Speech and Narration –
Direct Speech – Direct speech indicates the same speech of the speaker in the quotation.
Example –
He says ” I am fine .”
Indirect Speech – When we express the speech of a speaker in our own way without changing the meaning , it is called Indirect Speech .
Example –
He says that he is fine.
Narration Change – Narration Change is a process to convert the speech of a speaker from direct to indirect or from indirect to direct without changing the meaning.
Example –
She says, ” I am busy . “( Direct Speech )
She says that she is busy . ( Indirect Speech)
Reporting Verb – In Direct Speech , the part which is separated by a comma is called Reporting Verb.
Example – She says , ” I do the job .”
Here Reporting Verb is – She says ,
Reported Speech – In Direct Speech, the part which is under the inverted comma or quotation is called Reported Speech .
Example – She says , ” I do the job . “
Here Reported Speech is – ” I do the job”.
Some words that changed in Indirect Speech from the Direct Speech –
Direct Speech – Indirect Speech
Now – Then
Today – That day
Tonight – That night
Tomorrow – The next day
Yesterday – The previous day
This day – That day
Last night – The previous night
Next week – The following week
Here – There
Yesterday
morning – The previous morning
This – That
These – Those
Come – go
Hence – Thence
Ago – Before
Thus – So / that way
Rules of Changing Narration –
Change of Tense with Examples –
1 . If there is Present or Future Tense in the Reporting Verb of the Direct Speech, we don’t change the tense of the Reported Speech at the time of Narration Change.
Examples –
Direct – She says, ” I am fine . “
Indirect – She says that she is fine .
Direct – He will say , ” I will surely do the
job .”
Indirect – He will say that he will surely do the job.
2. If there is Past Tense in Reporting Verb and Present Tense in Reported Speech, then the Present Tense in the Direct Speech will be changed at the time of Narration Change.
Rules with Examples –
i ) Direct – Present Indefinite
He said to me, ” I work in the town .”
Indirect – Past Indefinite –
He told me that he worked in the town .
ii ) Direct – Present Continuous
He said to me, ” I am working in the town .”
Indirect – Past Continuous –
He told me that he was working in the town .
iii ) Direct – Present Perfect
He said to me, ” I have done the job .”
Indirect – Past Perfect
He told me that he had done the job.
iv. Direct – Present Perfect Continuous
He said to me, ” I have been working in the town for five years .”
Indirect – Past Perfect Continuous
He told me that he had been working in the town for five years.
v. Direct – Past Indefinite –
He said to me, ” I worked in the town .”
Indirect – Past Perfect
He told me that he had worked in the town.
vi. Direct – Past Continuous
He said to me, ” I was working in the town .”
Indirect – Past Perfect Continuous
He told me that he had been working in the town.
vii. Direct – Past Perfect
He said to me, ” I had done the job before my father arrived. ”
Indirect – Past Perfect
He told me that he had done the job before his father arrived.
viii. Direct – Past Perfect Continuous
He said to me, ” I had been working in the town for five years . “
Indirect – Past Perfect Continuous
He told me that he had been working in the town for five years.
3. If there is Past Tense in Reporting Verb and Future Tense in the Reported Speech –
Direct – Future Indefinite
He said to me, ” I shall work in the town . “
Indirect – Past (should )
He told me that he should work in the town.
Direct – will
He said to me, ” I will work in the town .”
Indirect – would
He told me that he would work in the town.
4. In case of modal verbs in Reported Speech –
Direct – can
He said to me, ” I can work in the town .”
Indirect – could
He told me that he could work in the town.
Direct – may
He said to me, ” I may work in the town .”
Indirect – might
He told me that he might work in the town.
5. If there are two or more than than two Past Indefinite Tenses in the Reported Speech then those remain unchanged at the time of Narration Change –
Direct – He said , ” I worked in the town and my boss was very good .”
Indirect – He said that he worked in the town and his boss was very good.
Direct – She said to me, ” I bought a new dress , called a cab and returned home .”
Indirect – She told me that she bought a new dress, called a cab and returned home.
6. If the Reported Speech indicates a universal truth or habitual fact and also in Past Tense, then we can’t change it at the time of Narration Change.
Examples –
Direct – Teacher said , ” The earth has a gravitational force .”
