” said he.
He exclaimed sorrowfully that he had broken his brothers watch. (I.S.)

4. “How beautiful she is!” said Boon. (D.S.)
Boon exclaimed joyfully that she was very beautiful. (I.S.) 

(a)  When the contents of an exclamatory sentence are reported, the reporting verb or tell is changed into exclaim, cry out, wish, pray, confess, etc.

(b) The exclamatory form is changed into the statement form and the mark or exclamation is replaced by a full stop.

(c)  All interjections, nominatives of address are omitted or sometimes put as the objects of the reporting verb, but the force of interjection is kept by suitable adverbs or other expressive words as indicated below:

Hurrah! or Ha!		joy
Hash! or Hush!		attention
Alas!		grief
What! or Oh!		surprise
Bravo! or Hear!		approval
Pooh!		contempt

Direct Speech	Rosy said to David, “How wonderfully you sang!”
Indirect Speech	Rosy exclaimed with happiness that David had sung wonderfully.
Direct Speech	The foreigner said, “What a man Obama is!.”
Indirect Speech	The foreigner exclaimed in wonder that Obama was a great man.
Direct Speech	John said, “That I should see you here!”
Indirect Speech	John was surprised to see me there.

May you!- blesses / wished.
Direct Speech	The grandmother said, “May you meet with success wherever you go”
Indirect Speech	The grandmother blessed her grandson that he should meet with success wherever he goes.
Don’t / never - warned or forbade. (when using forbid do not use negatives)
Direct Speech	Father said, “Shakshi, don’t play in dirty water!”
Indirect Speech	Father forbade his daughter Sakshi to play in dirty water.
O God! - called upon God with regret / sadness / disappointment
Direct Speech	The beggar said, “O God! I have been cheated”.
Indirect Speech	The beggar called upon God with regret that he had been cheated.

Direct : She said, “Alas! He is dead.”

Indirect : She cried out with sorrow that he was dead.

Direct : “Hurrah! We have won the match,” shouted the cricket team.

Indirect : the cricket team shouted with joy that they had won the match.

Direct : The soldiers said, “Curse on the traitor!”

Indirect : The soldiers bitterly cursed the traitor.