Let’s Enjoy Learning English

-Mr. Charles Stephan

-Mr. Avinash Bernard
The Eight Parts of Speech
There are eight parts of speech in the English language: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective,
adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. The part of speech indicates how the word
functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the sentence.
1. NOUN
A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.
Example: man, Butte, College, house, happiness
2. PRONOUN
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.
Example: She, we, they, it
3. VERB
A verb expresses action or being.
jump... is... write... become
4. ADJECTIVE
An adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.
pretty... old... blue... smart
5. ADVERB
An adverb modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
gently... extremely... carefully... well
6. PREPOSITION
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another
word in the sentence.
by... with.... about... until
7. CONJUNCTION
A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses.
and... but... or... while... because
8. INTERJECTION
An interjection is a word used to express emotion.
Oh!... Wow!... Oops!

Types of Nouns
Common Nouns and Proper Nouns
Common Nouns
Most nouns are common nouns. Common nouns refer to people, places and things in general
like chair or dog. Any noun that is not a name is a common noun.
Examples: teacher, car, music, danger, receipt
Have you seen my dog?
The books are on your desk.
...the pursuit of happiness.
Proper Nouns
Names of people, places or organizations are proper nouns. Your name is a proper noun.
London is a proper noun. United Nations is a proper noun.
Rule: Proper nouns always start with a capital letter.
Examples: Jane, Thailand, Sunday, James Bond, Einstein, Superman, Game of Thrones,
Shakespeare
Let me introduce you to Mary.
The capital of Italy is Rome.
He is the chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
I was born in November.
Note: Adjectives that we make from proper nouns also usually start with a capital letter, for
example Shakespearian, Orwellian.
Concrete Nouns and Abstract Nouns
Concrete Nouns
Concrete nouns are physical things that you can touch.
Examples: man, rice, head, car, furniture, mobile phone
How many stars are there in the universe?
Have you met James Bond?
Pour the water down the drain.
Abstract Nouns
Abstract nouns are the opposite of concrete nouns. They are things that you cannot touch.
Abstract nouns are ideas, concepts and feelings.
Examples: happiness, courage, danger, truth
He has great strength.
Who killed President Kennedy is a real mystery?
Sometimes it takes courage to tell the truth.
Their lives were full of sadness.
Countable Nouns and Uncountable Nouns
Countable Nouns
(Also called count nouns)
You can count countable nouns. Countable nouns have singular and plural forms.
Examples: ball, boy, cat, person
I have only five dollars.
The Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago.
There are lots of people but we don't have a car.
Uncountable Nouns
(Also called mass nouns)
You cannot count uncountable nouns. You need to use "measure words" to quantify them.
Rule: We never use uncountable nouns with the indefinite article (a/an). Uncountable nouns
are always singular.
Examples: water, happiness, cheese
Have you got some money?
Air-conditioners use a lot of electricity.
Do you have any work for me to do?
Many Asians eat rice.
Collective Nouns
A collective noun denotes a group of individuals.
Examples: class (group of students), pride (group of lions), crew (group of sailors)
Rule: Collective nouns can be treated as singular or plural. More about this at rules of
subject-verb agreement with collective nouns.
His family live in different countries.
An average family consists of four people.
The new company is the result of a merger.
The board of directors will meet tomorrow.
Compound Nouns
A compound noun is a noun that is made with two or more words. Most compound nouns are
[noun + noun] or [adjective + noun]. Each compound noun acts as a single unit and can be
modified by adjectives and other nouns.

