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Direct and Indirect Questions

The document discusses the rules for converting direct speech to indirect speech and vice versa. It covers how to change tenses, pronouns, time/place words, punctuation and other aspects of the sentence structure based on whether it is being converted from direct to indirect speech or indirect to direct speech. The key areas covered include changing the reporting verb tense, converting present/past/future tenses, modifying pronouns and time expressions, and adjusting punctuation.

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135 views12 pages

Direct and Indirect Questions

The document discusses the rules for converting direct speech to indirect speech and vice versa. It covers how to change tenses, pronouns, time/place words, punctuation and other aspects of the sentence structure based on whether it is being converted from direct to indirect speech or indirect to direct speech. The key areas covered include changing the reporting verb tense, converting present/past/future tenses, modifying pronouns and time expressions, and adjusting punctuation.

Uploaded by

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

QUESTIONS
• Direct speech – reporting the message of the
speaker in the exact words as spoken by him.
• Direct speech example: Maya said ‘I am busy
now’.
• Indirect speech: reporting the message of the
speaker in our own words 
• Indirect speech example: Maya said that she
was busy then.
Rule 1 – Direct To Indirect Speech Conversion –
Reporting Verb
• When the reporting verb of direct speech is in past tense then all
the present tenses are changed to the corresponding past tense in
indirect speech. 
• Direct: She said, ‘I am happy’.
• Indirect: She said (that) she was happy.
• In indirect speech, tenses do not change if the words used within
the quotes (‘’) talk of a habitual action or universal truth.
• Direct: He said, ‘We cannot live without air’.
• Indirect: He said that we cannot live without air. 
• The tenses of direct speech do not change if the reporting verb is
in the future tense or present tense. 
• Direct: She says/will say, ‘I am going’
• Indirect: She says/will say she is going.
Rule 2 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech conversion – Present Tense 

• Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect.


• Direct: “I have been to Boston”, she told me.
• Indirect: She told me that she had been to Boston.
• Present Continuous Changes to Past Continuous
• Direct: “I am playing the guitar”, she explained.
• Indirect: She explained that she was playing the guitar.
• Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect
• Direct: He said, “She has finished her homework“.
• Indirect: He said that she had finished her homework.
• Simple Present Changes to Simple Past
• Direct: “I am unwell”, she said.
• Indirect: She said that she was unwell.
Rule 3 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech conversion – Past Tense & Future Tense

• Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect


• Direct: She said, “Irvin arrived on Sunday.”
• Indirect: She said that Irvin had arrived on Sunday.
• Past Continuous Changes to Past Perfect Continuous
• Direct: “We were playing basketball”, they told me.
• Indirect: They told me that they had been playing basketball.
• Future Changes to Present Conditional
• Direct: She said, “I will be in Scotland tomorrow.”
• Indirect: She said that she would be in Scotland the next day.
• Future Continuous Changes to Conditional Continuous
• Direct: He said, “I’ll be disposing of the old computer next Tuesday.”
• Indirect: He said that he would be disposing of the old computer the following
Tuesday.
• To ace the verbal ability section, it is important to have a clear conceptual
knowledge of Direct and Indirect Speech, their usage and applications in English
language. Therefore, candidates can go through the video on Direct and Indirect
Speech rules in English Language, given below for better understanding-
Rule 4 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Interrogative Sentences

• No conjunction is used, if a sentence in direct speech begins with a question


(what/where/when) as the “question-word” itself acts as a joining clause.
• Direct: “Where do you live?” asked the boy.
• Indirect: The boy enquired where I lived.
• If a direct speech sentence begins with an auxiliary verb/helping verb, the joining
clause should be if or whether.
• Direct: She said, ‘Will you come for the party’?
• Indirect: She asked whether we would come for the party.
• Reporting verbs such as ‘said/ said to’ changes to enquired, asked, or demanded.
• Direct: He said to me, ‘What are you wearing’?
• Indirect: He asked me what I was wearing.
• Candidates can also check the links given below to understand the concept of word
formation in English and to learn the common words in English Language that
appear in most of the competitive exams-
Rule 5 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Changes in Modals

