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100 examples of direct and indirect speech.

100 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech in English, 100 Examples of reported speech in english;

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Reported speech: indirect speech

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words. In indirect speech , the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question or a command.

Indirect speech: reporting statements

Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that -clause. We often omit that , especially in informal situations:

The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as the plane came in to land. (The pilot’s words were: ‘The weather was extremely bad as the plane came in to land.’ )

I told my wife I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday. ( that -clause without that ) (or I told my wife that I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday .)

Indirect speech: reporting questions

Reporting yes-no questions and alternative questions.

Indirect reports of yes-no questions and questions with or consist of a reporting clause and a reported clause introduced by if or whether . If is more common than whether . The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She asked if [S] [V] I was Scottish. (original yes-no question: ‘Are you Scottish?’ )

The waiter asked whether [S] we [V] wanted a table near the window. (original yes-no question: ‘Do you want a table near the window? )

He asked me if [S] [V] I had come by train or by bus. (original alternative question: ‘Did you come by train or by bus?’ )

Questions: yes-no questions ( Are you feeling cold? )

Reporting wh -questions

Indirect reports of wh -questions consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a wh -word ( who, what, when, where, why, how ). We don’t use a question mark:

He asked me what I wanted.

Not: He asked me what I wanted?

The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She wanted to know who [S] we [V] had invited to the party.

Not: … who had we invited …

Who , whom and what

In indirect questions with who, whom and what , the wh- word may be the subject or the object of the reported clause:

I asked them who came to meet them at the airport. ( who is the subject of came ; original question: ‘Who came to meet you at the airport?’ )

He wondered what the repairs would cost. ( what is the object of cost ; original question: ‘What will the repairs cost?’ )

She asked us what [S] we [V] were doing . (original question: ‘What are you doing?’ )

Not: She asked us what were we doing?

When , where , why and how

We also use statement word order (subject + verb) with when , where, why and how :

I asked her when [S] it [V] had happened (original question: ‘When did it happen?’ ).

Not: I asked her when had it happened?

I asked her where [S] the bus station [V] was . (original question: ‘Where is the bus station?’ )

Not: I asked her where was the bus station?

The teacher asked them how [S] they [V] wanted to do the activity . (original question: ‘How do you want to do the activity?’ )

Not: The teacher asked them how did they want to do the activity?

Questions: wh- questions

Indirect speech: reporting commands

Indirect reports of commands consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a to -infinitive:

The General ordered the troops to advance . (original command: ‘Advance!’ )

The chairperson told him to sit down and to stop interrupting . (original command: ‘Sit down and stop interrupting!’ )

We also use a to -infinitive clause in indirect reports with other verbs that mean wanting or getting people to do something, for example, advise, encourage, warn :

They advised me to wait till the following day. (original statement: ‘You should wait till the following day.’ )

The guard warned us not to enter the area. (original statement: ‘You must not enter the area.’ )

Verbs followed by a to -infinitive

Indirect speech: present simple reporting verb

We can use the reporting verb in the present simple in indirect speech if the original words are still true or relevant at the time of reporting, or if the report is of something someone often says or repeats:

Sheila says they’re closing the motorway tomorrow for repairs.

Henry tells me he’s thinking of getting married next year.

Rupert says dogs shouldn’t be allowed on the beach. (Rupert probably often repeats this statement.)

Newspaper headlines

We often use the present simple in newspaper headlines. It makes the reported speech more dramatic:

JUDGE TELLS REPORTER TO LEAVE COURTROOM

PRIME MINISTER SAYS FAMILIES ARE TOP PRIORITY IN TAX REFORM

Present simple ( I work )

Reported speech

Reported speech: direct speech

Indirect speech: past continuous reporting verb

In indirect speech, we can use the past continuous form of the reporting verb (usually say or tell ). This happens mostly in conversation, when the speaker wants to focus on the content of the report, usually because it is interesting news or important information, or because it is a new topic in the conversation:

Rory was telling me the big cinema in James Street is going to close down. Is that true?

Alex was saying that book sales have gone up a lot this year thanks to the Internet.

‘Backshift’ refers to the changes we make to the original verbs in indirect speech because time has passed between the moment of speaking and the time of the report.

In these examples, the present ( am ) has become the past ( was ), the future ( will ) has become the future-in-the-past ( would ) and the past ( happened ) has become the past perfect ( had happened ). The tenses have ‘shifted’ or ‘moved back’ in time.

The past perfect does not shift back; it stays the same:

Modal verbs

Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift back’ in time and change in indirect speech.

We can use a perfect form with have + - ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past:

He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ )

He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’ )

Used to and ought to do not change in indirect speech:

She said she used to live in Oxford. (original statement: ‘I used to live in Oxford.’ )

The guard warned us that we ought to leave immediately. (original statement: ‘You ought to leave immediately.’ )

No backshift

We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:

He told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.)

She said she ’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)

He said he ’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.)

She promised she ’ll help us. (The promise applies to the future.)

Indirect speech: changes to pronouns

Changes to personal pronouns in indirect reports depend on whether the person reporting the speech and the person(s) who said the original words are the same or different.

Indirect speech: changes to adverbs and demonstratives

We often change demonstratives ( this, that ) and adverbs of time and place ( now, here, today , etc.) because indirect speech happens at a later time than the original speech, and perhaps in a different place.

Typical changes to demonstratives, adverbs and adverbial expressions

Indirect speech: typical errors.

The word order in indirect reports of wh- questions is the same as statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order:

She always asks me where [S] [V] I am going .

Not: She always asks me where am I going .

We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh- questions:

I asked him what he was doing.

Not: I asked him what he was doing?

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Direct and Indirect Speech Examples, Rules, Exercises with Answers

Understanding the Direct and Indirect Speech examples and rules is crucial for English grammar. Practice all the Direct and Indirect Speech Examples, worksheet and the rules with examples here.

Table of Contents

Direct and Indirect Speech examples: The concept of indirect and direct speech is one of the fundamental concepts in English Grammar. As language is used to convey our thoughts and feelings to others, the concept of speech becomes even more important from the language perspective. When you use direct speaking, you repeat exactly what someone has stated. To indicate where the speaker’s words begin and end, you use quotation marks. When you report what someone has said without using their exact words, you are utilizing indirect speaking. You do not use quotation marks, and you modify the speaker’s words to fit the grammar and punctuation of the sentence in which they are reported. Here we discussed some direct and indirect speech examples which are very useful for board exams and other one-day exams.

Direct and Indirect Speech Examples

Here are some simple examples of sentences in both direct speech and indirect speech:

Direct Speech:

• “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:

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

Remember, when converting from direct to indirect speech:

• Change the pronouns to match the subject of the reporting clause.
• Adjust the tense of the reported verb (usually one step back in time).
• Modify time expressions (today -> that day, tomorrow -> the next day, etc.).
• Use reporting verbs such as “said,” “told,” “asked,” “exclaimed,” etc.
• If the sentence is a question, change it to a statement and use the appropriate reporting verb.

Indirect speech is used when reporting what someone else said without quoting their exact words. It is essential to pay attention to the changes in pronouns, tenses, and reporting verbs to convey the speaker’s original message accurately.

Change into Indirect Speech Answer

Direct speech – Reporting the message of the Speaker in the exact words as spoken by him.

