DIRECT INDIRECT SPEECH



DIRECT – INDIRECT SPEECH

We may report the words of a speaker in two ways:

1. We may quote his actual words’

This is called DIRECT SPEECH

2. We may report what he said without quoting his exact words.

This is called INDIRECT SPEECH

But we have to use the conjunction THAT before the indirect statement.

Rules for changing DIRECT SPEECH to INDIRECT SPEECH

• PRESENT ------------- PAST -------------- PAST PERFECT

For example:

He said, “I am unwell.” ----------------------------------- He said that he was unwell.

He said, “My master is writing letters.” ------------- He said that his master was writing letters.

He said, “I have passed the exam.” ------------------- He said that he had passed the exam.

• MODALS

SHALL -------------- SHOULD HAVE TO --------------- HAD TO

WILL -------------- WOULD OUGHT TO --------------- OUGHT TO

CAN -------------- COULD SHOULD --------------- SHOULD

MAY -------------- MIGHT MUST ---------------- HAD TO

MIGHT -------------- MIGHT

• We can often choose whether to keep the original tenses or change them, if the statement is A UNIVERSAL/GENERAL TRUTH.

The teacher said, “The earth goes round the sun.”

The teacher told the students that the earth goes/went round the sun.

“There are seven days within a week,” the girl said.

The girl reminded him that there are/were seven days within a week.

• When the reporting verb is: SIMPLE PRESENT, PRESENT PERFECT or FUTURE,

the noun clause verb is NOT CHANGED!

She says, “I watch TV everyday.” ------ She says that she watches TV everyday.

She has said, “I don’t like to be alone.” ------ She has said that she doesn’t like to be alone.

She will say, “It’s my business.” ------- She will say that it is her business.

• Words expressing nearness in time or place are generally changed into words expressing distance

NOW ------------------ THEN TOMORROW --------------- THE NEXT DAY/THE DAY AFTER

HERE ----------------- THERE YESTERDAY --------------- THE DAY BEFORE

AGO ------------------- BEFORE LAST NIGHT ------------ THE NIGHT BEFORE

ON THE PREVIOUS NIGHT

THUS ------------------ SO THIS ----------- THAT (Time)

TODAY -------------- THAT DAY ----------- THE (Adjective)

THESE ------------- THOSE

NEXT WEEK ----- THE FOLLOWING WEEK

THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY --------- TWO DAYS BEFORE

He said, “I am glad to be here this evening.”

He said that he was glad to be there that evening.

Sandra said, “I want to sing this song.”

Sandra said that she wanted to sing the song.

• In reporting questions, when the question is not introduced by interrogative word, the reporting verb is followed by WHETHER/IF.

He said to me, “What are you doing?” ------ He asked me what I was doing.

She said, “Do you watch TV?” ---------- She asked me if/whether I watched TV.

• In reporting COMMANDS and REQUESTS, the imperative word is changed into the infinitive

Don said to Obelix, “Go away!” ----------- Don ordered Obelix to go away.

The referee shouted, “Don’t kick this ball!”

The referee told us not to kick the ball.

• In reporting exclamations/wishes

Alice said, “How clever I am!” ----------------- Alice exclaimed that she was very clever.

He said, “Thank God! I am done.” ------------- He exclaimed proudly that he was done.

Do the following questions by changing direct to become indirect or vice a versa!

1. “I stole the money.” The thief admitted _______________

2. Chris wanted to know if I would be at the masquerade.

3. “I am going to quit school and get a job.” Marry announced _______________

4. “Did you mail the letter?” Tim asked me ______________

5. Kate wondered whether I was going to quit my job.

6. “I have to go to the drug store.” Steve said ____________

7. “I can’t pick you up at the airport.” Alice told me ______________

8. Ann asked her friend where his car was.

9. “Do you like spaghetti?” Dorothy asked me _____________

10. Carol says that she made a mistake.

11. Barbara said that she wanted to become a doctor when she grew up.

12. “Have you already eaten dinner?” Sue asked me ______________

13. “What time do you want to leave for the airport?” Henry asked me ______________

