TESOL Training Center

Level Four
Direct & Indirect speech

M. Hussaini
 Direct and Indirect Speech
we can transfer someone`s idea In two ways:
Direct speech
Indirect (reported speech)

In direct speech, we repeat or quote the exact words or

phrases that somebody says.

In indirect speech, we report the words or phrases in our

own words.
Example:
she said, “I can’t come to the class.”
she said that she couldn’t come to the class.
Punctuations in direct speech
If the reporting clause is before the direct speech
1. we write a comma before the direct speech.
2. we write the exact words inside the inverted commas.
3. First letter of the exact words is capital letter.
4. We write a full stop (.) before the closing inverted commas.
Example:
He said, “Let’s go to the cinema.” inverted commas

Reporting speech comma capital letter full stop

Note: if the reporting clause is before a question or exclamation, we

write a question mark (?) or exclamation mark (!) before closing
inverted commas.
Example: He said, “Do you go to cinema?”
He shouted, “Hurry up!”
if the reporting clause is after the direct speech:
1. We write the exact words inside the inverted commas.
2. The first letter of the exact word is capital.
3. We write a comma (,) before the closing inverted commas.
4. we write a full stop(.) at the end of the reporting speech or clause.

Example: “let’s go to the cinema,” he said.

Inverted commas capital letter comma full stop

 Indirect Speech
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pronoun Changes
The First Person (I) The Second Person (You) The Third Person
The first person of reported The second person of reported The third person doesn’t
speech changes according speech changes according to change.
to the subject of reporting the object of reporting speech. Examples:
speech. Examples: He said, “They were tired.”
Examples: He told me, “You can go earlier.” He said that they had been
He says, “I like playing He told me that I could go tired.
football.” earlier.
He says that he likes
playing football.
 Indirect Speech
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pronoun Changes
Note: When there is second person (you) in reported speech and there is no
object in reporting speech, the second person of reported speech will change
according to situation into first, second or third person.
Example:
He said, “You are not active.”
He said that I was not active. He said that you are not active. He said that he was
not active.
Note: If there is first person plural in reported speech and the subject of reporting
speech is third person singular, the first person plural of reported speech will change
into third person plural. Example:
He said, “We are playing cricket.”
He said that they were playing football.
 TENSE change
As a rule, when you report something someone has said, you go back a tense.
The tenses on the left change to the tenses on the right.
Direct speech Indirect speech
simple present simple past
she said, “It is cold.” she said it was cold.
Present continuous tense past continuous tense
she said, “I am teaching online.” she said she was teaching online
present perfect tense past perfect tense
she said, “I ‘v been on the web since 1998.” she said she had been on the we….
Past simple past perfect
she said, “I taught online.” she said she had taught online.
Past perfect tense No change
she said, “I had left my English coarse before you came.”
past perfect continuous No change
she said, “ I had already been teaching for five minutes.
She said she had already been teaching for five minutes.
 No Tense Changes

۰ If the reporting speech is in the present or future, the tense

doesn’t change.
۰ If we report something immediately after it is said.
۰ If we report a statement of fact.

Examples:
He says, “I like playing football.”
He says that he likes playing football.

He said, “I can drive.”

He said that he can drive.

He said, “The earth is round.” He said that the earth is round.

Exercises
1. Rahim said, “I like apples too much.”
________________________________________________
2. The girl said, “I am writing a letter.”
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3. The boy said to the girl, “I was waiting for you.”
________________________________________________
4. The masons said, “We have finished the job.”
________________________________________________
5. The boy said, “I have been selected.”
________________________________________________
6. The teacher said to the girl, “You have not done your homework.”
________________________________________________
7. The teacher said to the boy, “You have been here for a long time.”
________________________________________________
8. The man said, “I had lost my bag.”
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9. The traveler says, “I have delivered my stuffs.”
________________________________________________
10. I said to him, “Ahmad is a good father for his family.”
________________________________________________
 Modal verb forms also sometimes change
direct speech Indirect speech
will Would
She said, “I will study English online.” She said she would study English online.
can Could
She said, “I can teach English online.” She said she could teach English online.
Must Had to
She said, “I must have a computer to teach online.” She said she had to have a
computer to teach …
Shall Should
She said, “we shall learn something.” She said they should learn something.
May Might
She said, “I may open the door.” She said that she might open the door.

