The Rules Of Direct And Indirect Speech
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech: There are some rules for narration change. Some rules are the same for all types of sentences and some rules are different for all kinds of sentences. Here I have presented all the rules steps by step with examples so that you can learn easily. I have a strong belief that this is a very method. After reading the article you can change narration.
What Is Direct Speech?
When a speech is quoted in the actual words used by the speaker, it is called direct speech.
In direct speech, the actual words of a speaker are repeated, making them off by a pair of inverted commas, at the beginning and the end.
Example:
He said, “I am learning spoken English.”
You said, “Thank you”.
What Is Indirect Speech?
When the speech is reported in the form of a narrative, giving the substance or meaning of the words used by the speaker, without quoting his actual words, it is called indirect speech.
In indirect speech, the speaker’s words are not reported, instead, the meaning of the substance of the speech is conveyed. There are rules for the conversion of direct speech to indirect speech.
Example:
He said that he was watching a movie.
You ordered me to open the window.
What is narration change?
Narration refers to the way of presenting sentences spoken by somebody.
Let’s get started with the discussion of the rules of direct and indirect speech
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For Tense
Rules No. 01
If the reporting verb is in the Present Tense, there is no change in the tense used in the reported speech when direct speech is transformed into indirect speech.
Example:
Direct: He says, “I am sick.”
Indirect: He says that he is sick.
Direct: Joy says Meera, “I love you.”
Indirect: Joy says Meera that he loves her.
Rules No. 02
If the reporting verb is in the Future Tense, there is no change in the tense used in the reported speech when direct speech is transformed into indirect speech.
Example:
Direct: Joni will say, “I have done the work.”
Indirect: Joni will say that he has done the work.
Direct: Sumon will tell me, “I do not take tea.”
Indirect: Suman will tell me that he does not take tea.
Rules No. 03
If the reporting verb is in the Past Tense, there is a change in the tense used in the reported speech when direct speech is transformed into indirect speech.
Example:
Direct: Riju said to us, “I am going to Kolkata today.”
Indirect: Riju told us that he was going to Kolkata that day.
Direct: Munni said, “My brother likes to play football.”
Indirect: Munni said that his brother liked to play football.
Rules No. 04
If we find reporting verb Past Tense and reported speech Past Tense in the direct speech, we change the Tense at the time of narration change.
Example:
Direct: Nawaz said, “Rupam sang a sweet song.”
Indirect: Nawaz said that Rupam had sung a sweet song.
Direct: They said, “We were going to Kolkata.”
Indirect: They said that they had been going to Kolkata.
Rules No. 05
If we find reporting verb Past Tense and reported speech Future Tense in the direct speech, we change the Tense at the time of narration change.
Example:
Direct: My father said to mother, “Raju will qualify for the interview.”
Indirect: My father said to mother that Raju would qualify for the interview.
Direct: The teacher said to the students, “I shall punish the bad boy.”
Indirect: The teacher told the students that he should punish the bad boy.
Rules No. 06
If we find reporting verb Past Tense and reported speech Modal Sentence in the direct speech, we sometimes change Tense at the time of narration change.
Example:
Direct: Soumen said, “It may rain tonight.”
Indirect: Soumen said that it might rain tonight.
Direct: The police said to the driver, “You must follow the traffic rules.”
Indirect: The police told the driver that he has to follow the traffic rules.
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For Tense in Table & Chart
Look at a glance changing of tense
| Direct Speech | ||
| Reporting Verb | Reported Speech | Indirect Speech |
| Past Tense | Present indefinite | Past indefinite |
| Past Tense | Present continuous | Past continuous |
| Past Tense | Perfect | Past perfect |
| Past Tense | Perfect Continuous | Past perfect continuous |
| Past Tense | Simple past | Past perfect |
| Past Tense | Past continuous | Past perfect continuous |
| Past Tense | Past perfect | Past perfect |
| Past Tense | Past perfect continuous | Past perfect continuous |
| Past Tense | Future (Shall/Will) | Past (Should/Would) |
| Past Tense | Can | Could |
| Past Tense | May | Might |
| Past Tense | Should | Should |
| Past Tense | Ought to | Ought to |
| Past Tense | Must | Must |
| Past Tense | Would | Would |
| Past Tense | Could | Could |
| Past Tense | Might | Might |
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For Person
Rule for First Person
- If the subject of reported speech is first person (I, We), it indicates the subject of reporting verb. Or
I, my, me, we, us and our are changed on the basis of the subject of reporting verb.
Example:
Direct: The boy said to his friend, “We have visited the Victoriya with our teacher.”
Indirect: The boy told his friend that they had visited the Victoriya with their teacher.