Indirect – Teacher said that the earth has a gravitational force.
Direct – My uncle said to me, ” I read the newspaper daily .”
Indirect – My uncle told me that he reads the newspaper daily .
7. Changing of Persons at the time of Narration Change –
i ) If the subject of the Reported Speech is First Person then it indicates the subject of the Reporting Verb.
Example –
Direct – Susan said , ” I want to join the Civil Service .”
Indirect – Susan said that she wanted to join the Civil Service.
ii ) If the subject of the Reported Speech is Second Person then it indicates the object of the Reporting Verb.
Example –
Direct – I said to my father, ” You may go to the market .”
Indirect – I told my father that he might go to the market .
iii ) If the subject of the Reported Speech is Third Person then it doesn’t indicate the subject or the object of the Reporting Verb and we don’t change it in Indirect Speech
Example –
Direct – I said to my father, ” Susan will come tomorrow .”
Indirect – I told my father that Susan would come tomorrow .
8. Changing of Pronouns of Reported Speech –
i) If there is first person pronoun in Reported Speech and third person pronoun in Reporting Verb, then during the process of Narration Change the pronoun of Reported Speech is changed according to the pronoun of Reporting Verb.
a ) Direct – Indirect
I – he / she
Examples –
Direct -He said , ” I want to be a teacher . “
Indirect – He said he wanted to be a teacher.
Direct – She said, ” I want to be a singer . “
Indirect – She said that she wanted to be a singer.
b ) Direct – Indirect
We – they
Example –
Direct – They said, ” We will win the match.”
Indirect – They said that they would win the match.
c) Direct – Indirect
Our – their
Example –
Direct – They said, ” This is our school. “
Indirect – They said that that was their school.
d) Direct – Indirect
My – his / her
Example –
Direct – Rimo said, ” Mr. Roy is my teacher. “
Indirect – Rimo said that Mr. Roy was his teacher .
Direct – Susa said , “Mr. Roy is my teacher . “
Indirect – Susa said that Mr. Roy was her teacher .
e) Direct – Indirect
Us – them
Example –
Direct – Rimo said , ” He teaches us. “
Indirect – Rimo said he taught them .
f) Direct – Indirect
Me – him / her
Examples –
Direct – He said , ” Mr.Roy teaches me . “
Indirect – He said Mr. Roy taught him.
Direct – She said , ” Mr. Roy teaches me . “
Indirect – She said Mr. Roy taught her .
g) Direct – Indirect
Mine – his / her
Examples –
Direct – He said ,” The property is mine .”
Indirect – He said that the property was his .
Direct – She said, ” The property is mine. “
Indirect – She said that the property was her .
ii) The first person pronoun of Reported Speech is not changed if the Reporting Verb also has a first person pronoun .
Examples –
a ) Direct – I said, ” I have done the job. .”
Indirect – I said that I had done the job.
b) Direct – I said , ” He teaches me . “
Indirect – I said that he taught me .
c) Direct – I said, ” He is my teacher. “
Indirect – I said that he was my teacher.
d) Direct – I said , ” This property is mine . “
Indirect – I said that that property was mine .
e) Direct – We said, “We have done the job. “
Indirect – We said that we had done the job.
f) Direct – We said, ” He teaches us. “
Indirect – We said that he taught us.
g) Direct – We said , ” This is our school.”
Indirect – We said that that was our school.
iii ) If there is a second person pronoun in Reported Speech then that is always changed according to the object pronoun of the Reporting Verb.
Examples –
a ) Direct – She said to me, ” You have done a good job . “
Indirect – She told me that I had done a good job.
b) Direct -She said to me, ” Your father has left the office. “
Indirect – She told me that my father had left the office.
c) Direct – She said to her, ” You have done a good job.”
Indirect – She told her that she had done a good job.
d) Direct – He said to him, ” You have done a good job. “
Indirect – He told him that he had done a good job.
e) Direct – He said to him , ” Your performance is great .”
Indirect – He told him that his performance was great.
f) Direct – He said to her, ” Your performance is great. “
Indirect – He told her that her performance was great.
g) Direct – He said to them, ” You can win the match.”
Indirect – He told them that they could win the match.
h) Direct – He said to them, ” Your team is fine. “
Indirect – He told them that their team was fine .
