Grammar, Direct and Indirect Speech

  

Read the following extracts from the story 'David Begins a New Life':

 

1. One day Miss Betsey asked me, 'What do you think of Dick?' I replied, "He's very nice.'

 

2. Miss Betsey then informed me that Mr Dick was a distant relative of hers and he was declared insane by his own brother. Miss Betsey had come to his rescue and got him home. I was told that Mr Dick had been living with her for the past ten years.

 

The sentences What do you think of Dick? and He's very nice are the exact spoken words of Miss Betsey and David respectively. These are in direct speech.

 

The extract marked as 2, reporting what Miss Betsey told David about Dick, is in indirect speech or reported speech.

 

Now let's see how the two sentences in direct speech would read if they were reported in indirect speech.

 

One day Miss Betsey asked me what I thought of Dick. I told her that he was very nice.

 

The two sentences are different and the ways to report them are also different. The first sentence is a question and the second one is a simple statement. Remember the rules that are used for indirect speech.

 

1. If the reporting verb is in the present tense, it is changed into the corresponding past-tense form.

 

Direct speech	Indirect speech
Simple present	Simple past
Present continuous	Past continuous
Present perfect	Past perfect
Present perfect continuous	Past perfect continuous
Simple past	Past perfect
Past continuous	Past perfect continuous
Past perfect	No change
Past perfect continuous	No change
may	might
shall	Should or would
can	could
will	would

 

2. Words showing nearness or a specific time also change in indirect speech.

 

Direct speech	Indirect speech
now	then
this	that
these	those
here	there
today	That day
tonight	That night
tomorrow	The following day, the next day
Last week	The previous week
yesterday	The previous day
Last month	The previous month

 

3. Pronouns change in indirect speech as shown below.

 

Direct speech	Indirect speech
I	he/she
you	he/she
you	him/her
your	his/her
me	him/her
my	his/her
myself	himself/herself
ourselves	themselves
we	they
us	them
our	their

 

4. If the speaker is addressing someone, the reporting verb said changes to told.

            Suhail said to Misha, ‘I’m very happy.’

            Suhail told  Misha that he was very happy.

 

Report the following statements.

 

1. Heena said to her mother, 'I like my new teacher.'

Ans- Heena told her mother that she liked her new teacher.

 

2. Farid said, 'We must try to help the children living in slums.' 

Ans- Farid said that they must try to help the children living in slums.

 

3. Mani said to his neighbour, 'We need to clean up the area around our house.'

Ans- Mani told his neighbor that they needed to clean up the area around their house.

 

4. Tina told her friends, 'We must not litter the park with chocolate and biscuit wrappers.'

Ans- Tina told her friends that they must not litter the park with chocolate and biscuit wrappers.

 

5. The teacher said, 'Children, I am going to give you a surprise test right now.' 

Ans- The teacher announced to the children that she was going to give them a surprise test right then.

 

6. Swati said to her sports trainer, 'I will not be able to attend the football training camp this year.'

Ans- Swati informed her sports trainer that she would not be able to attend the football training camp that year.

 

7. Mehtab said, 'Daddy, I couldn't get my admission forms today.'

Ans- Mehtab told his daddy that he couldn't get his admission forms that day.

 

8. Jones said to Henry, "This is the house I wish to buy.'

Ans- Jones told Henry that the house he wished to buy was the one they were referring to.

OR Jones told Henry that the house he wished to buy was that one.

 

C2. Read the following dialogue and fill in the blanks in the reported version

 

Jaya: My mother has bought me a new dress for Gaurav's party. Neha My mother too has just bought one for me.

Neha: My mother too has just bought one for me.

Jaya : My mother has bought the pink skirt with a white top that was displayed at Stop and Buy.

Neha: That is exactly what my mother has bought too.

Jaya: That means we will wear the same dress to Gaurav's birthday.

Neha: That will be fun.

 

Jaya told Neha that ___Gaurav's party. Neha told Jaya  ____one for her. Jaya said that her mother had bought the pink skirt with a white top that had been displayed at Stop and Buy. Neha was surprised to hear that and she said ___ Jaya added that _____to Gaurav's birthday. Neha said that _______.

Solution-

 

Jaya told Neha that her mother had bought her a new dress for Gaurav's party. Neha told Jaya that her mother too had just bought one for her. Jaya said that her mother had bought the pink skirt with a white top that had been displayed at Stop and Buy. Neha was surprised to hear that, and she said, "That is exactly what my mother has bought too." Jaya added that this meant they would wear the same dress to Gaurav's birthday. Neha said that it would be fun.

 

Change the following direct-speech questions into indirect speech. 

 

1. She said to me, 'What are you doing here?'

Ans- She asked me what I was doing there.

 

2. Farid said, 'Ritu, may I finish the apple pie?'

Ans- Farid asked if he could finish the apple pie.

 

3. The instructor said to the trainees, 'Why are you making a noise?'

Ans- The instructor asked the trainees why they were making a noise.

 

4. Mummy said to Rohit, 'How are you feeling today?' 

Ans- Mummy asked Rohit how he was feeling that day.

 

5. Harish said, 'Uncle, when will you take us for a picnic?'

Ans- Harish asked when his uncle would take them for a picnic.

 

6. The lady asked the children, 'Where are you going at this time of the night?'

Ans- The lady asked the children where they were going at that time of the night.

 

7. He said, 'Where has Martha gone?'

Ans- He asked where Martha had gone.

 

8. My father said to me, 'Why do you waste water?'

Ans- My father asked me why I wasted water.

 

C2. The questions have been reported in two ways. Tick the right answer.

 

1. Mani said, 'What do you want me to do?'

a) Mani asked me what I wanted her to do.

b) Mani asked me that what I wanted her to do.

Ans- b) Mani asked me what I wanted her to do.

 

2. Vani said, 'Hari, how are you going home?'

a) Vani asked Hari how was he going home.

b) Vani asked Hari how he was going home.

Ans- b) Vani asked Hari how he was going home.

 

3. The children said to the policeman, 'Sir, can you guide us to the park?'

a) The children asked the policeman could he guide them to the park.

b) The children asked the policeman if he could guide them to the park. 

Ans- b) The children asked the policeman if he could guide them to the park.

 

4. The teacher said, 'Where has my pen gone?'

a) The teacher wondered where her pen had gone.

b) The teacher was wondering where her pen had gone. 

Ans- a) The teacher wondered where her pen had gone.

 

5. The librarian said to the new student, 'Do you enjoy reading poems?' 

a) The librarian asked the new student if he enjoyed reading poems.

b) The librarian asked the new student if reading poems he enjoyed.

Ans- a) The librarian asked the new student if he enjoyed reading poems.

 

C3. Report the following dialogue between Rahat and his sister Rohini.

 

Rahat : Why are you looking sad?

Rohini : Why didn't you turn up for my birthday party last night?

Rahat : Do you know that I have a deadline for my project?

Rohini: Do you know that my birthday comes only once in a year?

Rahat : Do you know that I have got a surprise gift for you?

Rohini : Thanks.

 

Rahat asked his sister ____. Rohini in turn inquired___. Rahat wondered if she ____. Rohini asked Rahat if _____. Rahat cheerfully questioned Rohini _____. Rohini thanked Rahat.

 

Solution-

Rahat asked his sister why she was looking sad. Rohini in turn inquired why he hadn't turned up for her birthday party the previous night. Rahat explained that he had a deadline for his project. Rohini asked Rahat if he knew that her birthday came only once a year. Rahat cheerfully questioned Rohini if she knew that he had a surprise gift for her. Rohini thanked Rahat.