Discover how to master direct and indirect speech on english-grammarblog.blogspot.com. Learn essential rules for changing tenses, pronouns, and time expressions when reporting what others say.
We often have to give information about what people say or think. In order to do this, we can use direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech.
What is Direct Speech?
Saying exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called quoted speech).
Here what a person says appears within quotation marks ("... ") and should be word for word. For example:
She said, "Today's lesson is on presentations."
or
"Today's lesson is on presentations," she said.
What is Indirect Speech?
Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech), doesn't use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word. When reporting speech, the tense usually changes. This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.
Example:
Direct speech: "I'm going to the cinema", he said.
Indirect speech: He said he was going to the cinema.
How Do Tenses Change in Reported Speech?
As a rule when we report something that someone has said, we go back to tense: (the tense on the left changes to the tense on the right):
Modal verb forms also sometimes change. The following table shows how the modals in direct speech are changed in indirect speech
Note - There is no change to; could, would, should, might and ought to.
Direct speech: "I might go to the cinema", he said.
Indirect speech: He said he might go to the cinema.
We use the present tense in reported speech if we want to say that something is still true. For example, my name has always been and will always be what my name is.
Direct speech: "My name is Lucy" she said.
Indirect speech: She said her name was Lucy.
(or) She said her name is Lucy.
We also use the present tense if you are talking about a future event.
Direct speech (exact quote): "Next week's lesson is on reported speech ", she said.
Indirect speech (not exact): She said next week's lesson is on reported speech.
How Do Time and Place Expressions Change?
If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time of reporting.
For example, we need to change words like here and yesterday if they have different meanings at the time and place of reporting.
(Today) Direct speech: "Today's lesson is on preposition", she said.
(24 hours later) Indirect speech: She said that yesterday's lesson was on preposition
In addition if you report something that someone said in a different place to where you heard it, you must change the place here to the place there. For example:
Direct: (At work): "How long have you worked here?"
Indirect: (At home): She asked me how long I'd worked there.
How Do Pronouns Change in Narration?
In reported speech, the pronoun often changes. For example:
Direct speech: She said. "I teach English online."
Indirect speech: She said she teaches English online.
What Are Reporting Verbs?
Said, told and asked are the most common verbs used in indirect speech.
We use asked to report questions. For example:
I asked Lucy what time the lesson started.
We use told with an object. For example:
Lucy told me she felt tired.
Note - Here, me is the object.
We usually use said without an object. For example:
Lucy said she was going to teach online.
If said is used with an object we must include to. For example:
Lucy said to me that she'd never been to India.
Note - We usually use told. For example:
Lucy told me that she'd never been to India.
There are many other verbs we can use apart from said, told and asked.
What Alternative Reporting Verbs Can You Use?
These include: (in past forms)
accused, admitted, advised, alleged, agreed, apologized, begged. boasted, complained, denied, explained, implied, invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied, suggested and thought
Using them properly can make what you say much more interesting and informative. For example:
Indirect speech: He asked me to come to the party.
We can replace the verb asked with some other verbs to make the sentence more interesting and meaningful. For example. we can re-write the above statement as -
He invited me to the party.
He begged me to come to the party.
He ordered me to come to the party. He advised me to come to the party
He suggested I should come to the party.
How to Use 'That' in Reported Speech
In reported speech, the word that is often used. For example:
He told me that he lived in Kishorganj.
However, that is optional. For example:
He told me he lived in Kishorganj.
Note - That is never used in questions, instead we often use if/whether.
For example:
He asked me if I would come to the party.
Exercise
Change from the Direct into the Indirect form of speech.
1. He said to me, "You are wicked; so I shall not mix with you."
2 He said to you, "I was much struck by your eloquence."
3. We remarked, "God is gracious."
4. I said to my mother, "I shall always obey you."
5. He said to Goarav, "You were a mere boy when I saw you last."
6. I said to him, "The sky is blue."
7. He said to me, "You will feel the consequences."
8. She said, "I am not angry with you."
9. I said to them, "You have done wrong.
Exercise
Change into the Direct form of speech.
1. He said that he was sorry.
2. I told him that I had once seen him before.
3. You told me that as you did not know me, you could not help me.
4. They told Kamrul that he had done wrong and must apologise to them.
5. The girl told her father that she would be glad if he put her into a good school.
Key Takeaways
- Direct speech uses quotation marks to record exact words, while indirect speech reports meaning without quotation marks.
- Tenses typically shift back into the past when converting direct speech into indirect speech.
- Time expressions, place words (like here to there), and pronouns must be adjusted based on the reporting context.
- Common reporting verbs include said, told, and asked, though specific verbs like invited, advised, or ordered add greater clarity.
- The word "that" is optional in statements and never used in questions where "if" or "whether" is preferred.
Quick Practice
Write your answers to the following questions in the comments section below:
- How would you convert this sentence to indirect speech: She said, "I love reading grammar blogs."?
- What is the indirect form of: He said to me, "Where are you going?"?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between direct and indirect speech?
Direct speech quotes the exact words spoken using quotation marks, whereas indirect speech reports the substance of what someone said without using quotation marks or exact wording.
Do tense changes always happen in reported speech?
Verbs usually shift into the past tense in reported speech. However, present tenses can be retained if the information being reported remains universally true or refers to an upcoming future event.
How do you report questions in indirect speech?
When reporting questions, we use reporting verbs like "asked" and omit the word "that", using "if" or "whether" instead for yes/no questions.