Direct speech example : Suman said ‘I am busy now’.

Indirect speech : Reporting the message of the Speaker in our own words

Indirect speech example: Suman said that she was busy then.

Direct and Indirect Speech Meaning

Since all sentences are constructed, spoken, and written using either direct or indirect speech, as was previously mentioned, this is significant. When we need to repeat a remark or action of someone via written or verbal communication, we employ both direct and indirect speech. It is employed to provide a direct-indirect description of what someone stated. Before proceeding to the Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises and Examples

Direct Speech

Direct speech repeats or quotes what has been expressed or spoken. We may need to quote something spoken by a third person while speaking to another. Direct speech is used when a third party is directly cited. Inverted commas (” “) are used to write sentences in direct speech. The cited statement or sentence is written between the commas.

Indirect Speech

Indirect speech or reported speech is typically used to discuss the past, therefore we modify the tense of the words uttered into. We employ reporting verbs such as ‘tell,”say,’ and ‘ask,’ and the word ‘that’ can be used to introduce the reported in place of (” “) Direct and indirect speech introduces the concepts of’reported speech’ and’reported verb’.

Direct Speech Examples

Direct and Indirect Speech are the two types of speech that are used to explain with examples what other people say (or reported Speech).

Direct Speech: Direct speech is exactly what it sounds like: text that records a person’s exact words as they were spoken at the moment. In order for the reader to realise that the quoted text is the speaker’s own story, it is frequently surrounded by quotation marks.

some examples of direct speech:

• Statement: She said, “I will be there by 5 PM.”
• Question: He asked, “Have you finished the report?”
• Command: The coach shouted, “Run faster!”
• Exclamation: Mary exclaimed, “What a beautiful sunset!”
• Request: Tom said, “Please pass me the salt.”
• Response: John said, “Yes, I can help you with that.”
• Assertion: Sarah declared, “I’m confident that I can do this.”
• Expression of Emotion: Jane cried, “I’m so happy for you!”
• Confirmation: The teacher asked, “Is everyone ready for the test?”
• Offer: Mike said, “Would you like some more coffee?”

Indirect Speech Examples

Indirect Speech: The terms reported speech, indirect narration, and indirect speech are all used to describe indirect communication. Indirect speech is the term used in grammar to describe when you describe someone else’s statement in your own words without changing the statement’s meaning.

some examples of direct speech transformed into indirect speech:

• Indirect Speech: She said that she was going to the store.
• Indirect Speech: He said that he would call me later.
• Indirect Speech: They said that they had finished their project.
• Indirect Speech: She said that it was raining outside.
• Indirect Speech: He exclaimed that he loved that song.
• Indirect Speech: She asked if I could help her with her homework.
• Indirect Speech: They told us that they were going to the party.
• Indirect Speech: He said that he wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting.
• Indirect Speech: She requested me to pass her the salt.
• Indirect Speech: He admitted that he hadn’t seen the movie.
• Indirect Speech: They informed us that the concert started at 7 PM.
• Indirect Speech: She explained that she had been working on that project.
• Indirect Speech: He warned not to touch that.
• Indirect Speech: She promised to meet me at the cafe.
• Indirect Speech: They assured us that they could solve that problem.

Indirect speech is commonly used in writing, conversations, and storytelling to report what someone else has said in a more contextual and flowing manner.

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Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

Below we have mentioned some rules for converting direct speech into indirect speech. These rules will help students in mastering this topic.

Rule 1: All present tenses in indirect speech are converted to the matching past tense when the reporting verb in direct speech is in the past tense

For example, Direct: She said , ‘I am sad’.

Indirect: She said that she was happy

Rule 2: The tenses of the direct speech are not changed if the the words used are within double quotes (“”) or the reporting verb is in present or future tense

Direct: He said, ” Humans are social animals”

Indirect: He said that Humans are social animals.

Direct: He says/will say, ‘I am running’

Indirect: He says/will say he is running

Rule 3: Past Tense and Future Tense Conversion

The past tense and future tense will change in the following tense in indirect speech.

• Simple past changes to Past Perfect
• Past Continuous changes to Past Perfect Continuous
• Simple Future changes to Present Conditional
• Future Continuous to Conditional Continuous

Rule 4: Interrogative sentences starting with Wh questions does not require joining clause (conjuction) while converting into indirect speech. They itself act as a joining clause. Said/Said to changes into demanded, inquired, or asked

Direct: The boy asked, “Where do you live?”

Indirect: The boy inquired where I lived

Rule 5: Interrogative sentences starting with a helping verb or auxiliary verb, while converting them into indirect speech, joining clause “if” or “whether” is used.

Direct: She said, ‘Will you go home?’

Indirect: She asked whether we would go home.

Learn: Rules of Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct and Indirect Speech Examples: Important for Board Exams

Understanding Direct and Indirect Speech with Examples is the most significant component of English Grammar since direct and indirect speech construct questions in many competitive tests as well as in the board exams.

Direct and Indirect Speech Conversion – Present Tense Examples

Simple Present to Simple Past

Direct: “I am happy”, he said. Indirect: He said that he was happy.

Present Continuous to Past Continuous

Direct: “I am playing football”, she said. Indirect: She said that she was playing football.

Present Perfect to Past Perfect

Direct: He said, “she has completed her work”. Indirect: He said that she had completed her work.

Present Perfect Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous

Direct: “I have been to San Francisco”, She told me. Indirect: She told me that she had been to San Francisco.

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Direct and Indirect speech conversion – Past Tense Examples

Simple Past to Past Perfect

Direct: “I did the work”, he said. Indirect: He said that he had done the work.

Past Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous

Direct: “I was reading a novel”, she said. Indirect: She said that she had been reading a novel.

Direct and Indirect Speech Conversion – Interrogative Sentences Examples

Direct: “Where do you stay?” asked the boy. Indirect: The boy enquired where I stayed.

Note: While changing the interrogative sentence into indirect speech remove the question mark ‘?’.

Direct: She said, “Will you come to the party?” Indirect: She asked whether I would come to the party.

Note: While changing the interrogative sentence reporting verbs (verbs used in the first part) such as ‘said/ said to’ changes to enquired, asked, or demanded.

Direct and Indirect Speech Conversion- Modals Examples

• Can becomes Could
• May changes to Might
• Must change to had to /Would have to
• Will changes would
• Direct: She said, “Her sister can dance.”
• Indirect: She said that her sister could dance.
• Direct: They said, “We may go to the party.”
• Indirect: They said that they might buy a dress.
• Direct: Rahul  said, “I must complete the work on time.”
• Indirect: Rahul said that he had to complete the work on time.

Note: Could, Would, Should, Might, and Ought to modal verbs do not change.

Direct and Indirect Speech Conversion- Pronoun Examples

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

Direct: My brother said, “I am in class Twelfth.” Indirect: My brother said that he was in class Twelfth.

The second person of direct speech changes as per the object of reporting speech.

Direct: She says to her students, “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: My friend says, “She dances well.” Indirect: My friend says that she dances well.

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

Exercise 1: Convert the following sentences from direct speech to indirect speech.

