There are two types of speeches- direct and indirect. While direct speech is where you convey the speaker's words as they are in quotation marks, indirect speech is known as reported speech. In this, you do not use the exact words to convey the speaker's words. Learn more about it from our experts in this blog. Here, you can read about its definition, rules, tips, and examples. The best part is that there is also an activity to test your understanding after you read the blog. So, let's check it out!
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There are two types of speech in the English language- direct and reported. Direct speech is where you use quotation marks and the speaker's exact words. The reported speech is where you convey a message shared by someone in the third person to others. And, you do not have to use the same words as the first person to convey this. Thus, this is also known as indirect speech. Let us take a look at an example:
Direct Speech: She said, “I am reading a book.”
Indirect Speech: She said she was reading a book
Now, when you use this type of speech, you must follow certain rules to ensure you get the sentence's meaning right. So, let’s understand them in detail.
When you are using indirect speech, you need to follow certain reported speech rules to ensure you use them right. So, here are the guidelines to help you with it:
Since you will not be using the direct words of the speaker, you need not use quotation marks in the reported speech.
One important rule of reported speech is that the time considered when the speech was reported should change.
If the direct sentences have pronouns that cannot be used in indirect speech, they must be changed to give a clear meaning with the help of the "that" word.
There should be a change in the tense of the reported speech sentences depending on the activities being reported from direct speech.
You must change the location depending on what the direct speech includes to make it meaningful according to the indirect speech.
When you are trying to convert a direct and indirect speech, you can use this formula for easy conversion: [Subject said that (report what the speaker said)]
When you are converting the sentences from direct to indirect, based on the type of sentence, you can use the punctuation marks such as:
1. Declarative Sentence - Use verbs like said or told, followed by that, and end with a full-stop
2. Interrogative Sentence - Use verbs like Inquired or asked, and remove the question mark
3. Imperative Sentence - Use verbs like requested, commanded, pleaded, or ordered
4. Exclamatory Sentence - Use verbs like exclaimed and remove the exclamatory mark
These are a few rules of reported speech that you must follow to ensure you come up with the right and meaningful sentences. Now, let's understand how to convert direct speech in reported speech with examples at a few examples to better understand.
In this section, we will look into the different ways to convert direct sentences to reported speech in English. So, let’s get started!
You must change the pronouns in the direct speech based on the speaker and the receiver. Here are a few examples to understand it better:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| “I love my country,” he said. | He said he loved his country. |
| “She gave me this chocolate,” he said | He said she gave him that chocolate. |
| “We have completed our project,” they said. | They said they completed their project. |
You must change the time and place in the reported speech to reflect the details in the direct sentence. Let’s understand this with some examples:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| “I will call you tomorrow,” she said. | She said she would call me the next day. |
| “This food is delicious,” he said. | He said that the food was delicious. |
| “We are watching a movie now, they said | They said they were watching a movie then. |
There is a probability of change in some modal verbs depending on the sentence structure, and some remain the same. These are some examples of both types:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| “I can read,” she said. | She said she could read. |
| “You should read more books,” he said | He said I should read more books. |
| “They may arrive late,” he said | He said they might arrive late. |
If the direct sentences include verbs from the past, then the indirect speech is shifted one step back in time. Check these examples for a better idea:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| “She is getting ready for a party,” he said | He said she was getting reading for a party |
| "I am hungry," she said. | She said she was hungry |
| “They were shopping,” he said | He said they had been shopping. |
You can use "Told + (Object) + to-infinitive" when you are converting commands in direct to indirect sentence speech. Some examples for your reference are:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| “Turn off the tap,” he said. | He told me to turn off the tap. |
| “Don’t be late,” he said. | He told me not to be late. |
| “Please sit down,” she said. | She asked me to sit down. |
If it's a Yes/No question, you can use "If / Whether" and if it's a WH-question, you can use the same word and form it in a statement order for the English grammar reported speech. These examples can give you a better way to it.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| “Do you like trekking?” he asked | He asked if I like trekking. |
| “Why are you late?” she asked | She asked why I was late. |
| “How does this car start?” she asked | She asked how the car started. |
If you are converting the speech from direct to indirect concerning a request, then you can use the "Asked + (Object) + to-infinitive" format. These examples can help you get a better idea of it:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| “Please save me,” he said. | He asked me to save him. |
| “Would you pass the book?” he said. | He asked me to pass the book. |
| “Can you call me later?” she said. | She asked me to call her later. |
When your conversion is between direct and indirect speech based on suggestions, then you must use this format: "Suggested + verb-ing" style. Here are a few examples to get a hang of it:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| “Shall we go for a walk?” she said. | She suggested going for a walk. |
| "Let's go to the beach," he said. | He suggested going to the beach. |
| “Let’s go for a movie,” they said. | They suggested going to a movie. |
The exclamatory changes in direct sentences are usually changed to statements for the reported speech sentences. This can be better understood with these examples:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| “Oh no! I lost my glasses!” she said. | She said in distress that she lost her glasses. |
| “Wow! This is delicious!” he said. | He exclaimed that it was delicious. |
| “Ouch! That hurt!” he said. | He cried out that it had hurt. |
These are a few reported speech exercises based on the changing rules from direct to indirect sentences. Now, let's check out more examples for a better idea.
