Direct (Quoted) and Indirect (Reported) Speech
Direct and indirect speech
Direct speech, also known as quoted speech, is a form of reporting in which the exact words spoken by a person are enclosed in quotation marks.
Quotation Marks:
Place the spoken words inside double quotation marks (””).
She said, “I will be there by 3 o’clock.”
Punctuation:
Use a comma, question mark, or exclamation mark to end the quoted speech, placed inside the quotation marks.
She exclaimed, “What a beautiful sunset!”
He asked, “Have you seen my keys?”
John said, “I’ll meet you at the cafe at 7:00.”
Reporting Verb:
Introduce the quoted speech with a reporting verb (said, asked, replied, shouted, etc.).
The reporting verb is usually followed by a comma (,).
Mary said, “I can’t believe it.”
Capitalization:
Capitalise the first letter of the quoted speech.
Tom exclaimed, “This is incredible!”
Sarah said, “I love reading books.”
The teacher asked, “Did everyone complete their homework?”
He shouted, “Run! The dog is coming!”
Lisa whispered, “I have a secret to tell you.”
“Stop right there!” commanded the police officer.
While changing the speaker:
Start a new paragraph when there is a change in the speaker.
“I love hiking,” said Sarah.
“Really?” responded Mark. “I prefer swimming.”
Dialogue Tags:
Use dialogue tags (he said, she exclaimed, they asked) to attribute the speech to a specific character.
“I don’t agree,” she argued.
Punctuation with Interrupted Speech:
Use em dashes (—) to indicate an interruption within the quoted speech.
“I was just trying—”
Single Quotation Marks for Nested Quotes:
Use single quotation marks (‘’) for quotes within quotes.
She said, “He told me, ‘I’ll be there.’”
Punctuation at the End of a Sentence:
If the direct speech is at the end of a sentence, place the ending punctuation inside the closing quotation mark.
“I’ll see you later.”
No Punctuation for Unfinished Thoughts:
If the direct speech is an unfinished thought, use an ellipsis (…) to indicate that.
“I was just thinking that if we could…”
Reported (indirect) speech:
Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of expressing what someone else has said without quoting their exact words.
When using reported speech, you convey the meaning or content of someone’s statement rather than reproducing their words verbatim.
Reported speech is often used to report conversations, statements, or information shared by others.
Here are the key characteristics and rules of reported speech:
Reporting Verb:
Begin the reported speech with a reporting verb such as said, told, asked, or another appropriate verb.
Direct speech: “I will come tomorrow.” Reported speech: She said that she would come the next day.
Pronoun Changes:
Change the pronouns in the reported speech to reflect the perspective of the speaker.
Direct speech: “I am going to the party now.” Reported speech: She said that she was going to the party then.
Tense Changes:
Adjust the tense of the verbs in the reported speech to reflect the time perspective of the original statement.
Direct speech: “I studied yesterday.”
Reported speech: He said that he had studied the day before.
Time and place changes:
Adjust the expressions of time and place in the reported speech to match the context of the reporting.
Direct speech: “I’ll meet you here the day after tomorrow.”
Reported speech: She said that she would meet me there two days later.
Changes in Modals:
Modify modal verbs to match the reported context.
Direct speech: “I can help you.”
Reported speech: He said that he could help me.
Optional “That”:
The word that is often optional in reported speech and can be omitted in many cases.
Direct speech: “I need your help.”
Reported speech: She said that she needed my help.
Reporting Questions:
Change questions into reported speech by using an appropriate reporting verb and adjusting word order.
Direct speech: “Are you coming with us?”
Reported speech: He asked if I was coming with them.
Reporting Commands and Requests:
Report commands and requests using verbs like ask, tell, or request, and adjust pronouns and verbs accordingly.
Direct speech: “Close the door.”
Reported speech: She told me to close the door.
Tense shifting rules:
When changing direct speech into indirect speech, the conjunction that is often used to introduce the reported speech.
Additionally, there are specific rules for shifting tenses depending on the tense of the original statement.
Present Simple Tense:
Direct Speech: “I like ice cream.”
Indirect Speech: She said that she liked ice cream.
Present Continuous Tense:
Direct Speech: “I am eating lunch.”
Indirect Speech: He said that he was eating lunch.
Present Perfect Tense:
Direct Speech: “I have finished my homework.”
Indirect Speech: She said that she had finished her homework.
Past Simple Tense:
Direct Speech: “I visited the museum.”
Indirect Speech: He said that he had visited the museum.
Past Continuous Tense:
Direct Speech: “I was reading a book.”
Indirect Speech: She said that she had been reading a book.
Past Perfect Tense:
Direct Speech: “I had already eaten.”
Indirect Speech: He said that he had already eaten.