Rule for Second Person
- If the subject of reported speech is second person (you, you), it indicates the object of reporting verb. The person is changed flowing them. Or
You and your are changed on the base of the object of reporting verb.
Example:
Direct: Kamala said to Ramesh, “You did not send me your biodata.”
Indirect: Kamal told Ramesh that he had not sent her his biodata.
Rule for Third Person
- Again if the subject of reported speech is third person (He, She, It, They, Ram, Kamal and Gopal), it does not indicate the subject and object of reporting verb.
Example:
Direct: Biman said to me, “Tapan will phone the man.”
Indirect: Biman told me that Tapan would phone the man.
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For Words or Phrases
There are some words and phrases that are changed in indirect speech. The words and phrases are given below.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
| Now | Then |
| Here | There |
| This | That |
| These | Those |
| Come | Go |
| Thus | So/that way |
| Hither | Thither |
| Hence | Thence |
| Ago | Before |
| Today | That day |
| This day | That day |
| Tonight | That night |
| Tomorrow | The next day |
| Yesterday | The previous day |
| Last night | The previous night |
| Next week | The following week |
| Yesterday morning | The previous morning |
Example:
Direct: The student said, “I must buy a new pen today.”
Indirect: The student said that he has to buy a new pen that day.
Direct: Rana says to Susmita, “You are well now.”
Indirect: Rana tells Susmita that she is well then.
Direct: We said, “They are not coming here.”
Indirect: We said that they were not going there.
Direct: Geeta said, “I did not eat this mango ago.”
Indirect: Geeta said that she had not eaten that mango before.
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For Assertive Sentences
Rule No. 01
The verbs of Direct Speech like Say to said to are changed into tell, told. After that, we use “That” as a conjunction instead of a comma mark (,).
Example:
Direct: Nirmal said, “Silpa knows English very well.”
Indirect: Nirmal said that Silpa knew English very well.
Rule No. 02
If the reported speech is past tense and we find a universal truth and habitual fact we can not change the tense of the reported speech.
Example:
Direct: My grandfather said to me, “God is merciful.”
Indirect: My grandfather told me that God is merciful.
Direct: Naren said to us, “I walk five kilometres daily.”
Indirect: Naren told us that he walks five kilometres daily.
Rule No. 03
If we find two or more than two past indefinite tenses in the direct narration, those sentences remain unchanged.
Example:
Direct: The man said to me, “This teacher came to the school regularly, taught the students well and helped the poor.”
Indirect: The man told me that that teacher went to the school regularly, taught the students well and helped the poor.
| If you want to learn narration change of Assertive Sentences in detail, click here |
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech Interrogative Sentence
When we change the direct speech of the interrogative sentence into an indirect one, we use “Ask/Enquire/Want to know” instead of “Say”. Then we use “If/Whether” if the reported speech is yes no interrogative sentence. Next, we use a full stop instead of a question mark.
Example:
Direct: Rittik said to me, “Do you need money?”
Indirect: Rittik asked me if I needed money.
Direct: He said, “Are the mangoes sweet?”
Indirect: He asked whether the mangoes were sweet.
Direct: She said to me, “Where is your school?”
Indirect: She asked me where my school was.
Direct: The doctor said to the nurse, “How is the patient today?”
Indirect: The doctor wanted to know the nurse how the patient was that day.
| If you want to learn narration change of Interrogative Sentences in detail, click here |
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For Imperative Sentences
Rule No. 01
When we change the reported speech of imperative sentences, we use “Order/ request/ advise/ command” instead of “Say/ Say to”. Then we use “To” for affirmative sentences and “Not to” for negative sentences instead of comma marks.
Example:
Direct: I said to my friend, “Please lend me your motorbike.”
Indirect: I requested my friend to lend me his motorbike.
Direct: The general said to his soldiers, “Fire.”
Indirect: The general commanded his soldiers to fire.
Direct: He said to me, “Do not break the rules.”
Indirect: He ordered me not to break the rules.
Direct: The teacher said to the students, “Be selfless.”
Indirect: The teacher advised the students to be selfless.
Rule No. 02
If we find a negative sentence in reported speech, we change “say/ say to” into “Prohibit/Forbid” and use “To” instead of a comma mark in indirect narration.
Example:
Direct: Kamal said to Rupali, “Do not run so fast.”
Indirect: Kamal prohibited Rupali to run so fast. OR
Kamal ordered Rupali not to run so fast.
| If you want to learn narration change of Imperative Sentences in detail, click here |
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For “Let”
Rule No. 01
If we find “Us” after “Let” in the imperative sentence, we use “Propose to/ suggest to” instead of “Say/say to” and use that instead of the comma mark (,). Then we avoid “Let us” and follow sentence structure [S+ should +v…]
Example:
Direct: My friend said to us, “Let us discuss the matter.”
