Direct speech and indirect speech

1. DIRECT &
INDIRECT
SPEECH
SIMRAN KAUR

2. DIRECT
SPEECH
• Direct speech is also known as “Quoted
Speech”.
• It is saying or reporting exactly what the
person has said.
• It uses quotation marks.
• Here, the verb tenses don’t change since we
just copy, what the person had said.
Sentence 1: I am 12 years old.
Direct Speech(1): She said, ”I am 12 years old.”
Direct Speech(2): “I am 12 years old”, she said.

3. DIRECT
SPEECH
Sentence 2:Can you give me some food?
Direct Speech(1):He said, ”Can you give me some
food?”
Direct Speech(2):”Can you give me some food?”,
he said.
Sentence 3:Get out!
Direct Speech(1):Mr.Mehta said,”Get out!”
Direct Speech(2):”Get out!”, Mr.Mehta said.
Sentence 4:We shall go out of city this summer.
Direct Speech(1):She said, ”We shall go out of
city this summer.”
Direct Speech(2):”We shall go out of city this
summer.”

4. DIRECT
SPEECH
• The Quoted/ Direct speech is put within
commas.
• The first word of the reported speech begins
with a capital letter.
• In the reported speech, we may use any tense
required by the sense of the sentence.

5. INDIRECT
SPEECH
• Indirect speech is also known as the Reported
speech.
• It doesn’t use quotation marks.
• What the person said doesn’t need to be
changed word to word. Here, the verb tenses
change.
Sentence 1:”I am hungry”, she said.
Indirect Speech(1):She said that she was hungry.
Indirect Speech(2):She said she was hungry.

6. INDIRECT
SPEECH
Sentence 2:Mary said, ”I am going to the bank.”
Indirect Speech: Mary said (that) she was going
to the bank.
Sentence 3:Rahul said, “My teacher told me to
study harder.”
Indirect Speech: Rahul said (that) his teacher had
told him to study harder.
Sentence 4:Simon said, ”My mom can’t attend
my graduation.”
Indirect Speech: Simon said that his mom
couldn’t attend his graduation.

7. INDIRECT
SPEECH
• No inverted commas are there.
• Reported speech is introduced by a
conjunction: that, if, whether, etc.
• Reporting verb changes according to the
sense.
• Tense of reporting verb is never changed.
• All kinds of sentences change into assertive
ones.

8. REPORTING
VERBS
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
Say Say
Says Says
Say to Tell
Says to Tells
Will say Will say
Will say to Will tell to
Said Said
Said to Told/Asked

9. RULES OF
CHANGING
DIRECT
SPEECH
INTO
INDIRECT
SPEECH
• If the reporting verb is in Present or Future
Tense, then the tense of the reported speech
remains unchanged.
Direct Speech(1): Rajesh says, “She has brought
a fair name for her family.”
Indirect Speech(1):Rajesh says that she has
brought a fair name for her family.
Direct Speech(2):I shall say, “I went to Agra on
Monday.”
Indirect Speech(2):I shall say that I went to Agra
on Monday.

10. RULES OF
CHANGING
DIRECT
SPEECH
INTO
INDIRECT
SPEECH
• If the reporting verb is in the past tense, the
tense of the reported speech must change
into the corresponding past tense.
Direct Speech(1):I said, ”I am speaking the truth.”
Indirect Speech(1):I said that I was speaking the
truth.
Direct Speech(2):We said, “They can’t cross the
river unless the boatmen help them.”
Indirect Speech(2):We said that they couldn’t
cross the river unless the boatmen helped them.

11. RULES OF
CHANGING
DIRECT
SPEECH
INTO
INDIRECT
SPEECH
• If the reported speech contains universal
truth, habitual act, proverb, mathematical
fact, historical fact, expression of morality, an
unchanged fact, then the tense of the
reported speech will not change.
Direct Speech(1):He said, “The sun sets in the
west.”
Indirect Speech(1):He said that the sun sets in
the west.
Direct Speech(2):She said to me, ”Honesty is the
best policy.”
Indirect Speech(2):She told me that honesty is
the best policy.

12. RULES OF
CHANGING
DIRECT
SPEECH
INTO
INDIRECT
SPEECH
• If two such actions are given in the reported
speech which take place at the same time, the
past indefinite or continuous tense does not
change.
Direct Speech(1):He said, “Mohan was singing a
song while Gopal was playing on a flute.”
Indirect Speech(2):He said that Mohan was
singing a song while Gopal was playing on a flute.

13. RULES OF
CHANGING
DIRECT
SPEECH
INTO
INDIRECT
SPEECH
• If the reported speech contains some
improbable or hypothetical condition, then
the past indefinite tense doesn’t change.
Direct Speech(1):He said to me, “If I were there, I
would snub him”.
Indirect Speech(1):He told me that if I were there,
he would snub him.
Direct Speech(2):He said to me, “If I were the PM,
I would remove poverty first.”
Indirect Speech(2):He told me that if he were the
PM, he would remove poverty first.

