Subject: English

Topic: Reported Speech Rules Class: IX & X

Name: Sec: Roll No: Date:

Direct Speech is a direct dialogue. Reported Speech refers to the statement said by the
person being told to someone else.
Direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said.
Indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films.

Direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said.

Indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef.

Direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said.

Indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day.

In order to change direct speech to indirect speech, following rules are followed must be
kept in mind:
1. Inverted commas are deleted in indirect speech.
2. ‘That’ is used to join the subject to the statement mostly.
3. Reporting verb in the direct speech is considered.
4. Verb tenses are changed in reported speech.
5. Pronouns, possessives and demonstratives are changed.
6. Adverbs are changed.
7. Sentences are changed as per their category: Interrogative, imperative, exclamatory,
declarative and optative.

Reporting Verb: A reporting verb is the verb given in direct speech, generally after the
subject and before the dialogue.
Example: Julie says "I'm leaving today."
He said, "I am happy."

❖ NOTE: The reporting verb decides whether the tense of the dialogue will change
in the indirect speech or not.
❖ If the reporting verb is in present tense (v1), the tense won’t change. However, if it is in
past tense (v2), the tense in the indirect speech shall change.
❖ Example: Jane said, "I'm waiting for my mom." (Reporting verb [said] is in past tense)
Indirect speech: Jane said that she was waiting for her mom. (Tense has changed to
past from present)
Example: He says, "We are in London for the first time." (Reporting verb is ‘says’ {v1})
He says (that) they are in London for the first time. (Tense did not change because
the reporting verb in direct speech is in present tense)
 Direct Speech Reported Speech

Time Expressions

today that day

now then

yesterday the day before

… days ago … days before

last week the week before/the previous week

next year the following year/the next year/ the year after

tomorrow the next day / the following day

Place

here there

Demonstratives

this that

these those

Pronoun change:

I he, she
me him, her
my his, her, the
mine his, hers
we they
us them
our their, the
ours theirs
you they, them
your their, the
yours theirs
this that, the
these those, the

Tense Change Rules:

Direct speech Indirect speech
Present Past
Present perfect Past perfect
Past Past perfect
Past perfect No change
Future (shall, will) Secondary future (should, would)
Future perfect (will have) Secondary future perfect (would have)
Conditional No change normally

Direct
Tense Reported Speech
Speech

present I like ice She said (that) she liked ice

simple cream cream.

present I am living in She said (that) she was

continuous London living in London.

She said (that) she had

past simple I bought a car bought a car OR She said
(that) she bought a car.

I was walking
past She said (that) she had been
along the
continuous walking along the street.
street

present I haven't seen She said (that) she hadn't

perfect Julie seen Julie.

I had taken She said (that) she had

past perfect* English taken English lessons
lessons before before.

I'll see you She said (that) she would

will
later see me later.

I would help, She said (that) she would

would*
but... help but...

I can speak She said (that) she could

can
perfect English speak perfect English.

I could swim
She said (that) she could
could* when I was
swim when she was four.
four

I shall come She said (that) she would

shall
later come later.

I should call She said (that) she should

should*
my mother call her mother
 She said (that) she might be
might* I might be late
late

She said (that) she must

I must study at study at the weekend OR
must
the weekend She said she had to study at
the weekend

❖ Statements or declarative sentences can use informed, said, told, noted, stated,
announced, confirmed, etc., as per the requirement in indirect speech.

Interrogative Sentences/Questions:

❖ Use ‘asked, enquired or interrogated’ instead of ‘said, told, informed’ in indirect speech.
❖ Remove question mark at the end.
❖ To convert a question beginning with ‘how, where, why, what’, simply form the
indirect speech statement using the reporting verb ‘asked’ or ‘enquired’ followed by
the question word and the subject. Then, you may change the tense and place the
helping verb as required.
❖ To convert a question beginning with ‘did/do/shall/should/Was/Were/Are/Is’, use
if/whether after ‘asked’. Then, place the subject and helping verb. This method should
be followed for all questions whose replies involve ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Example: Is your mother okay?
Indirect Speech: He enquired if my mother was okay.

