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Reported Speech-1

The document discusses the two types of reported speech: direct speech and indirect speech. Direct speech reports someone's exact words within quotation marks, while indirect speech reports the general idea of what someone said without quotation marks by changing pronouns, verbs, and references to time and place. The document then provides rules for changing direct speech to indirect speech, including changing verb tenses and referents like pronouns, time, and place. It also covers special cases like questions, imperatives, and exclamations.

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Aryan
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295 views

Reported Speech-1

The document discusses the two types of reported speech: direct speech and indirect speech. Direct speech reports someone's exact words within quotation marks, while indirect speech reports the general idea of what someone said without quotation marks by changing pronouns, verbs, and references to time and place. The document then provides rules for changing direct speech to indirect speech, including changing verb tenses and referents like pronouns, time, and place. It also covers special cases like questions, imperatives, and exclamations.

Uploaded by

Aryan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reported Speech

There are two types of speeches –

1. Direct speech – in direct speech the speaker says or tells his or her own
words and the words spoken by the speaker kept under the inverted commas.
Sunita said, “I am hungry”
2. Indirect speech- If we state what the speaker said in our own words to
someone else by changing the tense, pronouns and time and place related
words, then it is called indirect speech.

In a Direct speech, there are two clauses –

Sunita said, - Reporting Clause

“I am hungry”- Reported clause

**Rules to change a direct speech into indirect speech-

1. If the verb of reporting clause is in present or future then we do not make


any change in the tense of reported clause. But the words related to time and
place will be changed.
Example – Ram says, “Children like to play.”
Ram says that children like to play.

Aarti will say, “Bharti is honest.”


Aarti will say that Bharti is honest.
2. If the verb of reporting clause is in past tense, then we change the tense of
reported clause along with the words of time and place.
Example – Ram said, “Children like to play.”
Ram said that children liked to play.
3. If there is an object in reporting clause then we change the verb into told.
Example – Ram said to Shyam, “Children like to play.”
Ram told Shyam that Children liked to play.
4. The tense of reported clause is changed according to the following chart –
1) Present simple – past simple
2) Present Cont. – Past Cont.
3) Present Perfect – Past perfect
4) Present Perfect Cont. – Past Per. Cont.
5) Past simple – Past perfect
6) Past cont. – Past Per. Cont.
7) Past perfect – no change
8) Past per. Cont. – no change
9) Will/Shall – Would
10) Can/May – Could/Might
11) Must – Had to
5. The words related to time and place are changed according to the following
chart –
This – that
These – those
Now – then
Ago – before
Today – that day
Here – there
Just – then
Tonight – that night
Tomorrow – the next day
Yesterday – the previous day
Last – the previous
Next – the following
Thus – so
6. If the reported clause is in Aff or Neg, then it changes into the same (i.e.
Aff/Neg) but if the Reported clause is in Interrogative then it changes into
Affirmative and if it is in Interrogative+ Negative , then it changes into
negative.
A–A
N–N
I–A
I+N - N
7. There are some certain situations wherein we don’t change the tense of
reported clause although the verb of reporting clause is in Past tense.
1) If there is a universal truth in reported clause –
The teacher said, “The sun rises in the east.”
The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
2) If there is a habitual action –
The teacher said, “Birds fly in the sky.”
The teacher said that birds fly in the sky.
3) If there is a proverb/idiom –
The teacher said, “Fortune favours the brave.”
The teacher said that fortune favours the brave.
4) If there is a historical fact-
The teacher said, “India got freedom in 1947.”
The teacher said that India got freedom in 1947.
5) If there is a time clause in reported clause. And if the verb of time
clause and the verb of main clause both are in Past simple tense, then
we don’t change these verbs.
You said, “The boy stopped there till his father came back.”
You said that the boy stopped there till his father came back.
6) But if the MV is in past simple tense and the verb of time clause is in
past continuous tense then we change the MV into past perfect tense
but do not make any change in the verb of time clause.
She said, “Bharti slipped when she was trying to get on the bus.”
She said that Bharti had slipped when she was trying to get on the bus.
8. If there are words like well, ok etc, then the words are omitted.
9. If there are words like thank, thanks, thanked etc, we remove them from
reported clause and use ‘thanked’ as the main verb of reporting clause.
Vimal said, “Thank you, Ramesh for coming to my house.”
Vimal thanked Ramesh for coming to his house.
Certain points to keep in mind while changing a direct speech into indirect –

1. Reporting clause verb


2. Object of reporting clause
3. Type of reported clause (A/N/I/I+N/Ex/Imperative)
4. Tense of reported clause
5. Time and place related words in reported clause
6. Pronouns changing

Subjective Case Objective case Possessive Case Reflexive Case


I Me My Myself
You You Your Yourself/ves
We Us Our Ourself/ves
They Them Their Themself/ves
He Him His Himself
She Her Her Herself
It It Its Itself

Examples – Aff/Neg

1. Conjunction ‘that’ is used.


2. Inverted commas are omitted.

The teacher said to us, “You are dull and lazy.”

