Direct Speech

Definition:
Saying or quoting exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called
quoted speech). Here what a person says appears within quotation marks (“…”) and should be
word for word. The direct speech is always enclosed within inverted commas and it always
begins with a capital letter. It is separated from reporting verb by comma.

Example:
 She said, “Today’s lesson is about direct and indirect speech.” or
“Today’s lesson is about direct and indirect speech.”, she said.
 The boy said, ‘I’m happy with my results.’

Indirect Speech
Definition:
Saying or reporting what someone said without quoting his exact words is called indirect
speech. Here we don’t use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and does not have
to be word for word. In the indirect speech no inverted commas are used and no comma is
used to separate the reporting verb from the reporting speech.

Example:
 He said that yesterday’s lesson was about direct and indirect speech.
 The boy said that he was happy with his results.

Reporting Verb:
The verb in the first part of sentence (i.e. say, said, tell, admit, complain, explain remind, reply
think, hope, offer, refuse etc.) before the statement of a person in sentence is called reporting
verb.
How to Convert Direct into Indirect
Rule 1. (Adverbs of Time and Place):
If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the
time of reporting, and adverb of nearness should be put into those of distance.

Example:
 Today => yesterday/ that day
  This evening => that evening

Note: If something is said and reported at the same time, then the time expression can remain
the same.
Direct: He told me today, “I will go to Karachi tomorrow.”
Indirect: He told me today he would go to Karachi tomorrow.

Rule no 2 ( Tenses):
A If the reporting verb is in present or future (i.e say, says or will say) then don’t change the
tense that you can find within the quotation marks

Example:
Direct: He says, “I was a fool then.”
Indirect: He says that he was a fool then.
Direct: I will say, “He loves his mom.”
Indirect: I will say that he loves his mom.

B If reporting verb is in the past tense. the tense of the verbs in the reported speech or indirect
speech must be generally changed. This is because when we use reported speech, we are
usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally
spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.

Example:
Direct: He said, “I am going to the cinema.”
Indirect: He said that he was going to the cinema.
Direct: She said “I work in a hospital”.
Indirect: She said that she worked in a hospital.

Tense Change
As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense.

Present Simple changes to Past simple

Direct: She said, “it is cold,”   
Indirect: She said it was cold.
Direct: They said “We play football”.
Indirect: They said that they played football.

Present continuous changes to Past continuous 

Direct: She said, “I’m teaching Math online.”
Indirect: She said she was teaching Math online.
Direct: She said “She is waiting for someone.
Indirect: She said that she was waiting for someone

Present perfect changes to Past perfect 

Direct: She said, “I’ve lived in Pakistan since 1999.” 
Indirect: She said she had lived in Pakistan since 1999.
Direct: She said “I have completed the work”.
Indirect: She said that she had completed the work.

Present perfect continuous changes to Past perfect continuous 

Direct: She said, “I’ve been teaching English for seven years.” 
Indirect: She said she had been teaching English for seven years.
Direct: She said “I have been working in a factory for two years”.
Indirect: She said that she had been working in a factory for two years.

Past simple changes to Past perfect 

Direct: She said, “I taught active and passive yesterday.”
Indirect: She said she had taught active and passive yesterday.
Direct: He said “I started a job”
Indirect: He said that he had started a job.

Past continuous changes to Past perfect continuous

Direct: She said, “I was teaching the lesson.”  
Indirect: She said she had been teaching the lesson.
Direct: He said “ I was writing a poem”
Indirect: He said that he had been writing a poem.

Past perfect same as Past perfect 

Direct: She said, “The lesson had already started when he arrived.”
Indirect: NO CHANGE – She said the lesson had already started when he arrived.
Direct: They said “We had won the game”
Indirect: NO CHANGE They said that they had won the game.

Past perfect continuous same as Past perfect continuous 

Direct: She said, “I’d already been teaching for five minutes.”
Indirect: NO CHANGE – She said she’d already been teaching for five minutes.
Direct: He said “I had been working since 1999”
Indirect: NO CHANGE He said that he had been working since 1999.

Modal verb forms also sometimes change:

 
Can › could

She said, “I can teach English online.” 

She said she could teach English online.

