Direct and Indirect Speech. English Grammars (EGS)

 Direct and Indirect Speech.

Introduction

Direct Speech (Quoted Speech) reports the exact words spoken by someone, enclosed in quotation marks.

Example: She said, "I am going to the market."

Indirect Speech (Reported Speech) reports what someone said without using their exact words, and without quotation marks.

Example: She said that she was going to the market.

Reporting Verbs

Common Reporting Verbs

Basic Reporting Verbs: say, tell, ask, reply, answer

Function	Verbs
Stating	state, declare, announce, mention, remark
Asking	ask, inquire, wonder, want to know
Commanding	order, command, instruct, direct
Requesting	request, beg, plead, appeal
Suggesting	suggest, propose, recommend, advise
Warning	warn, caution, alert
Promising	promise, vow, swear, guarantee
Agreeing	agree, accept, consent
Refusing	refuse, decline, reject
Complaining	complain, grumble, protest

-     Usage of 'Say' vs 'Tell'

Say: Used without a personal object. Pattern: say + (that) + clause. Example: He said (that) he was tired.

Tell: Requires a personal object. Pattern: tell + object + (that) + clause. Example: He told me (that) he was tired.

-     The Use of "That" in Indirect Speech

In indirect (reported) speech, the conjunction "that" is commonly used to introduce the reported clause, but it is often optional, especially in informal contexts. Both of the following are correct:

• She said that she would come.
• She said she would come.

The use of "that" can make the sentence clearer, especially in longer or more complex sentences, but it is not always required.

Changes When Converting Direct to Indirect Speech

A. Tense Changes (Backshift)

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Simple Present	Simple Past
"I work here."	He said he worked there.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
"I am working."	She said she was working.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
"I have finished."	He said he had finished.
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
"I have been waiting."	She said she had been waiting.
Simple Past	Past Perfect
"I saw him."	He said he had seen him.
Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
"I was sleeping."	She said she had been sleeping.
Simple Future (will)	Would
"I will come."	He said he would come.
Future Continuous	Would be + -ing
"I will be working."	She said she would be working.

Note: No change occurs when:

-     The reporting verb is in present tense:

·        - Direct: "I am studying medicine," she says.

·        - Indirect: She says that she is studying medicine.

-     The reported statement is a universal truth:

·        - Direct: The teacher said, "The Earth revolves around the Sun."

·        - Indirect: The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

-     The reported statement is still true:

·        - Direct: "My name is Sarah," she said.

·        - Indirect: She said that her name is Sarah. (Still true)

B. Pronoun Changes

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
I	he/she
we	they
you	I/he/she/they (depending on context)
my	his/her
our	their
your	my/his/her/their

Example:

Direct: "I love my car," said John.

Indirect: John said that he loved his car.

C. Time and Place Expression Changes

Direct Speech Expression	Indirect Speech Expression	Direct Speech Example	Indirect Speech Example
now	then	He said, "I am busy now."	He said that he was busy then.
today	that day	She said, "I will finish it today."	She said that she would finish it that day.
tonight	that night	They said, "We are meeting tonight."	They said that they were meeting that night.
yesterday	the day before/the previous day	He said, "I called you yesterday."	He said that he had called me the day before.
tomorrow	the next day/the following day	She said, "I will go tomorrow."	She said that she would go the next day.
last week	the week before/the previous week	He said, "I visited last week."	He said that he had visited the week before.
next week	the following week	She said, "I will travel next week."	She said that she would travel the following week.
ago	before	He said, "I met her two days ago."	He said that he had met her two days before.
here	there	She said, "I am here."	She said that she was there.
this	that	He said, "This is my book."	He said that that was his book.
these	those	She said, "These are my keys."	She said that those were her keys.

Different Types of Sentences in Indirect Speech

A. Statements

Pattern: Subject + reporting verb + (that) + changed statement

Example:

Direct: "I am very happy," she said.

Indirect: She said (that) she was very happy.

B. Questions

Yes/No Questions: Use "if" or "whether". Change to statement word order.

Example:

Direct: "Are you coming?" he asked.

Indirect: He asked if/whether I was coming.

