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• Direct Speech And Indirect Speech Resources And Worksheets Ks2

Direct speech and indirect speech – 9 of the best resources and worksheets for KS2 SPaG

Help children know when and how to use speech marks in direct speech, and why not to use them in indirect speech, with these lessons, activities, worksheets and more for Key Stage 2 grammar…

What is direct speech?

Direct speech in writing is where you are writing down a direct quotation of someone’s actual words, and these are marked by inverted commas eg “I’ll meet you at the library tomorrow morning,” Sharon said.

What is indirect speech?

Indirect speech (or reported speech), on the other hand, is where you are given a rough approximation of what someone said, not their exact words, and doesn’t require quotation/speech marks, eg ‘Sharon told them she’d see them in the library tomorrow.’

What are inverted commas?

Inverted commas go before and after direct speech, surrounding what was said.

Direct speech examples

• “I’m tired,” she yawned.
• “What’s that sound?” he asked. “It’s coming from under the floorboards!” Elle replied.
• The police officer shouted, “There they are!”

Indirect speech examples

• Mrs Weismann asked you to go see her in her office.
• My dad told me to clear up my room.
• Jerry said he found the book out in the playground.

1 | Getting speech punctuation right at KS2 guide

Perfectly punctuating dialogue is something that can trip up even experienced editors – but this quick guide should help pupils get it right, from the start.

Read it here.

2 | Punctuating direct speech resource pack

This powerful KS2 grammar resources pack provides everything you need to teach a series of five lessons on punctuating direct speech, culminating in an extended writing task where children can use their grammatical understanding in context.

Get this resource pack here.

3 | Direct speech challenge worksheets

Similarly, this bright, appealing grammar worksheet is an excellent way to practise and revise using direct speech in Year 4.

It is divided into five sections: understand, challenge, test, explain and apply.

Activities include SATs style questions and opportunities for creative writing responses, with eye-catching images as prompts.

Find this one here.

4 | Learn speech conventions through knock, knock jokes worksheet

This resource sheet from Rachel Clarke uses a small-steps approach to slowly scaffold children through the rules and conventions of dialogue. In the first instance pupils are simply asked to rewrite knock, knock jokes in speech bubbles.

Once they’ve got the hang of this, they should then be encouraged to write the name of the speaker and ‘said’ before each speech bubble. The second level asks pupils write each line of the knock, knock joke using inverted commas.

Each example on this sheet starts with the reporting clause before the dialogue, which enables pupils to practise adding a comma after the reporting clause.

Download it here.

5 | Speech marks washing line

This handy idea was created by Clarice Morley, an English teacher in a Pupil Referral Unit, who found her boys were struggling with the use of speech marks.

They invented three characters – male, female and a rabbit – and produced some labels such as “Rory exclaimed” and “Brenda whispered”. Clarice then stretched a washing line across the board, and had two pegs with the speech marks on.

The boys would write something someone would say onto a piece of paper, then they matched one of the labels with one of their speeches, and hung the speech on the washing line.

They soon grasped it is only the reported speech that hangs on the line, and the pegs (speech marks) keep it in place.

Print out the worksheet for this resource here.

6 | How to use inverted commas video guide

For a nice little introduction or recap to inverted commas, watch this video of Mr Thorne take you through their uses.

It’s clearly explained with large captions across the bottom so that children can see his examples written out with the correct punctuation.

7 | Speech mark rules

There are many “rules” of speech marks, but no definitive list, and you don’t want to overwhelm children with too many while they’re just learning.

So this Rising Stars list of five rules is a nice size for children to read and take in.

Check it out here.

8 | Quotation marks worksheet

This two-page worksheet has six tasks and an extension all revolving around punctuating speech.

So it starts with putting speech marks into sentences, then putting speech marks and all other punctuation, before building up to punctuating longer passages.

Print it here.

9 | Inverted commas worksheet set

This resource set has three parts. One is ‘Witch and Tiger Conversation’, which shows ten pictures with blank speech bubbles. Children choose names for the witch and the tiger, then create the contents of the conversation.

Next they re-write this conversation in the form of a story by adding phrases such as ‘said Tom’ and ‘asked Joe’ as well as speech marks and other punctuation.

The second and third parts are ‘Missing Speech Marks’ worksheets, where children need to add speech marks to sentences.

Get all this here.

Browse more  SPaG games .

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Direct Speech

What is direct speech.

Direct speech is a sentence where the exact words spoken by somebody are recorded in inverted commas (also known as speech marks). Inverted commas are used to show which written words are spoken by the character and other punctuation is used to help the reader understand when each character starts and stops speaking. Usually, the spoken words are accompanied by a reporting clause which contains a speech verb and reveals the identity of the speaker.

How to punctuate direct speech

To punctuate direct speech, follow these simple rules:

Start a new line for each new speaker. This helps the reader to keep track of who is speaking.

Add a pair of inverted commas around the words spoken by the character. The first pair of inverted commas should go before the first spoken word and the second pair should go after the punctuation which follows the last spoken word.

Begin the spoken words with a capital letter.

Add closing punctuation to follow the last spoken word. This could be a comma, full stop, exclamation mark, question mark or even an ellipsis if the character's thoughts trail off.

Use a comma to separate the direct speech and reporting clause.

Our KS2 English Journey scheme based on the beautifully illustrated book by Aaron Becker, is a fantastic way to introduce children to direct speech punctuation.

Children tend to find rules three and four the most difficult so make sure you explicitly teach the following:

a. If the reporting clause comes before the spoken words , add a comma to separate the clause from the direct speech and a full stop within the inverted commas to indicate the end of the sentence. For example, Isa suggested, "Let's get a closer look."

b. If the reporting clause comes after the direct speech, add a comma (or other appropriate punctuation) within the inverted commas to indicate that the sentence continues and a full stop after the reporting clause to indicate the end of the sentence. For example, "Let's get a closer look," Isa suggested.

c. If the reporting clause comes in the middle of the direct speech, add a comma within the inverted commas for the first piece of speech, a comma after the reporting clause before the second piece of speech and a full stop following the reporting clause to indicate the end of the sentence. For example, "Let's get a closer look," Isa suggested, "I want to know where the tunnel leads."