Compound nouns have three different forms:

open or spaced - space between words (bus stop)
hyphenated - hyphen between words (mother-in-law)
closed or solid - no space or hyphen between words (football)
Examples: cat food, blackboard, breakfast, full moon, washing machine, software
Can we use the swimming pool?
They stop work at sunset.
Don't forget that check-out is at 12 noon.
Note that all nouns are more than one type. For example, common nouns can be
concrete nouns or abstract nouns. (The common noun danger is an abstract noun.)
And the same noun can change its type according to meaning. For example, the noun
light can be uncountable (light in general) or countable (lamp).
Types of Pronouns
Personal pronouns. For example: he, they, we
Demonstrative pronouns. For example: this, that, these
Interrogative pronouns. For example: which, who, whose
Indefinite pronouns. For example: none, several, any
Possessive pronouns. For example: his, yours, ours
Reciprocal pronouns. For example: each other, one another
Relative pronouns. For example: which, who, that
Reflexive pronouns. For example: itself, himself, ourselves
Intensive pronouns. For example: itself, himself, ourselves
Usage of Prepositions

Prepositions of Direction
To refer to a direction, use the prepositions "to," "in," "into," "on," and "onto."

 She drove to the store.

 Don’t ring the doorbell. Come right in(to) the house.
 Drive on(to) the grass and park the car there.

Prepositions of Time
To refer to one point in time, use the prepositions "in," "at," and "on."
Use "in" with parts of the day (not specific times), months, years, and seasons.

 He reads in the evening.

 The weather is cold in December.
 She was born in 1996.
 We rake leaves in the fall.
Use "at" with the time of day. Also use "at" with noon, night, and midnight.

 I go to work at 8:00.
 He eats lunch at noon.
 She often goes for a walk at night.
 They go to bed at midnight.
Use "on" with days.

 I work on Saturdays.
 He does laundry on Wednesdays.
To refer to extended time, use the prepositions "since," "for," "by," "during," "from…to,"
"from…until," "with," and "within."

 I have lived in Minneapolis since 2005. (I moved there in 2005 and still live there.)
 He will be in Toronto for 3 weeks. (He will spend 3 weeks in Toronto.)
 She will finish her homework by 6:00. (She will finish her homework sometime
between now and 6:00.)
 He works part time during the summer. (For the period of time throughout the
summer.)
 I will collect data from January to June. (Starting in January and ending in June.)
 They are in school from August until May. (Starting in August and ending in May.)
 She will graduate within 2 years. (No longer than 2 years.)

Prepositions of Place
To refer to a place, use the prepositions "in" (the point itself), "at" (the general vicinity), "on"
(the surface), and "inside" (something contained).

 They will meet in the lunchroom.

 She was waiting at the corner.
 He left his phone on the bed.
 Place the pen inside the drawer.

To refer to an object higher than a point, use the prepositions "over" and "above." To refer to
an object lower than a point, use the prepositions "below," "beneath," "under," and
"underneath."

 The bird flew over the house.

 The plates were on the shelf above the cups.
 Basements are dug below ground.
 There is hard wood beneath the carpet.
 The squirrel hid the nuts under a pile of leaves.
 The cat is hiding underneath the box.
 To refer to an object close to a point, use the prepositions "by," "near," "next to," "between,"
"among," and "opposite."

 The gas station is by the grocery store.

 The park is near her house.
 Park your bike next to the garage.
 There is a deer between the two trees.
 There is a purple flower among the weeds.
 The garage is opposite the house.

Prepositions of Location
To refer to a location, use the prepositions "in" (an area or volume), "at" (a point), and
"on" (a surface).

 They live in the country. (an area)

 She will find him at the library. (a point)
 There is a lot of dirt on the window. (a surface)

Prepositions of Spatial Relationships

To refer to a spatial relationship, use the prepositions "above," "across," "against," "ahead
of," "along," "among," "around," "behind," "below,” “beneath," "besides," "between,"
"from," "in front of," "inside," "near," "off," "out of," "through," "toward," "under," and
"within."

 The post office is across the street from the grocery store.
 We will stop at many attractions along the way.
 The kids are hiding behind the tree.
 His shirt is off.
 Walk toward the garage and then turn left.
 Place a check mark within the box.