• Direct: She said, “I am going to the park.” Indirect: She said that she was going to the park.
• Direct: “I love ice cream,” he exclaimed. Indirect: He exclaimed that he loved ice cream.
• Direct: “We will visit the museum tomorrow,” they told us. Indirect: They told us that they would visit the museum the next day.
• Direct: “I have completed my homework,” said Jane. Indirect: Jane said that she had completed her homework.
• Direct: “It’s raining outside,” he said. Indirect: He said that it was raining outside.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the following paragraph in indirect speech.

Direct: “I can’t come to the party,” Lisa said. “I have a doctor’s appointment. Peter won’t be able to make it either. He’s stuck in traffic. But we hope you all have a fantastic time.”

Indirect: Lisa said that she couldn’t come to the party as she had a doctor’s appointment. She also mentioned that Peter wouldn’t be able to make it as he was stuck in traffic. However, they hoped that everyone would have a fantastic time.

Exercise 3: Convert the following questions from direct speech to indirect speech.

• Direct: She asked, “Are you coming to the meeting?” Indirect: She asked if I was coming to the meeting.
• Direct: “Will they finish the project on time?” he wondered. Indirect: He wondered if they would finish the project on time.
• Direct: “Can you pass me the salt?” she asked her friend. Indirect: She asked her friend if she could pass her the salt.
• Direct: “Have you seen my keys?” he inquired. Indirect: He inquired if I had seen his keys.
• Direct: “Did they enjoy the movie?” he asked. Indirect: He asked if they had enjoyed the movie.

Remember to change the pronouns, tenses, time expressions, and other relevant changes when converting from direct to indirect speech. Practicing these exercises will help you become more proficient in reporting speech accurately.

50 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

50 examples of direct and indirect speech exercises are given below.

• Direct : The weather is nice today, said George. Indirect : George said that the weather was nice that day.
• Direct : He asked her, “How often do you play?” Indirect : He asked her how often she played.
• Direct : She said, “I work in a bank.” Indirect : She said that she worked in a bank.
• Direct: My mother said , “ I’m angry with you.” Indirect : My mother said she was angry with me.
• Direct : She said’ “I can help you tomorrow.” Indirect : She said that she could help me tomorrow.
• Direct : My son says, “I will not eat food.” Indirect : My son says that he will not eat food.
• Direct : “Dance with me!” Maria said to me Indirect : Maria told me to dance with her.
• Direct : Must I do the city? Indirect : My sister asked if she had to do the city.
• Direct : Please wash your hands! Indirect : My father told me to wash my hands.
• Direct : She said, “I went to the shopping center.” Indirect : She said that she had gone to the shopping center.
• Direct : I write poems. Indirect : He says that he writes poems.
• Direct : She said: “I would buy new house if I were rich”. Indirect : She said that she would buy new house if she had been rich”.
• Direct : May I go out? Indirect : She wanted to know if she might go out.
• Direct : She is American, she said. Indirect : She said she was American.
• Direct : My son, do the exercise.“ Indirect : Sh told her son to do the exercise.
• Direct : I don’t know what to do. Indirect : Samuel added that he didn’t know what to do.
• Direct : I am reading a book, he explained. Indirect : He explained that he was reading a book.
• Direct : My father said, “I am cooking dinner.” Indirect : My father said he was cooking dinner.
• Direct : My sister said, “I had already eaten.” Indirect : My sister said she had already eaten.
• Direct : My boyfriend asked, “Do you like horror films?” Indirect : Do you like horror films? my boyfriend asked.
• Direct : I never get up late, my mother said. Indirect : My mother said that she never got up late.
• Direct : She said, “I might come early.” Indirect : She said she might come early.
• Direct : I am leaving home now.” Indirect : He said that he left home then.
• Direct : Are you living here? Indirect : He asked me if I was living here.
• Direct : I’m going to come. Indirect : She said that she was going to come.
• Direct : We can communicate smoothly. Indirect : They said that they could communicate smoothly.
• Direct : My mother isn’t very well. Indirect : She said that her mother wasn’t very well.
• Direct : I need help with my work. Indirect : George said “I need help with my homework.”
• Direct : I was walking along the Street. Indirect : He said he had been walking along the Street.
• Direct : I haven’t seen George recently. Indirect : She said that she hadn’t seen George recently.
• Direct : I would help, but… Indirect : He said he would help but…
• Direct : I’m waiting for Michael, she said. Indirect : She said (that) she was waiting for Michael”.
• Direct : They said, “They have taken exercise.” Indirect : They said that they had taken exercise.
• Direct : I can speak perfect Spanish. Indirect : He said he could speak perfect Spanish.
• Direct : I haven’t seen Mary. Indirect : He said he hadn’t seen Mary.
• Direct : What is your name? she asked me. Indirect : She asked me what my name was.
• Direct : I was sleeping when Mary called. Indirect : He said that he had been sleeping when Mary called.
• Direct : Please help me! Indirect : He asked me to help his.
• Direct : “I’ve found a new job,” my mother said. Indirect : My mother said that she had found a new job.
• Direct : Go to bed! mother said to the children. Indirect : The mother told the children to go to bed.
• Direct : Mark arrived on Sunday, he said. Indirect : He said that Mark had arrived on Sunday.
• Direct : I have been to France, she told me. Indirect : She told me that she had been to France.
• Direct : Michael said, “I have finished my lunch.” Indirect : She said that she had finished his lunch.
• Direct : My brother said, “I met Alex yesterday.’ Indirect : My brother said that he had met Alex yesterday.
• Direct : The dentist said, “Your father doesn’t need an operation.” Indirect : The dentist said that my father doesn’t need an operation.
• Direct : He said, “Man is mortal.” Indirect : He said that man is mortal.
• Direct : Sansa said, “I am very busy now”. Indirect : Sansa said that she was very busy then.
• Direct : He said, “I am a football player.” Indirect : He said that he was a football player.
• Direct : Michael said, “I will buy a new car.” Indirect : Michael said that she will buy a new car.
• Direct : Mark said, “Bill needs a pencil.” Indirect : Mark said that Bill needed a pencil.

Reported Speech Examples with Answers

Example 1: Direct Speech: “I am going to the party tonight,” she said. Reported Speech: She said that she was going to the party tonight.

Example 2: Direct Speech: “We have been working on this project for months,” they exclaimed. Reported Speech: They exclaimed that they had been working on that project for months.

Example 3: Direct Speech: “He will come back tomorrow,” he assured us. Reported Speech: He assured us that he would come back the next day.

Example 4: Direct Speech: “I won’t be able to attend the meeting,” she told him. Reported Speech: She told him that she wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting.

Example 5: Direct Speech: “They had already left,” he informed me. Reported Speech: He informed me that they had already left.

Example 6: Direct Speech: “I didn’t see her at the event,” John said. Reported Speech: John said that he hadn’t seen her at the event.

Example 7: Direct Speech: “We’re planning a surprise for you,” they whispered. Reported Speech: They whispered that they were planning a surprise for me.

Example 8: Direct Speech: “It’s raining outside,” she observed. Reported Speech: She observed that it was raining outside.

Example 9: Direct Speech: “I have finished my homework,” he mentioned. Reported Speech: He mentioned that he had finished his homework.

Example 10: Direct Speech: “I am reading a great book,” she told me. Reported Speech: She told me that she was reading a great book.

Remember that in reported speech, the tense may shift back (usually one tense back) from the original direct speech, and some pronoun changes might occur depending on the context. Also, changes in time expressions, adverbs, and demonstratives might be necessary.