When do we use direct speech?

Direct speech is used in narratives to reveal more about the thoughts, motivations and personalities of the characters, and to let new characters introduce themselves.

Using dialogue between characters is also a quick and engaging way to move on the plot of a story. For example, an instruction from a character is a useful plot device as it can prompt another character to act or move to another time or location (e.g. "Lock the door.","Go to the tower.", "Recover the diamond.").

Questions can let characters explain where they have been or what they have been doing offstage ("Why are you late?', "Where have you been?, "Why are you doing this?).

Statements can tell you more about a character's surroundings ("It's a beautiful day.", " That door wasn't there before.") or where they stand on a particular issue ("I don't agree.", "This is a risky plan.").

Inspire your children to write effective dialogue for an adventure story with our KS2 One Thousand and One Arabian Nights scheme.

Misconceptions when punctuating direct speech

Understanding and applying the rules for direct speech is no mean feat. Here are the top five misconceptions that children may have as they learn how to punctuate direct speech.

Children do not know to include punctuation inside the inverted commas.

Children do not know when to use a comma instead of a full stop inside the inverted commas.

Children incorrectly position inverted commas around the beginning and end of a full sentence rather than around the spoken words.

Children do not apply the new speaker, new line convention.

Children capitalise the first word in a reporting clause that comes in the middle or at the end of the speech sentence. This often accompanies a misuse of a full stop as closing punctuation inside the inverted commas.

Addressing these misconceptions needs careful and explicit teaching. Here are five top tips for teaching children how to punctuate direct speech in KS2.

Make sure to provide children with variety of examples which use different sentences structures.

Encourage children to find different speech sentences in their reading books and explore the similarities and differences between them.

Provide examples of incorrectly punctuated speech sentences and ask children to spot and correct the errors (identifying errors in given texts is so much less daunting than jumping straight into applying the rules within your own writing).

Give children focused editing time either as a discrete activity where children to add punctuation to unpunctuated text or where they spot and correct direct speech punctuation during independent writing.

Offer children the opportunity to read and perform their dialogue (as this can really help child get to grips with why punctuation is so important for the reader).

Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 3

Direct speech is introduced in the Year 3 English Curriculum. Here, children should be taught the correct terminology for 'inverted commas' and given opportunities to practise forming these correctly (during your regular handwriting sessions can work well). When children can identify and create inverted commas, they are ready to apply these to speech - adding opening and closing inverted commas around spoken words.

An engaging, hands-on activity to help children understand where to position the inverted commas in a speech sentence is to ask children to write speech sentences on whiteboards and add macaroni around the spoken words to represent the opening and closing inverted commas. This activity can be extended to include speech and a reporting clause to consolidate understanding and to address the misconception that inverted commmas are used at the beginning and end of the sentence, rather than at the beginning and end of the spoken words.

Introduce your children to direct speech with our magical Year 3 The Snowman scheme which provides children with the foundations for punctuating direct speech.

Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 4

In Year 4, the focus should be mastering all of the punctuation required to indicate direct speech. This includes the use of a comma to separate the reporting clause from the piece of speech as well as using punctuation within inverted commas: The conductor shouted, “Sit down!”. Children will need plenty of modelled examples as to when to use the different punctuation marks inside inverted commas to get to grips with when to use a comma, full stop and other punctuation.

By the end of Year 4, children should be able to choose more precise speech verbs for their reporting clause, using verbs such as growled, snarled, whispered, mumbled to let the reader know more about the speaker's personality or mood.

One way to help chidren understand the rules of punctuating direct speech is to use a text message template to show an exchange of dialogue between characters. This helps children understand that the speech for each character starts on a new line. It is also helpful for reinforcing the learning point from Year 3, that only the spoken words should be included within the opening and closing inverted commas. Children can use the speech given in the model as the basis for writing their own dialogue between the two characters, constructing their own reporting clauses using appropriate speech verbs and adverbs.

Why not use the our KS2 English Journey scheme or our Text to Speech FreeBee to give children an opportunity to practise using direct speech in their writing?

Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 5

In Year 5, children should be able to vary the structure of their speech sentences, positioning the reporting clause at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the spoken words. Here, children should consider the impact of these choices on pace and intensity. Children should be taught that the reporting clause can reveal a lot about how the words are spoken and the character of the speaker and start to experiment with adding additional clauses to add further contextual detail.

As children become more proficient with the direct speech punctuation and sentence structure, the focus of teaching should shift to encouraging children to write coherent and effective dialogue which conveys character and/or advances the action of the story.

Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 6

By Year 6, children should be able to vary the structure of their speech sentences and extend these to provide the reader with extra details about the speaker or their environment. Children should continue to write dialogue which conveys character and/or advances the action of the story,. The focus of teaching should shift to ensure that the children can integrate dialogue well into their narratives and that they know how to strike a balance between dialogue and description to produce an enjoyable or gripping experience for the reader.

In additon, children should also be taught how and when to use the structures associated with formal and informal speech to help set the tone of their piece or to contextualise their writing within a certain time period. To do this, use texts which allow you to explore a variety of speech conventions used by different characters such as those by Arthur Conan Doyale (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) or Charles Dickens (e.g. Scrooge, the Artful Dodger).  

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Easy Insightful Literature Notes

Transformation of Sentence: Direct & Indirect Speech

A direct speech can be transformed into an indirect speech and vice versa using a suitable reporting verb and a linker depending on the sentence. Let’s have an example first.

• Tina said to me, “Are you busy now?” [direct speech]
• Tina asked me whether I was busy then. [indirect speech]

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

• Look, if the reporting verb in direct speech (said) is in past tense, the reporting verb in indirect speech (asked) would also be in past tense. ‘Whether’ is the linker added here as it is a ‘yes-no’ type question (Refer to list 1 below).
• ‘Are’ changes to ‘was’. As the reporting verb was in past tense, the verb in the reported speech will also be in past. (Refer to list 2 below)
• ‘Now’ has become ‘then’. Time and place expressions change if the reporting verb is in past tense. (Refer to list 3 below)
• The question mark (?) has changed to a full stop(.).
• Another important thing, the format of question (v + s + o) has changed to the format of a statement (s + v + o). In indirect speech the pattern always comes to subject + verb + object.

