Direct
and indirect speech
Introduction.
There two ways to convey a message of a person, or the words spoken by a person to other person.
There two ways to convey a message of a person, or the words spoken by a person to other person.
- Direct speech
- Indirect speech
Suppose
your friend whose name is John tells you in school, “I will give you a pen”. You
come to home and you want to tell your brother what your friend told you. There
are two ways to tell him.
Direct speech: John said, “I will give you a pen”.
Indirect Speech: John said that he would give me a pen.
In direct speech the original words of person are narrated (no change is made) and are enclosed in quotation mark. While in indirect speech some changes are made in original words of the person because these words have been uttered in past so the tense will change accordingly and pronoun may also be changed accordingly. In indirect speech the statement of the person is not enclosed in quotation marks, the word “that” may be used before the statement to show that it is indirect speech. Indirect speech is also called reported speech because reported speech refers to the second part of indirect speech in which something has been told by a person.
Direct speech: John said, “I will give you a pen”.
Indirect Speech: John said that he would give me a pen.
In direct speech the original words of person are narrated (no change is made) and are enclosed in quotation mark. While in indirect speech some changes are made in original words of the person because these words have been uttered in past so the tense will change accordingly and pronoun may also be changed accordingly. In indirect speech the statement of the person is not enclosed in quotation marks, the word “that” may be used before the statement to show that it is indirect speech. Indirect speech is also called reported speech because reported speech refers to the second part of indirect speech in which something has been told by a person.
Reporting
verb: The
verb first part of sentence (i.e. he said, she said, he says, they said, she
says,) before the statement of a person in sentence is called reporting verb.
Examples.
In all of the following example the reporting verb is “said”.
He said, “I work in a factory” (Direct speech)
He said that he worked in a factory. (Indirect speech)
They said, “we are going to cinema” (Direct speech)
They said that they were going to cinema. (Indirect speech)
He said, “I work in a factory” (Direct speech)
He said that he worked in a factory. (Indirect speech)
They said, “we are going to cinema” (Direct speech)
They said that they were going to cinema. (Indirect speech)
Reported
Speech. The second part of indirect speech in which something has been told
by a person (which is enclosed in quotation marks in direct speech) is called
reported speech. For example, a sentence of indirect speech is, He said that
he worked in a factory. In this sentence the second part “he worked in a
factory” is called reported speech and that is why the indirect speech as a
whole can also be called reported speech.
Fundamental
rules for indirect speech.
- Reported speech is not enclosed in quotation marks.
- Use of word “that”: The word “that” is used as a conjunction between the reporting verb and reported speech.
- Change in pronoun: The pronoun (subject) of the reported speech is changed according to the pronoun of reporting verb or object (person) of reporting verb (first part of sentence). Sometimes the pronoun may not change.
In
following example the pronoun of reported speech is “I” which will be changed
in indirect speech into the pronoun (Subject) of reporting verb that is “he”.
Example.
Direct speech: He said, “I am happy”
Indirect Speech: He said that he was happy.
Direct speech: I said to him, “you are intelligent”
Indirect Speech: I said him that he was intelligent. (“You” changed to “he” the person of object of reporting verb)
Example.
Direct speech: He said, “I am happy”
Indirect Speech: He said that he was happy.
Direct speech: I said to him, “you are intelligent”
Indirect Speech: I said him that he was intelligent. (“You” changed to “he” the person of object of reporting verb)
- Change in time: Time is changed according to certain rules like now to then, today to that day, tomorrow to next day and yesterday to previous day.
Examples.
Direct speech: He said, “I am happy today”
Indirect Speech: He said that he was happy that day.
Direct speech: He said, “I am happy today”
Indirect Speech: He said that he was happy that day.
- Change in the tense of reported speech: If the first part of sentence (reporting verb part) belongs to past tense the tense of reported speech will change. If the first part of sentence (reporting verb part) belongs to present or future tense, the tense of reported speech will not change.
Table for change in tense of reported speech for all TENSES.