9. Narration Change of Assertive Sentences –
In this case some words and punctuations are changed when we change narration from direct to indirect speech .
They are – Say to – tell
Said to – told
Comma ( , ) – that
Some words are unchanged –
Say – say
Says – says
Said – said
Examples –
Direct -Susan says , ” I want to be a doctor .”
Indirect – Susan says that she wants to be a doctor .
Direct – Susan said , ” I have done the job.”
Indirect – Susan said that she had done the job.
Direct – Susan said to me, ” I have done the job .”
Indirect – Susan told me that she had done the job.
Direct – Susan says to me, ” I want to be a fashion designer .”
Indirect – Susan tells me that she wants to be a fashion designer.
10. Sentences having ‘ Sir ‘ or ‘ Madam ‘ – Instead of ‘ say / say to ‘ we use ‘ respectfully ‘ in Indirect Speech and use ‘ tell / told ‘ after that.
Examples –
Direct- The boy said to his teacher, ” Sir, I can solve the problem . “
Indirect – The boy respectfully told his teacher that he could solve the problem.
Direct – The girl said to her madam , ‘ Madam, I have done my tasks . “
Indirect – The girl respectfully told her madam that she had done her tasks.
11. Narration Change of Interrogative Sentences –
Some words and punctuations that are changed in Indirect speech –
Direct – Indirect
Say – Ask / Enquire / Want to know
Said – Asked / Enquired / Wanted to
know
Comma ( , ) – If, whether
Question
Mark ( ? ) – Full stop ( . )
Examples –
Direct –
The man said to me, ” What is your name ? “
Indirect – The man asked me what my name was .
My father said to me , ” Have you solved the sum ? “
Indirect – My asked me if I had solved the sum .
Direct – Susan asked, ” Is there any seat vacant ? “
Indirect – Susan enquired if any seat was vacant there .
Direct –
Rimo said , ” Will our teacher go there? “
Indirect – Rimo wanted to know if their teacher would go there.
Rimo wanted to know whether their teacher would go there .
12. Narration Change of Exclamatory Sentences –
Direct – Indirect
i) Greetings – Wish
ii) Goodbye – Bid ( Past Tense – Bade )
iii) When we use ‘wish‘ or ‘bid ‘, we don’t use ‘ that ‘ after these in Indirect Speech.
Examples –
Direct – He said to me, ” Good night.”
Indirect – He wished me good night .
Direct – He said to his friend, ” Goodbye .”
Indirect – He bade his friend goodbye.
iv) But in other cases the Comma ( ‘ ) in Reporting Verb turned to ‘ that ‘ in Reported Speech.
v) Desire – Strongly wish / desire
Examples –
Direct – The man said ” Were I a businessman! “
Indirect – The man strongly wished that he were a king .
Direct – He said, ” Had I a lot of money ! “
Indirect – He desired that he had a lot of money .
vi) Hurray – Exclaim with joy ( to express happiness, glad )
Example –
Direct – They said, ” Hurray! We have won the match.”
Indirect – They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
vii) Surprise – Exclaim with surprise
Example –
Direct – He said , ” What a beautiful place ! “
Indirect – He exclaimed with surprise that the place is very beautiful.
viii) Alas – Exclaim with sorrow / grief ( to express sorrow or grief )
Example –
Direct – He said, ” Alas! Our team has lost the game .”
Indirect – He exclaimed with sorrow that their team had lost the game.
ix ) If Reported Speech starts with ‘How‘ or ‘What‘ and an adjective/ noun sits after that , then we use ‘ very‘ or ‘completely‘ or ‘great ‘ before the adjective / noun in the Indirect Speech.
Example –
Direct –
He said , ” What a thrilling experience! “
Indirect – He exclaimed with surprise that the experience was very thrilling.
Direct –
She said , ” How happy I am here ! “
Indirect – She exclaimed with joy that she was very happy there.
Direct – Susan said , ” What a man he is ! “
Indirect – Susan exclaimed with surprise that he was a great man .
Direct –
Susan said , ” What a fool he is ! “
Indirect – Susan exclaimed with surprise that he was a great fool .