List of Reporting verbs and linkers (list 1)

Verbs of Reported speech (if the reporting verb is in past tense) (list 2) Direct speech → Indirect speech Am / is / are →  was / were Was / were → had been Has / have → had Had → had had Shall / will → would Can → could May → might Must, should → must, should Verb1 → verb2 Verb2 → had + verb3

Change of time and place expressions in past tense (list 3) now → then ago → before today → that day yesterday → the previous day tomorrow → the next day last night → the previous night here → there this → that these → those

Narration change of Assertive sentence

• Robin said, “I went to Delhi yesterday.” – Robin said that he had gone to Delhi the previous day .
• She said to her husband, “I want to go with you.” – She told her husband that she wanted to go with him.

Narration change of Interrogative sentence

• He said to me, “Do you know English?” – He asked me whether I knew English.
• She said to me, “Did you go there?” – She wanted to know whether I had gone there.
• I said to him, “What are you doing?” – I asked him what he was doing.
• Rahul said to his mother, “How do you do all these things together?” – Rahul asked his mother how she did all those things together.

Narration change of Imperative sentence

• He said to me, “Go there right now.” – He ordered me to go there right then.
• My teacher said to me, “Obey your parents.” – My teacher asked me to obey my parents.
• She said to me, “Please don’t go there.” – She requested me not to go there.
• He said to her, “Let’s go home.” – He suggested her that they should go home.
• His mother said, “Let him eat whatever he likes.” – His mother suggested that he might be allowed to eat whatever he liked.

Narration change of Optative sentence

• He said to the boy, “May god bless you.” – He prayed that God might bless the boy.
• The girl said, “Had I the wings of a dove.” – The girl wished that she had the wings of a dove.

Narration change of Exclamatory sentence

• “How happy we are here!” said the children. – The children exclaimed in joy that they were very happy there.
• The children said, “How happy we were there!” – The children exclaimed in sorrow that they had been very happy there.
• He said to me, “Good bye!” – He bade me good bye.
• She said to me, “Good evening!”—She wished me good evening.

Narration change of Vocatives

• Teacher said, “ Robin , stand up.” – Teacher asked Robin to stand up.
• The Bishop said to the convict, “Always remember, my son , that the poor body is the temple of the living God.” – The Bishop addressed the convict as his son and advised him to always remember that the poor body is the temple of the living God.

Narration change of question tag

• He said to me, “You went to Kolkata, didn’t you?” – He asked me whether I had gone to Kolkata and assumed that I had.
• I said to him, “Tina didn’t tell a lie, did she?” – I asked him if Tina had told a lie and assumed that she had not.

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Y5 Grammar Punctuation and Spelling

Direct and Indirect Speech Lesson

This direct and indirect speech lesson covers the prior learning of recognising speech before moving onto the main skill of identifying and punctuating direct and indirect speech.

The lesson starts with a prior learning activity to check pupils’ understanding. The interactive lesson slides recap the prior learning before moving on to the main skill. Children can then practise further by completing the activities and can extend their learning with engaging reasoning and application tasks.

National Curriculum Objective English Year 4: (4G5.7) Using and punctuating direct speech English Year 4: (4G5.7) Use of inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech [for example, a comma after the reporting clause; end punctuation within inverted commas: The conductor shouted, “Sit down!”]

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Interactive activities for children

2 Teaching Support

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Lesson Slides

These lesson slides guide pupils through the prior learning of nouns, before moving onto the main skill of pronouns. There are a number of questions to check pupils' understanding throughout.

Modelling PowerPoint

This PowerPoint can be used to model the questions that the children will complete on the varied fluency and application and reasoning worksheets as part of this lesson.

Year 5 GPS Scheme of Work Autumn Block 1 – Ready to Write

This resource is the guidance and small steps for Autumn Block 1 from the free Year 5 GPS Scheme of Work. It is designed to be used in conjunction with your English curriculum and allows you to cover the Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation objectives from the Year 5 National Curriculum.

These are the same as the lesson slides on Classroom Secrets. You can assign this as an activity for pupils to access individually in school or remotely from home.

Video Tutorial

Laura demonstrates turning a speech bubble into direct speech and adding in correct punctuation in this Direct Speech Video Tutorial.

1 Prior Learning

Prior Learning Activity

This Direct and Indirect Speech Prior Learning Activity recaps the prior learning of recognising speech before moving onto the main skill of identifying and punctuating direct and indirect speech.

Interactive Activity

These Direct and Indirect Speech Year 5 Lesson Slides have been designed to recap the necessary skills needed to understand direct and indirect speech.

2 Varied Fluency

Varied Fluency

This differentiated worksheet includes varied fluency questions for pupils to support the teaching of this step.

This Year 4 GPS Direct Speech or Indirect Speech activity checks pupils' understanding of sentences using direct and indirect speech.

This Year 4 Direct Speech Game includes five questions designed to test pupils' understanding of identifying and punctuating direct speech.

2 Application

Application

This application task includes a challenge activity which can be used to further pupils' understanding of the concepts taught in the direct and indirect speech lesson.

Mixed Activity

This main activity includes varied fluency, reasoning and problem solving questions for pupils to practise the main skill of recognising and punctuation direct and indirect speech.

Application and Reasoning

This differentiated worksheet includes application and reasoning questions to support the teaching of this step.

This differentiated worksheet includes varied fluency and application and reasoning questions to support the teaching of this step.

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English - Class 5

Topic outline

Direct and Indirect Speech

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

      1.    By repeating the exact words used by the speaker.

      2.    By reporting only the material of what he said.  

Now read the following sentences.

      1.    Ram said , “ Anand is a good boy .”

      2.    Ram said that Anand was a good boy.

In the first sentence , we repeat, or quote, the exact words spoken by the speaker. This is called Direct Speech or Narration . Here we put the exact words of the speaker within quotation marks (" ") and we place a colon after 'said'. We write first word inside the quotation marks with a capital letter.