In this section, we can look into a list of reported speech examples that can help you better understand this conversion. So, let’s check them out!
Direct: She said, “My mother is cooking lunch.”
Indirect: She said that her mother was cooking lunch.
Direct: He said, “I can drive back home”
Indirect: He said that he could drive back home.
Direct: She exclaimed, “Wow! This dress is amazing!”
Indirect: She exclaimed that the dress was amazing.
Direct: He asked, “Why are you late?”
Indirect: He asked why I was late.
Direct: They said, “We have completed our dinner”
Indirect: They said that they had completed their dinner.
So, these are all the examples of reported speech that can help you convert direct speech to indirect speech. However, if you are still struggling with this, you can check out the next section for some tips from our experts for an easy approach.
Many students find it difficult to work on the reported speech exercises. So, in this section, you can find some tips from professionals that can help you effortlessly convert direct speech to indirect sentences. So, let's get started!
These are a few tips to help you convert the speech sentences from direct to indirect. Now, let's check your understanding before we wrap up this blog.
In this section, we have a few sentences in direct speech. You've to convert them to indirect speech based on the rules and tips you read in this blog. So, here we go!
1. He said, "I am reading a book."
2. She asked, "Have you ever been to Paris?"
3. The librarian said, "Don't talk in the library"
4. She said, "I will meet you at 5 PM"
5. He said, "You must complete the homework"
6. She asked, "Where is my bag?"
7. She asked, "Can you help me?"
8. He said, "This is my favorite movie."
9. They said, "We are planning a trip next month."
10. He exclaimed, "Oh no! I broke my nose!"
Take a minute to write down the answers to the above list of direct speech questions. Now, let's check if you've done it right. Here's a list of the right answers to the above. Check if you got them all right.
1. He said that he was reading a book.
2. She asked if I had ever been to Paris.
3. The Librarian told the students not to talk in the library
4. She said that she would meet me at 5 PM.
5. He said that I had to complete the homework.
6. She asked where her bag was.
7. She asked if I could help him.
8. He said that that was his favorite movie.
9. They said that they were planning a trip the following month.
10. He exclaimed in shock that he had broken his nose.
How many points did you get right in the reported speech? Comment below!
You can also let us know where you went wrong or if you have any further queries. We can help you convert direct to indirect speech. Wish you luck!
This blog gives you a complete understanding of the reported speech. You read about the definition and rules of conversion. Additionally, you can check out the process of converting direct sentences into indirect speech, along with examples for each of their types. Moreover, you also worked on an activity to analyze your understanding. However, if you still have your head scratching, don't worry; we got your back. Reach out to our experts for an extra hand!
Helpful Links:
1. Parts of Speech in English Grammar with Examples
2. What Is a Subject in Grammar? Definition, Types & Worksheet
3. Different Types of Figures of Speech with Examples
4. Verb Forms in English - V1, V2, V3, V4 V5 with Examples
5. Letter Writing in English: Types, Structure & Samples
What Are the Types of Reported Speech?
There are mainly four types of reported speech:
How Do Pronouns Change in the Reported Speech?
The pronouns in reported speech change depending on the subject and object of the sentence.
Example:
Direct: She said, I love my dress
Indirect: She said that she loves her dress
How to Change Time from Direct to Indirect Speech?
Here are a few ways to convert your time in both types of speeches:
When to Not Change the Tenses in Indirect Speech?
There are a few instances when you should not change the tenses in indirect speech and they are:
How to Get Better in Conversion from Direct to Indirect Speech?
Here are a few tips to help you get better at conversion from direct to indirect speech:
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