Must › had to 

She said, “I must have a computer to teach English online.”
She said she had to have a computer to teach English online.

Rule 3:

After wish, would rather, had better, it is time

Example:
Direct: Ali said, “I wish they were in Pakistan.”
Indirect: Ali said he wished they were in Pakistan.

Rule 4:
If indirect speech the words within quotation marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action
or when a sentence is made and reported at the same time and the fact is still true then the
tense inside the quotation marks is not changed at all.

Example:
Direct: He said, “My name is Ali.”
Indirect: He said his name was Ali Or He said his name is Ali.
Direct: The teacher said,” The sun rises in the east.”
Indirect: The teacher said that the sun rises in the east

Rule 5:
You can also use the present tense if you are talking about a future event.

Example:
Direct: She said, “next week’s lesson is on reported speech.”
Indirect: She said next week’s lesson will be on reported speech

Rule 6. (Pronouns):
We have to change the pronouns to keep the same meaning of a sentence.
1First person pronoun in reported speech i.e. I, we, me, us, mine, or our, is changed according
to the pronoun of the subject of reporting verb.
Examples:
         Direct: She said, “I live in China”
         Indirect : She said that She lived in China.
         Direct : They said, “we love football”
         Indirect: They said that they loved football.

2. First person pronoun in reported speech i.e. I, we, me, us, mine, or our, is not changed if the
pronoun (Subject) of reporting is also first person pronoun i.e. I or we
Examples:
       Direct: I said, “I write a book” 
       Indirect: I said that I wrote a book.
Direct: We said, “we did our job”
  Indirect: We said that we did our job

3. Second person pronoun in reported speech i.e. you, yours is changed according  fo the
person of object of reporting verb.
Examples:
        Direct : She said to him, “you are handsome”
        Indirect : She said to him that he was handsome.
        Direct: He said to me, “you are the main guest of the party”
        Indirect: He said to me that I was the main guest of  the party.

4. Third person pronoun in reported speech i.e. he, she, it, they, him, his, her, them or their, is
not changed in indirect speech.
Examples:
    Direct: They said, “he will leave us for good”
    Indirect : They said that he would leave us for good.
    Direct: You said, “they are waiting for the train”
    Indirect : You said that they were waiting for the train.

Note: Sometimes we have to use a noun instead of a pronoun, otherwise the new sentence is
confusing consider the examples below:
Direct: Mohammad said, “He killed them.”
Indirect: Mohammad said that the man had killed them.
(If we only make mechanical changes, then the new sentence can have different meaning)
Mohammad said he had killed them. (Mohammad himself killed them)

Rule 7. Reported Speech In If-Clauses:

In direct reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that-clause. We often
omit that, especially in informal situations:
Example:
Direct: Hussain: “If I tidied my room, my dad would be happy.”
Indirect: Hussain said that if he tidied his room, his dad would be happy.
Direct: Teacher: “If you concentrate, you will learn about direct and indirect speech.”
Indirect: Teacher said if we concentrate we would learn about direct and indirect speech.

Rule 8. Reported Speech of Time-Clauses:

Direct: Ali said “When I was staying in Quetta I met my best friend.” –
Indirect: He said that when he was staying in Quetta he met his best friend.
Direct: He said “When I was a child I won a prize”
Indirect: He said that when he was a child he won a prize.

Rule 9. Reported Speech of Interrogative Sentences :

1. Remove the quotation marks and question mark in the interrogative sentence.
2. Use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ if the sentence inside the quotation marks begins with a helping verb
(Auxiliary verb).
3. Use the given interrogative word (what, when, where, why, who, whom, whose, which, now
etc.) if it does not begin with the helping verb.
4. Don‘t use ‘that’
5. Changing the reporting verb (say, said) into ‘ask, want to know wonder or inquire’ in its
correct tense.
6. Omit helping verb like ‘do, does, did’. But don’t omit them when they are with ‘not’.

Example:
Direct: I said to my teacher,” won’t you help me to learn about direct and indirect speech
complete rules?”
Indirect: I asked my teacher if he would not help me to learn about direct and indirect speech
complete rules.
Direct: “How often do you go to the cinema?” Ali said to Ahmed,
Indirect: Ali asked Ahmed how often he went to the cinema.

