he said i arrived before you change into indirect speech

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English Notes

English notes latest questions, he said, “i arrived before you.” change into indirect speech.

Indirect Speech:  He said that he had arrived before me.

Explanation : When the reporting verb is in the past (said) and the direct speech is in the past indefinite tense, then the indirect (reported) speech will change into the past perfect tense.

Past Indefinite Tense > Past Perfect Tense.

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Reported speech: indirect speech

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words. In indirect speech , the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question or a command.

Indirect speech: reporting statements

Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that -clause. We often omit that , especially in informal situations:

The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as the plane came in to land. (The pilot’s words were: ‘The weather was extremely bad as the plane came in to land.’ )

I told my wife I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday. ( that -clause without that ) (or I told my wife that I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday .)

Indirect speech: reporting questions

Reporting yes-no questions and alternative questions.

Indirect reports of yes-no questions and questions with or consist of a reporting clause and a reported clause introduced by if or whether . If is more common than whether . The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She asked if [S] [V] I was Scottish. (original yes-no question: ‘Are you Scottish?’ )

The waiter asked whether [S] we [V] wanted a table near the window. (original yes-no question: ‘Do you want a table near the window? )

He asked me if [S] [V] I had come by train or by bus. (original alternative question: ‘Did you come by train or by bus?’ )

Questions: yes-no questions ( Are you feeling cold? )

Reporting wh -questions

Indirect reports of wh -questions consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a wh -word ( who, what, when, where, why, how ). We don’t use a question mark:

He asked me what I wanted.

Not: He asked me what I wanted?

The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She wanted to know who [S] we [V] had invited to the party.

Not: … who had we invited …

Who , whom and what

In indirect questions with who, whom and what , the wh- word may be the subject or the object of the reported clause:

I asked them who came to meet them at the airport. ( who is the subject of came ; original question: ‘Who came to meet you at the airport?’ )

He wondered what the repairs would cost. ( what is the object of cost ; original question: ‘What will the repairs cost?’ )

She asked us what [S] we [V] were doing . (original question: ‘What are you doing?’ )

Not: She asked us what were we doing?

When , where , why and how

We also use statement word order (subject + verb) with when , where, why and how :

I asked her when [S] it [V] had happened (original question: ‘When did it happen?’ ).

Not: I asked her when had it happened?

I asked her where [S] the bus station [V] was . (original question: ‘Where is the bus station?’ )

Not: I asked her where was the bus station?

The teacher asked them how [S] they [V] wanted to do the activity . (original question: ‘How do you want to do the activity?’ )

Not: The teacher asked them how did they want to do the activity?

Questions: wh- questions

Indirect speech: reporting commands

Indirect reports of commands consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a to -infinitive:

The General ordered the troops to advance . (original command: ‘Advance!’ )

The chairperson told him to sit down and to stop interrupting . (original command: ‘Sit down and stop interrupting!’ )

We also use a to -infinitive clause in indirect reports with other verbs that mean wanting or getting people to do something, for example, advise, encourage, warn :

They advised me to wait till the following day. (original statement: ‘You should wait till the following day.’ )

The guard warned us not to enter the area. (original statement: ‘You must not enter the area.’ )

Verbs followed by a to -infinitive

Indirect speech: present simple reporting verb

We can use the reporting verb in the present simple in indirect speech if the original words are still true or relevant at the time of reporting, or if the report is of something someone often says or repeats:

Sheila says they’re closing the motorway tomorrow for repairs.

Henry tells me he’s thinking of getting married next year.

Rupert says dogs shouldn’t be allowed on the beach. (Rupert probably often repeats this statement.)

Newspaper headlines

We often use the present simple in newspaper headlines. It makes the reported speech more dramatic:

JUDGE TELLS REPORTER TO LEAVE COURTROOM

PRIME MINISTER SAYS FAMILIES ARE TOP PRIORITY IN TAX REFORM

Present simple ( I work )

Reported speech

Reported speech: direct speech

Indirect speech: past continuous reporting verb

In indirect speech, we can use the past continuous form of the reporting verb (usually say or tell ). This happens mostly in conversation, when the speaker wants to focus on the content of the report, usually because it is interesting news or important information, or because it is a new topic in the conversation:

Rory was telling me the big cinema in James Street is going to close down. Is that true?

Alex was saying that book sales have gone up a lot this year thanks to the Internet.

‘Backshift’ refers to the changes we make to the original verbs in indirect speech because time has passed between the moment of speaking and the time of the report.

In these examples, the present ( am ) has become the past ( was ), the future ( will ) has become the future-in-the-past ( would ) and the past ( happened ) has become the past perfect ( had happened ). The tenses have ‘shifted’ or ‘moved back’ in time.

The past perfect does not shift back; it stays the same:

Modal verbs

Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift back’ in time and change in indirect speech.

We can use a perfect form with have + - ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past:

He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ )

He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’ )

Used to and ought to do not change in indirect speech:

She said she used to live in Oxford. (original statement: ‘I used to live in Oxford.’ )

The guard warned us that we ought to leave immediately. (original statement: ‘You ought to leave immediately.’ )

No backshift

We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:

He told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.)

She said she ’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)

He said he ’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.)

She promised she ’ll help us. (The promise applies to the future.)

Indirect speech: changes to pronouns

Changes to personal pronouns in indirect reports depend on whether the person reporting the speech and the person(s) who said the original words are the same or different.

Indirect speech: changes to adverbs and demonstratives

We often change demonstratives ( this, that ) and adverbs of time and place ( now, here, today , etc.) because indirect speech happens at a later time than the original speech, and perhaps in a different place.

Typical changes to demonstratives, adverbs and adverbial expressions

Indirect speech: typical errors.

The word order in indirect reports of wh- questions is the same as statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order:

She always asks me where [S] [V] I am going .

Not: She always asks me where am I going .

We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh- questions:

I asked him what he was doing.

Not: I asked him what he was doing?

Word of the Day

hit the road

to leave a place or begin a journey

Searching out and tracking down: talking about finding or discovering things

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Easy Insightful Literature Notes

Transformation of Sentence: Direct & Indirect Speech

A direct speech can be transformed into an indirect speech and vice versa using a suitable reporting verb and a linker depending on the sentence. Let’s have an example first.

• Tina said to me, “Are you busy now?” [direct speech]
• Tina asked me whether I was busy then. [indirect speech]

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

• Look, if the reporting verb in direct speech (said) is in past tense, the reporting verb in indirect speech (asked) would also be in past tense. ‘Whether’ is the linker added here as it is a ‘yes-no’ type question (Refer to list 1 below).
• ‘Are’ changes to ‘was’. As the reporting verb was in past tense, the verb in the reported speech will also be in past. (Refer to list 2 below)
• ‘Now’ has become ‘then’. Time and place expressions change if the reporting verb is in past tense. (Refer to list 3 below)
• The question mark (?) has changed to a full stop(.).
• Another important thing, the format of question (v + s + o) has changed to the format of a statement (s + v + o). In indirect speech the pattern always comes to subject + verb + object.

List of Reporting verbs and linkers (list 1)

Verbs of Reported speech (if the reporting verb is in past tense) (list 2) Direct speech → Indirect speech Am / is / are →  was / were Was / were → had been Has / have → had Had → had had Shall / will → would Can → could May → might Must, should → must, should Verb1 → verb2 Verb2 → had + verb3

Change of time and place expressions in past tense (list 3) now → then ago → before today → that day yesterday → the previous day tomorrow → the next day last night → the previous night here → there this → that these → those

Narration change of Assertive sentence

• Robin said, “I went to Delhi yesterday.” – Robin said that he had gone to Delhi the previous day .
• She said to her husband, “I want to go with you.” – She told her husband that she wanted to go with him.

Narration change of Interrogative sentence

• He said to me, “Do you know English?” – He asked me whether I knew English.
• She said to me, “Did you go there?” – She wanted to know whether I had gone there.
• I said to him, “What are you doing?” – I asked him what he was doing.
• Rahul said to his mother, “How do you do all these things together?” – Rahul asked his mother how she did all those things together.

Narration change of Imperative sentence

• He said to me, “Go there right now.” – He ordered me to go there right then.
• My teacher said to me, “Obey your parents.” – My teacher asked me to obey my parents.
• She said to me, “Please don’t go there.” – She requested me not to go there.
• He said to her, “Let’s go home.” – He suggested her that they should go home.
• His mother said, “Let him eat whatever he likes.” – His mother suggested that he might be allowed to eat whatever he liked.

Narration change of Optative sentence

• He said to the boy, “May god bless you.” – He prayed that God might bless the boy.
• The girl said, “Had I the wings of a dove.” – The girl wished that she had the wings of a dove.

Narration change of Exclamatory sentence

• “How happy we are here!” said the children. – The children exclaimed in joy that they were very happy there.
• The children said, “How happy we were there!” – The children exclaimed in sorrow that they had been very happy there.
• He said to me, “Good bye!” – He bade me good bye.
• She said to me, “Good evening!”—She wished me good evening.

Narration change of Vocatives

• Teacher said, “ Robin , stand up.” – Teacher asked Robin to stand up.
• The Bishop said to the convict, “Always remember, my son , that the poor body is the temple of the living God.” – The Bishop addressed the convict as his son and advised him to always remember that the poor body is the temple of the living God.

Narration change of question tag

• He said to me, “You went to Kolkata, didn’t you?” – He asked me whether I had gone to Kolkata and assumed that I had.
• I said to him, “Tina didn’t tell a lie, did she?” – I asked him if Tina had told a lie and assumed that she had not.

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100 Reported Speech Examples: How To Change Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of communicating what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. For example, if your friend said, “ I am going to the store ,” in reported speech, you might convey this as, “ My friend said he was going to the store. ” Reported speech is common in both spoken and written language, especially in storytelling, news reporting, and everyday conversations.

Reported speech can be quite challenging for English language learners because in order to change direct speech into reported speech, one must change the perspective and tense of what was said by the original speaker or writer. In this guide, we will explain in detail how to change direct speech into indirect speech and provide lots of examples of reported speech to help you understand. Here are the key aspects of converting direct speech into reported speech.

Reported Speech: Changing Pronouns

Pronouns are usually changed to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. For example, “I” in direct speech may become “he” or “she” in reported speech, depending on the context. Here are some example sentences:

• Direct : “I am going to the park.” Reported : He said he was going to the park .
• Direct : “You should try the new restaurant.” Reported : She said that I should try the new restaurant.
• Direct : “We will win the game.” Reported : They said that they would win the game.
• Direct : “She loves her new job.” Reported : He said that she loves her new job.
• Direct : “He can’t come to the party.” Reported : She said that he couldn’t come to the party.
• Direct : “It belongs to me.” Reported : He said that it belonged to him .
• Direct : “They are moving to a new city.” Reported : She said that they were moving to a new city.
• Direct : “You are doing a great job.” Reported : He told me that I was doing a great job.
• Direct : “I don’t like this movie.” Reported : She said that she didn’t like that movie.
• Direct : “We have finished our work.” Reported : They said that they had finished their work.
• Direct : “You will need to sign here.” Reported : He said that I would need to sign there.
• Direct : “She can solve the problem.” Reported : He said that she could solve the problem.
• Direct : “He was not at home yesterday.” Reported : She said that he had not been at home the day before.
• Direct : “It is my responsibility.” Reported : He said that it was his responsibility.
• Direct : “We are planning a surprise.” Reported : They said that they were planning a surprise.