14. “The final exam will be on the 15th.” The teacher announced ______________

15. “Is that okay?” He asked me ______________

16. Louis asked me if I knew Italian.

17. I told him, “You must come again tomorrow.”

18. “The sun rises in the east.” Ms. Yvonne explained ______________

19. She said that the sky was blue then.

20. “You mustn’t drive the car without a license!” I told him _______________

21. “She has to go downtown now.” I argued that _______________

22. “She may be late today.” Mike informed the teacher that _____________

23. “Lizards are reptiles.” The teacher said _____________

24. Debra wanted to know if I could guess what she had in her pocket.

25. I shall tell him, “You’ve made a mistake.”

26. My mother wondered why I was tired.

27. “I drove home last night.” She told us ______________

28. The coach told Michael to kick the ball.

29. “Can you open the gate for me please?” She inquired us ______________

30. “Take off your hat now!” the king said to the hatter ________________

31. He said to me, “Wait until I come.”

32. Peggy invited John to come to her birthday party.

33. He said, “Daughter, take my golden jug and fetch me some water from the well.”

34. “Don’t read too fast.” The teacher reminded him _______________

35. “What are you thinking about?” Karen asked me ____________

36. “You should speak English as much as possible.” She told me ___________________

37. She begged him not to do anything dangerous.

ANOTHER QUESTION TO DO

1. I told them to be quiet.

2. “The scientific name for chalk is calcium carbonate.” The teacher taught us ___________

3. He said that he would go as soon as it was possible.

4. “Do we have to turn in our homework tomorrow?” I said to Beatrice ____________

5. She told him not to put the sticky things in his pocket.

6. “Is what I wrote correct?” Maria wanted to know ________________

7. I urged Tom to go to a dentist before his toothache got any worse.

8. A notice ordered us to reduce speed then.

9. “I made a mistake.” Carol admitted _______________

10. Ms. Anna asked Bond to collect some sea-shells for her.

11. “Don’t forget that we have to drive home.” My girl friend told me ______________

12. The Prince said that it gave him great pleasure to be there that evening.

13. Pat asked Teddy whether he lost his watch.

14. He reminded me to put my name at the top of the page.

15. Pamela asked Ms. Chow whether she would help her knit the sweater.

16. “Is what I’ve heard true?” I wondered _______________

17. I asked, “Don’t you know the way home?”

18. They wrote, “It is time we thought about settling this matter.”

19. The teacher promised, “If you come before school tomorrow, I will explain it.”

20. She says that she worked hard that day.

21. “Which way did she go?” The young boy asked us ________________

22. “I can’t come to the party tonight.” Susan informed _______________

23. He told me that he had a piano lesson that afternoon and he hadn’t done his homework yet.

24. “Why don’t you open a bank account?” He advised me ______________

25. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Sally wanted to know _____________

26. The book seller told us, “This book is out of stock now but we have ordered some more copies from the publishers.”

27. He told me he lived there in that house.

28. “Don’t buy used car.” Charlie advised me ____________

29. “Be quiet and listen to my words.” He urged me ____________

30. “I am going to take a rest before dinner. Don’t disturb me, please,” Susan told her brother __________

31. “How do you know that it is true?” Jim wanted to know ____________

32. Alison told me that she had eaten before I had arrived.

33. “Would you like to go to a movie with me next week?” Nancy wondered ______________

34. He ordered him to leave the room and forbade him to return.

35. John ordered Bill not to close his book then.

36. “Don’t take more than two of these at once,” The doctor advised me ___________

37. “Bats come out at night,” his father told him ___________

38. I shall tell him, “You are to blame.”

39. “You may use the telephone.” Mr. Jacobson told me _______________

40. “I think I’ll go to the library to study.” Joe said ________________

41. Chris wanted to know if I would be at the meeting.

42. The pilot explained, “The atmosphere becomes cooler as we go higher.”

43. Wherever you argue with him he always says, “I know better.”

44. They say, “Blood is thicker than water.”

45. She asked me when the semester ended.

46. “An earthquake occurred in Jakarta.” The newspaper reported ______________

47. “I burnt my finger when I was making the fire.” She told her mother ______________

48. Eric asked me if I had ever gone skydiving.

49. “I need to go to the market before it closes.” Janet suddenly remembered ________________

50. Brian asked me what I had done after class the previous day.

51. “I will visit you when I am free.” She always says _____________________

52. “Is that okay?” He asked me ________________

53. My Boss wanted to know why I wasn’t working at my desk and why I was wasting the company’s time.

54. “Does John know what he’s doing?” I wondered ___________

55. We said, “We will have to say goodbye now but we shall come again tomorrow.”

56. “Do all of you understand this?” The teacher asked _____________

57. “My brother has a cold. I have come to his place.” Cindy told me ______________

58. “Don’t play in that street!” Mr. Gray warned the children ____________

59. “Will you be in class tomorrow?” Ms. Adam wanted to know ______________

60. “Sentences with noun clauses are a little complicated.” Elsa thinks ______________

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam

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