Some Common Verb + Preposition Combinations

About: worry, complain, read
He worries about the future.
She complained about the homework.
I read about the flooding in the city.
At: arrive (a building or event), smile, look
He arrived at the airport 2 hours early.
The children smiled at her.
She looked at him.
From: differ, suffer
The results differ from my original idea.
She suffers from dementia.
For: account, allow, search
Be sure to account for any discrepancies.
I returned the transcripts to the interviewees to allow for revisions to be made.
They are searching for the missing dog.
In: occur, result, succeed
The same problem occurred in three out of four cases.
My recruitment strategies resulted in finding 10 participants.
She will succeed in completing her degree.
Of: approve, consist, smell
I approve of the idea.
The recipe consists of three basic ingredients.
The basement smells of mildew.
On: concentrate, depend, insist
He is concentrating on his work.
They depend on each other.
I must insist on following this rule.
To: belong, contribute, lead, refer
Bears belong to the family of mammals.
I hope to contribute to the previous research.
My results will lead to future research on the topic.
Please refer to my previous explanation.
With: (dis)agree, argue, deal
I (dis)agree with you.
She argued with him.
They will deal with the situation.
 a Tenses and Their Uses
It is important that you do not mix up time and tenses. Time is the same for everybody: past,
present and future. But, the tenses of verbs do not always fit into the past, present and future.
This is illustrated in the following example:
If it rains, I shall stay at home.
In this sentence, both the verbs refer to future time; but, the first verb is in the Simple acting
my uncle Present Tense as it is in a Conditional Clause beginning with it.
So, Tense indicates the time of an action or state.

TENSE

Action State
Present She does her job. He is fat.
Past She did her job He was fat six months ago.
Future She will do her job. He will be fat if he continues to eat junk food.
Simple Present Tense
The Simple Present Tense or Present Indefinite Tense is used:
1. To express universal truths and situations or facts that are permanent
(i) The sun rises in the east. (ii) Mosquitoes cause malaria.
2. To express habitual actions
Cats drink milk. (That is, cats are in the habit of drinking milk.)
3. To express actions in the immediate present
(i) To express what is actually taking place in the immediate present:
(a) Here comes the leader! (b) See how it looks!
(ii) To express things that happen in a flash often in our minds:
(a) I agree with you. (b) I rely on your support.
(iii) When somebody is showing people how to do something -make a cake, for example -
and speaking as well as acting at the same time:
"I take two cups of flour, strain and put it in a bowl. I make a well in the flour, then break an
egg into the well, etc."
4. To indicate the present period
(i) My brother works in a factory. (ii) Our house has large windows.
5. To express a future fixed action
(i) The school holidays begin next week. (ii) The match starts at 5 p.m.
6. To show ownership/relationship
(i) This car belongs to Mr. Gupta. (ii) She has two sons.
7. With verbs of perception like see, hear, smell, taste,
(i) I see her enjoying every moment. (ii) He feels for the poor.
(iii) The rose smells sweet.
8. In dramatic narratives
The anxious spectators wait for the match to start. Here comes the referee with a whistle in
his hand. The ball goes up in the air and the match starts with excitement.
9. In Conditional Clauses
(i) If he works hard, he will succeed. (ii) Unless he runs, he will not
win.
10. In Time Clauses
Time Clauses are introduced by Conjunctions of time, such as: when, while, until, till, after,
as soon as, and no sooner......than, as:
(i) When you reach Chennai, I shall meet you. (ii) I'll stay there till you
come back.
11. In Scientific fact
Water freezes at 0° centigrade.
TENSE SENTENCE FORMATION

Simple Present Subject + Verb + s/es with Third Person

Singular Subject.

Present Continuous Subject + am/is/are + Verb + ing.

Present Perfect Subject + has/have + Past Participle of Verb.

 Present Perfect Continuous Subject + has been/have been + Verb + ing.