Reported Speech: Reporting Verbs

In reported speech, various reporting verbs are used depending on the nature of the statement or the intention behind the communication. These verbs are essential for conveying the original tone, intent, or action of the speaker. Here are some examples demonstrating the use of different reporting verbs in reported speech:

• Direct: “I will help you,” she promised . Reported: She promised that she would help me.
• Direct: “You should study harder,” he advised . Reported: He advised that I should study harder.
• Direct: “I didn’t take your book,” he denied . Reported: He denied taking my book .
• Direct: “Let’s go to the cinema,” she suggested . Reported: She suggested going to the cinema .
• Direct: “I love this song,” he confessed . Reported: He confessed that he loved that song.
• Direct: “I haven’t seen her today,” she claimed . Reported: She claimed that she hadn’t seen her that day.
• Direct: “I will finish the project,” he assured . Reported: He assured me that he would finish the project.
• Direct: “I’m not feeling well,” she complained . Reported: She complained of not feeling well.
• Direct: “This is how you do it,” he explained . Reported: He explained how to do it.
• Direct: “I saw him yesterday,” she stated . Reported: She stated that she had seen him the day before.
• Direct: “Please open the window,” he requested . Reported: He requested that I open the window.
• Direct: “I can win this race,” he boasted . Reported: He boasted that he could win the race.
• Direct: “I’m moving to London,” she announced . Reported: She announced that she was moving to London.
• Direct: “I didn’t understand the instructions,” he admitted . Reported: He admitted that he didn’t understand the instructions.
• Direct: “I’ll call you tonight,” she promised . Reported: She promised to call me that night.

Reported Speech: Tense Shifts

When converting direct speech into reported speech, the verb tense is often shifted back one step in time. This is known as the “backshift” of tenses. It’s essential to adjust the tense to reflect the time elapsed between the original speech and the reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how different tenses in direct speech are transformed in reported speech:

• Direct: “I am eating.” Reported: He said he was eating.
• Direct: “They will go to the park.” Reported: She mentioned they would go to the park.
• Direct: “We have finished our homework.” Reported: They told me they had finished their homework.
• Direct: “I do my exercises every morning.” Reported: He explained that he did his exercises every morning.
• Direct: “She is going to start a new job.” Reported: He heard she was going to start a new job.
• Direct: “I can solve this problem.” Reported: She said she could solve that problem.
• Direct: “We are visiting Paris next week.” Reported: They said they were visiting Paris the following week.
• Direct: “I will be waiting outside.” Reported: He stated he would be waiting outside.
• Direct: “They have been studying for hours.” Reported: She mentioned they had been studying for hours.
• Direct: “I can’t understand this chapter.” Reported: He complained that he couldn’t understand that chapter.
• Direct: “We were planning a surprise.” Reported: They told me they had been planning a surprise.
• Direct: “She has to complete her assignment.” Reported: He said she had to complete her assignment.
• Direct: “I will have finished the project by Monday.” Reported: She stated she would have finished the project by Monday.
• Direct: “They are going to hold a meeting.” Reported: She heard they were going to hold a meeting.
• Direct: “I must leave.” Reported: He said he had to leave.

Reported Speech: Changing Time and Place References

When converting direct speech into reported speech, references to time and place often need to be adjusted to fit the context of the reported speech. This is because the time and place relative to the speaker may have changed from the original statement to the time of reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how time and place references change:

• Direct: “I will see you tomorrow .” Reported: He said he would see me the next day .
• Direct: “We went to the park yesterday .” Reported: They said they went to the park the day before .
• Direct: “I have been working here since Monday .” Reported: She mentioned she had been working there since Monday .
• Direct: “Let’s meet here at noon.” Reported: He suggested meeting there at noon.
• Direct: “I bought this last week .” Reported: She said she had bought it the previous week .
• Direct: “I will finish this by tomorrow .” Reported: He stated he would finish it by the next day .
• Direct: “She will move to New York next month .” Reported: He heard she would move to New York the following month .
• Direct: “They were at the festival this morning .” Reported: She said they were at the festival that morning .
• Direct: “I saw him here yesterday.” Reported: She mentioned she saw him there the day before.
• Direct: “We will return in a week .” Reported: They said they would return in a week .
• Direct: “I have an appointment today .” Reported: He said he had an appointment that day .
• Direct: “The event starts next Friday .” Reported: She mentioned the event starts the following Friday .
• Direct: “I lived in Berlin two years ago .” Reported: He stated he had lived in Berlin two years before .
• Direct: “I will call you tonight .” Reported: She said she would call me that night .
• Direct: “I was at the office yesterday .” Reported: He mentioned he was at the office the day before .

Reported Speech: Question Format

When converting questions from direct speech into reported speech, the format changes significantly. Unlike statements, questions require rephrasing into a statement format and often involve the use of introductory verbs like ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’. Here are some examples to demonstrate how questions in direct speech are converted into statements in reported speech:

• Direct: “Are you coming to the party?” Reported: She asked if I was coming to the party.
• Direct: “What time is the meeting?” Reported: He inquired what time the meeting was.
• Direct: “Why did you leave early?” Reported: They wanted to know why I had left early.
• Direct: “Can you help me with this?” Reported: She asked if I could help her with that.
• Direct: “Where did you buy this?” Reported: He wondered where I had bought that.
• Direct: “Who is going to the concert?” Reported: They asked who was going to the concert.
• Direct: “How do you solve this problem?” Reported: She questioned how to solve that problem.
• Direct: “Is this the right way to the station?” Reported: He inquired whether it was the right way to the station.
• Direct: “Do you know her name?” Reported: They asked if I knew her name.
• Direct: “Why are they moving out?” Reported: She wondered why they were moving out.
• Direct: “Have you seen my keys?” Reported: He asked if I had seen his keys.
• Direct: “What were they talking about?” Reported: She wanted to know what they had been talking about.
• Direct: “When will you return?” Reported: He asked when I would return.
• Direct: “Can she drive a manual car?” Reported: They inquired if she could drive a manual car.
• Direct: “How long have you been waiting?” Reported: She asked how long I had been waiting.

Reported Speech: Omitting Quotation Marks

In reported speech, quotation marks are not used, differentiating it from direct speech which requires them to enclose the spoken words. Reported speech summarizes or paraphrases what someone said without the need for exact wording. Here are examples showing how direct speech with quotation marks is transformed into reported speech without them:

• Direct: “I am feeling tired,” she said. Reported: She said she was feeling tired.
• Direct: “We will win the game,” he exclaimed. Reported: He exclaimed that they would win the game.
• Direct: “I don’t like apples,” the boy declared. Reported: The boy declared that he didn’t like apples.
• Direct: “You should visit Paris,” she suggested. Reported: She suggested that I should visit Paris.
• Direct: “I will be late,” he warned. Reported: He warned that he would be late.
• Direct: “I can’t believe you did that,” she expressed in surprise. Reported: She expressed her surprise that I had done that.
• Direct: “I need help with this task,” he admitted. Reported: He admitted that he needed help with the task.
• Direct: “I have never been to Italy,” she confessed. Reported: She confessed that she had never been to Italy.
• Direct: “We saw a movie last night,” they mentioned. Reported: They mentioned that they saw a movie the night before.
• Direct: “I am learning to play the piano,” he revealed. Reported: He revealed that he was learning to play the piano.
• Direct: “You must finish your homework,” she instructed. Reported: She instructed that I must finish my homework.
• Direct: “I will call you tomorrow,” he promised. Reported: He promised that he would call me the next day.
• Direct: “I have finished my assignment,” she announced. Reported: She announced that she had finished her assignment.
• Direct: “I cannot attend the meeting,” he apologized. Reported: He apologized for not being able to attend the meeting.
• Direct: “I don’t remember where I put it,” she confessed. Reported: She confessed that she didn’t remember where she put it.

Reported Speech Quiz

Thanks for reading! I hope you found these reported speech examples useful. Before you go, why not try this Reported Speech Quiz and see if you can change indirect speech into reported speech?

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A Comprehensive Guide To Reported Speech In English

There are times when someone tells you something and you’ll have to report what they said to someone else.

How can you do this in English?

You’ll need to know how to use what's called reported speech in English and this is what you’ll learn in this blog post.

What Is Reported Speech In English?

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of retelling what someone else has said without repeating their exact words. 

For example, let’s say you have a friend called Jon and one called Mary. Mary has organised a house party and has invited you and Jon. 

Jon, however, is not feeling well. He says to you, “Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today.” 

A few days after the party, you meet Sarah. She’s another one of your friends and she was at the party too, but she arrived late – a moment before you left. You only had time to say hello to each other. 

She asks you, “I saw you at the party but I didn’t see Jon. Where was he?”

When Sarah asks you, “Where was Jon?” you can say, 

“Jon said, ‘Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today’.”

However, it would be more natural to use indirect speech in this case. So you would say, “Jon said he couldn’t come to the party. He had spent all day working outside under the rain and he felt ill that day .” 

Did you notice how the sentence changes in reported speech?

Here’s what happened:

• “I” became “he”
• “Cannot” became “couldn’t”
• “Spent” became “had spent”
• “I feel ill today” became “he felt ill on that day” 

Let’s take a closer look at how we form reported speech.

How To Form Reported Speech In English

To form reported speech, you might have to make a few changes to the original sentence that was spoken (or written). 

You may have to change pronouns, verb tenses, place and time expressions and, in the case of questions, the word order.

There are certain patterns to learn for reporting promises, agreements, orders, offers, requests, advice and suggestions.

Let’s have a look at all these cases one by one.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Verb Tenses

In general, when we use reported speech, the present tenses become past tenses.  

We do this because we are often reporting someone else’s words at a different time (Jon’s words were spoken 3 days before you reported them to Sarah).

Here’s an example:

Jenny (on Saturday evening) says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”(present tenses)

Matt (on Sunday morning) talks to James and says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home. (past tenses)

So this is how different verb tenses change:

Simple Present → Simple Past

DIRECT: I need money.

INDIRECT: She said she needed money.

Present Progressive → Past Progressive

DIRECT: My French is improving.

INDIRECT: He said his French was improving.

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

DIRECT: This has been an amazing holiday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it had been an amazing holiday.

What if there is a past simple form of the verb in direct speech? Well, in this case, it can stay the same in reported speech or you can change it to past perfect .

Past Simple → Past Simple Or Past Perfect

DIRECT: I didn’t go to work.

INDIRECT: Mary said that she didn’t go to work / Mary said that she hadn’t gone to work 

Past Perfect Tenses Do Not Change

DIRECT: I arrived late because I had missed the bus.

INDIRECT: He said he arrived (or had arrived) late because he had missed the bus.

Modal verbs like “can,” “may,” and “will” also change in reported speech.

Will → Would

DIRECT: The exam will be difficult.

INDIRECT: They said that the exam would be difficult.

Can → Could

DIRECT: I can’t be there.

INDIRECT: He told me he couldn’t be there.

May → Might

DIRECT: We may go there another time.

INDIRECT: They said they might go there another time.

However, past modal verbs don’t change (would, must, could, should, etc.) don’t change in reported speech.

DIRECT: It would be nice if we could go to Paris.

INDIRECT: He said it would be nice if we could go to Paris.

Here are some other examples:

So, in summary, 

• am/is → were
• do/does → did
• have/has → had
• had done → had done
• will → would
• can → could
• may → might
• could → could
• would → would
• like/love/buy/see → liked/loved/bought/saw or had liked/ had loved/had bought/had seen.

You make these verb tense shifts when you report the original words at a different time from when they were spoken. However, it is often also possible to keep the original speaker’s tenses when the situation is still the same.

For example, 

1. DIRECT: I am feeling sick.

   INDIRECT: She said she is feeling sick.

2. DIRECT: We have to leave now.

   INDIRECT: They said they have to leave now.

3. DIRECT: I will call you later.

   INDIRECT: He said he will call me later.

4. DIRECT: She is not coming to the party.

   INDIRECT: He said she is not coming to the party.

5. DIRECT: They are working on a new project.

   INDIRECT: She said they are working on a new project.

What about conditional sentences? How do they change in reported speech?

Sentences with “if” and “would” are usually unchanged.

DIRECT: It would be best if we went there early.

INDIRECT: He said it would be best if they went there early.

But conditional sentences used to describe unreal situations (e.g. second conditional or third conditional sentences) can change like this:

DIRECT: If I had more money I would buy a new car.

