English grammar - Direct Speech and Indirect Speech

In English grammar, Direct Speech and Indirect Speech are two ways to report what someone else has said.

1. Direct Speech

In Direct Speech, the exact words of the speaker are quoted and placed within quotation marks.

Example:

• Rani said, “I am going to the market.”

Here, we directly quote Rani’s words, so we use quotation marks.

2. Indirect Speech

In Indirect Speech (also called Reported Speech), we convey the meaning of what someone said without quoting them exactly. We often need to change pronouns, verbs, and other words to fit the sentence.

Example:

• Rani said that she was going to the market.

Here, we change the sentence to fit into indirect speech. Notice the following changes:

• The word “that” is added (optional in English).
• The pronoun “I” is changed to “she” (since we’re talking about Rani).
• The verb tense changes from am going to was going.

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Rules for Changing Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

1. Remove Quotation Marks: No quotation marks in indirect speech.
2. Change Pronouns: Adjust the pronouns according to the speaker and listener.
   • Example: "I" may become "he/she" depending on who said it.
3. Change Tenses: The verb tense often changes.
   • Present simple to past simple: "am" → "was"
   • Present continuous to past continuous: "is going" → "was going"
4. Change of Time Words: Words indicating time also need to change.
   • "Now" → "then"
   • "Today" → "that day"
   • "Tomorrow" → "the next day" or "the following day"

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More Examples

Example 1

Direct Speech: Ravi said, “I have completed my homework.” Indirect Speech: Ravi said that he had completed his homework.

Example 2

Direct Speech: The teacher said, “You should submit your assignments by Friday.” Indirect Speech: The teacher said that we should submit our assignments by Friday.

Example 3

Direct Speech: She said, “I will call you tomorrow.” Indirect Speech: She said that she would call me the next day.

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Summary of Changes

1. Remove quotes.
2. Change pronouns to fit the context.
3. Change verb tenses to reflect the indirect statement.
4. Adjust time words for the reported context.

Understanding these basics will help you convert sentences between Direct and Indirect Speech accurately.