No Backshift: Reporting a General Truth or Universal Fact:
Direct Speech: “The Earth revolves around the sun.”
Indirect Speech: She said that the Earth revolves around the sun.
Shifting from tense to tense rule:
Present Simple to Past Simple:
Change Present Simple to Past Simple:
Direct: She said, “I get up at eight o’clock.”
Indirect: She said that she got up at eight o’clock.
Present Continuous to Past Continuous:
Change the present continuous tense to the past continuous tense.
Direct: He said, “I am watching TV.”
Indirect: He said that he was watching TV.
Present Perfect to Past Perfect:
Change the present perfect tense to the past perfect tense.
Direct: “I have visited London.”
Indirect: She said that she had visited London.
Past Simple to Past Perfect:
Change the past simple tense to the past perfect tense.
Direct: She said, “I arrived.”
Indirect: She said that she had arrived.
No Backshift for General Truths:
When reporting general truths or universal facts, there is no backshift in tense.
Direct: He says, “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.”
Indirect: He says that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
When changing direct speech to indirect speech, pronouns, demonstratives, and adverbs of time and place may need adjustment.
Here are the rules and examples for each:
Pronouns: Change of Pronouns:
Change the pronouns in the reported speech to match the perspective of the reporting speaker.
Direct: “I am happy,” she said.
Indirect: She said that she was happy.
First Person to Third Person:
When reporting someone else’s statement, change the first-person pronouns to third-person pronouns.
Direct: “We will be here,” he said.
Indirect: He said that they would be there.
Demonstratives: Change of Demonstratives:
Change demonstratives (this, these, that, and those) to reflect the perspective of the reporting speaker.
Direct: “This is my car,” Tom said.
Indirect: Tom said (that) that was his car.
Adverbs of Time and Place: Change of Adverbs of Time:
Adjust adverbs of time to match the context of the reporting.
Direct: “I will do it tomorrow,” she said.
Indirect: She said that she would do it the next day.
Change of Adverbs of Place:
Adjust the adverbs of place to match the context of the reporting.
Direct: “We met here,” he said.
Indirect: He said that they had met there.
Here’s a table summarising the changes in pronouns, demonstratives, and adverbs in reported speech:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
| Pronouns: | |
| I | She/he (depending on the context) |
| We | They |
| You (singular) | He/she/it |
| You (plural) | They |
| He/She/It | They |
| Me | Her/him |
| Us | Them |
| My/Mine | Her/his/its |
| Our/Ours | Their/theirs |
| Demonstratives: | |
| This | That |
| These | Those |
| Adverbs of Time: | |
| Now | Then |
| Today | That day |
| Tomorrow | The next day |
| Yesterday | The day before |
| Adverbs of Place: | |
| Here | There |
| This place | That place |
| These places | Those places |
Interrogative sentence transformation:
When transforming interrogative sentences from direct speech to indirect speech, there are specific rules to follow regarding word order, tense changes, and the use of reporting verbs.
Here are the rules and examples for changing interrogative sentences:
Changing Word Order: Reporting Verb and Subject Order:
Move the reporting verb and subject to the beginning of the reported question.
Direct: “Are you coming to the party?” she asked.
Indirect: She asked if I was coming to the party.
Use of If or Whether:
Introduce the reported question with if or whether.
Direct: “Will you help me?” he asked.
Indirect: He asked if or whether I would help him.
Tense Changes: Present Simple to Past Simple:
Change the present simple tense in the reported question to the past simple tense.
Direct: “Do you like coffee?” she asked.
Indirect: She asked if I liked coffee.
Present Continuous to Past Continuous:
Change the present continuous tense to the past continuous tense.
Direct: “Are you studying?” he asked.
Indirect: He asked if I was studying.
Present Perfect to Past Perfect:
Change the present perfect tense to the past perfect tense.
Direct: “Have you finished your homework?” she asked.
Indirect: She asked if I had finished my homework.
Avoiding Yes/No Questions: Using If’ or Whether for Yes/No Questions:
If the direct question is a yes-or-no question, introduce the reported question with if or whether.
Direct: “Did you see the movie?” he asked. Indirect:
He asked if or whether I had seen the movie.
In indirect speech, yes-or-no questions are often transformed into statements.
Here are some examples:
Direct Speech: She asked him, “Are you interested in joining the book club?”
Indirect Speech: She asked him if he was interested in joining the book club.
He replied that he was.
He responded that he was not.
Direct Speech: She asked him, “Did you enjoy the movie last night?”
Indirect Speech: She asked if he had enjoyed the movie last night.
He said that he did.
He admitted that he did not.
Direct Speech: He asked her, “Will you be attending the conference next week?”
Indirect Speech: He asked if she would be attending the conference next week.
She confirmed that she would.
She informed him that she would not.
