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Direct and Indirect Speech Guide

Grammar, class 10 Maharashtra state board

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mayarchandran1981
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429 views10 pages

Direct and Indirect Speech Guide

Grammar, class 10 Maharashtra state board

Uploaded by

mayarchandran1981
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
  • Direct and Indirect Speech Introduction
  • Indirect Speech
  • Exercises

Direct and Indirect speech

Direct speech: When the exact words used by a speaker are


reproduced within quotation marks, it is called Direct Speech.
Eg : Rohan said, “ I have to go.”
Indirect speech: When we convey the speaker’s thoughts
without repeating the actual words but the substance of the
words used by the speaker, it is called Indirect speech.
Eg: Rohan said that he had to go.

● Points to Remember
Direct speech
1. The exact words used by the speaker are
reproduced.
2. The speaker is also mentioned.
3. The direct speech is always enclosed within inverted
commas.
[Link] first word of the direct speech begins with a
capital letter.
[Link] direct speech is separated from the rest of the
sentence by a comma.
Indirect speech
1. ​No inverted commas are used.
2. No comma is used to separate the reported speech
from the rest of the sentence.
3. A conjunction ( that) , if necessary , is used to join
the reported speech with the rest of the sentence.
Rules for changing from direct to indirect speech.
1. The simple Present tense is changed into the simple
past. (do- did)
Eg: Rohan said, “ Mr Bajaj works in a school”.
Rohan said that Mr Bajaj worked in a school.
2. The present continuous is changed into past
continuous. ( is / are/ am doing- was/ were doing)
Eg: Ram said, “ Mohan is playing in the garden”.
Ram said that Mohan was playing in the garden
[Link] present perfect is changed into past
perfect.(has/have done- had done)
Eg: Alok said, “ India has won the match”.
Alok said that India had won the match.
4. The simple past tense is changed into past
perfect.(did- had done)
Eg: Satish said, “ Vivek came very late”.
Satish said that Vivek had come very late.
5. The past perfect is left unchanged. ( had done – had
done)
Eg: Aarti said, “ Amol had composed a poem”.
Aarti said that Amol had composed a poem.
6. Shall/ Will is changed into ​would​; may is changed into
might​; can is changed into ​could​.
Eg:
1. He said, “ It may rain in the evening”.
He said that it might rain in the evening.
2. The teacher said, “ Some boys will stay back”.
The teacher said that some boys would stay back.
7. If the reported speech expresses a universal truth or a
habitual fact, its tense remains unchanged.
Eg
1. The teacher said, “ The earth revolves round the Sun”.
The teacher said that the earth revolves round the sun.
2. She said, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”.
She said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Exercise 1
Change into indirect speech.
1. The shopkeeper said, “ The Diwali sale is very good”.
2. He said, “It is important to save petrol”.
3. The teacher said, “ The children are making noise”.
4. The porter said, “ The train had already arrived”.
5. Sunita said, “ Heavy rains have damaged the crops”.

8. Change in pronouns
Direct Speech Indirect speech
I HE/SHE
WE THEY
YOU THEY/HE/SHE
MY HIS/HER

OUR THEIR/HIS / HER


ME HIM/HER

Eg
[Link] poet said, “I have written a new poem”.
The poet said that he had written a new poem.
2. Hina said, “ I have done my work”.
Hina said that she had done her work.
3. Meera said, “ We are going for a movie”.
Meera said that they were going for a movie.

9. Expression of Time and Place are changed to words


Indicating Distance and Place.
Direct Speech Indirect speech
This/these That/ those
here there
now then
ago before
today That day
tonight That night
yesterday The previous day/ the day
before
tomorrow The next day/ the
following day
Last night The previous night
Next week The following week

Eg
1. The receptionist said, “ The Principal is busy today”.
The receptionist said that the Principal was busy that
day.
2. His father said, “ We will construct a house here”.
His father said that they would construct a house
there.
3. Anwar said, “ I am leaving for Delhi tonight”.
Anwar said that he was leaving for Delhi that night.
Exercise 2
Change into Indirect speech
1. Saira said, “ I am not afraid of examinations”.
[Link] said, “ I have learnt cycling”.
3. The performer said to the audience, “ You were all
very good tonight.”
4. My father said, “ I am cooking dinner.”

