DIRECT AND

INDIRECT
SPEECH
Prepared by Awais Raza Memon 1
WHAT IS DIRECT & INDIRECT
SPEECH?
 Direct speech - reporting the message of the speaker in
exact words as spoken by him.
 Direct speech example: Rama said, ‘I am busy now’.
 Indirect speech: reporting the message of the speaker in our
own words
 Indirect speech example: Rama said that he was very busy
then.

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DIRECT AND INDIRECT
SPEECH RULES
 To change a sentence of direct speech into indirect
speech there are various factors that are considered
such as reporting verbs, modals, time, place,
pronoun, tense, etc. we will take up all the factors one
by one.

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RULE #1 - DIRECT TO INDIRECT SPEECH
CONVERSION - REPORTING VERB

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 1. When the reporting verb of direct speech is
in past tense then all the present tenses are
changed to corresponding past tense in
indirect speech.
 Direct to indirect speech example:
● Direct: She said, “I am happy.”
● Indirect: She said (that) she was happy.

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 2. In indirect speech, tenses do not change if the
words used within the quotes (“ ”) talk of a habitual
action or universal truth.
 Direct to indirect speech example:
● Direct: He said, “we cannot live without air.”
● Indirect: He said that we cannot live without air.

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 3. The tenses of direct speech do not change if
the reporting verb is in future tense or present
tense.
 Direct to indirect speech example:
● Direct: She says/will say, “she is going.”
● Indirect: She says/will say that she is going.

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RULE #2 - DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT
SPEECH CONVERSION - PRESENT TENSE

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1. PRESENT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS CHANGES TO
PAST PERFECT
CONTINUOUS.
 Direct to indirect speech example:
● Direct: She said, “ I have been teaching students
for five years”.
● Indirect: She said that she had been teaching
students for five years.

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2. PRESENT CONTINUOUS CHANGES TO
PAST CONTINUOUS

 Direct to indirect speech example:

● Direct: “I am playing the guitar”, she
explained.
● Indirect: She explained that she was playing
the guitar.

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3. PRESENT PERFECT CHANGES TO PAST
PERFECT

 Direct to Indirect speech example:

● Direct: He said, “she has finished her homework”.
● Indirect: He said that she had finished her
homework.

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4. SIMPLE PRESENT
CHANGES TO SIMPLE PAST
 Direct to indirect speech example:
● Direct: “I am unwell”, she said.
● Indirect: She said that she was unwell.

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RULE #3 - DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT SPEECH
CONVERSION - PAST TENSE & FUTURE TENSE

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Past Simple Tense Past Perfect Tense
Past Continuous Tense Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Perfect Tense Remains Unchanged
Past Perfect Continuous Tense Remains Unchanged
Future Simple Tense Will into Would
Future Continuous Tense Will be into Would be
Future Perfect Tense Will have into Would have
Future Perfect Continuous Tense Will have been into Would have
been
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RULE #4 - DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT SPEECH
CONVERSION - INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES

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 1. No conjunction is used, if a sentence in
direct speech begins with a question
(what/where/when) as the "question-word"
itself acts as a joining clause.
 Direct to indirect speech example:
● Direct: “Where do you live?” asked the boy.
● Indirect: The boy enquired where I lived.

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 2. If a direct speech sentence begins with auxiliary
verb/helping verb, the joining clause should be if or
whether.
 Direct to indirect speech example:
● Direct: She said, “Will you come for the party?”
● Indirect: She asked whether we would come for the
party.

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 3. Reporting verbs such as ‘said/ said to’
changes to enquired, asked, or demanded.
 Direct to indirect speech example:
● Direct: He said to me, “What are you
wearing?”
● Indirect: He asked me what I was wearing.

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RULE #5 - DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT
SPEECH CONVERSION - CHANGES IN MODALS

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1. WHILE CHANGING DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT SPEECH
THE MODALS USED IN THE SENTENCES CHANGES LIKE:

Examples:
● Direct: She said, “She can dance.”
● Can becomes Could ● Indirect: She said that she could
dance.
● May becomes Might
● Direct: She said, “I may buy a
● Must becomes had to /Would dress.”
have to ● Indirect: She said that she might
buy a dress.
● Direct: Rama said, “I must
complete the assignment.”
● Indirect: Rama said that he had to
complete the assignment. 28
 2. There are Modals that do not change like - Could,
Would, Should, Might, Ought to.
 Direct speech to indirect speech examples:
● Direct: She said, “I should clean the house.”
● Indirect: She said that she should clean the house.