INDIRECT: She said if she had had more money, she would have bought a new car OR She said if she had more money, she would buy a new car.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Pronouns

In reported speech, because you’re reporting someone else’s words, there’s a change of speaker so this may mean a change of pronoun.

An example:

Jenny says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”

Matt says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home.” 

In this example, Jenny says “I” to refer to herself but Matt, talking about what Jenny said, uses “she”.

So the sentence in reported speech becomes:

• Jenny said that she didn’t like . . . ( not Jenny said that I didn’t like . . .)

Some other examples:

1 . DIRECT: I have been studying for hours.

   INDIRECT: He said he had been studying for hours.

2. DIRECT: I don’t like that movie.

   INDIRECT: She said she didn’t like that movie.

3. DIRECT: He doesn't like coffee.

   INDIRECT: She said he doesn't like coffee.

4. DIRECT: We have a new car.

   INDIRECT: They told me they had a new car.

5. DIRECT: We are going on vacation next week.

    INDIRECT: They said they are going on vacation next week.

Reported Speech In English: Place And Time Expressions

When you’re reporting someone’s words, there is often a change of place and time.  This may mean that you will need to change or remove words that are used to refer to places and time like “here,” “this,” “now,” “today,” “next,” “last,” “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” and so on. 

Check the differences in the following sentences:

DIRECT: I'll be back next month.

INDIRECT: She said she would be back the next month , but I never saw her again.

DIRECT: Emma got her degree last Tuesday.

INDIRECT: He said Emma had got her degree the Tuesday before.

DIRECT: I had an argument with my mother-in-law yesterday .

INDIRECT: He said he’d had an argument with his mother-in-law the day before .

DIRECT: We're going to have an amazing party tomorrow.

INDIRECT: They said they were going to have an amazing party the next day.

DIRECT: Meet me here at 10 am.

INDIRECT: He told me to meet him there at 10 am.

DIRECT: This restaurant is really good.

INDIRECT: She said that the restaurant was really good.

DIRECT: I'm going to the gym now.

INDIRECT: He said he was going to the gym at that time.

DIRECT: Today is my birthday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it was her birthday that day .

DIRECT: I'm leaving for Europe next week.

INDIRECT: She said she was leaving for Europe the following week.

Reported Speech In English: Word Order In Questions

What if you have to report a question? For example, how would you report the following questions?

• Where’s Mark?
• When are you going to visit your grandmother?
• What do I need to buy for the celebration?
• Where are your best friend and his wife staying?
• Do you like coffee?
• Can you sing?
• Who’s your best friend?
• What time do you usually wake up?
• What would you do if you won the lottery?
• Do you ever read nonfiction books?

In reported questions, the subject normally comes before the verb and auxiliary “do” is not used.

So, here is what happens when you're reporting a question:

DIRECT: Where’s Mark?

INDIRECT: I asked where Mark was. 

DIRECT: When are you going to visit your grandmother?

INDIRECT: He wanted to know when I was going to visit my grandmother.

DIRECT: What do I need to buy for the celebration?

INDIRECT: She asked what she needed to buy for the celebration.

DIRECT: Where are your best friend and his wife staying?

INDIRECT: I asked where his best friend and his wife were staying.

DIRECT: Do you like coffee?

INDIRECT: I asked if she liked coffee.

DIRECT: Can you sing?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I could sing.

DIRECT: Who’s your best friend?

INDIRECT: They asked me who my best friend was. 

DIRECT: What time do you usually wake up?

INDIRECT: She asked me what time I usually wake up.

DIRECT: What would you do if you won the lottery?

INDIRECT: He asked me what I would do if I won the lottery.

DIRECT: Do you ever read nonfiction books?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I ever read nonfiction books.

You might have noticed that question marks are not used in reported questions and you don’t use “say” or “tell” either.

Promises, Agreements, Orders, Offers, Requests & Advice

When you’re reporting these, you can use the following verbs + an infinitive:

Here are some examples:

DIRECT SPEECH: I’ll always love you.

PROMISE IN INDIRECT SPEECH: She promised to love me.

DIRECT SPEECH: OK, let’s go to the pub.

INDIRECT SPEECH: He agreed to come to the pub with me.

DIRECT SPEECH: Sit down!

INDIRECT SPEECH: They told me to sit down OR they ordered me to sit down.

DIRECT SPEECH: I can go to the post office for you.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She offered to go to the post office.

DIRECT SPEECH: Could I please have the documentation by tomorrow evening?

INDIRECT SPEECH: She requested to have the documentation by the following evening.

DIRECT SPEECH: You should think twice before giving him your phone number.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She advised me to think twice before giving him my phone number.

Reported Speech In English

All right! I hope you have a much clearer idea about what reported speech is and how it’s used. 

And the good news is that both direct and indirect speech structures are commonly used in stories, so why not try the StoryLearning method ? 

You'll notice this grammatical pattern repeatedly in the context of short stories in English.

Not only will this help you acquire it naturally, but you will also have a fun learning experience by immersing yourself in an interesting and inspiring narrative.

Have a wonderful time learning through books in English !

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Changing Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

If you have ever thought about how to change direct speech into indirect speech, this tutorial will provide a comprehensive guide on how to do so effectively. In English Grammar, the process of converting direct speech into indirect speech, known as 'reported speech,' consists of various rules that one must understand and appropriately apply. Do not worry if you are a beginner at this; by the end of this tutorial, you will be confident in changing direct speech into indirect speech.

Table of Contents

Understanding Direct and Indirect Speech

Before jumping into the transformation process, let's first define what Direct and Indirect Speech are:

Direct Speech:

Direct Speech refers to the exact wording used by a person to convey a message or share information. It typically involves using quotations to denote the speaker's words. An example of direct speech is: She said, "I am hungry."

Indirect Speech:

On the other hand, Indirect Speech, also known as Reported Speech, involves reporting what someone has said without necessarily using the exact wording. In this case, quotations are not used. Using the same content from the direct speech example, the indirect speech would be: She said that she was hungry.

Types of Sentences in Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct and Indirect Speech can occur in five different types of sentences: statements, commands, requests, questions, and exclamations. Each of these sentence types has specific rules associated with their transformation.

Rules for Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

The initial step in changing direct speech to reported speech involves understanding specific rules. The following are some general guidelines to consider:

Rule 1: Change the verb tense in the quoted speech. With past tense reporting verbs, shift the tense back. For example, if the direct speech is in the present simple, shift it to the past simple in the reported speech. Hence, "He says, 'I am busy'" will change to "He said he was busy."

Rule 2: Adjust pronouns and time/place words as necessary. The pronoun may change according to the subject of reporting speech. Thus, "She says, 'I enjoy reading'" will become "She said she enjoyed reading."

Rule 3: Remove the quotation marks. Reported speech does not use direct quotations, so delete the quotes when converting the speech. For instance, "I am happy," he said will become He said he was happy.

For Statements

When reporting statements, use that to connect the reported speech. Keep in mind that that is often omitted in conversation. Remember to change the tense and adjust pronouns as necessary. For example, direct speech: He said, "I am tired." Indirect speech: He said that he was tired.

For Commands and Requests

Change commands and requests from direct to indirect speech using to for commands and to kindly for requests. Adjust the tense as appropriate. For example, direct command: "Come here!" said the mother. Indirect command: The mother told him to come there.

For Questions

When converting questions, use if or whether. Adjust the tense of the verb and do not use question marks. For example, direct question: She asked, "Are you feeling well?" Indirect question: She asked if he was feeling well.

For Exclamations

Exclamations and wishes are reported with words like exclaimed or wished, and the exclamatory words are often re-phrased. For example, direct exclamation: "How beautiful the rainbow is!" he exclaimed. Indirect exclamation: He exclaimed that the rainbow was very beautiful.

By focusing on each rule while learning, you can understand the context of direct and indirect speech and hone your skills in English grammar. With continual practice and use of these guidelines, you will find yourself becoming increasingly comfortable with converting direct speech to indirect.

Remember, though knowledge about theoretical rules is essential, it is ultimately practice and implementation that will help you master this segment of English grammar. Good luck with your continuous learning journey!

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Time and Place in Reported Speech

When we report something, we may need to make changes to:

• time (now, tomorrow)
• place (here, this room)

If we report something around the same time, then we probably do not need to make any changes to time words . But if we report something at a different time, we need to change time words. Look at these example sentences:

• He said: "It was hot yesterday ." → He said that it had been hot the day before .
• He said: "We are going to swim tomorrow ." → He said they were going to swim the next day .

Here is a list of common time words, showing how you change them for reported speech:

Place words

If we are in the same place when we report something, then we do not need to make any changes to place words . But if we are in a different place when we report something, then we need to change the place words. Look at these example sentences:

• He said: "It is cold in here ." → He said that it was cold in there .
• He said: "How much is this book ?" → He asked how much the book was.

Here are some common place words, showing how you change them for reported speech:

19 Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Examples (Updated 2025)

Have you ever struggled with the rules of direct and indirect speech? You’re not alone. These forms of speech can be challenging, but mastering them is crucial for clear and effective communication, especially for school students, ESL learners, and those preparing for competitive exams.

Understanding direct and indirect speech conversion rules is crucial for clear and accurate communication and the conversion between direct and indirect speech will significantly enhance your language skills.

This informative article will explore these Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for Conversion with detailed examples.

Understanding Direct Speech

Direct speech is a form of reporting that presents someone’s exact words without any alterations. It is commonly enclosed in quotation marks, allowing readers to see the speaker’s statements precisely as they were uttered.

1. Key Elements of Direct Speech

a . Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are your best friends here. They compress the exact words spoken by a person.

b. Punctuation Placement

Punctuation is crucial. Commas , periods , question marks , and exclamation points all have their specific places within the quotation marks.

c. Speaker Tags

Speaker tags like “he said” or “she exclaimed” are often used to indicate who is speaking. These can be placed before , after , or even in the middle of the quoted speech.

2. E xamples of Direct Speech

a. Basic Examples

Consider this simple example:

• Ritu said, “I am going to the store.”

Here, the exact words of Ritu are presented within quotation marks.

b. Complex Examples

Now, let’s add more complexity:

• “I can’t believe it,” she whispered, “but I saw a unicorn in the garden.”

Notice how the sentence is split into two parts, but both are still within quotation marks.

For a better understanding of Direct Narration

“I shall not go to school,” are the exact words of Riya, enclosed in quotation marks/inverted commas (“….”). This format, which uses commas and quotation marks/inverted commas, is called direct speech . In this sentence, ‘Riya’ is the subject or speaker, ‘says’ is the reporting verb, and ‘I shall not go to school’ is the reported speech.

Understanding Indirect Speech

Indirect speech , on the other hand, involves paraphrasing someone’s words and reporting them indirectly, without using quotation marks. It requires a few changes in structure, such as tense and pronoun shifts. Let’s convert the previous example of direct speech into indirect speech:

1. Key Elements of Indirect Speech

a. Removing Quotation Marks

Unlike direct speech, indirect speech doesn’t require quotation marks. You’re paraphrasing what was said.

b. Changing Pronouns

Pronouns often need to be changed to fit the new context. For instance, “I” becomes “he” or “she.”

c. Adjusting Tenses

Tenses usually shift back when converting to indirect speech. Present tense often turns into past tense.

d. Modifying Time Expressions

Time expressions like “today” or “tomorrow” also change to maintain the timeline consistency.

2. Examples of Indirect Speech

Basic Examples

Here’s a simple conversion:

• Direct: John said, “I am going to the store.”
• Indirect: John said that he was going to the store.

Complex Examples

For a more complex sentence:

• Direct: “I can’t believe it,” she whispered, “but I saw a unicorn in the garden.”
• Indirect: She whispered that she couldn’t believe it but that she had seen a unicorn in the garden.

For a clear concept of Indirect Narration

Similarly, we can report the above sentence without quoting Riya’s exact words while keeping the meaning the same. This format is called indirect speech. In this format, no commas or quotation marks/inverted commas are used; only a full stop (.) is used at the end of the sentence.

