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Direct and Indirect Speech
 
 
DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct and Indirect Speech in English Grammar

What are Direct and Indirect Speech?

English language has two main ways to report what someone says: Direct and Indirect speech.

"Direct speech uses the exact words someone said, while indirect speech summarizes their words."

Let us understand in brief Direct and Indirect Speech:
DIRECT SPEECH

When two persons talk to each other using I, you & we pronouns their conversation / dialogue is called DIRECT SPEECH.
Generally, direct speech is written inside quotation marks (" "). The quotation is used to differentiate the speech of the third person that has happened in the past.

Examples:
  • • Raj said, "I am doing my job."
  • • They said, "We will go for the function."
  • • He asked, "Can I do this?".
INDIRECT SPEECH (REPORTED SPEECH)

When a third person quotes/refers to that conversation / dialogue by using He, She, It and They, it is called INDIRECT (REPORTED) SPEECH.
Instead of using quotation marks, the conjunction word, ‘that’ is used in Indirect Speech.

Examples:
  • • Raj said that he is doing his job.
  • • They said that they would go to the function.
  • • He asked whether he can do that.
Changes required to change Direct Speech into Indirect Speech:

When we change Direct Speech into Indirect Speech / Reported Speech, we make certain changes as indicted below:

» We use the conjunction "THAT" before the Indirect Speech (Conversations / Dialogue / Statement)
» No inverted commas,question marks or exclamation marks are used in the indirect speech.
» The pronoun is changed in person.
» The tense is changed.

Structure for Direct Speech into Indirect Speech:
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
Simple Present Simple Past
Present continuous Past continuous
Present Prefect Past perfect
Simple Future Simple Past
Future Continuous Past continuous
Future Prefect Past perfect
Simple Past Past perfect
General Changes in Adverbs of Place and Time for Direct into Indirect Speech:

Words expressing nearness in time or place (Adverb of place & time) are generally changed into words expressing distance. e.g.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech
Now Then
Here There
Ago Before
Thus So
Today / To night That day / That night
Tomorrow The next day
Yesterday The day before / the previous day
Last night The night before / the previous night
Come Go
This & These That & Those while it points out while reporting
Hither thither
Hence thence
Next week or month following week / month.
General Changes if verb is in Present Tense for Direct into Indirect Speech:

If the verb in the Direct Speech is in Present Tense, then verbs in Indirect Speech/ Reported Speech are changed as follows:

Direct Speech Indirect Speech
Am / Is Was
Are Were
Have / Has Had
Do not / Does not Did not
Play / Plays Played
Write / Writes Wrote
Was / Were Had been
Did not Had not
Played Had played
Wrote Had written
Shall / Will Should / Would
May play Might play
Can Could

Note : There is no change in should , would, could, must, might.

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