Rule 10. Reported Speech of Yes/ No Questions:

In yes/no questions we use if or whether in questions. If is more common and whether is more
formal.

Example:
Direct: “Will you go?” she asked me.
Indirect: She asked me if/whether I would go
Rule 11. Reported Speech of Commands and Requests
 
1 Remove the quotation mark in an Imperative sentence.
2. Use ‘to’ if it is an affirmative sentence. (without don‘t)
3. Use ‘not to’ if the sentence begins without Don‘t.
4. Don‘t use ‘that’
5. Omit the word ‘please’. Use the word ‘request’ instead of ‘say’.
6. If the direct speech contains a request or a command, the reporting verb (say, said) change
to tell, request, order, command etc. in its correct tense. 
7. The commands, requests and advice mostly have the same form in English: verb + object +
infinitive (advise, ask, beg, forbid, order, persuade, recommend, tell, urge, warn etc.).

Example:
Direct: “Get up!” he said.
Indirect:  He warned me to get up.
Direct: “Please, revise for the test,” he said.
Indirect: He requested me to revise for the test.

Negative: + object + not + infinitive.

Direct: “Don’t hesitate,” he said.
Indirect: He persuaded me not to hesitate.
Direct: “Don’t smoke,” the doctor warned my father.
Indirect: The doctor warned my father not to smoke.

Rule 12. Reported Speech of Advice:

If it contains advice the reporting verb changes into advised.

Example:
Direct: “Put on your coat,” I said.
Indirect: I advised him to put on his coat.
Direct: I said “Say sorry to your mother”
Indirect: I advised him to say sorry to his mother.

Rule 13. Reported Speech of Exclamatory Sentences:

1Change the exclamatory sentence into statement or assertive
2. Remove the quotation marks and exclamatory mark.
3. Use the conjunction ‘that’
4. Omit the interjections such as Oh, O, Alas, how, what, hurrah.
5. Add the word ‘very’ to the adjective or adverb if necessary.
6. If the verb is not given, use ‘Be’ form verb (is, was, are, were, am) in its correct tense
according to the subject.
7. Change the reporting verb (say, said) to ‘exclaim joyfully’
8. Use ‘exclaim’ sorrowfully for sorrowful incidents.

Example:
Direct: She said ,” Wow, What a beautiful car that is!”
Indirect: She exclaimed joyfully that was a verb beautiful car.
Direct: He said,” Alas! I have missed the paper.”
Indirect: He exclaimed sorrowfully that he had missed the paper.

Rule 14. Use of ‘That’ in Reported Speech:

In reported speech, the word that is often used, however it is optional. We recommend you no
to use it because in some cases we don’t use ‘That’ in reported speech like: question, command
request and order, so its better not to use it.

Example:
Direct: He told me that he lived in Hazara Town.
Indirect: He told me he lived in Hazara Town
Direct: He told me that I will do his work
Indirect: He told me to do his work.

Rule 15. Punctuation in Direct Speech:

In direct speech, various punctuation conventions are used to separate the quoted words from
the rest of the text: this allows a reader to follow what’s going on. Here are the basic rules:

A) We use inverted commas (also called quotation marks, quotes or speech marks) to indicate
direct speech. Double quotes (“) are preferred in American English, while single quotes (‘) are
more common in British English:
Example:
“I’m coming home late tonight,” she said. (American English)
‘I’m coming home late tonight,’ she said. (British English)

B) Every time a newspeakers says something, you should start a new paragraph:
Example:
“They think it’s a more respectable job,” said Ali.
“I don’t agree,” I replied.

C) There should be a comma, full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end of a
piece of speech. This is placed inside the closing inverted comma or commas.
Example:
He asked, “Can I go outside?”
She shouted, “Sit down!”

D) If the direct speech is broken up by information about who is speaking, you need a comma
(or a question mark or exclamation mark) to end the first piece of speech and a full stop or
another comma before the second piece (before the inverted comma or commas):
Example:
“You’re right,” he said. “It feels strange.”
“Thinking back,” she said, “he didn’t expect to win.”
“No!” he cried. “You can’t leave now!”