Present Continuous Tense

The Present Continuous Tense is used for:
1. Action in progress at the time of speaking
(i) Someone is knocking at the door. (ii) Why are you sitting at my desk?
2. Temporary situations
What is he doing these days?
He is teaching English at Pune University.
(He may not actually be teaching at the moment of speaking.)
3. Planned future actions
(i) We are going to Shimla next year. (ii) I am meeting my uncle tomorrow.
4. Repeated actions
(i) He is always insisting on regularity. (ii) She is always helping the poor.
Present Perfect Tense
The Present Perfect Tense is used:
1. To describe actions or events beginning in the past and continuing up to the present
moment
(a) The Present Perfect Tense, with Adverbial Phrases, suggests the events taking place
up to the present.
I have read fifty pages so far.
Have you ever seen a zebra?
I have never seen a cobra before.
(b) The Present Perfect Tense expresses a past action, the results of which still continue,
as
I have known him for ten years. (It implies that I still know him.)
He has been ill since last Sunday.
We haven't seen her for many weeks.
(c) The Present Perfect Tense with since and for:
Since and for are often used with Present Perfect Tense to refer to a period of time up to the
present. Since is used with a point in time and means "from that point to the time of
speaking." It is always used with a Perfect Tense.
Tom has been here since 4 o'clock (and he is still here).
For is used with a period of time: for two days, for one hour, for a long time. For, used work
with the Present Perfect Tense, denotes a period of time extending up to the present.
I have lived in the hostel for two years (and I still live there).
On the other hand, for used with the Simple Past Tense denotes a terminated period of time:
I lived in the hostel for two years (but I do not live there now).
2. For actions occurring at an unspecified time
(a) The Present Perfect Tense for recent action:
Just: She has just gone out. (It means, she went out a few minutes ago.)
Still: He still has not completed his homework.
(b) The Present Perfect Tense for repeated or habitual action is:
Tom has practised the game regularly and has always won awards.
I have often wondered why he acts in this manner.
3. In typical contexts
(a) This tense is very often used in broadcasts and newspapers to introduce an action, which
will then be described in the Simple Past Tense. The time of the action is normally given in
the second sentence; as:
Seven dreaded terrorists have escaped from Tihar Jail. They used a rope, climbed a
fifteen-foot-high wall and escaped in a stolen jeep.
(b) The Present Perfect Tense is often used in correspondence:
Thank you for your letter, which I have just received. I am sorry, I have not written to you for
a long time.
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used:
1. For action in progress throughout a period
This tense is used when we want to emphasise that something has been in progress
throughout a period.
She has been dancing here since morning (and is still dancing or has just finished dancing.)
2. With verbs suggesting continuity
I have been working for ten years. (I am still working.)
3. For repeated actions
I have been knocking at the door. I do not think anybody is in.
4. For an unfinished action
We have been building the house. We will move in when it is finished. (the job is
unfinished.)
5. For drawing conclusions
The room stinks. Someone has been frying fish here.
Amina's eyes are red. It is obvious she has been crying.

Past Tense
Simple Past Tense
Sub+Verb2 + object
The Simple Past Tense is used:
1. To indicate an action in the past
2. for past habits used to is added to the verb
3. To express imaginary present situations or imaginary future events that may not
happen.

Examples
P- I went to the theatre yesterday.
N- I didn’t go to the theatre yesterday.
I- did I go to the theatre yesterday?
NI- didn’t I go to the theatre yesterday?

Past Continuous
Sub+ was/were+ Verb4 + object
The Simple Past Continuous Tense is used:
To denote an action going on at some time in the past. The time of the action may or
may not be indicated.
Examples
P- We were listening to the radio all evening.
N- We weren’t listening to the radio all evening
I- Were we listening to the radio all evening?
NI- Weren’t we listening to the radio all evening?

Past perfect Continuous Tense

Sub+ had+ been + verb4 + object
The Past perfect Continuous Tense is used:

An action that began before a certain point of time in a the past and was continuing at
the given point of time in the sentence.
A time expression like since last year, for the few days, are used in the sentence.

Examples
P- I had been writing a novel for two months.
N- I hadn’t been writing a novel for two months.
I- had I been writing a novel for two months?
NI- Hadn’t I been writing a novel for two months?

Future Tense
Simple Future Tense
Subject+ shall/will + Verb1 + object
Simple Future Tense is used:
For an action that has still to take place.

Examples
P- We shall prepare for the graduation party.
N- We shall not prepare for the graduation party.
I- Shall we prepare for the graduation party?
NI- Shan’t we prepare for the graduation party?

Future Continuous Tense

Sub+ Will/ shall+ be+ Verb4 + object
Future Continuous Tense is used:
Represents an action as going on at sometimes in the future
Represents the future events that are planned.