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Q. How do you know if a speech is direct or indirect?

Ans. Direct speech is exactly what it sounds like: text that records a person's exact words as they were spoken at the moment. Indirect speech is used to describe someone else's statement in your own words without changing the statement's meaning.

Q. Why do we use indirect speech?

Ans. Indirect speech is used to report what someone may have said, so it is always used in the past tense.

Q. What are the two parts of direct speech?

Ans. The two parts of direct speech are reporting verb and reported speech.

Q. Why do we learn direct and indirect speech?

Ans. Direct speech reveals the tone and moods of the characters. Indirect speech, if not used properly, creates a distance between the utterance and the reader's perception of it.

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English Grammar Here

50 examples of direct and indirect speech.

English Direct and Indirect Speech Example Sentences, 50 examples of direct and indirect speech

Transferring the sentence that someone else says is called  indirect speech . It is also called  reported speech . Usually, it is used in spoken language . If the transmitted action is done in the past, the sentence becomes the past tense.

Here are 50 examples of direct and indirect speech

1. Direct : Today is nice, said George. Indirect : George said that day was nice.

2. Direct : He asked her, “How often do you work?” Indirect : He asked her how often she worked.

3. Direct : He works in a bank. Indirect : She said that he worked in a bank.

6. Direct : I often have a big meat. Indirect : My son says that he often has a big hamburger.

7. Direct : Dance with me! Indirect : Maria told me to dance with her.

8. Direct : Must I do the city? Indirect : My sister asked if she had to do the city.

9. Direct : Please wash your hands! Indirect : My father told me to wash my hands.

10. Direct : She said, “I went to the shopping center.” Indirect : She said that she had gone to the shopping center.

11. Direct : I write poems. Indirect : He says that he writes poems.

12. Direct : She said: “I would buy new house if I were rich”. Indirect : She said that she would buy new house if she had been rich”.

13. Direct : May I go out? Indirect : She wanted to know if she might go out.

14. Direct : She is American, she said. Indirect : She said she was American.

15. Direct : My son, do the exercise.“ Indirect : Sh told her son to do the exercise.

16. Direct : I don’t know what to do. Indirect : Samuel added that he didn’t know what to do.

17. Direct : I am reading a book, he explained. Indirect : He explained that he was reading a book.

18. Direct : My father said, “I am cooking dinner.” Indirect : My father said he was cooking dinner.

21. Direct : I never get up late, my mother said. Indirect : My mother said that she never got up late.

22. Direct : She said, “I might come early.” Indirect : She said she might come early.

23. Direct : I am leaving home now.” Indirect : He said that he left home then.

24. Direct : Are you living here? Indirect : He asked me if I was living here.

25. Direct : I’m going to come. Indirect : She said that she was going to come.

26. Direct : We can communicate smoothly. Indirect : They said that they could communicate smothly.

27. Direct : My mother isn’t very well. Indirect : She said that her mother wasn’t very well.

28. Direct : I need help with my work. Indirect : George said “I need help with my homework.”

29. Direct : I was walking along the Street. Indirect : He said he had been walking along the Street.

30. Direct : I haven’t seen George recently. Indirect : She said that she hadn’t seen George recently.

31. Direct : I would help, but… Indirect : He said he would help but…

32. Direct : I’m waiting for Michael, she said. Indirect : She said (that) she was waiting for Michael”.

33. Direct : They said, “They have taken exercise.” Indirect : They said that they had taken exercise.

34. Direct : I can speak perfect Spanish. Indirect : He said he could speak perfect Spanish.

35. Direct : I haven’t seen Mary. Indirect : He said he hadn’t seen Mary.

36. Direct : What is your name? she asked me. Indirect : She asked me what my name was.

37. Direct : I was sleeping when Mary called. Indirect : He said that he had been sleeping when Mary called.

38. Direct : Please help me! Indirect : He asked me to help his.

39. Direct : “I’ve found a new job,” my mother said. Indirect : My mother said that she had found a new job.

40. Direct : Go to bed! mother said to the children. Indirect : Mother told the children to go to bed.

41. Direct : Mark arrived on Sunday, he said. Indirect : He said that Mark had arrived on Sunday.

44. Direct : My brother said, “I met Alex yesterday.’ Indirect : My brother said that he had met Alex yesterday.

45. Direct : The dentist said, “Your father doesn’t need an operation.” Indirect : Dentist said that my father doesn’t need an operation.

46. Direct : He said, “Man is mortal.” Indirect : He said that man is mortal.

47. Direct : Sansa said “I am very busy now”. Indirect : Sansa said that she was very busy then.

48. Direct : He said, “I am a football player.” Indirect : He said that he was a football player.

49. Direct : Michael said, “I will buy a new car.” Indirect : : Michael said that she will buy a new car.

50. Direct : Mark said, “Bill needs a pencil.” Indirect : : Mark said that Bill needed a pencil.

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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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100 examples of direct and indirect speech

Table of Contents

Direct And Indirect Speech Examples

While using English, we use direct and indirect speeches quite often. If a sentence is expressed exactly as it came out of the mouth of the person who said it, it becomes a direct speech. However Indirect Speech (also called reported speech) refers to transmitting a sentence that someone has said. It is often used in daily language.

For example,

• Susan told me she ate pizza yesterday. (Indirect Speech)

Susan said, “I ate pizza yesterday.”. (Direct Speech)

• Mathilda told me she had to go out. (Indirect Speech)

Mathilda said: “I have to go out.”. (Direct Speech)

• Julie asked if the train had left when she arrived at the ticket office. (Indirect Speech)

Julie asked: “Did the train leave?” (Direct Speech)

100 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech

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Reported Speech in English Grammar

Direct speech, changing the tense (backshift), no change of tenses, question sentences, demands/requests, expressions with who/what/how + infinitive, typical changes of time and place.

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Introduction

In English grammar, we use reported speech to say what another person has said. We can use their exact words with quotation marks , this is known as direct speech , or we can use indirect speech . In indirect speech , we change the tense and pronouns to show that some time has passed. Indirect speech is often introduced by a reporting verb or phrase such as ones below.

Learn the rules for writing indirect speech in English with Lingolia’s simple explanation. In the exercises, you can test your grammar skills.

When turning direct speech into indirect speech, we need to pay attention to the following points:

• changing the pronouns Example: He said, “ I saw a famous TV presenter.” He said (that) he had seen a famous TV presenter.
• changing the information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page) Example: He said, “I saw a famous TV presenter here yesterday .” He said (that) he had seen a famous TV presenter there the day before .
• changing the tense (backshift) Example: He said, “She was eating an ice-cream at the table where you are sitting .” He said (that) she had been eating an ice-cream at the table where I was sitting .

If the introductory clause is in the simple past (e.g. He said ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table). The term for this in English is backshift .

The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.

If the introductory clause is in the simple present , however (e.g. He says ), then the tense remains unchanged, because the introductory clause already indicates that the statement is being immediately repeated (and not at a later point in time).

In some cases, however, we have to change the verb form.