14. RULES OF
CHANGING
DIRECT
SPEECH
INTO
INDIRECT
SPEECH
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
Present Indefinite Past Indefinite
Present Continuous Past Continuous
Present Perfect Past Perfect
Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
Past Indefinite Past Perfect
Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect No change
Past Perfect Continuous No change

15. RULES OF
CHANGING
DIRECT
SPEECH
INTO
INDIRECT
SPEECH
Changes in FutureTense sentences
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
Will/Shall Would/Should
Will be Would be
Will have Will have
Can Could
May Might
Must Had to/ Must
Could/Should/Would/Might No change

16. RULES OF
CHANGING
DIRECT
SPEECH
INTO
INDIRECT
SPEECH
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
This That
These Those
Here There
Hence Thence
Hither Thither
Now Then
Ago Before
Thus So
Today That day
Yesterday The previous day
Tomorrow The following day/The next
day
Last week/month/year The previous
week/month/year
The last fortnight The previous fortnight
The day before yesterday The day before the previous
day

17. PRESENT
INDEFINITE
TO PAST
INDEFINITE
Direct Speech(1):He said to me, “I never eat
sweets.”
Indirect Speech(1):He told me that he never ate
sweets.
Direct Speech(2):He said to Hina, “I hate you.”
Indirect speech(2):He told Hina that he hates her.

18. PRESENT
CONTINUOUS
TO PAST
CONTINUOUS
Direct Speech(1):Ram said to Shyam, “I am
watchingTV.”
Indirect Speech(1):Ram told Shyam that he was
watchingTV.
Direct Speech(2):They said to Rahim, “They are
playing football.”
Indirect Speech(2):They told Rahim that they
were playing football.

19. PRESENT
PERFECT
TO PAST
PERFECT
Direct Speech(1):Sita said, “I have already
cooked.”
Indirect Speech(1):Sita said that she had already
cooked.
Direct Speech(2):Ram said to Shyam, “I have
seen her today.”
Indirect Speech(2):Ram told Shyam that he had
seen her that day.

20. PRESENT
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
TO PAST
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
Direct Speech(1):Sonu said to me, “I have been
reading book for an hour.”
Indirect Speech(1):Sonu told me that she had
been reading for an hour.
Direct Speech(2):Monu said to Sonu, “Geeta has
been playing since morning.”
Indirect Speech(2):Monu told Sonu that Geeta
had been playing since morning.

21. PAST
INDEFINITE
TO PAST
PERFECT
Direct Speech(1):She said to Raj, “I went to Jaipur
last week.”
Indirect Speech(1):She told Raj that she had
gone to Jaipur the previous week.
Direct Speech(2):Ramesh said to me, “I
telephoned you yesterday.”
Indirect Speech(2):Ramesh told me that he had
telephoned me the previous day.

22. PAST
CONTINUOUS
TO PAST
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
Direct Speech(1):She said to me, “I was waiting
for you.”
Indirect Speech(1):She told me that she had been
waiting for me.

23. PAST
PERFECT
NO
CHANGE
Direct Speech(1):He said to me, “I had completed
my project.”
Indirect Speech(1):He told me that he had
completed his project.
Direct Speech(2):She said to Meena, “Ram had
already visitedJaipur.”
Indirect Speech(2):She told Meena that Ram had
already visitedJaipur.

24. PAST
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
NO CHANGE
Direct Speech(1):He said, “I had been playing
chess for two hours.”
Indirect Speech(1):He said that he had been
playing chess for two hours.
Direct Speech(2):I said to you, “Ravi had been
waiting for you since 2 o’clock.”
Indirect Speech(2):I told you that Ravi had been
waiting for you since 2 o’clock.

25. FUTURE
INDEFINITE
Direct Speech(1):Rahul said to Meena, “I shall
write a letter.”
Indirect Speech(1):Rahul told Meena that he
should write a letter.
Direct Speech(2):Rita said to Karan, “You will
attend the party tomorrow”
Indirect Speech(2):Rita told Karan that he would
attend the party the next day.

26. FUTURE
CONTINUOUS
Direct Speech(1):Shashi said to Shyam, “Sheena
will be waiting for you.”
Indirect Speech(1):Shashi told Shyam that
Sheena would be waiting for him.
Direct Speech(2):I said to her, “I shall be writing
an essay.”
Indirect Speech(2):I told her that I should be
writing an essay.

27. FUTURE
PERFECT
Direct Speech(1):Sudha said to Raj, “I will have
completed my work.”
Indirect Speech(1):Sudha told Raj that she would
have completed her work.

28. FUTURE
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
Direct Speech(1):Nisha said to me, “I shall have
been reading the book.”
Indirect Speech(1):Nisha told me that she should
have been reading the book.
Direct Speech(2):Chanchal said to Ekta, “We
shall have been visiting the fair tomorrow.”
Indirect Speech(2):Chanchal told Ekta that they
should have been visiting the fair next day.

29. THANK YOU!!!