A comma is placed after the Reporting Verb to separate it from the second part of the sentence. In the first sentence, “ said ” is called the reporting verb, and “ Anand is a good boy .” is called the Reported Speech.

In the second sentence , we do not give the exact words of the speaker but give only the substance of what he said. This is called Indirect Speech or Narration .

In Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech ), we do not use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word. Here colon is not used after said. Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. The Verb ‘is’ is changed to was. (The Tense of the Verb in the Reported Speech is changed from the Present to the Past.). Here the Reported Speech is introduced by the Conjunction ‘that’.

Rules For Changing Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Rule 1: If the Reporting Verb is in the Present or Future Tense, the Verb in the Reported Speech is not changed at all. In other words, if in direct speech we find say, says or will say then we will not change the tense of the verb inside the quotation marks.

Here are some examples:

Direct Speech - Dia says, “There is no water in the glass.”

Indirect Speech - Dia says that there is no water in the glass.

Direct Speech - Ram will say, “Nobody was in the auditorium.”

Indirect Speech - Ram will say that nobody was in the auditorium.

Direct Speech - The tutor will say, “Hari will pass the entrance exam.”

Indirect Speech - The tutor will say that Hari will pass the entrance exam.

Direct Speech - She says, “Meena likes chicken curry.”

Indirect Speech - She says that Meena likes chicken curry.

Rule 2: If the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense, the Verb in the Reported Speech is also changed to the Past Tense. In other word, if in direct speech we find reporting verb “said” then we will change the tense of the verb inside the quotation marks to the past tense.

      1.    The Simple Present becomes the Simple Past.

Direct Speech - Tia said, “Neena works very hard.”

Indirect Speech - Tia said that Neena worked very hard.

Direct Speech - She said, "It is cold outside."

Indirect Speech - She said it was cold outside.

      2.    The Present Continuous becomes the Past Continuous.

Direct Speech - He said, "I visited Delhi last year”

Indirect Speech - He said that he had visited Delhi the previous year.

Direct Speech - Meera said, "I'm teaching French online."

Indirect Speech - Meera said she was teaching French online.

      3.    The Present Perfect becomes the Past Perfect.

Direct Speech - Anu said, "I have lived here for a long time.”

Indirect Speech - Anu said that she had lived there for a long time.

Direct Speech - Meena said, “Kapil has written the article.”

Indirect Speech - Meena said that Kapil had written the article.

      4.    May is changed into might; can is changed into could.

Direct Speech - He said, “Rahul may clear the exam.”

Indirect Speech - He said that Rahul might clear the exam.

Direct Speech - I said, “I can solve this problem.”

Indirect Speech - I said that I could solve this problem.

      5.    The Simple Past becomes the Past Perfect.

Direct Speech - Dev,”Avi reached at night.”

Indirect Speech - Dev said that Avi had reached at night.

Direct Speech - He said, “She came at 11 a.m. in the morning.”

Indirect Speech - He said that she had come at 11 a.m. in the morning.

      6.    The Past Continuous becomes the Past Perfect Continuous.

Direct Speech - Ravi said, “All were looking at the magician.”

Indirect Speech - Ravi said that all had been looking at the magician.

Direct Speech - Jimmy said, “All the boys were shouting.”

Indirect Speech - Jimmy said that all the boys had been shouting.

      7.    Shall is changed into should; will is changed into would.

Direct Speech - Radha said, "I will open the door."

Indirect Speech - Radha said that she would open the door.

Direct Speech - I said, “I shall try to assist her.”

Indirect Speech - I said that I should try to assist her.

Rule 3: If in direct speech the Reported Speech contains some universal or habitual fact, then we will follow RULE ONE or in other words the tense inside the quotation marks remains unchanged.

Direct Speech - Ravi said, “Everything happens for a reason.”

Indirect Speech - Ravi said that everything happens for a reason.

Direct Speech - Teacher said, “The moon moves round the earth.”

Indirect Speech - Teacher said that the moon moves round the earth.

Direct Speech - She said, “God is never in hurry, but he is always on time.”

Indirect Speech - She said that God is never in hurry, but he is always on time.

Direct Speech - The teacher said,” The sun rises in the east”

Indirect Speech - The teacher said the sun rises in the east.

Rule 4: Pronouns of the First Person in Direct Speech are changed in indirect Speech to the same person as the subject of the introductory verb.

Direct Speech - Tia said, “I am tired.”

Indirect Speech - John said that I was tired.

Direct Speech - Sita said, “I have done my homework.”

Indirect Speech - Sita said that she had done her homework.

Direct Speech - He said, “I shall do my best.”

Indirect Speech - He said that he would do his best.

Direct Speech - He said, “I will not come.”

Indirect Speech - He said that he would not go there.

Direct Speech - I said, “The little boy calls me.”

Indirect Speech - I said that the little boy called me.

Rule 5: Pronouns of the Second Person in Direct Speech are changed in Indirect Speech to the same person as the noun or pronoun which comes after the introductory verb.

Direct Speech - Heera said to me, “You are genius.”

Indirect Speech - Heera told me that I was genius.

Direct Speech - Avi said to Abhi,”You are a smart boy.”

Indirect Speech - Avi told Abhi that he was a smart boy.

Direct Speech - Sia said to Kareena,”You are a nice girl.”

Indirect Speech - Sia told Kareena that she was a nice girl.

Direct Speech - Tom said to him, “You have not done your assignment.”

Indirect Speech - Tom told him that he had not done his assignment.

Direct Speech - Jimmy said to her, “You have done your job.”

Indirect Speech - Jimmy told her that she had done her job.

Rule 6: Pronouns of the Third Person in Direct Speech remain the same in Indirect Speech.

Direct Speech - Harmeet said to me, “She is not well.”

Indirect Speech - Harmeet told me that she was not well.

Direct Speech - He said to me, “She was correct.”

Indirect Speech - He told me that she was correct.

Direct Speech - Bali said to you, “You are mistaken.”

Indirect Speech - Bali told you that you are mistaken.

Note : - In all the above examples, the verb ‘said’ in Direct Speech becomes ‘told’ in Indirect Speech and the Preposition ‘to’ is omitted.