When turning questions into indirect speech, we have to pay attention to the following points:

• As in a declarative sentence, we have to change the pronouns, the time and place information, and set the tense back ( backshift ).
• Instead of that , we use a question word. If there is no question word, we use whether / if instead. Example: She asked him, “ How often do you work?” → She asked him how often he worked. He asked me, “Do you know any famous people?” → He asked me if/whether I knew any famous people.
• We put the subject before the verb in question sentences. (The subject goes after the auxiliary verb in normal questions.) Example: I asked him, “ Have you met any famous people before?” → I asked him if/whether he had met any famous people before.
• We don’t use the auxiliary verb do for questions in indirect speech. Therefore, we sometimes have to conjugate the main verb (for third person singular or in the simple past ). Example: I asked him, “What do you want to tell me?” → I asked him what he wanted to tell me.
• We put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions. Example: I asked him, “ Who is sitting here?” → I asked him who was sitting there.

We don’t just use indirect questions to report what another person has asked. We also use them to ask questions in a very polite manner.

When turning demands and requests into indirect speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information. We don’t have to pay attention to the tenses – we simply use an infinitive .

If it is a negative demand, then in indirect speech we use not + infinitive .

To express what someone should or can do in reported speech, we leave out the subject and the modal verb and instead we use the construction who/what/where/how + infinitive.

Say or Tell?

The words say and tell are not interchangeable. say = say something tell = say something to someone

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Indirect Speech: Formula and Rules

• July 3, 2021

We are talking about a very important and interesting topic. We are talking about direct and indirect speech in English and what is the correct formula of the usage.

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This topic can seem complicated at the beginning, but necessary to learn. Having this topic solved, you improve your English to a new level, so let’s start to deal with it.

What are Direct and Indirect speech?

In English, there are two ways how we can tell what another person said. Two ways you can say what someone else has said before.

• Direct Speech
• Indirect (Reported) Speech

Note : Indirect speech in different textbooks can be called differently: Indirect Speech or Reported Speech . But these two names mean the same.

Indirect Speech = Reported Speech

Direct speech in English is a type of speech when we retell someone’s speech as it was. We don’t change anything.

John says: I’m a good boy.

To tell what John said, we will say:

We say: John said, “I’m a good boy.”

Indirect speech differs from direct speech in that we DO NOT tell exactly what another person said. We are NOT repeating what someone else said. Indirect speech is when we tell the MEANING of what someone else said.

We say: John said he was a good boy.

Pay attention to what this sentence looks like. Earlier, when John said this, the sentence looked like this:

I am a good boy.

But after WE retell John’s words, in the indirect speech, this sentence looks like this:

John said he was a good boy.

The Quotes and the comma that stood after the name John, separating the speaker from his direct speech, disappeared from this sentence.

In indirect speech, we do not use the separating comma and quotation marks. Because now it is WE are retelling the meaning of what the other person (John) said.

In direct speech, the speaker most often speaks in the first person. That is, the speaker speaks from his person.

John will not talk about himself: John is a good boy . John will say it on his behalf: I am a good boy.

But when we retell the words of John (indirect speech), we cannot speak on his behalf. We cannot say “I am a good boy” because those are not our words. This is John a good boy.

Therefore, in indirect speech, we change “I” to the third person.

He says: I hate you but I need your help.

I retell: He said that he hated me but he needed my help.

To translate direct speech into indirect speech, we use certain rules that you should know.

Let’s take a look at these rules and formulas in order.

Quotation marks and comma

In direct speech, we use a comma to separate the speaker from what he is saying. Direct speech (what the speaker says) is in quotation marks.

When we translate direct speech into indirect speech, we remove quotes and commas.

Jessica says , “I’m from the future.”

We retell Jessica’s words: She said that she was from the future.

Personal and possessive pronouns

When translating direct speech into indirect speech, we change personal and possessive pronouns to third-person pronouns.

Direct Speech : He says, “ I couldn’t stay” Indirect Speech : He said that he couldn’t stay. Direct Speech : Tom says, “ I am deeply disturbed” Indirect Speech : Tom said that he was deeply disturbed.

Note: If in direct speech the speaker tells his own words, then we do not change personal and possessive pronouns.

Direct Speech: I said, “ I will do that” Indirect Speech: I said that I would do that.

Adverbs in direct speech

When we translate adverbs from direct speech to indirect, adverbs change their form.

You can see how adverbs look in direct speech and how adverbs look in indirect speech in this table:

But we don’t always change adverbs this way. We change adverbs only if, when translating from direct speech into indirect speech adverbs cannot express the same meaning as in direct speech.

Take a look at an example:

Mom says, “ Tomorrow we will go to Uncle John’s.” Mom said that the next day we would go to Uncle John’s.

In these examples, we have replaced the adverb tomorrow with the next day . Because we retell Mom’s words on another day. We cannot say tomorrow anymore.

Now look at another example:

Mom says, “We went to visit Uncle John yesterday .”

Now imagine that we are retelling this the next day. We have to say:

Mom said that we went to visit Uncle John the day before yesterday .

If we said “ yesterday “, it would change the meaning of what we want to tell.

If in direct speech in the main sentence the predicate is in Past Simple, then in indirect speech we use the agreement rules.

We put the conjunction “ that ” in front of indirect speech.

Note: We may not use the conjunction that after verbs such as:

He said he found it on the island. He thought he was better than me. He knew he could call you anytime.

Prepositional object

If in direct speech after the verb to say there is a prepositional object, then in order to translate such a sentence into indirect speech, we change the verb to say to tell . In this case, tell is used without the preposition to .

Incorrect : to tell Correct : tell

This means:

She said to me … changes to She told me that …

Note : Remember that in this case we also change the adverbs of place and time and demonstrative pronouns, if they are in direct speech.

Modal verbs

For modals, we use several important rules.

We change modal verbs as well as main verbs when moving from direct to indirect speech.

But we do not change all modal verbs. We leave some verbs in their original form.

Let’s talk about modals in more detail.

Modal verb must

If in direct speech the verb must means an obligation or command, then in the subordinate clause in indirect speech must does NOT change and looks like must .

The teacher says, “You must behave well in class.” The teacher said that we must behave well in class.

If in direct speech the verb must expresses the need, then in the subordinate clause in indirect speech we change the verb must to had to .

Mom says, “You must visit the doctor.” Mom said that I had to visit the doctor.

The past form of Modal verbs in indirect speech

Can and could..

We change the modal verb can in direct speech to could in indirect speech. Could is the past form of the modal verb can .

She says, “I can swim.” She said that she could swim.

May and might.

We change the modal verb may in direct speech to might in indirect speech. Might is the past form of the modal verb may .

John says, “I may propose to Maria.” John said that he might propose to Maria.

Must and had to.

We change the modal verb must in direct speech to had to in indirect speech (if the verb must expresses the need). Had to is the past analog of the modal verb must .

Modal verbs that do not change in indirect speech

The following verbs move from direct to indirect speech in their original form. They don’t change in any way.

• must (if the verb must means an obligation or command)

He says, “I could do this.” He said he could do that.

Let’s take a closer look at these verbs:

The modal verb would in direct speech remains in the form would in indirect speech too.

Mom says, “I would bake a cake.” Mom said she would bake a cake.

If we use the modal verb could in direct speech, then we do not change this verb in any way in indirect speech. Because could is a past form already (It’s the past form of the modal verb can ).

John says, “I could learn to swim” John said he could learn to swim.

The modal verb might does not change its form when we translate this verb from direct to indirect speech. Because the modal might is the past form of the modal may .

He says, “I might ask the same question again”. He said that he might ask the same question again.

