Chapter: Direct & Indirect Speech (Reported Speech)

1. Introduction to Narration

Narration is the art of reporting the words of a speaker. There are two main ways to do this:

• Direct Speech: Quoting the exact words of the speaker. These words are enclosed in quotation marks (" ").
  Example: He said, "I am writing a letter."
• Indirect Speech (Reported Speech): Reporting the substance of the speaker's words, not the exact words. Quotation marks are not used.
  Example: He said that he was writing a letter.

Key Components:

• Reporting Verb: The verb that introduces the spoken words (e.g., said, told, asked).
• Reported Speech: The actual words of the speaker.

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2. The Golden Rules of Conversion

When converting from Direct to Indirect Speech, several changes typically occur.

Rule 1: Punctuation Changes

• Remove the comma after the reporting verb.
• Remove the quotation marks (" ").
• Use a conjunction like that, if, or whether to connect the reporting verb with the reported speech. The conjunction that is often optional in assertive sentences.
• The final punctuation mark will be a full stop (.), not a question mark or exclamation mark.

Rule 2: Change of Tense

The tense of the reported speech changes if the reporting verb is in the past tense (e.g., said, told).

Direct Speech Tense	Indirect Speech Tense
Simple Present (V1) He said, "I write."	Simple Past (V2) He said that he wrote.
Present Continuous (is/am/are + V-ing) She said, "I am writing."	Past Continuous (was/were + V-ing) She said that she was writing.
Present Perfect (has/have + V3) They said, "We have written."	Past Perfect (had + V3) They said that they had written.
Present Perfect Continuous (has/have been + V-ing) He said, "I have been writing."	Past Perfect Continuous (had been + V-ing) He said that he had been writing.
Simple Past (V2) She said, "I wrote."	Past Perfect (had + V3) She said that she had written.
Past Continuous (was/were + V-ing) He said, "I was writing."	Past Perfect Continuous (had been + V-ing) He said that he had been writing.
Past Perfect (had + V3) She said, "I had written."	No Change She said that she had written.
Past Perfect Continuous (had been + V-ing) He said, "I had been writing."	No Change He said that he had been writing.

Changes in Modals and Future Tense:

• will / shall → would
• can → could
• may → might
• must → had to (or must if it implies a permanent rule)
• should, could, would, might, ought to → No Change

Rule 3: Change of Pronouns

Pronouns in the reported speech change according to the subject and object of the reporting verb. The S-O-N rule is a simple way to remember this:

• 1st Person Pronouns (I, we, me, us, my, our) change according to the Subject of the reporting verb.
  Direct: She said, "I like tea."
  Indirect: She said that she liked tea.
• 2nd Person Pronouns (you, your) change according to the Object of the reporting verb.
  Direct: He said to me, "You are late."
  Indirect: He told me that I was late.
• 3rd Person Pronouns (he, she, it, they, etc.) have No change.
  Direct: I said, "He is a good boy."
  Indirect: I said that he was a good boy.

Rule 4: Change of Time and Place Adverbs

Words indicating nearness in time or place are changed to words indicating distance.

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
now	then
today	that day
tonight	that night
yesterday	the previous day / the day before
tomorrow	the next day / the following day
last week/month/year	the previous week/month/year
next week/month/year	the following week/month/year
here	there
this	that
these	those
ago	before

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3. Exceptions to Tense Change Rules

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4. Converting Different Sentence Types

A. Assertive (Declarative) Sentences

These are simple statements.

• The reporting verb said to is changed to told. said remains said.
• The conjunction that is used.

B. Interrogative (Question) Sentences

• The reporting verb (said, said to) changes to asked, inquired, wondered, or demanded.
• The question is converted into a statement (Subject + Verb). The question mark is replaced with a full stop.

1. Yes/No Questions (starting with helping verbs like is, are, do, have, can):

• Use the conjunction if or whether.

2. Wh- Questions (starting with what, when, where, why, how, etc.):

• The Wh-word itself acts as the conjunction. No extra conjunction is needed.

C. Imperative Sentences (Commands, Requests, Advice)

These sentences express a command, request, advice, or suggestion.

• The reporting verb changes to ordered, commanded, requested, advised, forbade, suggested, etc., based on the tone.
• The verb in the reported speech is changed to its infinitive form (to + V1).
• For negative imperatives (Don't...), use not to + V1.

D. Exclamatory Sentences (Exclamations)

These sentences express strong emotions like joy, sorrow, surprise, etc.

• The reporting verb changes to exclaimed with joy/sorrow/wonder/regret, applauded, cried out, etc.
• The exclamatory sentence is converted into an assertive sentence.
• The conjunction that is used.
• Words like "Alas!", "Hurrah!", "Bravo!", "What!", "How!" are removed and their emotion is conveyed through the reporting verb.

E. Optative Sentences (Wishes, Prayers)

These sentences express wishes or prayers.

• The reporting verb is changed to wished or prayed.
• The conjunction that is used.
• The sentence structure is changed to an assertive one, often using the modal might.

Sentences with "Let"

How you report a sentence starting with "Let" depends entirely on its meaning and intent.

For Proposals or Suggestions

When "Let us" (or "Let's") is used to make a suggestion, the reporting verb changes to proposed or suggested. You then typically use that we/they should.

For Requests or Commands

When "Let" is used to ask for permission or to give an order, the reporting verb changes to requested or ordered. You then typically use to allow or that [pronoun] might be allowed.

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Conditional Sentences (If-Clauses)

For hypothetical or "unreal" conditional sentences (Types 2 and 3), the tense usually does not change. This is because they are already in a past or hypothetical form that cannot be moved further back in time.

Unreal Present (Type 2)

Unreal Past (Type 3)

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Clarifying the Use of "Must"

The modal verb "must" is a special case. Its conversion depends on the context of the sentence.

For Obligation

When "must" refers to a current necessity or a pressing obligation, it usually changes to had to.

For Permanent Rules or Deductions

When "must" refers to a law, a permanent rule, or a logical certainty, it does not change in reported speech.