Grammar Guide: Direct and Indirect Speech
Types of Speech
There are two primary types of speech used to report what someone has said.
1. Direct Speech (प्रत्यक्ष कथन)
We can reproduce the words exactly spoken by a person as it is within inverted commas. This is called "Direct Speech".
- The exact words of the speaker are put in inverted commas (" ").
- There is a comma after the reporting verb.
- The quoted words begin with a capital letter.
2. Indirect Speech (अप्रत्यक्ष कथन)
We can reproduce our own words in place of what the speaker said. This is called Indirect Speech.
- The indirect speech is in the form of ordinary sentences.
- It has no special punctuation like inverted commas.
Parts of Direct Speech
Generally, there are four parts of direct speech. Let's break down the sentence: Rama said to Sima, "I am very busy now".
- Reporter (निवेदक): The person who speaks is called the Reporter. In the example, 'Rama' is the reporter.
- Reporting Verb (निवेदन करणारे क्रियापद): The verb that introduces the reported speech. In the example, 'Said to' is the reporting verb.
- Hearer / Listener (ऐकणारी व्यक्ती): The person who listens to what the reporter said. In the example, 'Sima' is the hearer.
- Reported Speech (निवेदन केलेली वाक्य): The exact words of the speaker which are put within inverted commas. In the example, 'I am very busy now' is the reported speech.
5 Key Changes Made During Conversion
When changing direct speech to indirect speech, five main changes occur:
- Change in reporting Verb
- Use of conjunction
- Change in pronoun
- Change in tense
- Change in words showing nearness to distance
Rule 1: Rules for Change in Tense
A. Present or Future Reporting Verb
If the reporting verb is in the present tense (e.g., says, is/am/are saying, have/has said) or future tense (e.g., will/shall say), the tense of the verb in the reported speech remains unchanged.
Direct: He says "Children like to play".
Indirect: He says that children like to play.
Direct: Your father will say "Life was very hard during the war".
Indirect: Your father will say that life was very hard during the war.
B. Past Tense Reporting Verb
If the reporting verb is in a past tense (e.g., said, had said, was saying), the tenses in the reported speech change as follows:
- Simple present changes to simple past.
- Present continuous changes to past continuous.
- Present perfect changes to past perfect.
- Present perfect continuous changes to Past perfect continuous.
- Simple past changes to Past perfect.
- Past continuous changes to Past perfect continuous.
- Past perfect and Past perfect continuous experience No change.
Direct: He said, "Pankaj's wife wants to become rich by wining a lottery".
Indirect: He said that Pankaj's wife wanted to become rich by wining a lottery.
C. Rules for Change in Helping Verbs
- Am, Is, Are changes to Was, Were.
- Was, Were changes to Had been.
- Have, Has changes to Had.
- Do, Does changes to Did.
- Did changes to Had done.
- Will, Shall changes to Would.
- May, Can changes to Might, Could.
- Had, Had been, Had done, Would, Should, Might, Could, Must, Ought to experience No Change.
Rule 2: Words Denoting Time & Position
Generally, words expressing nearness in time and place are changed into words expressing distance.
- This / These becomes That / Those.
- Here becomes There.
- Now becomes Then.
- Ago becomes Before.
- Last... becomes The previous....
- Next becomes The following....
- Today becomes That Day.
- Tonight becomes That night.
- Yesterday becomes The previous day.
- Tomorrow becomes The following day.
Rule 3: Change in Pronouns
- First Person (I, We): Changed into pronouns of the same person as the subject (Reporter) of the reporting verb.
Example: I said, "I have done my duty" → I said that I had done my duty. - Second Person (You): Changed into pronouns of the same person as the object (Listener/Hearer) of the reporting verb.
Example: Teacher said to me, "You have not done your work well" → Teacher told me that I had not done my work well. - Third Person (He, She, It, They): Remain unchanged.
Example: Teacher said to me, "He has not done his work well" → Teacher told me that he had not done his work well.
Rules 4 & 5: Reporting Verbs and Conjunctions
The reporting verb and the conjunction used depend on the type of sentence being converted.
- Assertive Sentence: The reporting verb is said/says (Note: said to becomes told). The conjunction used is That.
- Interrogative Sentence: The reporting verb becomes ask/asked. The conjunction used is If / Whether.
- Imperative Sentence: The reporting verb becomes asked, advised, warned, requested, promised, or suggested depending on the situation. The conjunction used is To / not to.
- Exclamatory Sentence: The reporting verb expresses emotion like Expressed with joy, sorrow, or anger. The conjunction used is That.
Examples for Practice
- Q: "Don't play with matches," his mother said.
A: His mother told him not to play with matches. - Q: "I've forgotten to bring my lunch with me," he said.
A: He said that he'd forgotten to bring his lunch with him. - Q: "Will you be home soon?" she asked her husband.
A: She asked her husband if he would be home soon. - Q: "Go to bed!" father said to the children.
A: Father told the children to go to bed. - Q: "I'll clean the car tomorrow," Tim said to his father.
A: Tim told his father that he would clean the car the following day. - Q: "Where have you been?" Gary asked his wife.
A: Gary asked his wife where she had been. - Q: "I've been working for the same company since 1960," he said to me.
A: He told me that he had been working for the same company since 1960. - Q: "Do you know Garfield?" she asked me.
A: She asked me if I knew Garfield. - Q: "How shall I tell Tom the bad news?" she said.
A: She asked how she should tell Tom the bad news. - Q: "You must try my home-made wine," he said.
A: He said that I had to try his home-made wine. - Q: "Can I go home now?" he asked her.
A: He asked her if he could go home then. - Q: "May I call you by your first name?" he asked.
A: He asked if he might call me by my first name. - Q: "She must try harder if she wants to succeed," he said.
A: He said that she had to try harder if she wanted to succeed. - Q: "My father will be angry with me if he finds out," she said.
A: She said that her father would be angry with her if he found out.
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