We do not change should when switching to indirect speech. Because should is considered the past form of the modal verb shall .

He says, “We should see Mr. Gannon” He said that we should see Mr. Gannon.

We do not change the modal verb OUGHT TO when translating this verb into indirect speech.

She says, “You ought to be angry with John” She said that I ought to be angry with John

Exceptions to the rules

Let’s talk about the important exceptions to the rules of this lesson.

• We can exclude the word that out of affirmative sentences in indirect speech. Because in indirect speech in affirmative sentences, the meaning of the sentence does not change, regardless of whether we use that or not.

He said ( that ) he thought you seemed depressed. He said ( that ) there was no need. He said ( that ) he had many friends.

• If in direct speech we are talking about a specific event that happened at exactly the specified time and did not happen anymore, then we translate the sentence into indirect speech without the agreement.

He says, “Gagarin went to space in 1961.” He said that Gagarin went to space in 1961.

The event that we are talking about in this example happened at exactly the specified time and did not happen anymore.

• If in direct speech we use verbs such as:

then when translating into indirect speech, we do not change the form of these verbs. These verbs remain in their form.

She says, “We might find some treasure” She said that we might find some treasure.

He says, “I should do it”. He said that he should do it.

• If indirect speech begins with the verb say or tell which is used in the form:
• Present Simple
• Present Perfect
• Future Simple

then we translate such a sentence into indirect speech without changing the tense to the past:

She says, “I cook deliciously.” She says that she cooks deliciously. He says, “I have a new smartphone.” He says that he has a new smartphone. She will say, “I didn’t know it.” He will say (that) he didn’t know it.

• If in direct speech we are talking about a well-known fact or law of nature, then we do not transfer to the past such a fact or the law of nature when translating from direct speech to indirect.

He says, “After winter comes spring.” He said that after winter comes spring. She says, “Lions don’t hunt camels.” She said that lions don’t hunt camels.

• If in direct speech we use tenses:
• Past Continuous
• Past Perfect
• Past Perfect Continuous

then when translating into indirect speech, we do not change the sentence, we do not translate the sentence into the past.

He says, “I had fixed my car.” He said he had fixed his car. He says, “I was skiing .” He said he was skiing . He says, “I had been all alone for a very long time”. He said that he had been all alone for a very long time.

Interrogative (question) sentences in indirect speech

Look at the following rules and nuances to know how to correctly translate interrogative (question) sentences from direct speech to indirect speech:

• When we translate a general question into indirect speech, we put one of the conjunctions between the main sentence and the question:

He asks, “Do you play dominoes?” He asked if I played dominoes. He asked whether I played dominoes.

• If we translate an interrogative sentence from direct speech to indirect speech, then we change the interrogative word order to direct word order.

We remove the auxiliary verb that was used in the interrogative sentence. We put the subject before the predicate as it should be for the direct word order.

He asks, “Where are you going?” He asked where I was going.

• If in an indirect sentence we ask a question using the verb say and if there is no indirect object in the main sentence, then we change the verb say to one of these words:
• want to know

She asks, “Where you are?” She wanted to know where you were.

• When translating an interrogative sentence from direct speech into indirect speech, we change all pronouns, verbs, adverbs of place, adverbs of time.

She asks, “What do these letters mean?” She asked what those letters mean.

Special questions in indirect speech

Special questions (or Wh-questions) are questions that begin with an additional, question word.

In indirect speech, such a question should also begin with a question word.

This question word also serves as conjunction. This word attaches the question part to the main sentence.

In the question part, we use direct word order.

At the same time, we comply with all the rules for the Sequence of tenses.

My dad asks, “What do you plan to do with yourself?” My dad asked what I planned to do with myself.

Imperative sentences in indirect speech

When translating imperative sentences from direct to indirect speech, we must take into account several nuances:

• Orders in indirect speech look like this:

He said, “ Go now!” He said to go then. She says, “ Carry my bag” She asked to carry her bag.

We use the verb to say when we translate an ordinary sentence into indirect speech. But in imperative sentences, we change the verb to say to a verb that expresses an order or request:

She says , “Carry my bag” She asked to carry her bag.

• In direct speech in the imperative mood, we often use:

let’s (let us)

let’s encourage the speaker and the person to do something together.

In indirect speech, we change let’s to to suggest . For example:

She says, “ let’s do that!” She suggested to do that.

• In indirect speech, we put a noun after the verb that expresses an order or request. The noun is the one to whom this request or order is addressed. Then we use the infinitive.

She says, “Replace him, John “ She asked John to replace him.

• We can strengthen the request or order in indirect speech if we add verbs such as:
• to recommend
• to urge etc.

She says , “Read this book” She ordered ( advised, recommend ) me to read that book.

• In order to make a negative imperative sentence in direct speech, we need:

not + infinitive

He says, “Don’t cry.” He said to me not to cry.

• In direct speech, we often do not name the person to whom the order or request is addressed. But when translating an imperative sentence from direct speech to indirect speech, we must indicate the one to whom the order or request is addressed.

For this, we use a noun or a pronoun.

She says, “Speak to him!” She asked me to speak to you.

Present and future tense in indirect speech

Most often, we translate the future and the present into the past.

He says, “I have two brothers” He says that he had two brothers She says, “I do this every time” She says that he did that every day. He says, “I write books” He says that he wrote books. She says, “I am reading” She said that she was reading. He says, “I can swim” He said that he could swim. He says, “I will help you” He said that he would help me.

Past tense in indirect speech

When we translate a sentence written in the past into indirect speech, we can leave it unchanged or we can change the past to the Past Perfect.

He says, “I saw this movie” He said that he saw that movie. He said that he had seen that movie.

What if in direct speech the main verb is already in Past Perfect?

In this case, the verb in Past Perfect remains unchanged. The verb in Past Perfect in direct speech remains in Past Perfect in indirect speech too.

He says, “I had bought I new house” He said that he had bought a new house.

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• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: statements

Do you know how to report what somebody else said? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person said.

direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said. indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films. direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef. direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel. indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.

In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g. worked ) than the tense originally used (e.g. work ). This is called 'backshift'. We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns.

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

When we backshift, present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous and present perfect changes to past perfect.

'I travel a lot in my job.' Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job. 'The baby's sleeping!' He told me the baby was sleeping. 'I've hurt my leg.' She said she'd hurt her leg.

Past simple and past continuous

When we backshift, past simple usually changes to past perfect simple, and past continuous usually changes to past perfect continuous.

'We lived in China for five years.' She told me they'd lived in China for five years. 'It was raining all day.' He told me it had been raining all day.

Past perfect

The past perfect doesn't change.

'I'd tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.' He said he'd tried everything without success, but the new medicine was great.

No backshift

If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense.

'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house. I'm thinking about going with her. 'I'm working in Italy for the next six months.' He told me he's working in Italy for the next six months. Maybe I should visit him! 'I've broken my arm!' She said she's broken her arm, so she won't be at work this week.

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

'I enjoy working in my garden,' said Bob. Bob said that he enjoyed working in his garden. 'We played tennis for our school,' said Alina. Alina told me they'd played tennis for their school.

However, if you are the person or one of the people who spoke, then the pronouns don't change.

'I'm working on my thesis,' I said. I told her that I was working on my thesis. 'We want our jobs back!' we said. We said that we wanted our jobs back.