Quotation Reported Speech

“Did you turn off the coffee pot?” I asked Evelyn if she had turned off the coffee pot.

“Is supper ready?” Dakhon wanted to know whether supper was ready.

“Will you be at the party?” Hildene asked me if/whether I would be at the party.

Emra wondered whether she should tell Hai the news.

Emra wanted to know if she should tell Hai the news.

“Should I tell her the news?”
Emra asked whether she should tell Hai the news.

"Where do they live? Abdul wanted to know where they lived.

"What time is it?" He wanted to know what time it was.

"Why did you say that?" Pedro asked me why I had said that.
Quotation Reported Speech

"Where will you stay?" He enquired where I would stay.

Suggestions

(i) ‘Let’s’, ‘must’, ‘should’, ‘ought to’ are usually reported with ‘advised/suggested’.
Examples:
Direct: "You must read this book."
Indirect: He advised/urged me to read that book.

Direct: "Let’s go to the cinema."

Indirect: 1. He suggested going to the cinema.
2. He suggested that we should go to the cinema.

The doctor said to the patient, “Take this tablet daily.” (Direct)
The doctor advised the patient to take that tablet daily. (Indirect)

Requests: warned, begged, told, insisted, beseeched, threatened, implored, asked : Reporting
verbs in indirect speech.

Direct speech Indirect speech

"Can I have an apple?", she asked. She asked for an apple.

"Can I have the newspaper, please?" He asked for the newspaper.

"May I have a glass of water?" he He asked for a glass of water.

said.

"Sugar, please." She asked for the sugar.

"Could I have three kilos of onions?" He asked for three kilos of

onions.

Commands:
(i) The imperative sentences or commands take the conjunction ‘to’.
(ii) The reporting verb ‘said’ or ‘said to’ changes into ordered or commanded.
(iii) Example: The master said to the servant, “Bring me a glass of milk.” (Direct)
The master ordered the servant to bring him a glass of milk. (Indirect)

(iv) Direct: My father said to me, ‘Do not waste your time.’
Indirect: My father forbade me to waste my time. (‘Do not’ is converted to forbade)
(v) The teacher said, “Do not let the students talk.” (Direct)
The teacher forbade the students to talk. (Indirect)
Exclamatory Sentence:
(i) The reporting verb said ‘is changed into exclaimed, exclaimed with joy exclaimed
with sorrow, exclaimed with wonder, wished or prayed etc.
(ii) The conjunction ‘that’ is used to introduce the reported speech.
For example: He said, ‘What a beautiful painting!’(Direct)
He exclaimed with wonder that it was a beautiful painting. (Indirect)
Example: The boys said, ‘Hurrah! We have won the match.’ (Direct)
The boys exclaimed with joy that they had won the match. (Indirect)
(iii) NOTE: ‘Alas’ changes into exclaimed with sorrow. ‘Yes’ changes into ‘affirmed/
replied in affirmation.

Optative Sentences/Wishes:

(i) Use wished, prayed, blessed, cursed, etc., in indirect speech. ‘May’ will change
to ‘might’.
Examples:
He said to his friend, ‘May you live long!’ (Direct)
He wished his friend that he might live long. (Indirect)
Direct: My friend said to me, ‘May god help you!’
Indirect: My friend prayed that God might help me.
(ii) If there is Goodbye or Good Night in the Reported speech, we change the
Reporting Verb [Said] into ‘bade’.
Examples:
Direct: He said, ‘Good Night, my brother!’
Indirect: He bade his brother good night.
(iii) If there is Good Morning in the direct speech, we change it to ‘wished’.

Sentences beginning with “Let”:

(i) The man said to the servant, ‘Let the children play.’ (Direct)
The man asked the servant to let the children play. (Indirect)
(ii) She said to her friend, ‘Let us go for a picnic.’ (Direct)
She proposed/suggested to her friends that they should go for picnic. (Indirect)
(iii) He said to me, ‘Let us play cricket.’
He suggested that we should play cricket.
He proposed to me that we should play cricket.
(iv) The principal said to the peon, ‘Don’t let the children enter my study.’ (Direct)
The principal ordered the peon not to let the children enter his study. (Indirect)