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RULE #6 - DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT
SPEECH CONVERSION - PRONOUN

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 1. The first person in the direct speech changes as
per the subject of the speech.
 Direct speech to indirect speech examples:
● Direct: He said, “I am in class Twelfth.”
● Indirect: He says that he was in class Twelfth.

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 2. The second person of direct speech changes as per
the object of reporting speech.
 Direct speech to indirect speech examples:
● Direct: She says to them, “You have done your
work.”
● Indirect: She tells them that they have done their
work.

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 3. The third person of direct speech doesn't
change.
 Direct speech to indirect speech examples:
● Direct: He says, “She dances well.”
● Indirect: He says that she dances well.

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RULE #7 - DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT SPEECH
CONVERSION - REQUEST, COMMAND, WISH,
EXCLAMATION

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 1. Indirect Speech is supported by some verbs like
requested, ordered, suggested and advised. Forbid-
forbade is used for the negative sentences.
 Direct speech to indirect speech examples:
● Direct: She said to her, “Please complete it.”
● Indirect: She requested her to complete it.
● Direct: Hamid said to Ramid, “Sit down.”
● Indirect: Hamid ordered Ramid to sit down.
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 2. In Exclamatory sentences that express
(grief, sorrow, happiness, applaud)
Interjections are removed and the sentence is
changed to an assertive sentence.
 Direct speech to indirect speech examples
● Direct: She said, “Alas! I am undone.”
● Indirect: She exclaimed sadly that she was
broke.
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RULE #8 - DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT
SPEECH CONVERSION - PUNCTUATIONS

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1. In direct speech the words actually spoken should
be in (“ ”) quotes and always begin with a capital
letter.
Example: She said, “I am the Best.”

2. Full stop, comma, exclamation or question mark, are

placed inside the closing inverted commas.
Example: They asked, “Can we sing with you?”

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 3. If direct speech comes after the information about
who is speaking, comma is used to introduce the
speech, placed before the first inverted comma.
 Direct speech example: He shouted, “Shut up!”
 Direct speech example: “Thinking back,” he said,
“she didn't expect to win.” (Comma is used to
separate the two direct speeches and no capital letter
to begin the second sentence).

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RULE #9 - DIRECT SPEECH TO INDIRECT
SPEECH CONVERSION - CHANGE OF TIME

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 1. In direct speeches, the words that express nearness in time or
place are changed to words that express distance in indirect
speech. Such as:
 Direct speech to indirect speech examples: ● Direct: He said,
“His girlfriend came yesterday.” ● Indirect: He said that his
girlfriend had come the day before.
 2. The time expression does not change if the reporting verb is in
present tense or future tense.
Now becomes then Yesterday becomes the day before

Here becomes there These becomes those

Ago becomes before Come becomes go

Thus becomes so Hence becomes thence

Today becomes that day Next week Or month becomes following

week/month
Tomorrow becomes the next day

This becomes that

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RULES FOR CONVERTING INDIRECT
SPEECH INTO DIRECT SPEECH

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 The following rules should be followed while converting
an indirect speech to direct speech:
 1. Use the reporting verb such as (say, said to) in its
correct tense.
 2. Put a comma before the statement and the first
letter of the statement should be in capital letter.
 3. Insert question mark, quotation marks, exclamation
mark and full stop, based on the mood of the sentence.
 4. Remove the conjunctions like (that, to, if or whether)
wherever necessary.
 5. Where the reporting verb is in past tense in indirect,
change it to present tense in the direct speech.
 6. Change the past perfect tense either into present
perfect tense or past tense as necessary. 43
EXAMPLES:

● Indirect: She asked whether she was coming to the

prom night.
● Direct: She said to her, “Are you coming to the
prom night?”
● Indirect: The girl said that she was happy with her
result.
● Direct: The girl said, “I am happy with my result.”

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THANK YOU!

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