Report Speech (Softskill Assignment)

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

1. Remove comma and inverted commas.
2. Put "that" between the reporting and reported speeches.(it is optional to put "that" between the reporting and reported speech)
3. Change the 1st letter of reported speech into small letter except for "I"
4. Change the pronoun of the direct speech according to the rules described in table 2
5. Change the tense of the direct speech appropriately according to rules described in table 3.
6. 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

1. The past tense is often used when it is uncertain if the statement is true or when we are reporting objectively.

Indirect Speech Conversion	Direct Speech Condition
Present Tenses in the Direct Speech are changed into Past Tense.	If the reporting or principal verb is in the Past Tense.
Do Not Change Tense of reported Speech in Indirect Speech sentence	If in direct speech you find say/says or will say.
	Direct speech the words within the quotation marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action.
	The reporting verb is in a present tense.

2. 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.
3. Words expressing nearness in time or places are generally changed into words expressing distance.

Change of place and time	Direct Speech Word	Indirect Speech Word
	Here	There
	Today	that day
	this morning	that morning
	Yesterday	the day before
	Tomorrow	the next day
	next week	the following week
	next month	the following month
	Now	Then
	Ago	Before
	Thus	So
	Last Night	the night before
	This	That
	These	Those
	Hither	Thither
	Hence	Thence
	Come	Go

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.

Rules	Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
The first person of the reported speech changes according to the subject of reporting speech.	She says, "I am in tenth class."	She says, "I am in tenth class."
The second person of reported speech changes according to the object of reporting speech.	He says to them, "You have completed your job."	He tells them that they have completed their job.
The third person of the reported speech doesn't change.	She says, "She is in tenth class."	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.

Rules	Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Simple Present Changes To Simple Past	"I always drink coffee", she said	She said that she always drank coffee.
Present Continuous Changes To Past Continuous	"I am reading a book", he explained.	He explained that he was reading a book
Present Perfect Changes To Past Perfect	She said, "He has finished his work"	She said that he had finished his work.
Present Perfect Continuous Changes To Past Perfect Continuous	"I have been to Spain", he told me.	He told me that he had been to Spain.
Simple Past Changes To Past Perfect	"Bill arrived on Saturday", he said.	He said that Bill had arrived on Saturday
Past Perfect Changes To Past Perfect (No Change In Tense)	"I had just turned out the light," he explained.	He explained that he had just turned out the light.
Past Continuous Changes To Past Perfect Continuous	"We were living in Paris", they told me.	They told me that they had been living in Paris.
Future Changes To Present Conditional	"I will be in Geneva on Monday", he said	He said that he would be in Geneva on Monday.
Future Continuous Changes To Conditional Continuous	She said, "I'll be using the car next Friday."	She said that she would be using the car next Friday.

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6.      Changes in Modals

Rules	Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
CAN changes into COULD	He said, "I can drive a car".	He said that he could drive a car.
MAY changes into MIGHT	He said, "I may buy a computer"	He said that he might buy a computer.
MUST changes into HAD TO	He said, "I must work hard"	He said that he had to work hard.
These Modals Do Not Change: Would, could, might, should, ought to.
Would	They said, "we would apply for a visa"	They said that they would apply for visa.
Could	He said, "I could run faster"	He said that he could run faster.
Might	John said, "I might meet him".	John said that he might meet him.
Should	He said, "I should avail the opportunity"	He said that he should avail the opportunity.
Ought to	He said to me, "you ought to wait for him"	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:

1. Order
2. Request
3. Advice
4. Suggestion

Most commonly used words to join clauses together are ordered, requested, advised and suggested. Forbid(s)/ forbade is used for the negative sentences.

Mood of Sentence in Direct Speech	Reporting verb in indirect verb
Order	ordered
Request	requested / entreated
Advice	advised / urged
Never	told, advised or forbade (No need of "not" after "forbade")
Direction	directed
Suggestion	suggested to
Warning	warn
(If a person is addressed directly)	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

1. Exclamatory sentence changes into assertive sentence.
2. Interjections are removed.
3. Exclamation mark changes into full stop.
4. W.H words like , "what" and "how" are removed and before the adjective of reported speech we put "very"
5. Changes of "tenses" , "pronouns" and "adjectives" will be according to the previous rules.

Mood of Sentence in Direct Speech	Reporting verb in indirect verb
sorrow in reported speech	Exclaimed with sorrow/ grief/ exclaimed sorrowfully or cried out
happiness in reported speech	exclaimed with joy/ delight/ exclaimed joyfully
surprise in reported speech	exclaimed with surprise/ wonder/ astonishment"
appreciation and it is being expressed strongly	applauded

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