We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.

'This is my house.' He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house.] He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.] 'We like it here.' She told me they like it here. [You are currently in the place they like.] She told me they like it there. [You are not in the place they like.] 'I'm planning to do it today.' She told me she's planning to do it today. [It is currently still the same day.] She told me she was planning to do it that day. [It is not the same day any more.]

In the same way, these changes to those , now changes to then , yesterday changes to the day before , tomorrow changes to the next/following day and ago changes to before .

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 2

Language level

- I read a sentence below. "What was she wearing when you last saw her?" the policeman asked me. - Then the answer from the author is *The policeman asked me what she was wearing/had been wearing when I last saw her.* - I would like to ask why the author suggested that we can keep the past continuous in the first clause and there was no backshift in tense in the second clause. Many thanks.

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Hello tunalee,

Often we don't backshift tenses when we think the situation is still current. Assuming that the police are still looking for the woman asked about, this is a good example of this idea. In other words, saying 'what she was wearing' suggests that the police are still looking for her.

Backshift in the time clause 'when I last saw her' wouldn't make sense if the main clause has past continuous. Even when the main clause says 'had been wearing', it's quite common for backshifting not to occur in time clauses. As far as I know, this is simply because the specific time being talked about has already been made clear in the main clause.

I hope this helps.

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

I would like to thank you for you and your team's help sincerely.

Hello LearnEnglish team, Hope you are doing well. How does the word "yesterday" change in the sentence below when the sentence is reported on the same day?

She went to work yesterday.

For example, if this sentence is said on July 10th and I report it on July 10th, would it be "She said she had gone to work the day before" or "She said she had gone to work yesterday"? Or are both possible? I would be grateful if you could provide an explanation about it.

Thanks for your question! Both of your suggestions are OK, but I would definitely prefer to say "yesterday", as it's simpler and easier to understand than "the day before". The page above explains the general idea: "We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate " - but "yesterday" is still accurate, so there's no need to change it.

Many people would also say this, without backshifting:

• She said she went to work yesterday .

It's not wrong to backshift to the past perfect, but it makes it sound more historical (especially if you use "the day before" instead of "yesterday").

LearnEnglish team

Dear teacher, I would like to understand it better. So I have a question on my mind. "You can move in immediately". She told me I ___ immediately. a) will move in b) would move in c) can move in d) could move in e) can not move in I can`t decide which one to choose C or D. Thanks

Hi ismayil175,

I would choose B or C. B is good if you can still move in at the time that you are saying the "She told me ..." sentence. C can also have that meaning. Alternatively, it can mean that the situation is no longer true at the time that you are reporting it (e.g. if you actually did move in at that time).

D seems incorrect because it shows the opposite meaning ("cannot") to what she told you.

I hope that helps.

Hello, About direct and indirect speech. I understand the structure below: Direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. Indirect speech: He said he would phone me the next day. When there is the present tense form, for instance: Direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he says. How does indirect speech become? Would the indirect speech still be the same: He said he would phone me the next day? Thanks for help

Good question! If someone uses the present tense verb like this, they are probably doing it to achieve a particular narrative effect: to give the feeling of the action going on while the listener is listening to it. This makes the action seem more immediate (rather than using the past tense, which simply states what happened as an already-completed action).

So, I would say it like this:  He says he'll phone me the next day . I wouldn't change either verb, because that would lessen the intended effect of using the present tense (the feeling of immediacy). There's nothing wrong with saying  He said he would ...  , but it loses that narrative effect.

Does that make sense?

Thank you, Jonathan. I had doubts since I didn’t know if "He says he'll phone me the next day" were grammatically correct.

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Indirect Speech Definition and Examples

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Indirect speech is a report on what someone else said or wrote without using that person's exact words (which is called direct speech). It's also called indirect discourse or reported speech . 

Direct vs. Indirect Speech

In direct speech , a person's exact words are placed in quotation marks and set off with a comma and a reporting clause or signal phrase , such as "said" or "asked." In fiction writing, using direct speech can display the emotion of an important scene in vivid detail through the words themselves as well as the description of how something was said. In nonfiction writing or journalism, direct speech can emphasize a particular point, by using a source's exact words.

Indirect speech is paraphrasing what someone said or wrote. In writing, it functions to move a piece along by boiling down points that an interview source made. Unlike direct speech, indirect speech is  not  usually placed inside quote marks. However, both are attributed to the speaker because they come directly from a source.

How to Convert

In the first example below, the  verb  in the  present tense  in the line of direct speech ( is)  may change to the  past tense  ( was ) in indirect speech, though it doesn't necessarily have to with a present-tense verb. If it makes sense in context to keep it present tense, that's fine.

• Direct speech:   "Where is your textbook? " the teacher asked me.
• Indirect speech:  The teacher asked me  where my textbook was.
• Indirect speech: The teacher asked me where my textbook is.

Keeping the present tense in reported speech can give the impression of immediacy, that it's being reported soon after the direct quote,such as:

• Direct speech:  Bill said, "I can't come in today, because I'm sick."
• Indirect speech:  Bill said (that) he can't come in today because he's sick.

Future Tense

An action in the future (present continuous tense or future) doesn't have to change verb tense, either, as these examples demonstrate.

• Direct speech:  Jerry said, "I'm going to buy a new car."
• Indirect speech:  Jerry said (that) he's going to buy a new car.
• Direct speech:  Jerry said, "I will buy a new car."
• Indirect speech:  Jerry said (that) he will buy a new car.

Indirectly reporting an action in the future can change verb tenses when needed. In this next example, changing the  am going  to was going implies that she has already left for the mall. However, keeping the tense progressive or continuous implies that the action continues, that she's still at the mall and not back yet.

• Direct speech:  She said, "I'm going to the mall."
• Indirect speech:  She said (that) she was going to the mall.
• Indirect speech: She said (that) she is going to the mall.

Other Changes

With a past-tense verb in the direct quote, the verb changes to past perfect.

• Direct speech:  She said,  "I went to the mall."
• Indirect speech:  She said (that)  she had gone to the mall.

Note the change in first person (I) and second person (your)  pronouns  and  word order  in the indirect versions. The person has to change because the one reporting the action is not the one actually doing it. Third person (he or she) in direct speech remains in the third person.

Free Indirect Speech

In free indirect speech, which is commonly used in fiction, the reporting clause (or signal phrase) is omitted. Using the technique is a way to follow a character's point of view—in third-person limited omniscient—and show her thoughts intermingled with narration.

Typically in fiction italics show a character's exact thoughts, and quote marks show dialogue. Free indirect speech makes do without the italics and simply combines the internal thoughts of the character with the narration of the story. Writers who have used this technique include James Joyce, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Henry James, Zora Neale Hurston, and D.H. Lawrence.  

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Direct & Indirect Speech

Direct and Indirect Speech: Direct Indirect Speech Rules and examples. Direct Speech to Indirect speech exercises with answers

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Learning Pundits Content Team Written on Sep 28, 2017 9:26:45 PM

Grammar rules with 10 tips on using direct & indirect speech.

Looking for Questions instead of tips? - You can directly jump to English Grammar Test Questions on Direct and Indirect Speech

What is Direct & Indirect Speech?

Direct Speech: the message of the speaker is conveyed or reported in his own actual words without any change.