Difference between direct and indirect speech rules

The following comparison highlights the key differences between direct and indirect speech rules, including punctuation, tense changes, and adjustments to pronouns and time references.

People also ask

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules: Essential for Learners

Discover the essential rules of direct and indirect speech with a variety of examples to improve your language skills. Effortlessly understand the intricacies of converting statements, questions, and commands from one form to another.

Understanding direct and indirect speech is crucial for effective communication, for learners. Here, we have outlined the essential rules you need to know.

A. Reporting Verbs Rules B. Tenses Rules C. Pronouns Rules D. Punctuation Marks Rules E. Modals and Conditional Rules F. Modifying Words Rules

A. Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for Reporting Verbs

Different reporting verbs are used to introduce indirect speech. The choice of reporting verb can convey the speaker’s attitude towards the reported speech.

Changes in reporting verbs according to tense are one of the most important rules for converting direct speech into indirect speech.

Remember: If the reporting verbs are in the present or future tense, the tense of the verb in the reported speech is not changed .

Remember: If the reporting verbs are in the past tense , the tense of the verb in the reported speech will be in the corresponding past tense.

Here are some commonly used reporting verbs:

Rule 1: Reporting verbs rules for ‘ Say ‘ and ‘ Tell ‘.

“Say” and “tell” are two frequently used reporting verbs. “Say” is generally followed by the reported speech, while “tell” is followed by the indirect object (the person being addressed).

Direct: He says , “I am your friend.” Indirect: He says that he is your friend.

Direct: He said to me, “I’m going to the store.” Indirect: She told me that he was going to the store.

Reporting verbs ‘Say’ and ‘Tell’ Chart

Rule 2: ‘ ask ‘ and ‘ inquire’ are used as reporting verbs..

When reporting questions , “ ask “ and “ inquire “ are commonly employed reporting verbs.

Direct: He said to me, “Where are you going?” Indirect: He asked where I was going.

Direct: She said , “When will the concert start?” Indirect: She inquired, “When will the concert start?”

Direct: Sarah said , “What time does the movie start?” Indirect: Sarah asked what time the movie started.

Direct: “Could you please provide more details?” she said to me. Indirect: She inquired politely if I could provide more details.

Direct: The customer said , “Do you have this item in stock?” Indirect: The customer i nquired if that item had in stock.

Rule 3: Reporting Verb rules for “ Request “, “ Advise “, “ Order “, and “ Beg “.

To report imperative sentences, “Request”, “Advise”, “Order”, and “beg” are often used.

Direct: “Please close the door,” she said . Indirect: She requested that the door be closed.

Direct: “You should study regularly,” he said. Indirect: He advised that regular studying should be done.

Direct: “Stand up straight,” the sergeant said . Indirect: The sergeant ordered that they stand up straight.

Direct: He said to me, “Go home at once” Indirect: He ordered me to go home at once.

Direct: She said , “Do not run in the sun” Indirect: She advised not to run in the sun.”

Direct: “Please forgive me,” she said. Indirect: She begged for forgiveness.

B. Tenses Rules for Direct and Indirect Speech

The second most important rule is the changes of Tenses for converting direct speech to indirect speech. When transforming direct speech into indirect speech, there are specific rules to follow regarding tense changes:

Rule 4: If the reporting verb is in the present tense ,

If the Reporting Verb is in the Present Tense , there is no change in the tense in the Reported Verb when Direct Speech is converted into Indirect Narration.

Direct: Arnab says , “The room is dark.” Indirect: Arnab says that the room is dark.

Direct: Arnab says , “The room was dark.” Indirect: Arnab says that the room was dark.

Direct: Arnab says , “I shall finish the work.” Indirect: Arnab says that he will finish the work.

Direct: Mary says , “I am going to the party.” Indirect: Mary says that she is going to the party.

Direct: He tells us, “I will finish the project by tomorrow.” Indirect: He tells us that he will finish the project by tomorrow.

Rule 5: If the reporting verb is in the future tense ,

If the Reporting Verb is in the Future Tense , there is no change in the tense in the Reported Verb when Direct Speech is converted into Indirect Narration.

Direct: Sarah will say , “I am going to the store.” Indirect: Sarah will say that she is going to the store.

Direct: John will say, “I have completed the assignment.” Indirect: John will say that he has completed the assignment.

Direct: Arnab will say, “The room is dark.” Indirect: Arnab will say that the room is dark.

Direct: Arnab will say , “The room was dark.” Indirect: Arnab will say that the room was dark.

Direct: Arnab will say, “I shall finish the work.” Indirect: Arnab will say that he will finish the work.

Rule 6: If the reporting verb is in the past tense ,

If the Reporting verb of the Direct Narration is in the Past Tense , the Present Tense of the Verb in the Reported Speech of Direct Narration is changed into the corresponding Past Tense in Indirect Narration .

Direct: Rohan said , “She works hard.” Indirect: Rohan said that she worked hard.

Direct: Rohan said, “She is singing a song.” Indirect: Rohan said that she was singing a song.

Direct: The guest said shouting, “We have arrived .” Indirect: The guest shouted that they had arrived.

Direct: My sister said , “It has been raining hard for 3 days”. Indirect: My sister said that it had been raining hard for 3 days.

Direct: Father said, “I visited the Taj yesterday.” Indirect: Father said that he had visited the Taj the previous day.

Direct: The boys said, “They were traveling in the park.” Indirect: The boys said that they had been traveling in the park.

Direct: The reporters commented , “The Kohinoor had been lost long ago”. Indirect: The reporters commented that the Kohinoor had been lost long ago.

Direct: Jyotsna said, “ She had been doing the work for 3 hours”. Indirect: Jyotsna said that she had been doing the work for 3 hours.

Rule: 7 If the reported speech implies Universal Truth or Habitual Fact or Scientific Truth ,

The Tense of the Verb remains unchanged in Indirect Narration in cases of General Statements of Facts , Universal Truths , Commonplace Occurrences , and Habitual or Repeated Actions . No real change occurs in these cases. Only there will be present Tense alone.

Direct: The boy said to his mother, “ The sun rises in the East”. Indirect: The boy told his mother that the sun rises in the East. [ Universal Truth ]

Direct: The monk answered , “ Man is mortal”. Indirect: The monk answered that man is mortal. [ Universal Truth ]

Direct: The teacher told the students, “ Perseverance always leads to success.” Indirect: The teacher told the students that perseverance always leads to success.

3. Direct and Indirect Speech R ules for Pronouns

There are certain rules to follow regarding the changes of pronouns from direct speech to indirect speech:

Rule 8: Personal Pronouns (I, We, You, He, She, They) Rules

First person.

(a) If the subject of the reported speech of direct form is in the first person, the subject of the reported speech will be replaced by the subject of the reporting verb in indirect form, but the number must be the same. [ singular > singular and plural > plural ]

Direct: She says, “ I am ill today.” Indirect: She says that she is ill that day.

Second Person

(b) If the subject of the reported speech in the Direct Form is in the second person, the subject of the reported speech will be replaced by the object of the reporting verb in the indirect form, but the number must be the same. [ singular > singular and plural > plural ]

Direct: He says to me , ” You can do this work.” Indirect: He tells me that I can do that work.

Third Person

(c) If the subject of the reported speech of Direct Form is in the third person, there will be no change in the person of the Indirect Form.

Direct: I said, “ He will not wait for his friend.” Indirect: I said that he would not wait for his friend.

Pronouns Chart : direct and indirect speech rules

Rule 9: demonstrative pronouns ( this, that ) rules.

In the case of demonstrative pronouns, replace them with appropriate pronouns in indirect speech.

Direct: “ This is my book,” she said. Indirect: She said that this was her book.

4. Direct and Indirect Speech ( Punctuation and Quotation Marks ) Rules

Understanding how to punctuate and use quotation marks correctly is crucial when dealing with direct and indirect speech. Here are some guidelines:

Rule 10: Comma with Reporting Verb Rules

When introducing indirect speech with a reporting verb, use a comma to separate the reporting verb from the reported speech.

Example: She said, “I’ll be there on time.”

Rule 11: Question Mark to Full Stop Rules

If the direct speech is a question, change the question mark to a full stop when converting to indirect speech.

Direct: He asked, “Are you coming to the party?” Indirect: He asked if I was coming to the party.

Rule 12: Exclamation Mark to Full Stop Rules

In cases where the direct speech has an exclamation mark, replace it with a full stop in indirect speech.

Direct: She exclaimed, “What a beautiful day!” Indirect: She exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.

E. Direct to Indirect Speech Conversion Rules : Modals and Conditional Sentences

Indirect speech involving modals and conditional sentences requires careful attention to maintain accuracy:

Rule 13: Rules of Modals in Indirect Speech

When dealing with modals like can, could, will, would, may, might, shall, should, must, etc., use the appropriate past form in indirect speech.

Direct: She said, “You should respect your elders. Indirect: She said that I should respect my elders.

Direct: She said, “I can speak French fluently. Indirect: She said that she could speak French fluently.

Direct: May I borrow your pen?” she asked. Indirect: She asked if she might borrow my pen.

Direct: He said, “You must complete the assignment by tomorrow. Indirect: He said that I must complete the assignment by the next day.

Rule 14: Conditional Sentences in Indirect Speech Rules

In indirect speech, conditional sentences undergo specific changes, especially when they involve “will” or “would.”

Direct: He said, “I will help you.” Indirect: He said that he would help me.

Direct: He said, “I will help you with your project Indirect: He said that he would help me with my project.

F. Direct and Indirect Speech Rules: ( Modifying Words – Time, Place, Manner )

Adding modifying words or phrases can alter the meaning of the reported speech:

Rule 15: Reporting with Adverbs of Time

When using adverbs of time in indirect speech, adjust them to match the new timeframe.

Direct: “I will come tomorrow,” she said. Indirect: She said that she would come the next day.

Rule 16: Reporting with Adverbs of Place

Similar to adverbs of time, adverbs of place need modification in indirect speech. 

Direct: ” I live here,” he said. Indirect: He said that he lived there.

Rule 17: Reporting with Adverbs of Manner

We can also use Adverbs of manner in indirect speech, requiring appropriate adjustments.

Direct: “He ran quickly,” she said. Indirect: She said that he ran quickly.

Time, Place, Manner, Distance, Direction Chart: Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

In Indirect Narration, words denoting Time, Place, Manner, Distance, and Direction used in the quoted speech are correspondingly changed to conform to the point of view of the Reporter. Thus, the sense of nearness is changed into that of Distance, and so on.

Place Chart

Manner chart, distance chart, direction chart, direct and indirect speech advanced rules.

It is necessary to know about the Direct Indirect Speech Advanced Rules to change the mode of narration from direct to indirect speech of different sentences. All five sentences of Direct Indirect Speech Conversion Rules are shown with proper examples below.

A. Assertive Sentence Conversion Rules

To convert Assertive sentences into indirect speech the following rules are applied.

(a) No comma and Inverted comma in Indirect Speech, only full stop at the end. (b) Reporting Verbs changed from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech ; ‘say – say’, ‘says – says’, ‘said – said’, ‘said to – told’, ‘say to – tell’, ‘says to – tells’. (c) Connective ‘that’ added before Reported Speech in indirect Narration.

Direct: He said to me, “I am ill.” Indirect: He told me that he was ill.

Direct: Mary said, “I am happy with my results.” Indirect: Mary said that she was happy with her results.

Direct: Tom said, “I will attend the meeting tomorrow.” Indirect: Tom said that he would attend the meeting the next day.

Direct: Alice said, “I have finished my homework.” Indirect: Alice said that she had finished her homework.

Direct: David said, “We are planning a trip to the mountains.” Indirect: David said that they were planning a trip to the mountains.

B. Interrogative sentences Conversion rules

Forming indirect speech with questions necessitates some adjustments:

a. Reporting Yes/No Questions rules

When reporting yes/no questions, use “if” or “whether” and invert the subject and auxiliary verb in indirect speech.

