Reported speech is a
sentence that reported something as a test of someone’s statement, reported
speech is used when you tell somebody else what you or a person said before.
The distinction must be made between direct speech and reported speech. Reported
speech alson can be called as indirect speech. In indirect
speech/sentence, we extend the message of the speaker in our own words to
another person without changing the intent of what the speaker said. Also,
direct and indirect speech can be called as reported speech, reported speech is
a sentence that reported something as a test of someone’s statement. Meanwhile,
in direct speech/sentence, we extend the message of the speaker directly based
on his own actual words without any changing. Direct speech also can be called
as quoted speech.
What’s the difference between direct and indirect speech?
Both terms describe a way of
recounting something that may have been said – but there is a subtle difference
between them.
Direct speech
describes when something is being repeated exactly as it was – usually in
between a pair of inverted commas. For example:
She told me, “I’ll come home by 10pm.”
Indirect speech
will still share the same information – but instead of expressing someone’s
comments or speech by directly repeating them, it involves reporting or
describing what was said. An obvious difference is that with indirect speech,
you won’t use inverted commas. For example:
She said to me that she would
come home by 10pm.
Let’s take a closer look at each
one!
How to change direct speech into indirect speech?
A.
Procedure of changing
direct speech into indirect speech
- Remove comma and inverted
commas.
- Put "that" between
the reporting and reported speeches.(it is optional to put
"that" between the reporting and reported speech)
- Change the 1st letter of
reported speech into small letter except for "I"
- Change the pronoun of the
direct speech according to the rules described in table 2
- Change the tense of the direct
speech appropriately according to rules described in table 3.
- Change the words expressing
nearness in time or places of the direct speech into its appropriate words
expressing distance as per table 1
B.
Rules for changing Direct into Indirect
Speech
- The past tense is often used
when it is uncertain if the statement is true or when we are reporting
objectively.
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Indirect Speech Conversion
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Direct Speech Condition
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Present Tenses in the Direct Speech are changed
into Past Tense.
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If the reporting or principal verb is in
the Past Tense.
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Do Not Change Tense of reported Speech
in Indirect Speech sentence
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If in direct speech you find say/says or
will say.
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Direct speech the words within the
quotation marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action.
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The reporting verb is in a present
tense.
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- When there are two sentences
combined with the help of a conjunction and both sentences have got
different tenses. then change the tenses of both sentences according to
the rule.
- Words expressing nearness in
time or places are generally changed into words expressing distance.
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Change of place and time
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Direct Speech Word
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Indirect Speech Word
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Here
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There
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Today
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that day
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this morning
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that morning
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Yesterday
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the day before
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Tomorrow
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the next day
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next week
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the following week
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next month
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the following month
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Now
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Then
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Ago
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Before
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Thus
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So
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Last Night
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the night before
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This
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That
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These
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Those
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Hither
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Thither
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Hence
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Thence
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Come
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Go
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4.
Change in Pronouns
The
pronouns of the Direct Speech are changed where necessary, according to their
relations with the reporter and his hearer, rather than with the original
speaker. If we change direct speech into indirect speech, the pronouns will
change in the following ways.
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Rules
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Direct
Speech
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Indirect
Speech
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The first person of the reported speech changes according to the
subject of reporting speech.
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She says, "I am in tenth class."
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She says, "I am in tenth class."
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The second person of reported speech changes according to the
object of reporting speech.
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He says to them, "You have completed your job."
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He tells them that they have completed their job.
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The third person of the reported speech doesn't change.
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She says, "She is in tenth class."
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She says that she is in tenth class.
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5.
Change in Tenses
The
past perfect and past perfect continuous tenses do not change.
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Rules
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Direct
Speech
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Indirect
Speech
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Simple Present Changes
To Simple Past |
"I always drink coffee", she said
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She said that she always drank coffee.
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Present Continuous Changes
To Past Continuous |
"I am reading a book", he explained.
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He explained that he was reading a book
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Present Perfect Changes
To Past Perfect |
She said, "He has finished his work"
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She said that he had finished his work.