Note: there is no change to could, would, should, might and ought to.
Example:
“ I might go to cinema,” she said. He said he might go to cinema.
Exercises
1. "I can swim across the river," said John confidently.
________________________________________________
2. "We should start studying for the exam," advised Sarah.
_________________________________________________
3. "She might be late for the meeting," speculated Tom.
_________________________________________________
4. "They must leave immediately," said the commander.
_________________________________________________
5. "You may pass the salt," Jane politely said.
_________________________________________
6. "I shouldn't have eaten that much cake," confessed Emily regretfully.
_____________________________________________________
7. "You ought to exercise regularly for good health," advised the doctor.
______________________________________________________
8. "We may have to cancel the trip due to bad weather," said the tour guide.
________________________________________________________
9. "You mustn't touch the hot stove," cautioned the parents.
_______________________________________________________
10. " I will borrow your pen,” Lily said.
_______________________________________________________
 TIME CHANGES
If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time
of reporting.
Direct Indirect
This (evening) That (evening)
Today Yesterday
Tonight That night
These (days) Those (days)
Now Then
A (week) ago (a week) before
last weekend The weekend before last/the previous weekend
Next (week) The following (week)
Tomorrow The next/following day
some other changes
Here There
This That
These Those
 Indirect Speech
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Questions in Reported Speech

Yes/No Questions WH Questions
۰ The tense changes are the same. ۰ The tense changes are the same.
۰ Once we tell the question to someone ۰ Once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a
else, it isn't a question any more. question any more.
۰ We need to change the grammar to a ۰ We need to change the grammar to a normal positive
normal positive sentence. sentence.
۰ We use the words (if / whether).
Examples:
Examples: He asked me, “Where do you live?”
He asked me, “Do you study here?” He asked me where I lived.
He asked me if I studied there.

Barchi Branch
1. Ali asked me, “Do you leave here today?”
Time to practice:
2. Sara asks me, “ Where dose Sahar study English?” Change these
examples into indirect
3. “How many brothers do you have?” Sama asked me.
speech.
4. “ I want to buy something tomorrow,” Alice says.

5. Samir asked his father, “ Which country does support us?”

6. Tom will ask me, “ Will we be hired after the demo class?”

7. Abbas asked us, “ Might we learn some new skills tonight?”

8. “Are we singing a song now?” Asma asked me.

9. “Ahmad should leave the concert now,” his father said.

10. The students asked, “ Do we have any tests during this semester?”
Barchi Branch
 Indirect Speech
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Imperatives in Reported Speech

Requests Orders
۰ We don't need to report every word ۰ We make this into reported speech in the same way as a
when we tell another person about it. ۰ request.
We simply use (ask + me + to + verb) ۰ We just use (tell instead of ask)

Examples: Examples:
He asked me, “Help me.” He told me, “sit down.”
He asked me to help him. He told me to sit down.

He asked me, “Don’t smoke.” He told me, “Don’t come late.”

He asked me not to smoke. He told me not to come late.
Barchi Branch
 More Examples

Direct Request Reported Request

“Please help me”. She asked me to help her.
“Please don't smoke”. She asked me not to smoke.
“Could you bring my book tonight?” She asked me to bring her book that night.
“Could you pass the milk, please?” She asked me to pass the milk.
“Please don't be late.” She asked me not to be late.

Direct Order Reported Order

“Go to bed!” He told the child to go to bed.
“Don't worry!” He told her not to worry.
“Be on time!” He told me to be on time.
“Don't smoke!” He told us not to smoke.

Barchi Branch
A. Change the direct speech into indirect speech. Choose the past simple of
‘ask’,
‘say 'or ‘tell’:
1. “Don’t do it!”
She________________________________________________
2. “I’m leaving tomorrow”
She________________________________________________
3. “Please get me a cup of tea”
She________________________________________________
4. “She got married last year”
She________________________________________________
5. “Be quick!”
She________________________________________________
6. “Could you explain number four, please?”
She________________________________________________
7. “Where do you live?”
She________________________________________________
8. “We went to the cinema and then to a Chinese restaurant”
She________________________________________________
9. “I’ll come and help you at twelve”
She________________________________________________
10. “What are you doing tomorrow?” Barchi Branch
She________________________________________________
11. “Don’t go!”
She________________________________________________
12. “Do you work in London?”
She________________________________________________
13. “Could you tell me where the post office is?”
She________________________________________________
14. “Come here!”
She________________________________________________
15. “I’ve never been to Wales”
She________________________________________________
16. “Have you ever seen ‘Lord of the Rings’?”
She________________________________________________
17. “I don't like mushrooms”
She________________________________________________
18. “Don't be silly!”
She________________________________________________
19. “Would you mind waiting a moment please?”
She________________________________________________
20. “How often do you play sport?”
Barchi Branch
She________________________________________________
Thank You

Barchi Branch