Direct: John asked, “Are you coming to the party?” Indirect: John asked if I was coming to the party.

Direct: Sarah asked, “Do you like chocolate?” Indirect: Sarah asked if I liked chocolate.

Direct: Mike asked, “Have you finished your project?” Indirect: Mike asked if I had finished my project.

Direct: Emma asked, “Will you help me with my homework?” Indirect: Emma asked if I would help her with her homework.

Direct: “Will you be there?” he asked. Indirect: He asked if I would be there.

b. Reporting Wh-Questions rules

For reporting wh-questions, maintain the question word and adjust the word order in indirect speech.

(a) ‘Tell’ and ‘say’ in Direct Narration are changed to ‘ask’, ‘enquire of’, ‘question’, ‘want to know’ etc. in Indirect Narration. (b) In place of introductory ‘that’. ‘if’ or ‘whether’ should be used. (c) In Indirect Narration a full stop (.) must be put in place of a question mark(?) at the end of the sentence. (d) In Direct Narration the Reported Speech begins with W-word or how, in Indirect Narration the same Wh-word or how is retained.

Direct: Lisa asked, “Where are you going?” Indirect: Lisa asked where I was going.

Direct: Mark asked, “What time does the movie start?” Indirect: Mark asked what time the movie started.

Direct: Jennifer asked, “Why did you leave early?” Indirect: Jennifer asked why I had left early.

Direct: Tom asked, “How do you solve this problem?” Indirect: Tom asked how I solved that problem.

Direct: “Where are you going?” she asked. Indirect: She asked where I was going.

Direct: The teacher said to me, “Why are you late?” Indirect: The teacher asked me why I was late.

C. Imperative Sentences Conversion rules

The indirect speech also involves reporting imperatives, which are commands, requests, or advice:

Reporting Commands

When reporting commands, use the reporting verb “tell” and change the imperative verb to the corresponding infinitive.

Direct: The teacher said, “Open your books.” Indirect: The teacher told the students to open their books.

Reporting Requests

For reporting requests, employ the reporting verb “ask” and convert the imperative verb to the corresponding infinitive.

Direct: She said, “Please help me with this.” Indirect: She asked for help with that.

(a) Reporting verbs of Direct Speech changed into order or command, advise, or request according to sense in Indirect Speech. (b) ‘To’ is placed before Reported speech in Indirect Narration; for the negative imperative sentence ‘not to’ is used. (c) ‘not to’ can also be replaced by ‘forbid’, or ‘prohibit’. (d) ‘Let’ implies ‘suggestion’ or ‘proposal’; Reporting verb will be ‘suggest’ or ‘propose’ in Indirect Speech. ‘that’ is used before Reported speech in Indirect Narration (e) ‘Let’ without ‘suggestion’ or ‘proposal’; Reporting verb will be ‘tell’, or ‘wish’ according to sense in Indirect Speech. ‘that’ is used before Reported speech in Indirect Narration.

Direct: Mother said to me, “Don’t run in the sun.” Indirect: Mother advised me not to run in the sun.

Direct: She said to me, “Let us go for a picnic.” Indirect: She suggested that we should go for a picnic.

D. Optative Sentence Conversion rules

The following rules are used to change an optative sentence from direct speech to indirect speech

(a) Reporting verbs changed to ‘ wish ’, ‘ pray’ , and ‘ bless ’ in Indirect Speech. (b) Linker, ‘ that ’ is placed before Reported speech in Indirect Narration.

Direct: The monk said to me, “ May God bless you.” Indirect: The monk wished that God might bless me.

E. Exclamatory Sentences Conversion rules

(a) The reporting verb is changed into exclaim (in joy), exclaim (in grief), cried out (in sorrow), pray, wish, etc. (b) Examinations are turned into statements. (c) Interjections (Alas, Oh, Hurrah) are omitted. (d) ‘What’, and ‘How’ used in exclamation should be replaced by great, great, very, very much, and big.

Direct: The boys said, “Hurrah! we have won the match.” Indirect: The boy exclaimed in joy that they had won the match.

Solved Exercises Direct and Indirect Speech

Change the following sentences into indirect speech.

Q: Ratan said to Anita, “I don’t like your brother”.

Ans: Ratan told Anita that she did not like her brother.

Q: The hermit said to the boys, “God is present everywhere.”

Ans: The hermit told the boys that God is present everywhere.

Q: :He said to you, “You shouldn’t play in my garden.”

Ans: He told you that you should not play in his garden.

Q: The class teacher said to the students. “The inspector will visit our school today.”

Ans: The class teacher told the students that the inspector would visit their school that day.

Q: He said to me, “I don’t believe you.”

Ans: He told me that he didn’t believe me.

Q: She said to her son, “I’ve often told you not to play with fire.”

Ans: She told her son that she had often told him not to play with fire.

Q: Sitesh said to Lina, “I want you to go to Patna with me.”

Ans: Sitesh told Lina that he wanted her to go to Patna with him.

Q: “We can’t be quite happy in life,” he said.

Ans: He said that they couldn’t be quite happy in life.

Q: He said, “The Muslims bury their dead.”

He said that the Muslims bury their dead.

Q: “You’ve overcooked the steak again, Mary”, he said.

Ans: He told Mary that she had overcooked the steak again.

Q: Ramen said to Bina, “I’m going to your house this, week.”

Ans: Ramen told Bina that he was going to her house that week.

Q: He said, “We will discuss this tomorrow.”

Ans: He said that they would discuss that the next day

Turn the following sentences into direct speech.

Q: He said to me, “You are wicked; so I shall not mix with you.”

Ans: He told me that I was wicked; so he would not mix with me.

Q: He said to you, “I was much struck by your eloquence.”

Ans: He told you that he had been much struck by your eloquence.

Q: We remarked, “God is gracious.”

Ans: We remarked that God is gracious.

Q: I said to my mother, “I shall always obey you.”

Ans: I told my mother that I should always obey her.

Q: He said to Gopal, “You were a mere boy when I saw you last.”

Ans: He told Gopal that he was a mere boy when he had seen him last.

Q: I said to him, “The sky is blue.”

Ans: I told him that the sky is blue.

Q: He said to me, “You will feel the consequences.”

Ans: He told me that I should feel the consequences.

Q: She said to you, “I am not angry with you.”

Ans: She told you that she was not angry with you.

Q: I said to them, “You have done wrong.”

Ans: I told them that they had done wrong.

Q: He said, “I visit the temple every day.”

Ans: He said that he visited the temple every day.

Direct and Indirect Speech Sample MCQ Questions Answers

Fill in the blanks with proper direct and indirect speech rules.

• d) had been
• Answer: a) was
• c) will like
• d) had liked
• Answer: a) liked
• a) will visit
• b) would visit
• d) had visited
• Answer: b) would visit
• Answer: c) was
• c) will have
• Answer: b) had
• Answer: b) could
• a) revolves
• c) revolved
• d) is revolving
• Answer: a) revolves
• b) had been
• Answer: b) had been
• Answer: b) would

FAQs : Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

Q : what is the key difference between direct and indirect speech.

Ans: The main difference lies in the quoting style. Direct speech involves repeating someone’s exact words, while indirect speech reports what was said without quoting verbatim.

FAQ 2: Is it always necessary to backshift the tense in indirect speech?

Ans: While backshifting is common, some exceptions exist, especially in cases where the statement’s truth remains constant.

FAQ 3: How do I handle multiple speakers in indirect speech?

Ans: When reporting multiple speakers, use appropriate reporting verbs and introduce each person’s dialogue in a logical sequence.

FAQ 4: Can I mix direct and indirect speech in the same sentence?

Ans: Combining direct and indirect speech in a sentence is possible, but it requires precision to avoid confusion.

FAQ 5: What are some reporting verbs commonly used in indirect speech?

Ans: Reporting verbs like “said,” “told,” “asked,” “claimed,” and “explained” are frequently employed.

FAQ 6: How can I ensure my writing maintains a natural flow when switching between direct and indirect speech?

Ans: Focus on maintaining consistency in style and verb tense to ensure a smooth transition between direct and indirect speech.

FAQ 7: How do I identify direct and indirect speech in a sentence?

Ans: Direct speech is usually enclosed within quotation marks and directly quotes someone’s words. Indirect speech, on the other hand, reports those words without quotation marks, often using reporting verbs like “said,” “told,” “asked,” etc.

FAQ 8: Can reporting verbs change the meaning of indirect speech?

Ans: Yes, the choice of reporting verbs can convey the speaker’s attitude or emotions towards the reported speech. Different reporting verbs can modify the meaning slightly.

FAQ 9: What are the common reporting verbs for indirect speech?

Ans: Common reporting verbs for indirect speech include “say,” “tell,” “ask,” “inquire,” “explain,” “describe,” and more.

FAQ 10: How do I change tenses in indirect speech?

Ans: The tense in indirect speech is generally shifted back one step. For example, present simple becomes past simple, present continuous becomes past continuous, and so on.

FAQ 11: Is it essential to use quotation marks in indirect speech?

Ans: No, quotation marks are not used in indirect speech as they report the speech without directly quoting it.

FAQ 12: Can you give an example of indirect speech in narratives?

Ans: Certainly! In the story, he said, “I love you,” to which she replied that she loved him too.

FAQ 14: Can we omit the reporting verb in indirect speech?

Ans: It is possible to omit the reporting verb in some cases, especially in informal contexts, but including it adds clarity and structure to the reported speech.

FAQ 15: Do all tenses change in indirect speech?

Ans: Most tenses change in indirect speech, but the changes depend on the context and the tense of the original statement.

FAQ 16: Can you provide more examples of direct and indirect speech transformations?

Ans: Certainly! Here are a few more examples:

Direct: “I am reading a book,” she said. Indirect: She said that she was reading a book.

Direct: “We have completed the project,” they exclaimed. Indirect: They exclaimed that they had completed the project.

FAQ 17: How can I practice using direct and indirect speech effectively?

Ans: Practice by converting direct speech to indirect speech and vice versa using various reporting verbs, tenses, and pronouns. Additionally, read books or articles and identify the reported speech used by the authors.

Related Posts:

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Reported Speech in English

“Reported speech” might sound fancy, but it isn’t that complicated.

It’s just how you talk about what someone said.

Luckily, it’s pretty simple to learn the basics in English, beginning with the two types of reported speech: direct (reporting the exact words someone said) and indirect (reporting what someone said without using their exact words ).

Read this post to learn how to report speech, with tips and tricks for each, plenty of examples and a resources section that tells you about real world resources you can use to practice reporting speech.

How to Report Direct Speech

How to report indirect speech, reporting questions in indirect speech, verb tenses in indirect reported speech, simple present, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, simple past, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, simple future, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, authentic resources for practicing reported speech, novels and short stories, native english videos, celebrity profiles.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Direct speech refers to the exact words that a person says. You can “report” direct speech in a few different ways.

To see how this works, let’s pretend that I (Elisabeth) told some people that I liked green onions.

Here are some different ways that those people could explain what I said:

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” Elisabeth said.

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” she told me. — In this sentence, we replace my name (Elisabeth) with the pronoun she.

In all of these examples, the part that was said is between quotation marks and is followed by a noun (“she” or “Elisabeth”) and a verb. Each of these verbs (“to say,” “to tell [someone],” “to explain”) are ways to describe someone talking. You can use any verb that refers to speech in this way.

You can also put the noun and verb before what was said.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like spaghetti.”

The example above would be much more likely to be said out loud than the first set of examples.

Here’s a conversation that might happen between two people:

1: Did you ask her if she liked coffee?

2: Yeah, I asked her.

1: What did she say?

2. She said, “Yeah, I like coffee.” ( Direct speech )

Usually, reporting of direct speech is something you see in writing. It doesn’t happen as often when people are talking to each other. 

Direct reported speech often happens in the past. However, there are all kinds of stories, including journalism pieces, profiles and fiction, where you might see speech reported in the present as well.