10. Changes in imperative sentences( commands,


requests and advice)
Eg:
1. She said to the servant, “ Do as I tell you”.
She ordered the servant to do as she told him.
2. ​Indu said to her mother, “ Please give me some money.”
Indu requested her mother to give her some money.
11. changes in interrogative sentences
* The reporting verb is changed to ask or enquire.*
* The interrogative form is changed into assertive
form*
*The interrogation mark is dropped*
* If the question begins with verb, the word if/
whether is used.
Eg:
1. She said to me, “ Do you know where he lives?”
She asked me if/ whether I knew where he lived.
2. He said, “ Where is the airport?”
He asked where the airport was.
12. Change in exclamatory sentences
● The introductory verb is changed into wished,
prayed,cried, exclaimed.
● The feeling or emotion is expressed by expressions
such as exclaimed with joy or cried bitterly.
Eg:
[Link] said, “ What a beautiful view!”.
He exclaimed that it was a very beautiful view.
2. He said, “ Hurrah!We have won the quiz contest.”
He exclaimed with joy that they had won the quiz
contest.
Exercise 3 (Change into Indirect speech)
1. Gaurav said to Dinesh, “ Please switch the air
conditioner on.”
2. She said, “ Is something wrong?”
3. The girl said to her pet dog, “ Sit down”.
4. Father said, “ Who has switched the computer off?”

Common questions

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When converting direct speech to indirect speech, present tense verbs change to their past tense forms. Specifically, the simple present changes to simple past, present continuous to past continuous, present perfect to past perfect, and simple past to past perfect. However, the past perfect remains unchanged.

The tense remains unchanged in indirect speech if the reported statement is a universal truth or a habitual fact. This is because such statements are timeless and independent of the time they are reported. For example, 'The earth revolves around the Sun' remains the same in indirect speech.

Habitual actions, similar to universal truths, maintain their tense during indirect speech conversion because they represent actions that are consistently repeated. This constancy is true irrespective of when the statements are being reported. For example, 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' remains unchanged as it expresses a general truth.

Imperative sentences in indirect speech are changed into commands, requests, or advice using verbs like 'ordered', 'requested', or 'advised'. The sentence structure changes from imperative to infinitive by adding 'to' before the verb. For example, 'Do as I tell you' becomes 'She ordered the servant to do as she told him'.

Exclamatory sentences in indirect speech require changing the introductory verb to 'exclaimed', 'wished', or 'cried', followed by an expression of the emotion. For instance, 'What a beautiful view!' becomes 'He exclaimed that it was a very beautiful view', capturing the essence of the exclamation.

Time expressions change to reflect the shift in context from the moment of speaking. For instance, 'today' changes to 'that day', 'tomorrow' to 'the next day', 'yesterday' to 'the previous day', and 'tonight' to 'that night'. These changes are necessary to accurately represent the timing relative to the original speech.

Direct speech uses the exact words of the speaker enclosed within quotation marks and separated by a comma from the rest of the sentence. The first word of direct speech begins with a capital letter. In contrast, indirect speech does not use quotation marks or a comma and often involves a conjunction like 'that' to integrate the reported speech.

When converting interrogative sentences into indirect speech, the reporting verb changes to 'ask' or 'enquire', and the interrogative form is turned into an assertive form without a question mark. If the question starts with a verb, 'if' or 'whether' is used. For example, 'Do you know where he lives?' becomes 'She asked me if I knew where he lived'.

Expressions of place are modified to reflect a shift in location. For example, 'this' changes to 'that', 'here' changes to 'there'. These adjustments help place the statement in the correct context for the time of reporting, ensuring the listener understands the place as intended by the original speaker.

Changing pronouns is crucial to maintain the perspective and coherence of the indirect speech. Pronouns change based on the relationship and perspective between the speaker and the listener. For example, 'I' becomes 'he/she', 'we' becomes 'they', and 'my' becomes 'his/her'. These changes help reflect the shift from first person to third person perspective.

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