Wh-Questions: Keep the question word. Change to statement word order.

Example:

Direct: "Where do you live?" she asked.

Indirect: She asked where I lived.

C. Commands and Requests

Pattern: Subject + told/asked/ordered + object + (not) to + infinitive

Examples:

Direct: "Close the door," he said.

Indirect: He told me to close the door.

Direct: "Please don't smoke," she said.

Indirect: She requested me not to smoke.

D. Exclamations

Pattern: Subject + exclaimed with [emotion] + that...

Example:

Direct: "What a beautiful day!" she said.

Indirect: She exclaimed with joy that it was a beautiful day.

Special Cases and Exceptions

A. Modal Verbs

Modal Verb	Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
can	He said, "I can swim."	He said that he could swim.
could	She said, "I could help you."	She said that she could help me.
may	He said, "I may come."	He said that he might come.
might	She said, "I might go."	She said that she might go.
must	He said, "I must leave."	He said that he had to/must leave.
shall	She said, "I shall return."	She said that she should/would return.
will	He said, "I will call you."	He said that he would call me.
would	She said, "I would try."	She said that she would try.

Note: Could, would, should, might, ought to usually remain unchanged.

B. Conditional Sentences

Type	Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Type 1	He said, "If it rains, I will stay home."	He said that if it rained, he would stay home.
Type 2	She said, "If I were you, I would study."	She said that if she were me, she would study.
Type 3	He said, "If I had seen him, I would have spoken to him."	He said that if he had seen him, he would have spoken to him.

Type 1: Changes according to normal rules

Type 2 & 3: Usually remain unchanged

C. Universal Truths

No tense change for facts that are always true:

Type	Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Universal Truth	"The Earth revolves around the Sun," the teacher said.	The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

- Comparison of Subjunctive Forms in American and British English

When certain verbs such as suggest, insist, recommend, demand, require, and propose are used in indirect speech, they can be followed by subjunctive forms. This is especially common in American English. The subjunctive uses the base form of the verb without 's' for third person singular. In contrast, British English often prefers alternative constructions, such as using 'should' or the infinitive form. The table below summarizes the differences, followed by example sentences.

Direct	American English (Subjunctive)	British English (Should/Infinitive)
"I suggest you study harder," she said.	She suggested that he study harder.	She suggested that he should study harder.
"I insist that he come immediately," she said.	She insisted that he come immediately.	She insisted that he should come immediately.
"I recommend that she take the medicine," the doctor said.	The doctor recommended that she take the medicine.	The doctor recommended that she should take the medicine.
"I demand that he apologize," she said.	She demanded that he apologize.	She demanded that he should apologize.
"I require that everyone be present," they said.	They required that everyone be present.	They required that everyone should be present.
"Let the meeting start at noon," he proposed.	He proposed that the meeting start at noon.	He proposed that the meeting should start at noon.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Forgetting to change pronouns

   - ❌ He said that I am tired.

   - ✅ He said that he was tired.

2. Using 'tell' without an object

   - ❌ He told that he was coming.

   - ✅ He told me that he was coming.

3. Not changing time expressions

   - ❌ She said she would come today. (when reporting later)

   - ✅ She said she would come that day.

4. Keeping question marks in indirect questions

   - ❌ He asked where was I going?

   - ✅ He asked where I was going.

Practice Examples

Convert to Indirect Speech:

1. "I will meet you tomorrow," John promised. → John promised that he would meet me the next day.

2. "Have you finished your homework?" the teacher asked. → The teacher asked if I had finished my homework.

3. "Don't touch that!" she warned. → She warned me not to touch that.

4. "I saw this movie yesterday," Tom mentioned. → Tom mentioned that he had seen that movie the previous day.

Summary Tips

- Always consider the context when changing pronouns

- Remember that "that" is often optional in indirect statements

- Pay attention to the sequence of tenses

- Time and place expressions need logical adjustment

- Questions lose their question marks and inverted word order

- Commands use infinitive structure

- Some verbs (suggest, insist, recommend) may be followed by subjunctive forms

This comprehensive understanding of direct and indirect speech will help you accurately report what others have said while maintaining the original meaning and intent of their words.