This is sometimes done when the author of the piece wants you to feel that you’re experiencing events in the present moment.

For example, a profile of Kristen Stewart in Vanity Fair  has a funny moment that describes how the actress isn’t a very good swimmer:

Direct speech: “I don’t want to enter the water, ever,” she says. “If everyone’s going in the ocean, I’m like, no.”

Here, the speech is reported as though it’s in the present tense (“she says”) instead of in the past (“she said”).

In writing of all kinds, direct reported speech is often split into two or more parts, as it is above.

Here’s an example from Lewis Carroll’s “ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ,” where the speech is even more split up:

Direct speech: “I won’t indeed!” said Alice, in a great hurry to change the subject of conversation. “Are you—are you fond—of—of dogs?” The Mouse did not answer, so Alice went on eagerly: “There is such a nice little dog near our house I should like to show you!”

Reporting indirect speech is what happens when you explain what someone said without using their exact words.

Let’s start with an example of direct reported speech like those used above.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like coffee.”

As indirect reported speech, it looks like this:

Indirect speech: Elisabeth said she liked coffee.

You can see that the subject (“I”) has been changed to “she,” to show who is being spoken about. If I’m reporting the direct speech of someone else, and this person says “I,” I’d repeat their sentence exactly as they said it. If I’m reporting this person’s speech indirectly to someone else, however, I’d speak about them in the third person—using “she,” “he” or “they.”

You may also notice that the tense changes here: If “I like coffee” is what she said, this can become “She liked coffee” in indirect speech.

However, you might just as often hear someone say something like, “She said she likes coffee.” Since people’s likes and preferences tend to change over time and not right away, it makes sense to keep them in the present tense.

Indirect speech often uses the word “that” before what was said:

Indirect speech: She said that she liked coffee.

There’s no real difference between “She said she liked coffee” and “She said that she liked coffee.” However, using “that” can help make the different parts of the sentence clearer.

Let’s look at a few other examples:

Indirect speech: I said I was going outside today.

Indirect speech: They told me that they wanted to order pizza.

Indirect speech: He mentioned it was raining.

Indirect speech: She said that her father was coming over for dinner.

You can see an example of reporting indirect speech in the funny video “ Cell Phone Crashing .” In this video, a traveler in an airport sits down next to another traveler talking on his cell phone. The first traveler pretends to be talking to someone on his phone, but he appears to be responding to the second traveler’s conversation, which leads to this exchange:

Woman: “Are you answering what I’m saying?”

Man “No, no… I’m on the phone with somebody, sorry. I don’t mean to be rude.” (Direct speech)

Woman: “What was that?”

Man: “I just said I was on the phone with somebody.” (Indirect speech)

When reporting questions in indirect speech, you can use words like “whether” or “if” with verbs that show questioning, such as “to ask” or “to wonder.”

Direct speech: She asked, “Is that a new restaurant?”

Indirect speech: She asked if that was a new restaurant. 

In any case where you’re reporting a question, you can say that someone was “wondering” or “wanted to know” something. Notice that these verbs don’t directly show that someone asked a question. They don’t describe an action that happened at a single point in time. But you can usually assume that someone was wondering or wanted to know what they asked.

Indirect speech: She was wondering if that was a new restaurant.

Indirect speech: She wanted to know whether that was a new restaurant.

It can be tricky to know how to use tenses when reporting indirect speech. Let’s break it down, tense by tense.

Sometimes, indirect speech “ backshifts ,” or moves one tense further back into the past. We already saw this in the example from above:

Direct speech: She said, “I like coffee.”

Indirect speech: She said she liked coffee.

Also as mentioned above, backshifting doesn’t always happen. This might seem confusing, but it isn’t that difficult to understand once you start using reported speech regularly.

What tense you use in indirect reported speech often just depends on when what you’re reporting happened or was true.

Let’s look at some examples of how direct speech in certain tenses commonly changes (or doesn’t) when it’s reported as indirect speech.

To learn about all the English tenses (or for a quick review), check out this post .

Direct speech: I said, “I play video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I played video games (simple past) or I said that I play video games  (simple present).

Backshifting into the past or staying in the present here can change the meaning slightly. If you use the first example, it’s unclear whether or not you still play video games; all we know is that you said you played them in the past.

If you use the second example, though, you probably still play video games (unless you were lying for some reason).

However, the difference in meaning is so small, you can use either one and you won’t have a problem.

Direct speech: I said, “I’m playing video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I was playing video games (past continuous) or I said that I’m playing video games (present continuous).

In this case, you’d likely use the first example if you were telling a story about something that happened in the past.

You could use the second example to repeat or stress what you just said. For example:

Hey, want to go for a walk?

Direct speech: No, I’m playing video games.

But it’s such a nice day!

Indirect speech: I said that I’m playing video games!

Direct speech: Marie said, “I have read that book.”

Indirect speech: Marie said that she had read that book (past perfect) or Marie said that she has read that book (present perfect).

The past perfect is used a lot in writing and other kinds of narration. This is because it helps point out an exact moment in time when something was true.

The past perfect isn’t quite as useful in conversation, where people are usually more interested in what’s true now. So, in a lot of cases, people would use the second example above when speaking.

Direct speech: She said, “I have been watching that show.”

Indirect speech: She said that she had been watching that show (past perfect continuous) or She said that she has been watching that show (present perfect continuous).

These examples are similar to the others above. You could use the first example whether or not this person was still watching the show, but if you used the second example, it’d probably seem like you either knew or guessed that she was still watching it.

Direct speech: You told me, “I charged my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had charged your phone (past perfect) or You told me that you charged your phone (simple past).

Here, most people would probably just use the second example, because it’s simpler, and gets across the same meaning.

Direct speech: You told me, “I was charging my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had been charging your phone (past perfect continuous) or You told me that you were charging your phone (past continuous).

Here, the difference is between whether you had been charging your phone before or were charging your phone at the time. However, a lot of people would still use the second example in either situation.

Direct speech: They explained, “We had bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Indirect speech: They explained that they had bathed the cat on Wednesday. (past perfect)

Once we start reporting the past perfect tenses, we don’t backshift because there are no tenses to backshift to.

So in this case, it’s simple. The tense stays exactly as is. However, many people might simplify even more and use the simple past, saying, “They explained that they bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Direct speech: They said, “The cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time!”

Indirect speech: They said that the cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time. (past perfect continuous)

Again, we don’t shift the tense back here; we leave it like it is. And again, a lot of people would report this speech as, “They said the cat was going outside and getting dirty for a long time.” It’s just a simpler way to say almost the same thing.

Direct speech: I told you, “I will be here no matter what.”

Indirect speech: I told you that I would be here no matter what. (present conditional)

At this point, we don’t just have to think about tenses, but grammatical mood, too. However, the idea is still pretty simple. We use the conditional (with “would”) to show that at the time the words were spoken, the future was uncertain.

In this case, you could also say, “I told you that I will be here no matter what,” but only if you “being here” is still something that you expect to happen in the future.

What matters here is what’s intended. Since this example shows a person reporting their own speech, it’s more likely that they’d want to stress the truth of their own intention, and so they might be more likely to use “will” than “would.”

But if you were reporting someone else’s words, you might be more likely to say something like, “She told me that she would be here no matter what.”

Direct speech: I said, “I’ll be waiting for your call.”

Indirect speech: I said that I would be waiting for your call. (conditional continuous)

These are similar to the above examples, but apply to a continuous or ongoing action.

Direct speech: She said, “I will have learned a lot about myself.”

Indirect speech: She said that she would have learned a lot about herself (conditional perfect) or She said that she will have learned a lot about herself (future perfect).

In this case, using the conditional (as in the first example) suggests that maybe a certain event didn’t happen, or something didn’t turn out as expected.

However, that might not always be the case, especially if this was a sentence that was written in an article or a work of fiction. The second example, however, suggests that the future that’s being talked about still hasn’t happened yet.

Direct speech: She said, “By next Tuesday, I will have been staying inside every day for the past month.”

Indirect speech: She said that by next Tuesday, she would have been staying inside every day for the past month (perfect continuous conditional) or She said that by next Tuesday, she will have been staying inside every day for the past month (past perfect continuous).

Again, in this case, the first example might suggest that the event didn’t happen. Maybe the person didn’t stay inside until next Tuesday! However, this could also just be a way of explaining that at the time she said this in the past, it was uncertain whether she really would stay inside for as long as she thought.

The second example, on the other hand, would only be used if next Tuesday hadn’t happened yet.

Let’s take a look at where you can find resources for practicing reporting speech in the real world.

One of the most common uses for reported speech is in fiction. You’ll find plenty of reported speech in novels and short stories . Look for books that have long sections of text with dialogue marked by quotation marks (“…”). Once you understand the different kinds of reported speech, you can look for it in your reading and use it in your own writing.

Writing your own stories is a great way to get even better at understanding reported speech.

One of the best ways to practice any aspect of English is to watch native English videos. By watching English speakers use the language, you can understand how reported speech is used in real world situations.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Celebrity profiles, which you can find in print magazines and online, can help you find and practice reported speech, too. Celebrity profiles are stories that focus on a famous person. They often include some kind of interview. The writer will usually spend some time describing the person and then mention things that they say; this is when they use reported speech.

Because many of these profiles are written in the present tense, they can help you get used to the basics of reported speech without having to worry too much about different verb tenses.

While the above may seem really complicated, it isn’t that difficult to start using reported speech.

Mastering it may be a little difficult, but the truth is that many, many people who speak English as a first language struggle with it, too!

Reported speech is flexible, and even if you make mistakes, there’s a good chance that no one will notice.

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English EFL

Reported speech

Changing time and place in reported speech

Time and place must often change when going from direct to reported speech (indirect speech).

In general, personal pronouns change to the third person singular or plural, except when the speaker reports his own words: I/me/my/mine, you/your/yours = him/his/her/hers we/us/our/ours, you/your/yours = they/their/theirs

He said: "I like your new car." = He told her that he liked her new car. I said: "I'm going to my friend's house." = I said that I was going to my friend's house.

If we are in the same place when we report something, then we do not need to make any changes to  place words . But if we are in a different place when we report something, then we need to change the place words. Look at these example sentences:

• He said: "It is cold in  here ." → He said that it was cold in  there .
• He said: "How much is  this book ?" → He asked how much  the book was.

Here are some common place words, showing how you change them for reported speech:

Course Curriculum

• Direct and indirect speech 15 mins
• Tense changes in reported speech 20 mins
• Changing time and place in reported speech 20 mins
• Reported questions 20 mins
• Reporting verbs 20 mins
• Reporting orders and requests 15 mins
• Reporting hopes, intentions and promises 20 mins

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• Reported Speech /

How to Change Sentences into Indirect Speech

• Updated on  
• May 10, 2024

Change sentences into indirect speech: Indirect Speech often known as reported speech is a linguistic tool . It helps to quote someone else words that are not the actual words of the speaker. In this blog article, we learn about the meaning of indirect speech , examples of indirect speech, and practice exercises to master the art of changing sentences to indirect speech.

This Blog Includes:

Understanding indirect speech, examples of indirect speech, rules for changing sentences to indirect speech, simple present changes to simple past , present continuous changes to past continuous, present perfect changes to past perfect, present perfect continuous changes to past perfect continuous, , simple past changes to past perfect, past continuous changes to past perfect continuous, changes in the pronouns, changes in the adverbs of time and place, exercise to change sentences from direct to indirect speech.

MUST READ! Reported Speech: Definition, Rules, Usage with Examples, Tips, Exercises for Students

Indirect Speech includes paraphrasing speakers’ words instead of defining the actual words of the speaker. This linguistic device is used to maintain politeness of tone and social dynamics. It is an important concept that allows a speaker to convey information tactfully while maintaining the meaning of the words spoken by the speaker.

Let us comprehend the few examples of Indirect Speech for the proper understanding of the concept.