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Present Perfect Continuous Changes
To Past Perfect Continuous |
"I have been to Spain", he told me.
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He told me that he had been to Spain.
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Simple Past Changes
To Past Perfect |
"Bill arrived on Saturday", he said.
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He said that Bill had arrived on Saturday
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Past Perfect Changes
To Past Perfect (No Change In Tense) |
"I had just turned out the light," he explained.
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He explained that he had just turned out the light.
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Past Continuous Changes
To Past Perfect Continuous |
"We were living in Paris", they told me.
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They told me that they had been living in Paris.
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Future Changes
To Present Conditional |
"I will be in Geneva on Monday", he said
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He said that he would be in Geneva on Monday.
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Future Continuous Changes
To Conditional Continuous |
She said, "I'll be using the car next Friday."
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She said that she would be using the car next Friday.
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6.
Changes in Modals
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Rules
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Direct
Speech
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Indirect
Speech
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CAN changes into COULD
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He said, "I can drive a car".
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He said that he could drive a car.
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MAY changes into MIGHT
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He said, "I may buy a computer"
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He said that he might buy a computer.
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MUST changes into HAD TO
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He said, "I must work hard"
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He said that he had to work hard.
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These Modals Do Not Change: Would, could, might, should, ought
to.
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Would
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They said, "we would apply for a visa"
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They said that they would apply for visa.
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Could
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He said, "I could run faster"
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He said that he could run faster.
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Might
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John said, "I might meet him".
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John said that he might meet him.
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Should
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He said, "I should avail the opportunity"
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He said that he should avail the opportunity.
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Ought to
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He said to me, "you ought to wait for him"
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He said to me that I ought to wait for him.
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7.
Changes for Imperative Sentences
Imperative
sentences consist any of these four things:
- Order
- Request
- Advice
- Suggestion
Most commonly used words to join clauses together are
ordered, requested, advised and suggested. Forbid(s)/ forbade is used for the
negative sentences.
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Mood
of Sentence in Direct Speech
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Reporting
verb in indirect verb
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Order
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ordered
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Request
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requested / entreated
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Advice
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advised / urged
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Never
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told, advised or forbade (No need of "not" after
"forbade")
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Direction
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directed
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Suggestion
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suggested to
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Warning
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warn
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(If a person is addressed directly)
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called
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8.
Exclamatory Sentences
Exclamatory
sentences expresses emotions. Interjections such as Hurrah, wow, alas, oh, ah
are used to express emotions. The word "that" is
used as join clause.
A.
Rules for conversion of
Exclamatory Direct Speech Sentences into Indirect Speech Sentences
- Exclamatory
sentence changes into assertive sentence.
- Interjections are
removed.
- Exclamation mark
changes into full stop.
- W.H words like ,
"what" and "how" are removed and before the
adjective of reported speech we put "very"
- Changes of
"tenses" , "pronouns" and "adjectives"
will be according to the previous rules.
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Mood
of Sentence in Direct Speech
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Reporting
verb in indirect verb
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sorrow in reported speech
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Exclaimed with sorrow/ grief/ exclaimed sorrowfully or cried out
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happiness in reported speech
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exclaimed with joy/ delight/ exclaimed joyfully
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surprise in reported speech
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exclaimed with surprise/ wonder/ astonishment"
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appreciation and it is being expressed strongly
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applauded
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The example of direct speech into indirect speech in statement
Past:
Direct: “I
was being rejected by that company a years ago.”
Indirect: He told me
that he rejected by that company a years ago.
Present:
Direct: “I’m so happy!”
Indirect: She told me that she was
so happy
The example of direct speech into indirect speech in question
Direct: “Can I put my bag here?”
Indirect: He asked if he could put
his bag there.
The example of direct speech into indirect speech in imparative
Direct: She said to him, “you
should work hard for exam”
Indirect: He suggested him to work hard for exam.
The verb of the direct speech is changed into the infinitive form : to
bring, to write
Name: Ahmad Al-Ghany Salman
NPM: 10613395
Class: 4SA02