Examples
P- I shall be reading a novel.
N- I shan’t be reading a novel.
I- Shall I be reading a novel?
NI- Shan’t I be reading a novel?

Future Perfect Tense

Sub+ shall/will+ have+ verb3+ object
Future Perfect Tense is used:
To indicate the completion of an event by a certain future time.

Examples
P- I will have written my journal by that time.
N- I will not have written my journal by that time.
I- Will I have written my journal by that time?
NI- Won’t I have written my journal by that time?

Future Perfect continuous

Sub+ will/ shall+ have been + verb4 + object
Future Perfect Continuous tense is used:
 The future perfect continuous tense indicates an action represented it being in
progress over a period of time that will end in the future.

Examples
P- We shall have been living here for 12 years.
N- We shall not have been living here for 12 years.
I- Shall we have been living here for 12 years?
NI- Shan’t we have been living here for 12 years?

Question Tag
It is a common practice in conversation to make statement and ask for a confirmation.
Question tags are mainly used in speech when we want to confirm that something is true or
not.
Encourage reply from the person we are speaking to.
Rules to draw a question tag-
1. Positive statement is followed by negative question tag.
Surya is from Tumkur, isn’t he?
I am a rude person, aren’t I?
I bought a cake, didn’t I?
I do study, don’t I?
2. Negative statement followed by the positive question tag.
I don’t eat non-veg, do I?
She hardly interacts with the teachers, does she?
Nobody is in the classroom, isn’t?

Active and Passive Voice

The Voice of a verb indicates whether its subject is the doer or the receiver of the action
1. Sumit repaired the car.
2. The car was repaired by Sumit.
Both the sentences express the same meaning. But in sentence 1, the subject (Sumit) is the
doer of the action; so, the verb (repaired) is said to be in the Active Voice.
A verb is in the active voice when the subject is the doer of the action.
In sentence 2, the subject (the car) is the receiver of the action; so the verb (was repaired) is
said to be in the Passive Voice.
A verb is in the passive voice when the subject is the receiver of the action.
Use of Passive Voice
Passive Voice is used in the following situations:
Use Examples
1. To eliminate the mention of the agent 2. Ravi was found sleeping.
To give emphasis to the recipient of the
action

2. To give emphasis to the recipient of the English is spoken all over the world.
action
3. To make an impersonal statement It is said that the prices of pulses will fall.

4. To describe a process First the milk is boiled. Then sugar is added.

5. To define something A word used to describe an action is called a

Verb.

6. To narrate an incident or an event A man was stopped by the Police.

The Prize Distribution was held in the

auditorium.

7. To describe historical and social incidents The first modern Olympic Games were held
in Athens, Greece.
The Third Battle of Panipat was fought
between the Marathas and the Afghans.
The Bhakra-Nangal Dam was inaugurated
by Pandit Nehru.

8. To make requests and invitations You are requested to address the gathering.
You are cordially invited to the wedding of
our son.

10. To write a notice An exhibition of handicrafts will be held in

Hall No. 15.
All the visitors are requested not to bring
any bags and eatables inside the hall.

11. To make announcements The train to Amritsar has been delayed by

an hour.
12. To classify Sources of energy can be classified into two
groups.

Formation of the Passive

Passives can be formed in the following ways:
 1. Tense Active Voice Passive Voice
Simple Present He plants a tree. A tree is planted by him.