Here are the key rules for converting sentences from direct speech to indirect speech. These rules include changes in verb tense, pronouns, and other elements to maintain the meaning of the original statement.

Changes in Tenses 

For example, He said,” I like chocolates”.

           He said that he liked chocolates.

For example, He said,” We are studying”.

                      He said that they were studying.

For example, He said,” They have finished”

                      He said that they had finished.

For example, She said, “ They have been living in Canada since 1970.”

                        She said that they had been living in Canada since 1970.

For example, He said, “ They played in the garden”.

                       He said that they had played in the garden.

For example, He said,” They had grown vegetables.”

                       He said that they had been growing vegetables.

Future Indefinite Changes will and shall and should accordingly

For example, He said,” He will go to the market.”

                       He said that he would go to the market.

Pronouns in the direct speech change according to the perspective of the speaker.

• First-person changes according to subject
• Second-person changes according to the object
• Third-person pronoun there is no change.
• Follows the SON rule that is easy to remember

For Example She said, ” I love her job .” (direct speech)

                        She said that she loved her job . (indirect speech)

Also Read Tenses Rules: Charts, Examples, Types [PDF Available]

Adverbs change according to the context

• Now to then, 
• Here to there, 
• Today to the same day, 
• Yesterday to the last day, etc.

For example: He said,” I will go to school tomorrow .” (Direct Speech)

                     He said that he would go to the school the next day. (Indirect Speech)

Must Read: Subject-Verb Agreement: Definition, 12 Rules & Examples

Let’s check your understanding of the sentences that have been changed from direct to indirect speech:

• “I can’t believe you did that!” exclaimed Sonali.
• “What time is the meeting?” asked the teacher.
• “I love this song!” shouted Mohit
• “Where did you find that book?” inquired the teacher
• “I’ll be there by 3 PM,” promised Alia
• “Stop right there!” commanded the officer
• “Would you like some coffee?” offered James
• “Let’s go to the beach this weekend,” suggested Rohit
• “I don’t want to go to the dentist,” complained Tina.
• “Congratulations on your promotion!” cheered Mary.

Answers 

Match your answers with the solved exercises to analyze the understanding of the concept.

• Sonali exclaimed with surprise that she couldn’t believe he had done that.
• The teacher asked about the time of the meeting.
• Mohit enthusiastically shouted that he loved that song.
• The teacher inquired where the book had been found.
• Alia promised that she would be there by 3 PM.
• The officer commanded me to stop right there.
• James offered coffee.
• Rohit suggested going to the beach that weekend.
• Tina complained that she didn’t want to go to the dentist.
• Mary cheered and congratulated on the promotion.

Must Read: Figures of Speech: Types, Usage & Examples [Download PDF]

Direct speech is the actual words spoken by a person and is written in quotation marks, while indirect speech defines the meaning of the original statement without quoting the actual words of the speaker. Indirect speech involves various changes in verb tense, pronouns, and other elements.

Pronouns change according to the SON Rule where SON stands for: First-person changes according to (S-Subject)  Second-person changes according to(O- Object)  A third-person there is (N- No Change)

A few  reporting verbs used in indirect speech are “said,” “told,” “asked,” “explained,” inquired, commanded, requested, exclaimed with joy, etc.” The choice of reporting verb reflects the tone and meaning of the reported speech.

Direct Speech: It’s been raining since this afternoon. Indirect Speech: He said it’d been raining since that afternoon.

To advance your grammar knowledge and read more informative blogs, check out our Learn English page and don’t forget to follow Leverage Edu .

Amanpreet Kaur

📚✨ From Classroom Chats Entered Into The Wordy World ….. Yes , If you all Remember that teacher who kept you on your toes with pop quizzes and endless homework? YEP! THAT WAS Me ! 🌟 But with the blessings of almighty and the key motivation of my husband who came across the spark of writing in me has insisted me to pave my way away from chalk dust to creative burst!💫  Being in this new world of writing I can compose pun-tastic content, poetry full of emotions and humorous articles that can even make Shakespeare envious of me 📝🎭.Yippee! from teaching young minds to educating worldwide readers it's an epic career switch. From teaching grammar lessons to grammatically flawless copy, I'm todays' wordsmith on a mission! Let me spin literary magic all around and conquer my exact destination of proving myself as The Best Writer in The World.🚀🏆 My promise is to provide you with valuable insights, solutions to your questions, and a momentary escape from the routine. I believe in the power of words to create connections, provoke thought, and foster growth. Woods are lovely dark and deep  But I have promises to keep and  Miles to go before I sleep ……..🌳✨🌌

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Indirect Speech: Formula and Rules

• July 3, 2021

We are talking about a very important and interesting topic. We are talking about direct and indirect speech in English and what is the correct formula of the usage.

Remember to read How to learn English with audiobooks for FREE

This topic can seem complicated at the beginning, but necessary to learn. Having this topic solved, you improve your English to a new level, so let’s start to deal with it.

What are Direct and Indirect speech?

In English, there are two ways how we can tell what another person said. Two ways you can say what someone else has said before.

• Direct Speech
• Indirect (Reported) Speech

Note : Indirect speech in different textbooks can be called differently: Indirect Speech or Reported Speech . But these two names mean the same.

Indirect Speech = Reported Speech

Direct speech in English is a type of speech when we retell someone’s speech as it was. We don’t change anything.

John says: I’m a good boy.

To tell what John said, we will say:

We say: John said, “I’m a good boy.”

Indirect speech differs from direct speech in that we DO NOT tell exactly what another person said. We are NOT repeating what someone else said. Indirect speech is when we tell the MEANING of what someone else said.

We say: John said he was a good boy.

Pay attention to what this sentence looks like. Earlier, when John said this, the sentence looked like this:

I am a good boy.

But after WE retell John’s words, in the indirect speech, this sentence looks like this:

John said he was a good boy.

The Quotes and the comma that stood after the name John, separating the speaker from his direct speech, disappeared from this sentence.

In indirect speech, we do not use the separating comma and quotation marks. Because now it is WE are retelling the meaning of what the other person (John) said.

In direct speech, the speaker most often speaks in the first person. That is, the speaker speaks from his person.

John will not talk about himself: John is a good boy . John will say it on his behalf: I am a good boy.

But when we retell the words of John (indirect speech), we cannot speak on his behalf. We cannot say “I am a good boy” because those are not our words. This is John a good boy.

Therefore, in indirect speech, we change “I” to the third person.

He says: I hate you but I need your help.

I retell: He said that he hated me but he needed my help.

To translate direct speech into indirect speech, we use certain rules that you should know.

Let’s take a look at these rules and formulas in order.

Quotation marks and comma

In direct speech, we use a comma to separate the speaker from what he is saying. Direct speech (what the speaker says) is in quotation marks.

When we translate direct speech into indirect speech, we remove quotes and commas.

Jessica says , “I’m from the future.”

We retell Jessica’s words: She said that she was from the future.

Personal and possessive pronouns

When translating direct speech into indirect speech, we change personal and possessive pronouns to third-person pronouns.

Direct Speech : He says, “ I couldn’t stay” Indirect Speech : He said that he couldn’t stay. Direct Speech : Tom says, “ I am deeply disturbed” Indirect Speech : Tom said that he was deeply disturbed.

Note: If in direct speech the speaker tells his own words, then we do not change personal and possessive pronouns.

Direct Speech: I said, “ I will do that” Indirect Speech: I said that I would do that.

Adverbs in direct speech

When we translate adverbs from direct speech to indirect, adverbs change their form.

You can see how adverbs look in direct speech and how adverbs look in indirect speech in this table:

But we don’t always change adverbs this way. We change adverbs only if, when translating from direct speech into indirect speech adverbs cannot express the same meaning as in direct speech.

Take a look at an example:

Mom says, “ Tomorrow we will go to Uncle John’s.” Mom said that the next day we would go to Uncle John’s.

In these examples, we have replaced the adverb tomorrow with the next day . Because we retell Mom’s words on another day. We cannot say tomorrow anymore.

Now look at another example:

Mom says, “We went to visit Uncle John yesterday .”

Now imagine that we are retelling this the next day. We have to say:

Mom said that we went to visit Uncle John the day before yesterday .

If we said “ yesterday “, it would change the meaning of what we want to tell.

If in direct speech in the main sentence the predicate is in Past Simple, then in indirect speech we use the agreement rules.

We put the conjunction “ that ” in front of indirect speech.

Note: We may not use the conjunction that after verbs such as:

He said he found it on the island. He thought he was better than me. He knew he could call you anytime.

Prepositional object

If in direct speech after the verb to say there is a prepositional object, then in order to translate such a sentence into indirect speech, we change the verb to say to tell . In this case, tell is used without the preposition to .

Incorrect : to tell Correct : tell

This means:

She said to me … changes to She told me that …

Note : Remember that in this case we also change the adverbs of place and time and demonstrative pronouns, if they are in direct speech.

Modal verbs

For modals, we use several important rules.

We change modal verbs as well as main verbs when moving from direct to indirect speech.

But we do not change all modal verbs. We leave some verbs in their original form.

Let’s talk about modals in more detail.

Modal verb must

If in direct speech the verb must means an obligation or command, then in the subordinate clause in indirect speech must does NOT change and looks like must .

The teacher says, “You must behave well in class.” The teacher said that we must behave well in class.

If in direct speech the verb must expresses the need, then in the subordinate clause in indirect speech we change the verb must to had to .

Mom says, “You must visit the doctor.” Mom said that I had to visit the doctor.

The past form of Modal verbs in indirect speech

Can and could..

We change the modal verb can in direct speech to could in indirect speech. Could is the past form of the modal verb can .

She says, “I can swim.” She said that she could swim.

May and might.

We change the modal verb may in direct speech to might in indirect speech. Might is the past form of the modal verb may .

John says, “I may propose to Maria.” John said that he might propose to Maria.

Must and had to.

We change the modal verb must in direct speech to had to in indirect speech (if the verb must expresses the need). Had to is the past analog of the modal verb must .

Modal verbs that do not change in indirect speech

The following verbs move from direct to indirect speech in their original form. They don’t change in any way.

• must (if the verb must means an obligation or command)

He says, “I could do this.” He said he could do that.

Let’s take a closer look at these verbs:

The modal verb would in direct speech remains in the form would in indirect speech too.

Mom says, “I would bake a cake.” Mom said she would bake a cake.

If we use the modal verb could in direct speech, then we do not change this verb in any way in indirect speech. Because could is a past form already (It’s the past form of the modal verb can ).

John says, “I could learn to swim” John said he could learn to swim.

The modal verb might does not change its form when we translate this verb from direct to indirect speech. Because the modal might is the past form of the modal may .

He says, “I might ask the same question again”. He said that he might ask the same question again.

We do not change should when switching to indirect speech. Because should is considered the past form of the modal verb shall .

He says, “We should see Mr. Gannon” He said that we should see Mr. Gannon.

We do not change the modal verb OUGHT TO when translating this verb into indirect speech.

She says, “You ought to be angry with John” She said that I ought to be angry with John

Exceptions to the rules

Let’s talk about the important exceptions to the rules of this lesson.

• We can exclude the word that out of affirmative sentences in indirect speech. Because in indirect speech in affirmative sentences, the meaning of the sentence does not change, regardless of whether we use that or not.

He said ( that ) he thought you seemed depressed. He said ( that ) there was no need. He said ( that ) he had many friends.

• If in direct speech we are talking about a specific event that happened at exactly the specified time and did not happen anymore, then we translate the sentence into indirect speech without the agreement.

He says, “Gagarin went to space in 1961.” He said that Gagarin went to space in 1961.

The event that we are talking about in this example happened at exactly the specified time and did not happen anymore.

• If in direct speech we use verbs such as:

then when translating into indirect speech, we do not change the form of these verbs. These verbs remain in their form.

She says, “We might find some treasure” She said that we might find some treasure.

He says, “I should do it”. He said that he should do it.