Indirect: My friend proposed to us that they should discuss the matter.
Direct: He said to them, “Let us go on a journey by bus.”
Indirect: He suggested to them that they should go on a journey by bus.
Rule No. 02
If we do not find “Us” after “Let” in the imperative sentence, we use “Tell/request/wish” instead of “Say/say to” and use “That” instead of the comma mark (,). Then we avoid “Let” and follow sentence structure [S+may/may+be+allowed+to+V+O….]
Example:
Direct: Father said, “Let her receive the call.”
Indirect: Father wished that she might be allowed to receive the call.
Direct: The boy said, “Let me sit here.”
Indirect: The boy requested that he might sit there.
| If you want to learn narration change of Imperative Sentences in detail, click here |
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For Optative Sentences
Rule No. 01
If we find the word “God” in the optative sentence we use “Wish / Pray/bless” instead of “Say”. Next, we do not use objects. We replace commas with “That”. Then we follow the sentence structure [S + may + v + o] at the time of narration change.
Example:
Direct: The priest said to the accused, “May God pardon your sins.”
Indirect: The priest blessed the accused that God might pardon his sins.
Direct: The angry man said, “May God break your mouth.”
Indirect: The angry man wished that God might break his mouth.
Rule No. 02
If we do not find the word “God” in the optative sentence we use “Wish” instead of “Say”. We replace commas with “That”. Then we follow the sentence structure [S + may + v + o] at the time of narration change.
Example:
Direct: The people said, “Long live the king.”
Indirect: The people wished that the king might live long.
Direct: We said, “May their family be rich.”
Indirect: We wished that their family might be rich.
| If you want to learn narration change of Optative Sentences in detail, click here |
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For Exclamatory Sentences
Rule No. 01
When we find greetings and goodbye in exclamatory sentences, we use “Wish/Bid”. After using those we do not use “That” but use the object.
Example
Direct: She said to me, “Welcome!”
Indirect: She wished me welcome.
Rule No. 02
If the reported speech starts with “How/ What” and we find an “Adjective/ Noun”, we use “Very / Completely” before the adjective and “Great” before the noun at the time of changing narration.
Example:
Direct: My mother said, “How happy I am!”
Indirect: My mother exclaimed with joy that she was very happy.
Direct: He said, “What a beautiful picture!”
Indirect: He exclaimed with surprise that the picture was very beautiful.
Rule No. 03
When we find happiness, gladness and surprise in exclamatory sentences, we use “exclaim with joy, exclaim with Sorrow/grief, exclaim sorrowfully, exclaim with surprise”.
Example:
Direct: She said to me, “Fie! You are telling a lie.”
Indirect: She exclaimed me with sorrow that I was telling a lie.
Direct: Ajit said, “Hurrah! We have found the ball.”
Indirect: Ajit exclaimed with joy that they had found the ball.
Rule No. 04
When we find desire in the exclamatory sentence, we use “strongly wish”.
Example:
Direct: The boy said, “Were I a bird!”
Indirect: The boy strongly wished that he was a bird.
Direct: Tarun said, “Had I a computer!”
Indirect: Tarun strongly wished that he had a computer.
| If you want to learn narration change of Exclamatory Sentences in detail, click here |
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For Vocative Sentences
Rule No. 01
If we find the vocative sentence in reported speech, we can omit that or use “Addressing + NP”. All the rules of imperative sentences will be applied.
Example:
Direct: He said, “My friend, follow me.”
Indirect: He told his friend to follow him. Or
Addressing his friend, he told/requested him to follow him.
The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech For The Sentences with “Sir” or “Madam”
Rule No. 01
If we find “Sir” or “Madam” in the reported speech, we use respectfully instead of “Say/ Say to”.
Example:
Direct: The students said to the teacher, “Sir, we have done the home task.”
Indirect: The students respectfully told the teacher that they had done the home task.
Direct: The girl said to the teacher, “Madam, I may change the sentence.”
Indirect: The girl respectfully told the teacher that he might change the sentence.
Read More:
- 600 + Narration Change Exercise
- Narration Change
- Voice change
- Type of sentence
- Degree Change
- All Conditional Sentences
- Transformation of Sentences [Affirmative to Negative]
- Transformation of sentences [Simple, Complex and Compound]
If you think that this article (The Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech) is good and necessary, you can share it with your friends and relatives through social media like WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger. Thank you! – Prakash sir