Simple Past Planted was/were planted

Present Continuous is/are planting is/are being planted

Present Perfect has/have planted has/have been planted

Past Continuous was/were planting was/were being planted

Past Perfect had planted had been planted

Simple Future shall/will plant will be planted

Conditional would plant would be planted

Perfect Conditional would have planted would have been planted

2. Infinitive is/was to plant is/was to have been planted

3.-ing Form planting/having planted being/having been planted

Direct and Indirect Speech

There are two ways of relating what a person has said: Direct and Indirect (Reported) Speech.
In Direct Speech, we quote the actual words of the speaker; as:
Anil said, "I am ill now."
Note: In Direct Speech,
1. We use inverted commas to mark the exact words of the speaker.
2. A comma or a colon is placed immediately before the remark or speech.
In Indirect (Reported) Speech, we give the exact meaning of a remark or a speech without
necessarily using the speaker's words, as:
Anil said that he was ill then.
In the example: Anil said, "I am ill now," said is the reporting verb and I am ill now are the
actual words of the speaker.
Relevant Changes
In changing the Direct Speech into Indirect speech certain changes are made, as shown in the
example given above:
• The conjunction that is used before the indirect statement.
• The pronoun I is changed to he.
• The verb am is changed to was.
• The adverb now is changed to then.
Rules for changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech
Rule 1: If the Reporting Verb is in the Present or Future Tense, the tense of the verb in
the Reported Speech is not changed.
Direct: He says, "I am ill." Indirect: He says that he is ill.
Direct: He says, "I was ill." Indirect: He says that he was ill.
Direct: He will say, "I was ill." Indirect: He will say that he was ill.
Rule 2 : If the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense, the tense of the verb in the Reported
Speech is changed into one of the forms of the Past Tense. In short, we should change the
verb as per the given norms.

shall into should come into came

will “ would is coming “ was coming
may “ might has come “ had come
Can “ could has been coming “ had been coming

Present Simple becomes Past Simple:

Direct :"I play tennis," he said
Indirect: He said that he played tennis.
Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous:
Direct :"I am playing tennis," he said.
Indirect: He said that he was playing tennis.
Present Perfect and Simple Past become Past Perfect:
Direct :"I have played tennis for two years," he said.
Indirect: He said that he had played tennis for two years.
Direct : "I went to school yesterday," he said.
Indirect: He said that he had gone to school the previous day.
Present Perfect Continuous becomes Past Perfect Continuous:
Direct : "I have been playing tennis for two years," he said.
Indirect: He said that he had been playing tennis for two years.
Future becomes Conditional:
Direct :"I shall play tennis next year," he said.
Indirect: He said that he would play tennis the following year.
Future Perfect becomes Conditional Perfect:
Direct :"I shall have played tennis for two years next May," he said.
Indirect: He said that he would have played tennis for two years the following May.
Note: 1. If the Reported Speech expresses some universal truth or habitual the verb in the
Reported Speech is not changed into the corresponding Past Tense form.
Direct : He said, "Ice melts when it is heated."
Indirect: He said that ice melts when it is heated.
2. When the Reporting Verb 'say' takes an indirect object, it is changed into 'tell' in the roost
Indirect Speech.
Direct :"We shall go on a holiday," he said to me.
Indirect: He told me they would go on a holiday.
Rule 3: Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives of the First and Second Persons in Direct
Speech are changed into Third Person in Indirect Speech.
I, you (singular) (singular) become he, she
My, your “ his, her
We, you (plural) “ they
Our, your (plural) “ their

Direct : Ali said, "I have been cheated."

Indirect: Ali said that he had been cheated
Direct : The teacher said to the boys, "You should do your work regularly."
Indirect: The teacher told the boys that they should do their work regularly.
Note: 1. The Nouns or Pronouns in Vocative Case are turned into objects in the Indirect
Speech.
Direct: The nurse said, "Renu, you should take your medicine."
Indirect: The nurse told Renu that she should take her medicine.
2. If the Pronoun he or she stands for different persons, then the names of the person referred
to are inserted in brackets after the Pronouns. Besides, Nouns could be used instead of
Pronouns wherever possible:
Direct: Nidhi said to Nisha, "I like your dress."
Indirect: Nidhi told Nisha that she (Nidhi) liked her (Nisha's) dress.
 Rule 4: In the Reported Speech, the words expressing nearness of time or place are
changed into words showing distance.
now becomes then ago becomes before
this “ that come “ go
here “ there today “ that day
these “ those yesterday “ the previous day
hence “ thence tonight “ that night
hither “ thither last night “ the previous night
thus “ so tomorrow “ the next day

Direct : The manager said, "I am very busy now."

