Learn Direct and Indirect Speech rules for conversion with examples. Master the art of converting Direct to Indirect speech with our clear explanations and examples of key rules for changing pronouns, verb tenses, and time expressions. Direct and Indirect Speech rules are an important part of the conversion of speech in English grammar.
Direct and Indirect Speech understanding
Go through the following speeches and look at their meaning and structure :
1. Anuska said to Latika, “I have seen Lionel Messi score a goal.”
2. Anuska told Latika that she had seen Lionel Messi score a goal.
In the first sentence Anushka’s speech is “I have seen Lionel Messi score a goal.” and this speech is said to Latika. But in the second sentence, Anushka’s speech has been changed but the meaning of what Anushka wants to tell Latika remains the same.
Direct and Indirect Speech – Definition
When a sentence is quoted with the exact words used by the speaker, it is called a sentence in Direct Speech. For example:
Anushka said to Latika, “I have seen Lionel Messi score a goal.” (Direct Speech)
When the sentence is spoken or written in the form of a narrative without quoting the speaker’s actual words but keeping the meaning the same, it is called a sentence in Indirect Speech. For example:
Anuska told Latika that she had seen Lionel Messi score a goal. (Indirect Speech)
Direct and Indirect Speech – Identification
We will now take a look at how to identify direct and indirect speech through a set of examples given in the following images as this identification is basically important for direct and indirect speech conversion.
The following example is of direct speech and this will not only identify the various parts of direct speech but also will help to change direct to indirect speech.
“I shall not go to school.” – are actual words of Riya. So, it is in the Quotation Marks / Inverted Comma (“ ”). This format of a sentence with commas and Quotation Marks / Inverted Commas is called Direct Speech where ‘Riya’ is the subject or speaker, ‘says’ is the reporting verb, and ‘I shall not go to school’ is called reported speech.
Similarly, the above-mentioned sentence is reported without quoting Riya’s actual words but keeping the meaning the same. This Format of the sentence is called Indirect Speech. In this format, no Comma and no Quotation Mark / Inverted Comma are used. Only Full Stop ( . ) is used at end of the sentence.
More Direct & Indirect Speech Resources:
Direct and Indirect Speech of different sentences
Since there are five types of sentences or speeches to be converted from direct to indirect speech in English, it is very important that we identify each sentence first before applying direct and indirect speech rules for conversion. How we remember sentences or speeches is discussed below.
Assertive Sentence.
(a) There is a full stop (.) at the end of the sentence.
(b) The sentence structure is normally (S+V+……..).Example: He said to me, “I am ill.”
Interrogative sentence.
The sentence is normally ended with a note of interrogation or (?)
Example: The teacher said to me, “Why are you late?”
Imperative sentence
(a) Subject is ‘you’ but remains omitted.(b) Senetence may be introduced with ‘Let’.
(c) When the sentence implies advice, order, or request.
Example: Mother said to me, “Don’t run in the sun.”
Example: Her said to me, “Let us go for picnic.”
Optative sentence.
(a) this kind of sentence normally begins with the word “May”.
(b) and this sentence also expresses some “wish”.
Example: The monk said to me, “ May God bless you.”
Exclamatory sentence.
(a) In this type of sentence, there is an exclamation mark (!).(b) This sentence also expresses some emotion or feeling.
Example: The boys said, “Hurrah! we have won the match.”
Direct and Indirect Speech rules for conversion
Sentences are divided into five parts according to the variety of people speaking in daily life. speaking being called speech, we need to know five types of direct and indirect speech rules for conversion. Some direct and indirect speech rules are specific for each of the five sentences. But there are other direct and indirect speech rules that will have been applied to all five sentences. These rules are called General Rules which are specially discussed below.
1. Person and Numbers
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 ]
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 ]
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.
2. Pronouns
| Subject | Object |
| I (1st person, singular) | me (1st person, singular) |
| We (1st person, plural) | us (1st person, plural) |
| You (2nd person, singular / plural) | You (2nd person, singular / plural) |
| He (3rd person, singular) | him (3rd person, singular) |
| She (3rd person, singular) | her (3rd person, singular) |
| They (3rd person, plural) | them (3rd person, plural) |
3. Tense
a. 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.
Examples:
- 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.
b. 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.
Examples:
- 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.
c. 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.
| Reporting Verb | Reported Verb in Direct Speech | Reported Verb in Indirect Speech |
| Past | Present Indefinite | Past Indefinite |
| Past | Universal Truth or Regular Habits | Remains Unchanged |
| Past | Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
| Past | Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
| Past | Past Indefinite | Past Perfect |
| Past | Past Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
| Past | Past Perfect | Remains Unchanged |
| Past | Shall / Will | Should / Would |
| Past | Can / May | Could / Might |
Examples:
- Direct Speech: Rohan said, “She works hard.”
- Indirect Speech: Rohan said that she worked hard
- Direct Speech: Rohan said, “She is singing a song.”
- Indirect Speech: Rohan said that she was singing a song.
- Direct Speech: The guest said shouting, “We have arrived .”
- Indirect Speech: The guest said shouting that they had arrived.
- Direct Speech: My sister said, “It has been raining hard for 3 days”.
- Indirect Speech: My sister said that it had been raining hard for 3 days.
- Direct Speech: Father said, “I visited the Taj yesterday.”
- Indirect Speech: Father said that he had visited the Taj the previous day.
- Direct Speech: Boys said, “They were travelling in the park.”
- Indirect Speech: Boys said that they had been travelling in the park.
- Direct Speech: The reporters commented that the Kohinoor had been lost long ago.
- Indirect Speech: The reporters commented, “The Kohinoor had been lost long ago”.
- Direct Speech: Jyotsna said, “ She had been doing the work for 3 hours”.
- Indirect Speech: Jyotsna said that she had been doing the work for 3 hours.
Direct and Indirect Speech rules of Exception of Verbs.
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 Present Tense alone is used.
Examples:
- 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.
Direct and Indirect Speech rules for Time, Place, Manner, Distance, and Direction
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.
Time
| Direct Narration | Indirect Narration |
| now | then /at that time |
| ago | before |
| henceforth | thenceforth |
| long ago | long before |
| henceforward | thenceforward |
| today | That day /the same day |
| tonight | that night /the same night |
| tomorrow | the next day /the following day |
| yesterday | the previous day /the day before |
| yesterday night | the previous night /the night before |
| last night | the previous night /the night before |
| last evening | the previous evening /the evening before |
| last week | the previous week /the week before |
| last fortnight | the previous fortnight /the fortnight before |
| last month | the previous month /the month before |
| last year | the previous year /the year before |
| last occasion | the previous occasion |
| next day | the following day /the day after |
| next week | the following week /the week after |
| next fortnight | the following fortnight /the fortnight after |
| next month | the following month /the month after |
| next year | the following year /the year after |
| on the next occasion | on the following occasion |
Place
| Direct Narration | Indirect Narration |
| here | there |
| at this place | at that place |
Mannaer
| Direct Narration | Indirect Narration |
| thus | so /in that way |
| in this way | in that way |
| in this manner | in that manner |
| hereby | thereby |
Distance
| Direct Narration | Indirect Narration |
| this | that |
| these | those |
Direction
| Direct Narration | Indirect Narration |
| hither | thither |
| hence | thence |
| From here | From there |
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 hue brother.
- Q:The hermit said to the boys, “God is present everywhere.”
- Ans:The hermit told the boys that God is present everuwhere.
- 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 thay 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 muah 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.