Blog
The principles for changing Direct speech into Indirect speech
No Comments
☼ The principles for changing Direct speech into Indirect speech :
- The conjunction ‘that’ is used for assertive.
- ‘If ’ is used before the Indirect question (starting with verb) for Interrogative and exclamatory.
- ‘Wh’ word is used before the indirect question for interrogative and exclamatory.
- ‘To’ or ‘not to’ is used before the Indirect command or imperative
- If the reporting verb is in the Past Tense. The following changes will take place :
↦
| No. | Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
| 1. | Simple Present | Simple Past |
| 2. | Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
| 3. | Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
| 4. | Simple Past | Past Perfect |
| 5. | Present Perfect Continuous | Past Perfect continuous |
↦
| No. | Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | No. | Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
| 1. | Now | Then | 6. | Today | That day |
| 2. | Here | There | 7. | Yesterday | The day before |
| 3. | This | That | 8. | Tomorrow | The next day |
| 4. | These | Those | 9. | Last night | The nigh before |
| 5. | Thus | So | 10. | Ago | before |
↦
| No. | Said to | Connecting word | Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | |
| 1. | Statement | told | that | Ramesh said to Rekha, ‘I am going to market’. | Ramesh told Rekha that he was going to market. |
| 2. | Interrogative | asked | what, who, where, how many, etc. | Ramesh said to Rekha, “Where are you going now ?” | Ramesh asked Rekha where she was going then. |
| 3. | Interrogative ‘verb’ questions | asked | if | Ramesh said to Rekha, “Are you going to market ?” | Ramesh asked Rekha if she was going to market. |
| 4. | Imperative | ordered/ requested, advised, asked | to, not to | The doctor said to him, “Don’t eat more.” | The doctor advised him not to eat more. |
| 5. | Exclamatory | exclaimed | that | Ram said, “What a beautiful flower this is”! | Ram exclaimed that this flower was a very beautiful. |
↦
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
↦ For the sentences having reporting verb in simple present tenses :–
| No. | Sentence | Reporting Verbs (Says) | Con–nect–ing word | Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | |
| 1. | Statement | says / tells | that | Ramesh says, “Rekha, I am going to market”. | Ramesh tells Rekha that he is going to market. | |
| 2. | I
N T E R R O G A T I V E |
Yes /
No. |
asks | if | Ramesh says, “Mohan, have you finished your work.” | Ramesh asks Mohan if he has finished his work. |
| ‘Wh’ | asks | ‘wh’ word | Ramesh says, “Mohan, where are you going”? | Ramesh asks Mohan where he is going. | ||
| 3. | Imperative | 1. request
2. orders 3. advises 4. enquires |
to/not to | The doctor says, “Mohan don’t smoke.” | The doctor advises Mohan not to smoke. | |
| 4. | Exclamatory | exclaims | that | Ram says, “What a beautiful flower it is!” | Ram exclaims that it is a very beautiful flower. | |
↦
| Statement | Reporting
Verb |
Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | |
| P
A
S
T |
Past | said à
told/said
|
Ram said, “I went to school yesterday.” | Ram said that he had gone to school the previous day. |
| Present | Ram, said, “I am going to school.” | Ram said that he was going to school. | ||
| Future | Ram said, “Kumar, I shall go to Mumbai tomorrow.” | Ram told Kumar that he would go to Mumbai the next day. | ||
| P
R E S E N T |
Past | says à
tells/says
|
Ram says, “I went to school yesterday.” | Ram says that he went to school yesterday. |
| Present | Ram says, “I am going to school.” | Ram says that he is going to school. | ||
| Future | Ram says, “Kumar, I shall go to Chennai tomorrow.” | Ram tells Kumar that he will go to Chennai tomorrow. | ||
| F
U T U R E |
Past | will say
à will tell / will say |
Ram will say, “I went to school yesterday.” | Ram will say that he will have gone to school the day before. |
| Present | Ram will say, “I am going to school.” | Ram will say that he will be going to school. | ||
| Future | Ram will say, “I shall go to Mumbai tomorrow.” | Ram will say that he will go to Mumbai the next day. | ||
↦
| No. | Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | |
| 1. | Kumar said to Kala, “I am going to your school.” | → | Kumar told Kala that he was going to her school. |
| 2. | Kumar said to her, “What is your name ?” | → | Kumar asked her what her name was. |
| 3. | He said to children, “Don’t go out.” | → | He asked his children not to go out. |
| 4. | She said to her friends, “Come tomorrow.” | → | She asked her friends to come the next day. |
| 5. | The policeman said to him, “What are you doing here?” | → | The policeman enquired him what he was doing there. |
| 6. | The doctor said ti him, “Don’t smoke.” | → | The doctor advised him not to smoke. |
| 7. | Mohan said to Sita, “Have you finished your work?” | → | Mohan asked Sita if she had finished her work. |
| 8. | She said to me, ’what is your name ?’ | → | She asked me what my name was. |
| 9. | Ramesh said to Rekha, ‘Do you like music ?’ | → | Ramesh asked Rekha is she liked music. |
↦
| No. | Question Form | Indirect Form | |
| 1. | Simple Present
(Rama said, “How are you ?”) |
→ | Simple Past
(Rama asked how I was.) |
| 2. | Present Progressive
(Rama said, “Where are you going ?”) |
→ | Past Progressive
(Rama asked where I was going.) |
| 3. | Simple Past
(Rama said, “Whom did you call ?”) |
→ | Past Perfect
(Rama asked whom I had called.) |
| 4. | Past Progressive
(Rama said, “Whom I was calling ?”) |
→ | Past Perfect Progressive
(Rama asked whom I had been calling.) |
| 5. | Present Perfect
(Rama said, “Where have you been ?”) |
→ | Past Perfect
(Rama asked where I had been.) |
| 6. | Present Perfect Progressive
(Rama said, “How have you been doing ?”) |
→ | Past Perfect Progressive
(Rama asked how I had been doing. ) |
| 7. | Present – general Truth
Rama said, “Where is God ?” ) |
→ | Present – General Truth
(Rama asked where god is.) |
For exclamatory sentences :–
- Alas → Exclaimed with sorrow
- Harrah → Exclaimed with joy
Keep In Mind :
- Direct : We were saved this morning
- Indirect : We had been saved this morning.