Direct Speech: She asked him, “Have you met the new colleague yet?”
Indirect Speech: She inquired if he had met the new colleague.
He mentioned that he had.
He stated that he had not.
Direct Speech: He asked her, “Can you lend me your notes for the meeting?”
Indirect Speech: He asked her if she could lend him her notes for the meeting.
She agreed that she could.
She apologised that she could not.
Question Words: Changing Question Words:
Change the question words (who, what, where, when, why, how) in the reported question according to the context.
Direct: “Where is the nearest store?” she asked.
Indirect: She asked where the nearest store was.
Reporting Verbs: Choosing Appropriate Reporting Verbs:
Choose reporting verbs such as ask, inquire, wonder, or want to know based on the context.
Direct: “Did you finish the report?” she asked.
Indirect: She inquired if I had finished the report.
Imperative sentence transformation:
When transforming imperative sentences (commands, requests, or suggestions) from direct speech to indirect speech, the structure of the sentence undergoes certain changes.
Here are the rules and examples for changing imperative sentences:
Use of a Reporting Verb:
Introduce the reported speech with a reporting verb: Use reporting verbs, such as
ask, command, request, advise, suggest, etc., to introduce the indirect speech.
Direct: “Close the door,” she said.
Indirect: She asked me to close the door.
Change of Pronouns:
Adjust Pronouns Accordingly:
Adjust the pronouns in the reported speech based on the perspective of the reporting speaker.
Direct: “Bring me the book,” he said to her.
Indirect: He told her to bring him the book.
No to before the reported speech:
Omit to Before the Reported Speech.
In imperative sentences, the to before the reported speech is often omitted.
Direct: “Please help me with this,” she said.
Indirect: She requested that I help her with that.
Change of Verb Forms:
Use To + Base Form of the Verb:
Change the verb form to to + base form in the reported speech.
Direct: “Stand up,” the teacher said.
Indirect: The teacher told them to stand up.
Optional that before the reported speech:
Optional Use of that:
The conjunction that is optional in many cases.
With that:
“Please be quiet,” she said.
She requested that they be quiet.
Without that:
“Please be quiet,” she said.
She requested them to be quiet.
Modals in Imperative Sentences:
Use of Modals for Politeness:
Use modals like can, could, will, would, etc., for politeness.
Direct: “Pass me the salt,” he said.
Indirect: He asked if I could pass him the salt.
Reporting verbs for imperatives:
Appropriate reporting verbs:
Choose reporting verbs that convey the nature of the imperative sentence,
(command, request, suggest, advise, etc.).
Direct: “Do your homework,” she said.
Indirect: She advised them to do their homework.
Exceptions:
Unchangeable Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous:
When transforming direct speech into indirect speech, if the reporting verb is in the past tense and the reported statement is still true or relevant at the time of reporting, the past perfect or past perfect continuous may remain unchanged.
Direct Speech:
She said, “I had already finished the project by the time they arrived.”
Indirect Speech (Unchangeable):
She said that she had already finished the project by the time they arrived.
Direct Speech:
Mary said, “I had been working on the project for three months before I took a break.”
Indirect Speech (Unchangeable):
Mary said that she had been working on the project for three months before she took a break.
Unchangeable Past Indefinite (simple past) and Past Continuous:
When transforming direct speech into indirect speech, the use of past indefinite (simple past) and past continuous may remain unchanged if the reporting verb is in the past tense, and the time of the action is clear or specified.
Direct Speech:
John said, “I worked on the project yesterday.”
Indirect Speech (Unchangeable):
John said that he worked on the project yesterday.
Direct Speech:
Sarah said, “I was studying at 8 p.m. last night.”
Indirect Speech (Unchangeable):
Sarah said that she was studying at 8 p.m. last night.
Must to had to:
In indirect speech, the modal verb must can be changed to had to to convey necessity or obligation.
Direct Speech:
Tom said, “I must finish the report by tomorrow.”
Indirect Speech (Transformation):
Tom said that he had to finish the report by the next day.
Unchangeable Must:
When must is used to convey advice or give an order in direct speech, it remains unchanged in indirect speech.
Direct Speech:
The teacher said, “You must submit your assignments on time.”
Indirect Speech (No Transformation):
The teacher said that we must submit our assignments on time.
Should and ought to:
In indirect speech, should and ought to are generally not changed.
Should and ought to are modal verbs that express advice, recommendations, or conditional actions.
In indirect speech, there’s often no need to change them, and they can be directly reported.
Direct Speech:
Sarah said to him, “You should (ought to) take a break.”
Indirect Speech (No Transformation):
Sarah told him that he should (ought to) take a break.
Direct (Quoted) and Indirect (Reported) Speech
Noun-Modifying (Adjective) Clauses