• While changing direct speech to indirect speech, the modals used in the sentences
change like:
• Can becomes could
• May becomes might
• Must becomes had to /would have to 
• Check the examples:
• Direct : She said, ‘She can dance’.
• Indirect: She said that she could dance. 
• Direct: She said, ‘I may buy a dress’.
• Indirect: She said that she might buy a dress.
• Direct: Rama said, ‘I must complete the assignment’.
• Indirect: Rama said that he had to complete the assignment.
• There are modals that do not change – Could, Would, Should, Might, Ought to
• Direct: She said, ‘I should clean the house’
• Indirect: She said that she should clean the house.
Rule 6 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Pronoun

• The first person in direct speech changes as per the subject of the speech.


• Direct speech to indirect speech examples-
• Direct: He said, “I am in class Twelfth.”
• Indirect: He says that he was in class Twelfth.
• The second person of direct speech changes as per the object of reporting
speech.
• Direct speech to indirect speech examples –
• Direct: She says to them, “You have done your work.”
• Indirect: She tells them that they have done their work.
• The third person of direct speech doesn’t change.
• Direct speech to indirect speech examples –
• Direct: He says, “She dances well.”
• Indirect: He says that she dances well.
Rule 7 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Request, Command, Wish, Exclamation

• Indirect Speech is supported by some verbs like requested, ordered,


suggested and advised. Forbid-forbade is used for negative sentences.
Therefore, the imperative mood in the direct speech changes into the
Infinitive in indirect speech.
• Direct: She said to her ‘Please complete it’.
• Indirect: She requested her to complete it.
• Direct: Hamid said to Ramid, ‘Sit down’.
• Indirect: Hamid ordered Ramid to sit down.
• In Exclamatory sentences that express grief, sorrow, happiness,
applaud, Interjections are removed and the sentence is changed to an
assertive sentence.
• Direct: She said, ‘Alas! I am undone’.
• Indirect: She exclaimed sadly that she was broke.
Rule 8 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
Conversion – Punctuations
• In direct speech, the words actually spoken should be in (‘’) quotes and
always begin with a capital letter.
• Example: She said, “I am the best.”
• Full stop, comma, exclamation or question mark, are placed inside the
closing inverted commas.
• Example: They asked, “Can we sing with you?”
• If direct speech comes after the information about who is speaking, a
comma is used to introduce the speech, placed before the first inverted
comma.
• Direct speech example: He shouted, “Shut up!”
• Direct speech example: “Thinking back,” he said, “she didn’t expect to
win.” (Comma is used to separate the two direct speeches and no capital
letter to begin the second sentence).
Rule 9 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Change of Time

• In direct speeches, the words that express nearness in time or place are changed to words that express
distance in indirect speech. Such as :
• Now becomes then                  
• Here becomes there
• Ago becomes before                
• Thus becomes so
• Today becomes that day         
• Tomorrow becomes the next day
• This becomes that                 
• Yesterday becomes the day before
• These become those              
• Hither becomes thither
• Come becomes go                     
• Hence becomes thence
• Next week or month becomes following week/month
• Examples:
• Direct: He said, ‘His girlfriend came yesterday.’
• Indirect: He said that his girlfriend had come the day before.
• The time expression does not change if the reporting verb is in the present tense or future tense.
• Examples: 
• Direct: He says/will say, ‘My girlfriend came yesterday.’
• Indirect:  He says/will say that his girlfriend had come the day before.
Rules of converting Indirect Speech into Direct Speech

• The following rules should be followed while converting an indirect speech to direct speech:
• Use the reporting verb such as (say, said to) in its correct tense.
• Put a comma before the statement and the first letter of the statement should be in capital
letter.
• Insert question mark, quotation marks, exclamation mark and full stop, based on the mood of
the sentence.
• Remove the conjunctions like (that, to, if or whether) wherever necessary.
• Where the reporting verb is in past tense in indirect, change it to present tense in the direct
speech.
• Change the past perfect tense either into present perfect tense or past tense, as necessary.
• Check the examples:
• Indirect: She asked whether she was coming to the prom night.
• Direct: She said to her, “Are you coming to the prom night?”
• Indirect: The girl said that she was happy with her result.
• Direct: The girl said. “I am happy with my result.”

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