TENSE CHANGE - IN - INDIRECT SPEECH
Present simple tense into Past simple
Present Continuous tense into Past continuous
Present Perfect tense into Pas perfect
Present Perfect Continuous into Past perfect continuous
Past simple into Past Perfect
Past Continuous into Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect into Past Perfect
Future simple, will into would
Future Continuous, will be into would be
Future Perfect, will have into would have
Examples.
DIRECT SPEECH |
INDIRECT SPEECH |
PRESENT TENSE |
|
PRESENT SIMPLE changes into PAST SIMPLE |
|
He said, “I write a letter” She said, “he goes to school daily” They said, “we love our country” He said, “he does not like computer” |
He said that he wrote a letter. He said that she went to school daily. They said that they loved their country
He said that he did not like
computer.
|
PRESENT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST CONTINUOUS |
|
He said, “he is listening to the music” She said, “I am washing my clothes” They said, “we are enjoying the weather” I said, “it is raining” She said, “I am not laughing” |
He said that he was listening to the music. She said that she was washing her clothes. They said that they were not enjoying the weather. She said that she was not laughing. |
PRESENT PERFECT changes into PAST PERFECT |
|
She said, “he has finished his work” He said, “I have started a job” I said, “she have eaten the meal” They said, “we have not gone to New York. |
She said that he had finished his work. He said that he had started a job. I said that she had eaten the meal.
They said that they had not gone to
New York.
|
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS |
|
He said, “I have been studying since 3
O’clock” She said, “It has been raining for three days.” I said, “She has been working in this office since 2007” |
He said that he had been studying since 3
O’clock. She said that it been raining for three days. I said that she had been working in this office since 2007. |
PAST TENSE |
|
PAST SIMPLE changes into PAST PERFECT |
|
He said to me, “you answered correctly” John said, “they went to cinema” He said, “I made a table” She said, “I didn’t buy a car” |
He said to me that I had answered
correctly. John said that they had gone to cinema. He said that he had made a table.
She said that she had not bought a
car.
|
PAST CONTINUOUS changes into PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS |
|
They said, “we were enjoying the weather” He said to me, “ I was waiting for you” I said, “It was raining” She said, “I was not laughing” |
They said that they had been enjoying. He said to me that he had been waiting for me. I said that it had been raining. She said that she not been laughing. |
PAST PERFECT changes into PAST PERFECT (tense does not change) |
|
She said, “She had visited a doctor” He said, “I had started a business” I said, “she had eaten the meal” They said, “we had not gone to New York. |
She said that she had visited a doctor. He said that he had started a business. I said that she had eaten the meal. They said they had not gone to New York. |
FUTURE TENSE |
|
FUTURE
SIMPLE TENSE
|
|
He said, “I will study the book” She said, “I will buy a computer” They said to me, “we will send you gifts” I said, “I will not take the exam” |
He said that he would study the book. She said that she would buy a computer. They said to me that they would send you gifts.
I said that I would not take the
exam.
|
FUTURE
CONTINUOUS TENSE
|
|
I said to him, “ I will be waiting for him” She said,” I will be shifting to new home” He said, “I will be working hard” He said, “he will not be flying kite” |
I said to him that I would be waiting for
him. She said that she would be shifting to a new home. He said that he would be working hard. She said that he would not be flying kites. |
FUTURE
PERFECT TENSE
|
|
He said, “I will have finished the work” She said, “they will have passed the examination” He said, “I will have gone” |
He said that he would have finished the
work. She said that they would have passed the examination. He said that he would have gone. |
Examples.
Direct speech: He said, “Mathematics is a science”
Indirect Speech: He said that mathematics is a science.
Direct speech: He said, “Sun rises in east”
Indirect Speech: He said that sun rises in east. (Tense didn’t change because reported speech is a universal truth thought its reporting verb belongs to past tense)
REFERENCES :- http://www.studyandexam.com/indirect-speech-for-tense.html
RANGKUMAN BAHAA INGGRIS SMA (GAGAS MEDIA ELANG YUDANTORO)