13. Narration Change of Imperative Sentence –
Direct – Indirect
i)Say – Order / Request / Advise /
Command
ii) Said – Ordered / Requested /
Advised / Commanded
iii) Comma ( , ) – to ( in Affirmative Sentence )
not to ( in Negative Sentence )
iv) Also we can use ‘ prohibit ‘ or ‘ forbid ‘ in place of ‘ say ‘ or ‘ say to ‘ Negative Sentences in Indirect Speech and use ‘ to ‘ instead of Comma ( , ) .
Examples –
Direct – My father said to me, ” Bring the newspaper. “
Indirect – My father ordered me to bring the newspaper.
Direct – The coach says to them, ” Complete the task immediately.”
Indirect – The coach orders them to complete the task immediately.
Direct – Mother said , ” Please bring some fresh vegetables.”
Indirect – Mother requested to bring some fresh vegetables.
Direct – The teacher said to us, ” Use your skills .”
Indirect – The teacher advised us to use our skills.
Direct – The officer said, ” Check all the posts carefully . “
Indirect – The officer commanded to check all the posts carefully.
Direct – Our teacher said to us , ” Don’t waste your time . “
Indirect – Our teacher advised us not to waste time .
Direct – Officer said to the workers, ” Don’t take unnecessary risks . “
Indirect – Officer prohibited the workers to take unnecessary risks .
Office forbade the workers to take unnecessary risks .
v ) Imperative Sentences with ” Let us ” –
Direct – Indirect
Say / Say to. – Propose to / Suggest to
Said / Said to – Proposed to / Suggested to
Comma ( , ) – that
Let us – Subject + Should + Verb
Examples –
Direct –
My friend said to me , ” Let us go for a tour . “
Indirect –
My friend proposed to me that we should go for a tour.
Direct –
The teacher said to the students, ” Let us complete the lesson today. “
Indirect –
The teacher suggested to the students to complete the lesson that day.
vi ) Imperative Sentence with ‘ Let ‘ –
Direct – Indirect
say/ say to – tell / request / wish
said / said to – told / requested / wished
Comma ( , ) – that
Let – subject + may / might + be + allowed + to + verb
Examples –
Direct – The designer said , ” Let me design the project . “
Indirect – The designer wished that he might be allowed to design the project.
Direct – She said to her friend , ” Let me sing the song . “
Indirect – She requested her friend that she might be allowed to sing the song .
14. Narration Change of Optative Sentence –
i) Optative sentence in which ‘ God ‘ is mentioned –
Direct – Indirect
a) say – wish / pray / bless
b)said – wished / prayed /
blessed
c) Comma ( , ) – that
d) We use might after ‘ God ‘ in Indirect Speech.
Examples –
Direct –
Teacher said to me, ” God bless you. “
Indirect –
Teacher wished me that God might bless me.
Direct –
Her mother said to her, ” May God help you. “
Indirect -.
Her mother prayed that God might help her.
ii ) Optative sentence in which the word ‘ God ‘ is not mentioned –
Direct – Indirect
a ) say – wish
b) Comma ( , ) – that
c) Sentence Structure in Indirect Speech – Subject + might + verb + object
Examples –
Direct – My teacher said to me, ” You may be happy in life . “
Indirect – My teacher wished that I might be happy in life .
15. Narration Change of Vocative Sentence –
If there is a Vocative Sentence in Reported Speech then we can omit ‘ that ‘ and use ‘ Addressing‘ in place of ‘ that ‘ . All the other rules of Imperative Sentence will be followed .
Example–
Direct – The manager said , ” My colleagues, achieve the target today . “
Indirect – The manager told his colleagues to achieve the target that day.
The manager ordered his colleagues to achieve the target that day .
Addressing his colleagues, the manager told to achieve the target that day.
Addressing his colleagues, the manager ordered them to achieve the target that day.
16. Sentences having ‘ Sir ‘ or ‘ Madam ‘ –
Instead of ‘ say / say to ‘ we use
‘ respectfully ‘ in Indirect Speech and use
‘ tell / told ‘ after that.
Examples –
Direct- The boy said to his teacher, ” Sir, I can solve the problem . “
Indirect – The boy respectfully told his teacher that he could solve the problem.
Direct – The girl said to her madam , ‘ Madam, I have done my tasks . “
Indirect – The girl respectfully told her madam that she had done her tasks.
