How to change Direct to Indirect Speech
When we say someone other person’s spoken words as it is directly we have to use direct speech. But when we use our words to express other person’s speech in indirect form then it will be written in indirect speech. We can use both types of speech to share our views, share information, express opinions, and describe an incident based on our needs. We can even change from one speech into another form to describe someone’s saying in our own words. In the present article, each rules of changing direct speech into indirect will be discussed with proper examples.
To show the actual words spoken by a speaker direct speech is used. In that case, the actual saying will be kept in quotation mark. It is used to recall the exact words of a speaker to retell about a previous event or purpose. We can identify direct speech easily by viewing the reported speech within quotation mark.
Ex.
He says, “I will go to the playground”.
My mother said, “I have cooked food”.
Indirect speech is used to say someone’s words indirectly in our own words. We do not use exact words of the speaker’s speech in this case. To change the form the tense, person, adjectives and adverbs are also changed according to the sense. Reporting verbs like say, ask, tell etc. will be placed before the indirect speech. The word ‘that’ is generally used to connect direct speech with indirect speech.
Ex.
He says that he will go to the playground.
My mother said that she had cooked food.
Change of direct speech into indirect:
There are some specific rules which we have to remember for changing direct speech into indirect speech or vice versa. If we follow the rules significantly then formation of indirect speech will be correct. The rules are following:
1) Quotation of direct speech will be omitted in the indirect speech. There is no need to enclose the spoken words in quotation marks.
Ex.
He says, “I will go there”.
He says that he will go there.
2) The tense into the reported speech will be changed according to the tense of reporting verb.
The man said, “I am tired”
The man said that he is tired.
3) That will be used before reported speech which connects reporting verb with reported speech.
Ex.
She said, “I will join the company”.
She said that she would join the company.
4) The forms of pronoun will be changed accordingly which can be either subjective, objective or possessive form based upon the needs.
Ex.
Ratan said to me, “you should reach there on time”.
Rattan told me that I should reach there on time.
5) Adverbs of time and place are changed accordingly in indirect speech.
Ex.
I said, “I will leave tomorrow”.
I said that I would leave the next day.
Change of tense in indirect speech:
Subject-verb agreement will be followed appropriately in indirect speech too. For that we have to follow the rules of changing tense.
If the reposting verbs are in present tense and future tense then the tense in reporting verb will not be changed. But in case of past tense in reporting verb tense of reported speech will be changed accordingly.
i) Simple present tense- simple past tense
Ex.
He said, “I always wear cotton clothes”.
He said that he always wore cotton clothes.
ii) Present continuous tense- past continuous tense
Ex.
He said, “I am looking for cab”.
He said that he was looking for cab.
iii) Present perfect tense- past perfect tense
Ex.
She said, “I have written two letters”.
She said that she had written two letters.
iv) Simple past tense- past perfect tense
Ex.
She said, “My friend gave me a new pen”.
She said that her friend had given her a new pen.
v) Past continuous tense- past perfect continuous tense
Ex.
She said, “I was living in Bangalore”.
She said that she had been living in Bangalore.
vi) Past perfect tense- no change
Ex.
She said, “My food had become stale”
She said that her food had become stale.
vii) Past perfect continuous- no change
She said, “I had been living with my cousin”.
She said that she had been living with her cousin.
viii) Simple future tense- past form of shall/will
Ex.
He said, “I will visit there.”
He said that he would visit there.
ix) Future progressive tense- would be
Ex.
She said, “She will be self-conscious”.
She said that she would be self-conscious.
x) Future perfect tense- would have
Mother said, “I will have called my son”.
Mother said that she would have called her son.
Change of other verbs in indirect speech:
i) Can- could
ii) Could- no change
iii) Have to- had to
iv) Must- must/had to
v) May- might
vi) Might- no change
vii) Should- no change
FAQs:
1.) What is main change we can find in indirect speech from direct?
Answer. The main transformation we can find in indirect speech is in its tense.
2.) What is the common connecting word of reporting verb and reported speech?
Answer. The main connective word is that which links reporting verb with reported speech.
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