Rule 7: When turning a sentence from Direct into indirect Speech words showing ‘nearness’ are changed into words showing ‘distance.’ Thus:

Now becomes then.

Here becomes there.

Ago becomes before.

Today becomes before.

This becomes that.

These become those.

Tomorrow becomes the next day.

Yesterday becomes the day before (or the previous day).

Last night becomes the night before (or the previous night).

Direct Speech - Tim said, “I am free now.”

Indirect Speech - Tim said that he was free then.

Direct Speech - He said, “I have seen this woman in the market.”

Indirect Speech - He said that he had seen that woman in the market.

Direct Speech - I said, “These oranges are sour.”

Indirect Speech - I said that those oranges were sour.

Direct Speech - Heena said, “The red basket is here.”

Indirect Speech - Heena said that the red basket was there.

Direct Speech - She said,”Aftab may go tomorrow.”

Indirect Speech - She said that Aftab might go the next day.

Direct Speech - Teacher said, “Today is a sunny day.”

Indirect Speech - Teacher said that day was a sunny day.

Direct Speech - Ram said, “I went to the mall last night.”

Indirect Speech - Ram said that he had gone to the mall the night before.

Direct Speech - She said, “I went to cinema yesterday.”

Indirect Speech - She said that she had gone to the cinema the day before.

Rule 8: Commands and Requests

In reporting a Command or a Request in the Indirect Speech, we change the introductory Verb to request, order, command, advice or some other word suiting the sense. Here the verb in Reported Speech is put in the Infinitive.

Direct Speech - I said to Karishma,”Please give me your pen.”

Indirect Speech - I requested Karishma to give me her pen.

Direct Speech - “You must read this article” said the teacher to Riya.

Indirect Speech - Teacher advised Riya to read that article.

Direct Speech - He said to the Principal, “Forgive me.”

Indirect Speech - He begged the Principal to forgive him.

Direct Speech - The teacher said, “Do your best, Radhika.”

Indirect Speech - The teacher advised Radhika to do her best.

Direct Speech - He said, “Listen to me carefully.”

Indirect Speech- He urged them to listen to him carefully.

Rule 9: In reporting question in the Indirect Speech, we change introductory Verb to ask or inquire. We use ‘whether’ or ‘if’ if the interrogative sentence begins with a verb. Here interrogative form is changed into the Declarative form. There is no need to use new connective is used if the interrogative sentence begins with who, whose, whom, which, what, how, when or why.

Direct Speech - He said to me, “Where are you staying in Delhi?”

Indirect Speech - He asked me where I was staying in Delhi.

Direct Speech - Rosy said to her,” How are you doing?”

Indirect Speech - Rosy asked her how she was doing.

Direct Speech - The teacher said to the boy, “Why are you crying?”

Indirect Speech - The teacher asked the boy why he was crying.

Direct Speech - She said to me, “Have you completed your project?”

Indirect Speech - She asked me if I had completed my project.

Direct Speech - Mahesh said to me, “Do you play badminton?”

Indirect Speech - Mahesh asked me whether I played badminton.

Rule 10: Exclamations and Wishes

In reporting an Exclamation or Wish in the Indirect Speech, we omit words showing exclamation such as alas, hurrah, etc. and sign of exclamation. We change the introductory Verb into wish, claim, pray, bless, curse, etc.

Direct Speech - Students said, “Hurrah! We have won the series.”

Indirect Speech - Students exclaimed with joy that they had won the series.

Direct Speech - She said to her, “May you live long!”

Indirect Speech - She wished that she might live long.

Direct Speech - Harish said to her, “My God bless you!”

Indirect Speech - Harish prayed that god might bless her.

Download to practice offline.

Direct and Indirect Speech: Useful Rules and Examples

Are you having trouble understanding the difference between direct and indirect speech? Direct speech is when you quote someone’s exact words, while indirect speech is when you report what someone said without using their exact words. This can be a tricky concept to grasp, but with a little practice, you’ll be able to use both forms of speech with ease.

Direct and Indirect Speech

When someone speaks, we can report what they said in two ways: direct speech and indirect speech. Direct speech is when we quote the exact words that were spoken, while indirect speech is when we report what was said without using the speaker’s exact words. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I love pizza,” said John. Indirect speech: John said that he loved pizza.

Using direct speech can make your writing more engaging and can help to convey the speaker’s tone and emotion. However, indirect speech can be useful when you want to summarize what someone said or when you don’t have the exact words that were spoken.

To change direct speech to indirect speech, you need to follow some rules. Firstly, you need to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech to match the tense of the reporting verb. Secondly, you need to change the pronouns and adverbs in the reported speech to match the new speaker. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I will go to the park,” said Sarah. Indirect speech: Sarah said that she would go to the park.

It’s important to note that when you use indirect speech, you need to use reporting verbs such as “said,” “told,” or “asked” to indicate who is speaking. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “What time is it?” asked Tom. Indirect speech: Tom asked what time it was.

In summary, understanding direct and indirect speech is crucial for effective communication and writing. Direct speech can be used to convey the speaker’s tone and emotion, while indirect speech can be useful when summarizing what someone said. By following the rules for changing direct speech to indirect speech, you can accurately report what was said while maintaining clarity and readability in your writing.

Differences between Direct and Indirect Speech

When it comes to reporting speech, there are two ways to go about it: direct and indirect speech. Direct speech is when you report someone’s exact words, while indirect speech is when you report what someone said without using their exact words. Here are some of the key differences between direct and indirect speech:

Change of Pronouns

In direct speech, the pronouns used are those of the original speaker. However, in indirect speech, the pronouns have to be changed to reflect the perspective of the reporter. For example:

• Direct speech: “I am going to the store,” said John.
• Indirect speech: John said he was going to the store.

In the above example, the pronoun “I” changes to “he” in indirect speech.

Change of Tenses

Another major difference between direct and indirect speech is the change of tenses. In direct speech, the verb tense used is the same as that used by the original speaker. However, in indirect speech, the verb tense may change depending on the context. For example:

• Direct speech: “I am studying for my exams,” said Sarah.
• Indirect speech: Sarah said she was studying for her exams.