• If indirect speech begins with the verb say or tell which is used in the form:
• Present Simple
• Present Perfect
• Future Simple

then we translate such a sentence into indirect speech without changing the tense to the past:

She says, “I cook deliciously.” She says that she cooks deliciously. He says, “I have a new smartphone.” He says that he has a new smartphone. She will say, “I didn’t know it.” He will say (that) he didn’t know it.

• If in direct speech we are talking about a well-known fact or law of nature, then we do not transfer to the past such a fact or the law of nature when translating from direct speech to indirect.

He says, “After winter comes spring.” He said that after winter comes spring. She says, “Lions don’t hunt camels.” She said that lions don’t hunt camels.

• If in direct speech we use tenses:
• Past Continuous
• Past Perfect
• Past Perfect Continuous

then when translating into indirect speech, we do not change the sentence, we do not translate the sentence into the past.

He says, “I had fixed my car.” He said he had fixed his car. He says, “I was skiing .” He said he was skiing . He says, “I had been all alone for a very long time”. He said that he had been all alone for a very long time.

Interrogative (question) sentences in indirect speech

Look at the following rules and nuances to know how to correctly translate interrogative (question) sentences from direct speech to indirect speech:

• When we translate a general question into indirect speech, we put one of the conjunctions between the main sentence and the question:

He asks, “Do you play dominoes?” He asked if I played dominoes. He asked whether I played dominoes.

• If we translate an interrogative sentence from direct speech to indirect speech, then we change the interrogative word order to direct word order.

We remove the auxiliary verb that was used in the interrogative sentence. We put the subject before the predicate as it should be for the direct word order.

He asks, “Where are you going?” He asked where I was going.

• If in an indirect sentence we ask a question using the verb say and if there is no indirect object in the main sentence, then we change the verb say to one of these words:
• want to know

She asks, “Where you are?” She wanted to know where you were.

• When translating an interrogative sentence from direct speech into indirect speech, we change all pronouns, verbs, adverbs of place, adverbs of time.

She asks, “What do these letters mean?” She asked what those letters mean.

Special questions in indirect speech

Special questions (or Wh-questions) are questions that begin with an additional, question word.

In indirect speech, such a question should also begin with a question word.

This question word also serves as conjunction. This word attaches the question part to the main sentence.

In the question part, we use direct word order.

At the same time, we comply with all the rules for the Sequence of tenses.

My dad asks, “What do you plan to do with yourself?” My dad asked what I planned to do with myself.

Imperative sentences in indirect speech

When translating imperative sentences from direct to indirect speech, we must take into account several nuances:

• Orders in indirect speech look like this:

He said, “ Go now!” He said to go then. She says, “ Carry my bag” She asked to carry her bag.

We use the verb to say when we translate an ordinary sentence into indirect speech. But in imperative sentences, we change the verb to say to a verb that expresses an order or request:

She says , “Carry my bag” She asked to carry her bag.

• In direct speech in the imperative mood, we often use:

let’s (let us)

let’s encourage the speaker and the person to do something together.

In indirect speech, we change let’s to to suggest . For example:

She says, “ let’s do that!” She suggested to do that.

• In indirect speech, we put a noun after the verb that expresses an order or request. The noun is the one to whom this request or order is addressed. Then we use the infinitive.

She says, “Replace him, John “ She asked John to replace him.

• We can strengthen the request or order in indirect speech if we add verbs such as:
• to recommend
• to urge etc.

She says , “Read this book” She ordered ( advised, recommend ) me to read that book.

• In order to make a negative imperative sentence in direct speech, we need:

not + infinitive

He says, “Don’t cry.” He said to me not to cry.

• In direct speech, we often do not name the person to whom the order or request is addressed. But when translating an imperative sentence from direct speech to indirect speech, we must indicate the one to whom the order or request is addressed.

For this, we use a noun or a pronoun.

She says, “Speak to him!” She asked me to speak to you.

Present and future tense in indirect speech

Most often, we translate the future and the present into the past.

He says, “I have two brothers” He says that he had two brothers She says, “I do this every time” She says that he did that every day. He says, “I write books” He says that he wrote books. She says, “I am reading” She said that she was reading. He says, “I can swim” He said that he could swim. He says, “I will help you” He said that he would help me.

Past tense in indirect speech

When we translate a sentence written in the past into indirect speech, we can leave it unchanged or we can change the past to the Past Perfect.

He says, “I saw this movie” He said that he saw that movie. He said that he had seen that movie.

What if in direct speech the main verb is already in Past Perfect?

In this case, the verb in Past Perfect remains unchanged. The verb in Past Perfect in direct speech remains in Past Perfect in indirect speech too.

He says, “I had bought I new house” He said that he had bought a new house.

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Recommended reading: Complex Sentence in English.

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Changes in place, time and person in indirect speech

No changes are made to words referring to place, time or person if we report something at the same place, around the same time, or involving the same people:

Dimitrios: I'll meet you here . Dimitrios said he would meet me here . (reported at the same place)

Cara: My train leaves at 9.30 tomorrow . Cara says her train leaves at 9.30 tomorrow . (reported on the same day)

Richard: I can help you , Stephanie . I told you I could help you . (reported by Richard to Stephanie) I told Stephanie I could help her. (reported by Richard to a third person)

Changes are made if there are changes in place, time or people:

Dimitrios : I'll meet you here . Dimitrios said he would meet me at the café . (reported at a different place)

Cara: My train leaves at 9.30 tomorrow . Cara said her train leaves at 9.30 today . (reported on the next day)

Richard: I can help you , Stephanie. Richard told me he could help me . (reported by Stephanie) Richard told Stephanie he could help her . (reported by a third person) I told Stephanie I could help her . (reported by Richard to a third person)

The following table shows some typical changes of time expressions in indirect speech. Bear in mind that the changes are not automatic; they depend on the context:

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Israel-Gaza latest: Israeli fighter jet hits West Bank in deadly strike; aid pier off Gaza coast 'not enough'

An Israeli fighter jet has struck the West Bank. Palestinian authorities say at least one person has been killed. Meanwhile, the bodies of three hostages have been recovered.

Friday 17 May 2024 22:57, UK

• Israel-Hamas war

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• Israel says its fighter jet has hit West Bank
• IDF has 'seized bodies of three hostages from Gaza'
• They were murdered while celebrating life', IDF says | Netanyahu 'heartbroken' over deaths
• Alistair Bunkall: Discovery of bodies will reinforce Israeli belief that more hostages are in Rafah
• Israeli protesters attack truck in attempt to block aid reaching Gaza
• Spain bans ships carrying weapons for Israel from docking at its ports
• Scroll down for the latest on the Israel-Gaza war
• Listen to the Daily above and tap here  to follow wherever you get your podcasts

That's all for this evening, but if you're just catching up, here is a recap of the key developments.

• An Israeli fighter jet struck a refugee camp in the West Bank, killing at least one person and injuring eight;
• The bodies of three Israeli hostages were recovered from Gaza;
• An investigation was launched after a 450kg bomb fell from an Israeli fighter jet into an Israeli town;
• Spain banned ships carrying weapons for Israel from docking at its ports;
• Dozens of Israeli protesters in the West Bank attacked a truck in an apparent attempt to prevent aid from reaching Gaza, beating its driver and setting it on fire.

A group of US medical workers trapped at a hospital in Gaza have now left the territory, the White House says.

American doctors providing care in Gaza were unable to leave after Israel closed the Rafah border crossing.

Among them were 10 from the US-based Palestinian American Medical Association, who had intended to leave after a two-week mission at the European Hospital in Khan Younis.

Today, 17 American doctors and healthcare workers, out of a total of 20, left Gaza, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.

"I can assure you that any of them that wanted to leave are out," Mr Kirby said. 

Three of the doctors chose not to depart Gaza, a source familiar with the situation said.

The Palestinian American Medical Association reported on Wednesday that its team of 19 healthcare professionals, including 10 Americans, had been denied exit from Gaza

Israel seized and closed the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on 7 May.

The number of people injured by an Israeli airstrike in the West Bank has risen to eight, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

They are in a stable condition and receiving treatment at hospitals, it said.

As we reported in our last post, at least one person has been killed by the attack on Jenin refugee camp.

Residents of the camp said a house was targeted.

Unlike Gaza, such a strike is a rarity in the West Bank, which is run by the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas.

The Israeli military says a fighter jet has carried out a strike in Jenin in the West Bank.

One person was killed and two injured, the Palestinian health ministry said.

While Palestinians live in both Gaza and the West Bank, the territories are controlled by distinct groups.

Hamas has ruled over Gaza since seizing control in 2007 following a brief civil war with the Palestinian Authority.

The West Bank, meanwhile, is still run by the Palestinian Authority, headed by president Mahmoud Abbas.

By Mark Stone , US correspondent

A three-year-old Palestinian girl with an ultra-rare genetic condition has been forced backwards in her quest to leave Gaza for life-saving treatment.

Julia Abu Zeiter, whose story is being followed by Sky News, was moved with her family from a tent in the southern city of Rafah and relocated to a supposedly safer zone to the north and further away from the border they had hoped to cross.

Speaking to Sky News, her mother Maha said: "We were going through the travel procedures to leave Gaza. When the time for us to travel through Rafah crossing got close, the Israelis occupied the crossing, and they told us they want to invade Rafah."

She added: "I was between two fires, not knowing where to go. Do I go try to travel to treat my daughter or do I flee to another place?"

Read on here...  

Israel has assured the US they are willing to continue discussions before making any major decisions on plans to assault Rafah, a US official has said.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said national security adviser Jake Sullivan will raise the issue on a visit to Israel to meet Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Sullivan will stress the need to go after Hamas in a targeted way, not with a full-scale assault on the southern city, Mr Kirby said.

He said it was important that the Rafah crossing was opened immediately.

The Israeli military seized control of the crossing between  Gaza and Egypt earlier this month.

Hamas says the US-built aid pier off Gaza's coast is no alternative to opening all land crossings under Palestinian supervision.

It added that they reject any military presence on Palestinian land.

Trucks carrying aid rolled across the pier today for the first time in an operation the US says will scale up to 150 truckloads a day.

But Gaza is already on the brink of famine, according to international aid organisations.

Aid groups also say land crossings are much more effective, and at least 500 trucks a day are required to meet the basic needs of the population.

Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting have hindered the delivery of food and other supplies.

An investigation has been launched after a 450kg bomb fell from an Israeli fighter jet into an Israeli town this morning, according to reports.

Images showed the munition landed close to homes in Yated.

The Israeli military said it was intended for Rafah and described the incident as "unusual", reported the Times of Israel.

"Air Force technical teams arrived at the scene and began an in-depth investigation of the incident."

The Rafah strike was carried out moments later, the military said.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed at least five people including Lebanese militants, Hamas fighters and Syrian civilians, security sources told Reuters.

A series of strikes on a coastal town further north than the usual conflict area killed a Hezbollah member as well as two Syrian civilians, the security sources said.

They said a separate Israeli strike on Majdal Anjar, on Lebanon's eastern border with Syria, killed two Hamas fighters.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across Lebanon's southern border for seven months in parallel with the Gaza war, but it has ramped up in recent days.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The recovery of the bodies of three hostages from Gaza is a "painful reminder" of those who are still in captivity, says a member of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Professor Hagai Levine said over the last day, rumours circulating about which bodies had been returned to Israel were "very painful for the families" of all the captives.

It was important to bring home the bodies of hostages to give their families closure, he said.

"We do not lose hope. We are preparing for the return of the hostages that are alive," he said.

"As long as we promote a solution to release the hostages, it will also help to prevent further bloodshed in Gaza."

Turning to the approach the Israeli government has taken, Mr Levine said the government "is not representing well the desires of the public".

"There is a majority in Israel that believe that we should now promote regional agreements and together with the moderate countries, not the extremists, we should kick out Hamas... and replace them with another kind of government.

"This could really bring peace and prosperity to the Palestinians and to Israelis and to the entire region and we feel that the government is not doing enough."

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