Grammar: Reported Speech (Direct and Indirect Speech)

Grammar: Reported Speech

Direct and Indirect Speech

A. In direct speech, we repeat the original speaker’s exact words, and in indirect speech (Reported Speech), we give the exact meaning of a remark or a speech without necessarily using the speaker’s exact words:

Direct: He said, “I have gone home.”

Indirect: He said that he had gone home.

B. The verb ‘say’ in direct speech remains unchanged; in indirect speech, 'say to + object' changes into 'tell + object':

Direct: He said, “I go.”

Indirect: He said (that) he went.

Direct: He said to me, “I go.”

Indirect: He told me (that) he went.

C. When Direct Speech is changed into Indirect Speech:

First Person (I, We) and Second Person (You) become Third Person (He, She, They) respectively:

Direct: He said, “I go.”

Indirect: He said that he went.

Direct: He said, “You go.”

Indirect: He said that he went.

First Person changes in accordance with the subject of the Reporting Verb, and Second Person according to the object of the Reporting Verb:

Direct: She said, “I work.”

Indirect: She said that she worked.

Third Person doesn’t change.

Direct: My father said, " She can swim."

Indirect: My father said that she could swim.

D. When the Reporting Verb is in the Present,

Present Perfect or Future Tense, there is no change in the tense of the Reported Speech:

Direct: He says/He has said/ He will say, “I sleep.”

Indirect: He says/ He has said / He will say that he sleeps.

E. Certain Adverbials, denoting time and place and other expressions are changed in the following ways:

Direct	Indirect
now/just	then
today	that day
yesterday	the day before/the previous day
tomorrow	the following day / the next day
the day before yesterday	two days before
the day after tomorrow	in two days’ time
next week/month	the following week/month
a year ago	a year before/the previous year
hence	thence
thus	so
here	there
thus	so
this / these	that / those
come	go

for part 2