In the above example, the present continuous tense “am studying” changes to the past continuous tense “was studying” in indirect speech.

Change of Time and Place References

When reporting indirect speech, the time and place references may also change. For example:

• Direct speech: “I will meet you at the park tomorrow,” said Tom.
• Indirect speech: Tom said he would meet you at the park the next day.

In the above example, “tomorrow” changes to “the next day” in indirect speech.

Overall, it is important to understand the differences between direct and indirect speech to report speech accurately and effectively. By following the rules of direct and indirect speech, you can convey the intended message of the original speaker.

Converting Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

When you need to report what someone said in your own words, you can use indirect speech. To convert direct speech into indirect speech, you need to follow a few rules.

Step 1: Remove the Quotation Marks

The first step is to remove the quotation marks that enclose the relayed text. This is because indirect speech does not use the exact words of the speaker.

Step 2: Use a Reporting Verb and a Linker

To indicate that you are reporting what someone said, you need to use a reporting verb such as “said,” “asked,” “told,” or “exclaimed.” You also need to use a linker such as “that” or “whether” to connect the reporting verb to the reported speech.

For example:

• Direct speech: “I love ice cream,” said Mary.
• Indirect speech: Mary said that she loved ice cream.

Step 3: Change the Tense of the Verb

When you use indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech to match the tense of the reporting verb.

• Indirect speech: John said that he was going to the store.

Step 4: Change the Pronouns

You also need to change the pronouns in the reported speech to match the subject of the reporting verb.

• Direct speech: “Are you busy now?” Tina asked me.
• Indirect speech: Tina asked whether I was busy then.

By following these rules, you can convert direct speech into indirect speech and report what someone said in your own words.

Converting Indirect Speech Into Direct Speech

Converting indirect speech into direct speech involves changing the reported speech to its original form as spoken by the speaker. Here are the steps to follow when converting indirect speech into direct speech:

• Identify the reporting verb: The first step is to identify the reporting verb used in the indirect speech. This will help you determine the tense of the direct speech.
• Change the pronouns: The next step is to change the pronouns in the indirect speech to match the person speaking in the direct speech. For example, if the indirect speech is “She said that she was going to the store,” the direct speech would be “I am going to the store,” if you are the person speaking.
• Change the tense: Change the tense of the verbs in the indirect speech to match the tense of the direct speech. For example, if the indirect speech is “He said that he would visit tomorrow,” the direct speech would be “He says he will visit tomorrow.”
• Remove the reporting verb and conjunction: In direct speech, there is no need for a reporting verb or conjunction. Simply remove them from the indirect speech to get the direct speech.

Here is an example to illustrate the process:

Indirect Speech: John said that he was tired and wanted to go home.

Direct Speech: “I am tired and want to go home,” John said.

By following these steps, you can easily convert indirect speech into direct speech.

Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct and indirect speech are two ways to report what someone has said. Direct speech reports the exact words spoken by a person, while indirect speech reports the meaning of what was said. Here are some examples of both types of speech:

Direct Speech Examples

Direct speech is used when you want to report the exact words spoken by someone. It is usually enclosed in quotation marks and is often used in dialogue.

• “I am going to the store,” said Sarah.
• “It’s a beautiful day,” exclaimed John.
• “Please turn off the lights,” Mom told me.
• “I will meet you at the library,” said Tom.
• “We are going to the beach tomorrow,” announced Mary.

Indirect Speech Examples

Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is used to report what someone said without using their exact words. It is often used in news reports, academic writing, and in situations where you want to paraphrase what someone said.

Here are some examples of indirect speech:

• Sarah said that she was going to the store.
• John exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.
• Mom told me to turn off the lights.
• Tom said that he would meet me at the library.
• Mary announced that they were going to the beach tomorrow.

In indirect speech, the verb tense may change to reflect the time of the reported speech. For example, “I am going to the store” becomes “Sarah said that she was going to the store.” Additionally, the pronouns and possessive adjectives may also change to reflect the speaker and the person being spoken about.

Overall, both direct and indirect speech are important tools for reporting what someone has said. By using these techniques, you can accurately convey the meaning of what was said while also adding your own interpretation and analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is direct and indirect speech?

Direct and indirect speech refer to the ways in which we communicate what someone has said. Direct speech involves repeating the exact words spoken, using quotation marks to indicate that you are quoting someone. Indirect speech, on the other hand, involves reporting what someone has said without using their exact words.

How do you convert direct speech to indirect speech?

To convert direct speech to indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verbs, pronouns, and time expressions. You also need to introduce a reporting verb, such as “said,” “told,” or “asked.” For example, “I love ice cream,” said Mary (direct speech) can be converted to “Mary said that she loved ice cream” (indirect speech).

What is the difference between direct speech and indirect speech?

The main difference between direct speech and indirect speech is that direct speech uses the exact words spoken, while indirect speech reports what someone has said without using their exact words. Direct speech is usually enclosed in quotation marks, while indirect speech is not.

What are some examples of direct and indirect speech?

Some examples of direct speech include “I am going to the store,” said John and “I love pizza,” exclaimed Sarah. Some examples of indirect speech include John said that he was going to the store and Sarah exclaimed that she loved pizza .

What are the rules for converting direct speech to indirect speech?

The rules for converting direct speech to indirect speech include changing the tense of the verbs, pronouns, and time expressions. You also need to introduce a reporting verb and use appropriate reporting verbs such as “said,” “told,” or “asked.”

What is a summary of direct and indirect speech?

Direct and indirect speech are two ways of reporting what someone has said. Direct speech involves repeating the exact words spoken, while indirect speech reports what someone has said without using their exact words. To convert direct speech to indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verbs, pronouns, and time expressions and introduce a reporting verb.

You might also like:

• List of Adjectives
• Predicate Adjective
• Superlative Adjectives

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How to Teach Direct and Indirect Speech

Last Updated: October 19, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 59,193 times.