Indirect: The manager said that he was very busy then.
Direct : She said, "It may rain tonight."
Indirect: She said that it might rain that night.
Note: If this, here, now, etc., refer to some object, place or time that the speaker points while
making speech, then no change of adjective or adverb is made in the Reported Speech.
Direct : Sushil said, "Here is the book I have been looking for."
Indirect: Sushil said that here was the book he had been looking for.
1. Assertive Sentences (Statements)
Assertive Sentences in the Indirect Speech are usually introduced by the Conjunction, ‘that’.
Direct: He said to Ravi, "You are a brave boy."
Indirect: He told Ravi that he was a brave boy.
2. Interrogative Sentences
(a) When you report questions, you use the same word order as in statements.
Direct :"What is your name?" Mr. Smith asked the boy.
Indirect: Mr. Smith asked the boy what his name was.
(b) If the answer to the question is going to be Yes or No, you use whether or if.
Direct : He asked them, "Have you seen this man?"
Indirect: He asked them whether they had seen that man.
He asked them if they had seen that man.
(c) The person to whom the question is asked becomes the indirect object. You can address a
person only in Direct Speech.
Direct : "Why did you spoil it, Reena?" said Meenakshi.
Indirect: Meenakshi asked Reena why she had spoiled it.
(d) You use the same form of verb that you use in statements. In positive indirect questions,
'do' and 'did' of the interrogative disappear.
Direct : "Did you eat spicy food, John?" said Jenny.
Indirect: Jenny asked John whether he ate spicy food.
(e) In negative indirect questions, you use 'do' and 'did' because you use them in negative
statements.
Direct :"Don't you like to play cricket, Amar?" asked Ravi.
Indirect: Ravi asked Amar if he didn't like to play cricket.
(f) You must indicate that a question was asked by using the verb asked, wanted to know,
inquired, etc.
Direct :"When does the school reopen for the next session?" said Fatima.
Indirect: Fatima inquired when the school reopened for the next session.
Direct :"What are you doing, Krishna?" said Kevin.
Indirect: Kevin asked Krishna what he was doing.

3. Imperative Sentences
1. In reporting an Imperative sentence, the Reporting Verb, say or tell is changed into a verb
expressing a command, advice or request.
Command: command, order, bid, tell Prohibition: forbid
Proposal: propose, suggest Entreaty: entreat, pray, beg

2. The Imperative Mood is changed into the Infinitive.

3. That is commonly not used. If it is used then instead of 'to, 'should' is placed before the
Imperative.
4. The rules for the change of Pronouns must be observed.
Direct : She said to me, "Please give your book."
Indirect: She requested me to give her my book.
Direct : John said to his servant, "Go out at once."
Indirect: John ordered his servant to go out at once. on AS
Note:
1. When 'let' in the Direct Speech expresses a proposal or a suggestion, we may use 'should'
and change the Reporting Verb to propose or suggest.
Direct : He said to me, "Let us have some tea."
Indirect: He proposed (or suggested) to me that we should have some tea.
2. When 'let' does not express a proposal, it should be changed into might or might be
allowed, or into some other verb, according to the sense.
Direct : He said, "Let me have some water
Indirect: He wished that he might have some water.
4. Exclamatory Sentences
1. When the contents of an Exclamatory Sentence are reported, the Reporting Verb say or tell
is changed into exclaim, cry out, wish, pray, confess, etc.
2. The Exclamatory form is changed into the statement form and the mark of exclamation is
replaced by a full stop.
3. All Interjections, Nominatives of Address are omitted or sometimes put as the object of the
Reporting Verb, but the force of Interjection is kept by suitable adverbs or other expressive
words as indicated below:
Hurrah! or Ha! Expresses joy What! or Oh! expresses surprise
Hash! or Hush! expresses attention Bravo! or Hear! Expresses approval
Alas! expresses grief Pooh! expresses contempt

Direct : She said, "Alas! He is dead."

Indirect: She cried out with sorrow that he was dead.
Direct : "Hurrah! We have won the match," shouted the cricket team.
Indirect: The cricket team shouted with joy that they had won the match.
Direct : The soldiers said, "Curse on the traitor!"
Indirect: The soldiers bitterly cursed the traitor.