The teacher told us that we were dull and lazy.

You said to me, “I don’t think I can oblige again in this way.”

You told me that you did not think you could oblige again in that way.

He said to me, “I have never seen such a lazy boy as you are.”

He told me that he had never seen such a lazy boy as I was.

The teacher said to the girl, “I know you and your mother.”

The teacher told the girl that he knew her and her mother.
Ram said to her, “You are very rich, so I am not giving you my pen for writing
your exam.”

Ram told her that she was very rich, so he was not giving her his pen for writing
her exam.

Example - Interrogatives

1. The verb of reporting clause is changed to ‘asked/inquired/demanded’


2. If the reported clause starts with a HV, then we use ‘if’ as a conjunction but
if the reported clause starts with ‘Wh word’ then that Wh word itself will be
the conjunction.
3. If the sentence is Interrogative then it is changed into Affirmative, and if it is
in interrogative+negative, then it is changed into negative.

Mohit said, “Why were you late?”

Mohit asked why he had been late.

Uma said to Hari, “Why did you not come to my house?”

Uma asked Hari why he had not come to her house.

He said to us, “Will you listen to such a fool?”

He asked us if we would listen to such a fool.

Teachers said to the principal, “Have you given us the report cards which we saw
in your hand yesterday?”
Teacher asked the principal if she had given them the report cards which they had
seen in her hand the previous day.

Deepika said to us, “you are so idiot that you have put on my socks.

Deepika told us that we were so idiot that we had put on her socks.

Hari said to his cousin, “Why don’t you come for the party? Although I know that
you can come.
Hari asked his cousin why he did not come for the party. Although he knew that he
could come.

Student said to the teacher, “May I ask a question?”


Student asked the teacher if he might ask a question.

My friend said to me, “I didn’t take the class yesterday.”

My friend told me that he had not taken the class the previous day.
Rahul said to his mother, “Where is my hanky which I left here only on the table.”

Rahul asked his mother where his hanky was which he had left there only on the
table.

Imperative Sentences- Rules

1. The verb of reporting clause is changed into requested, suggested, advised,


commanded, ordered and instructed etc.
2. The conjunction ‘to’ is used in imperative sentences.

Example –

He said to her, “Go to your class.”

He ordered her to go to her class.

The chef said to the helper, “Chop the vegetables quickly.”

The chef commanded the helper to chop the vegetables quickly.

The student said to the librarian, “Please allow me to go to the library.”

The student requested the librarian to allow him to go to the library.

He said, “Let’s go to the market.”


He suggested that they should go to the market. / He proposed to go to the market.

The chairman of the water board said, “let us adopt the method of water
harvesting.”

The chairman of the water board proposed to adopt the method of water
harvesting.

He said, “let’s use this.”

He suggested that they should use that.

He said, “Shall I use this?”

He asked if he would use that.

Exclamatory sentences-

In order to form the exclamatory indirect speech we need to understand some


important interjections-

Hurray – joy, pleasure

Good – admiration, pleasure

Splendid – admiration, joy

Ha – pleasure, joy

Bravo – admiration

Alas – deep grief, pain

What – surprise, wonder

Oh – surprise, wonder

Ugh – disgust

Well done – admiration, pleasure

Thank goodness – thank to god and for the relief

Rules –
1. The exclamatory sentences are changed into Affirmative sentences.
2. The reporting verb is changed to – exclaimed with
joy/sorrow/delight/surprise/anger/fear etc.
3. The conjunction ‘that’ is used.
4. All exclamations and interjections are left out.

She said, “Oh! What a lovely dress.”

She exclaimed with surprise that it was a lovely dress.

He said, “Oh! I have met you after a long time.”

He exclaimed with surprise that he had met him/her after a long time.

They said, “Alas! We have lost our way in the forest.”

They exclaimed with sorrow that they had lost their way in the forest.

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