Direct and indirect speech, also known collectively as reported speech, refer to the ways in which a person can report what someone else has said to them. To effectively teach reported speech to your students, it’s important that you first explain what these terms mean and how they should be used. Then, you can use various games and activities to help your students understand and accurately use direct and indirect speech.

Explaining Direct and Indirect Speech

• For example, if your boss asks you “What did you have for dinner last night?” while you’re at work and later, you tell your spouse, “My boss asked me today, ‘What did you have for dinner last night?’,” you have reported what your boss asked you using direct speech.

• For example, if your boss asks you “What did you have for dinner last night?” while you’re at work and later, you tell your spouse, “My boss asked me what I had for dinner last night,” you’ve used indirect speech to report what your boss asked you.
• Indirect speech often is marked by the word "that" before the clause containing what the other person said.

• When using direct speech to report, the tenses of the verbs within the quotations do not change, since direct speech involves an exact recitation of the original words spoken.
• Simple present tense direct speech changes to simple past tense indirect speech. For example, “She said ‘I am happy’” becomes “She said that she was happy.”
• Present continuous direct speech changes to past continuous tense in indirect speech. For example, “He said, ‘I am reading a book’” becomes “He said he was reading a book.”
• Simple past tense direct speech changes to past perfect tense in indirect speech. For example, “She said, ‘Meagan arrived on Tuesday’” becomes “She said that Meagan had arrived on Tuesday.”
• Past continuous tense direct speech changes to past perfect continuous tense indirect speech. For example, “They said, ‘We were living in Paris’” changes to “They said they had been living in Paris.” [4] X Research source

• For example, when converted to indirect speech, the direct speech sentence “They said, ‘We can’t live without water’” becomes “They said that we can’t live without water” because the words spoken are a universal truth.

Using Activities to Teach Reported Speech

• For example, you could read out the sentence, “I don’t like muffins.” The student should then report this information back to you, stating it first in direct speech (“you said, ‘I don’t like muffins’”), followed by indirect speech (“you said you don’t like muffins”).

• The sentences can be statements, questions, or a mix of both.
• For example, you could write “Do we know each other?” on an index card. Hand this card to one student and have them read it to a second student. Then, ask the second student to report what the first student read to them. The second student should then respond using direct speech (“She asked me, ‘Do we know each other?’”) or indirect speech (“She asked me if we know each other”).
• You can make this activity a bit more fun by telling the students to pretend they are at a party where everyone must circulate and talk to each other. [8] X Research source

• For example, write “I live in a big house” on the board. Then, tell a short story stating “I bought a new dining table but it was too big for my small apartment so I had to get another one.” The students will interrupt you after stating that you live in a small apartment. You can then have the students ask for clarification using direct (“But didn’t you say, “I live in a big house”?) or indirect speech (“Didn’t you say you lived in a big house?”). [10] X Research source

• For example, ask the first student “What are you doing this summer?” and have them answer to a second student “I am going to the beach.” Then, have the second student report to a third student on what the first student said using direct speech (“John said, “I’m going to the beach”). The third student will then report to a fourth student using indirect speech (“Katie said that John said that he’s going to the beach”) and so on until all the students have had a turn.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://www.theclassroom.com/teach-direct-indirect-speech-8482676.html
• ↑ https://www.athabascau.ca/write-site/esl-eal-resources/concise-esl-support/direct-indirect-speech.html
• ↑ https://www.olabs.edu.in/?sub=84&brch=26&sim=196&cnt=499
• ↑ https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/teachers-corner-reported-speech
• ↑ http://www.onestopenglish.com/grammar/grammar-reference/verbs-and-tenses/reported-speech-tips-and-activities/152843.article
• ↑ https://www.teach-this.com/images/resources/telephone-messages.pdf

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Direct & indirect quotations

Punctuating direct and indirect speech.

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What are direct and indirect speech?

Contents:  Direct speech explanation  Indirect speech explanation  When do children learn about direct speech?  When do children learn about indirect speech?  Examples of questions your child may be asked FAQS  

What is direct speech?

Direct speech is a sentence in which the exact words spoken are reproduced in speech marks (also known as quotation marks or inverted commas). For example:  

What is indirect speech?

Indirect speech is when the general points of what someone has said are reported, without actually writing the speech out in full. It is sometimes called reported speech. For example:  

When do children learn about direct speech?

Teachers will start to teach children how to set out direct speech in Year 3 . The general rules of direct speech are:  

• Each new character's speech starts on a new line.
• Speech is opened with speech marks.
• Each line of speech starts with a capital.
• The line of speech ends with a comma, exclamation mark or question mark.
• A reporting clause is used at the end ( said Jane, shouted Paul, replied Mum).
• A full stop goes after the reporting clause.
• If the direct speech in the sentence is broken up by information about who is speaking, add in a comma or question mark or exclamation mark to end the first piece of speech and a full stop or another comma before the second piece (before the speech marks), for example: "It's lovely," she sighed, "but I can't afford it right now." / "I agree!" said Kate. "Let's go!"

When do children learn about indirect speech?

In Year 5, children may be taught a literacy unit that guides them in writing a newspaper article including the use of indirect (or reported) speech. In Year 6, children may be encouraged to use indirect speech when writing a biography or practising further journalistic writing.

When changing direct speech into indirect speech, changes have to be made to a sentence. For example:

• Verb tenses usually shift back a tense (into the past)
• Word order often needs to change
• Pronouns often need to change
• Words indicating place and time need to change

By Year 6 children should be setting out speech and punctuating it correctly in their stories. In fiction indirect speech can sometimes be helpful if a character in a story wants to recount a conversation they have had in the past. For direct and indirect speech worksheets and activities to help your child put the theory into practice look through our punctuation worksheets.  

Examples of questions your child may be asked at school

Here are some examples of questions about direct and indirect speech that primary school children may be asked:

Direct speech:

• "What did Sarah say when she found the lost puppy?"
• "Can you write down exactly what Tom shouted when he scored the winning goal?"
• "How would you quote what Mom said when she saw the messy room?"

Indirect speech:

• "Can you tell me what Sarah said when she found the lost puppy?"
• "Could you write what Tom shouted when he scored the winning goal without using his exact words?"
• "What did Mom say when she saw the messy room? Can you rewrite it using indirect speech?"

FAQs about direct and indirect speech

Here are five frequently asked questions (FAQs) about direct and indirect speech:

Q: What is direct speech?

A: Direct speech is when you quote someone's exact words within quotation marks. For example, "I love chocolate," said Sarah.

Q: What is indirect speech?

A: Indirect speech is when you report what someone said without quoting their exact words. It often involves changing the tense, pronouns, and other details. For example, Sarah said that she loved chocolate.

Q: How do you punctuate direct speech?

A: Direct speech is typically enclosed in quotation marks and followed by a comma or a punctuation mark within the quotation marks. For example, "I'm going to the park," said Tom.

Q: When do we use direct speech?

A: Direct speech is used when you want to convey someone's exact words, often to add authenticity or to quote someone in writing or dialogue.

Q: How do you change direct speech to indirect speech?

A: To change direct speech to indirect speech, you often need to adjust the tense, pronouns, and other details to make it grammatically correct within the context of the reporting sentence. For example, "I'll see you tomorrow," said John (direct speech) can be changed to John said that he would see me the next day (indirect speech).

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Rules For Direct And Indirect Speech For English Language

In this article, we will cover important rules of direct and indirect speech, relevant for the English Language section of various competitive exams. 

Aspirants of various Government exams such as SSC, RRB, IBPS, Insurance, etc. must go through the concept and rules of direct – indirect speech carefully, as the English language is a part of the syllabus for most of these exams.  

What is Direct & Indirect Speech?

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.

Let us understand the direct and indirect rules with examples and for all tenses so that you can apply them correctly, without making any mistakes in the exams.

Direct And Indirect Speech Rules PDF:- Download PDF Here

Direct And Indirect Speech Rules

Rules for converting Direct into Indirect speech

To change a sentence of direct speech into indirect speech there are various factors that are considered, such as reporting verbs, modals, time, place, pronouns, tenses, etc. We will discuss each of these factors one by one.

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 to indirect speech example: 

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 to indirect speech example:

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 to indirect speech example

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-

For the preparation of the English language section in a better way, it is important that you go through the following topics thoroughly.

• Tenses rules
• Conjunctions rules
• Prepositions Rules
• List of Prefix and Suffix With Examples
• Active And Passive Voice Rules
• List of Homophones/Homonyms
• List of Synonyms and Antonyms

Candidates are advised to check the General English for Competitive Exams page for more articles on rules for English grammar, list of idioms and phrases, synonyms & antonyms, etc.

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, ‘W ill 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-

• English Root Words
• Most asked English Vocabulary Words

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: 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.

Aspirants are well aware that English is an important component of the syllabus of various competitive exams and it is important to be clear with the basic concepts. Therefore, given below are a few articles to clarify the confusion between usage of common but confusing words in the English Language.

More such concept-wise, subject-wise differences can be found on the 100 Difference between Articles page linked here.

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

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 .

Direct: He says/will say, ‘My girlfriend came yesterday.’

Indirect:  He says/will say that his girlfriend had come the day before.

Video – Direct & Indirect Speech in English Grammar

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.
• 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.”

Direct-Indirect Speech – Sample Questions For the English Language

The significance of knowing the rules of direct and indirect speech for the English language section of various competitive exams can only be understood by knowing the type of questions asked in the examination, based on the same.

Given below are samples of direct and indirect speech questions asked in the English language section of various government examinations:

Q.1. Find out the correct indirect speech for the given sentence.

She said,’ I have baked a cake’

• She said that she baked a cake
• She said that she had baked a cake.
• She said that I baked a cake.
• She said that she had bake a cake.

Answer (2) She said that she had baked a cake.

Q.2. Choose the correct sentence. 

Aviral said, ‘What a beautiful rainbow it is’.

• Aviral exclaimed wonderfully that the scenery was very beautiful.
• Aviral said with wonder that the scenery was very beautiful.
• Aviral exclaimed with wonder that the scenery is very beautiful.
• Aviral exclaimed with wonder that the scenery was very beautiful.

Answer (4) Aviral exclaimed with wonder that the scenery was very beautiful.

Q.3. The correct indirect speech for ‘This world’, she said, ‘is full of sorrow. Wish that I were dead’. is?

• She observed that the world is full of sorrow. She wished to be dead.
• She said that the world was full of sorrow. She wished to be dead.
• She observed that the world was full of sorrow. She wished to be dead.
• She observed that the world was full of sorrow. She wished to die.

Answer (1) She observed that the world is full of sorrow. She wished to be dead

Q.4. The policeman said, ‘Where are the weapons?’

• The policeman inquired where was the weapons.
• The policeman enquired where are the weapons.
• The policeman enquired where were the weapons.
• The policeman questioned where were the weapon.

Answer (3) The policeman enquired where were the weapons.

Q.5. The man said, ‘Ah! I am ruined.’

• The man cried that he was in ruined.
• The man exclaimed in grief that he was ruin.
• The man said that Ah, he is ruined.
• The man exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.

Answer (4) The man exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.

To prepare well for the English section, it is essential to practise and revise regularly for conceptual clarity. Hence, go through the exercise on Direct and Indirect Speech Questions and Answers in the given link.

For more variety and scope of direct and indirect speech questions asked in the English section of various competitive exams, go through Previous Year Question Papers PDF with Solutions . 

Candidates can also check the variations and scope of questions asked in the competitive exams on the other relevant topics of English language below:

• One Word Substitution Questions & Answers
• Tenses Questions And Answers
• Idioms and Phrases Questions and Answers
• Synonyms Questions And Answers

Check the Verbal Ability page to get more Question and Answer articles based on different general English topics.

Candidates who are preparing for the upcoming government exams must carefully go through the concept of Direct and Indirect speech rules, as candidates tend to score the least in the English Language section of these exams.

Aspirants of various government exams can refer to the detailed exam syllabus in the links given below:

For further questions or information regarding competitive exams, study material or best books for preparation, candidates can turn to BYJU’S.

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Reported speech and direct quotation - Newspapers

Subject: English

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

17 September 2013

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