Indirect Speech: the message of the speaker is conveyed or reported in our own words.

Example on Process of Conversion from Direct to Indirect Speech

a)     Direct: Radha said, “I am very busy now.”

b)     Indirect: Radha said that she was very busy then.

1.    All inverted commas or quotation marks are omitted and the sentence ends with a full stop.

2.    Conjunction ‘that’ is added before the indirect statement.

3.    The pronoun ‘I’ is changed to ‘she’. (The Pronoun is changed in Person)

4.    The verb ‘am’ is changed to ‘was’. (Present Tense is changed to Past)

5.    The adverb ‘now’ is changed to ‘then’.

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Tips on Direct and Indirect Speech:

Tip 1: conversion rules as per the reporting verb.

When the reporting or principal verb is in the Past Tense, all Present tenses of the direct are changed into the corresponding Past Tenses.

a)     Direct: He said, “I am unwell.”

b)     Indirect: He said (that) he was unwell.

If the reporting verb is in the Present or Future Tense, the tenses of the Direct Speech do not change.

a)     Direct: He says/will say, “I am unwell.”

b)     Indirect: He says/will say he is unwell.

The Tense in Indirect Speech is NOT CHANGED if the words within the quotation marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action.

a)     Direct: They said, “We cannot live without water.”

b)     Indirect: They said that we cannot live without water.

Tip 2: Conversion Rules of Present Tense in Direct Speech

Simple Present Changes to Simple Past

a)     Direct: "I am happy", she said.

b)     Indirect:  She said that she was happy.

Present Continuous Changes to Past Continuous

a)     Direct: "I am reading a book", he explained.

b)     Indirect:  He explained that he was reading a book.

Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect

a)     Direct: She said, "He has finished his food“.

b)     Indirect: She said that he had finished his food.

a)     Direct: "I have been to Gujarat", he told me.

b)     Indirect:  He told me that he had been to Gujarat.

Tip 3: Conversion Rules of Past & Future Tense

Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect

a)     Direct: He said, “Ira arrived on Monday."

b)     Indirect: He said that Ira had arrived on Monday.

Past Continuous Changes to Past Perfect Continuous

a)     Direct: "We were living in Goa", they told me.

b)     Indirect: They told me that they had been living in Goa.

Future Changes to Present Conditional

a)     Direct: He said, "I will be in Kolkata tomorrow."

b)     Indirect: He said that he would be in Kolkata the next day.

Future Continuous Changes to Conditional Continuous

a)     Direct: She said, " I'll be using the car next Friday.”

b)     Indirect: She said that she would be using the car next Friday.

Tip 4: Changes in Modals

CAN changes into COULD

a)     Direct: He said, "I can swim."

b)     Indirect: He said that he could swim.

MAY changes into MIGHT

a)     Direct: He said, "I may buy a house.”

b)     Indirect: He said that he might buy a house.

MUST changes into HAD TO/WOULD HAVE TO

a)     Direct: He said, "I must work hard.”

b)     Indirect: He said that he had to work hard.

Modals that DO NOT Change: Would, Could, Might, Should, Ought to.

a)     Direct: He said, "I should face the challenge.”

b)     Indirect: He said that he should face the challenge.

Tip 5: Conversion of Interrogative

Reporting Verb like ‘said/ said to’ changes to asked, enquired or demanded

a)     Direct: He said to me, “What are you doing?”

b)     Indirect:  He asked me what I was doing.

If sentence begins with auxiliary verb, the joining clause should be if or whether.

a)     Direct: He said, “ Will you come for the meeting?”

b)     Indirect:  He asked them whether they would come for the meeting.

If sentence begins with ‘wh’ questions then no conjunction is used as the "question-word" itself act as joining clause.

a)     Direct: “ Where do you live?” asked the girl.

b)     Indirect:  The girl enquired where I lived.

Tip 6: Command, Request, Exclamation, Wish

Commands and Requests

Indirect Speech is introduced by some verbs like ordered, requested, advised and suggested. Forbid(s)/ forbade is used for the negative sentences. The imperative mood is changed into the Infinitive.

a)     Direct:  Rafique said to Ahmed, “Go away.”

b)     Indirect:  Rafique ordered Ahmed to go away.

c)     Direct:  He said to her, “Please wait.”

d)     Indirect:  He requested her to wait.

Exclamations and Wishes

Indirect Speech is introduced by some words like grief, sorrow, happiness, applaud. Exclamatory sentence changes into assertive sentence and Interjections are removed.

a)     Direct:  He said, “ Alas! I am undone.”

b)     Indirect:  He exclaimed sadly that he was broke.

Tip 7: Change of Pronouns

The first person of the reported speech changes according to the subject of reporting speech.

a)     Direct: She said, “ I am in ninth class.”

b)     Indirect: She says that she was in ninth class.

The second person of reported speech changes according to the object of reporting speech.

a)     Direct: He says to them , " You have completed your job.”

b)     Indirect: He tells them that they have completed their job.

The third person of the reported speech doesn't change.

a)     Direct: H e says, " She is in tenth class.”

b)     Indirect: H e says that she is in tenth class.

Tip 8: Change of Place and Time

Words expressing nearness in time or place in Direct Speech are generally changed into words expressing distance in Indirect Speech.

Now -- then                  

Here -- there

Ago -- before                

Today -- that day         

Tomorrow -- the next day

This -- that                 

Yesterday -- the day before

These -- those              

Hither-- thither

Come -- go                     

Hence -- thence

Next week/month -- following week/month

a)     Direct: She said, “My father came yesterday. ”

b)     Indirect: She said that her father had come the day before.

c)     Direct: She says/will say, “My father came yesterday.”

Indirect: She says/will say that her father had come yesterday . (Here the reporting verb ‘says’ is in the present tense OR ‘will say’ is in future tense; hence the time expression ‘yesterday’ won’t change.)

Tip 9: Punctuation

The words that are actually spoken should be enclosed in quotes and begin with a capital letter

Example: He said, “You are right.”

Comma, full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark must be present at the end of reported sentences and are placed inside the closing inverted comma or commas.

Example: He asked, “Can I come with you?”

If direct speech comes after the information about who is speaking, comma is used to introduce the piece of speech, placed before the first inverted comma.

Example: She shouted, “Stop talking!”

Example: “Thinking back,” she said, “he didn't expect to win.” (Comma is used to separate the two reported speech and no capital letter to begin the second sentence).

Tip 10: Conversion of Indirect to Direct Speech

1.    Use the reporting verb, "say" or "said to" in its correct tense.

2.    Remove the conjunctions "that, to, if or whether etc" wherever necessary.

3.    Insert quotation marks, question mark, exclamation and full stop, as per the mood of the sentence.

4.    Put a comma before the statement.

5.    Write the first word of the statement with capital letter.

6.    Change the past tense into present tense wherever the reporting verb is in the past tense.

7.    Convert the past perfect either into past tense or present perfect as found necessary.

a)     Indirect: He asked whether he is coming.

b)     Direct: He said to him, “Are you coming?”

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Spot the Errors:

Each of the following sentences will contain a mistake in the usage of Direct and Indirect Speech. See if you can spot that mistake.

Direct: The boy said, “I’m happy with my results.”

Indirect: The boy said that he is happy with his results. (Incorrect)

Indirect: The boy said that he  was happy  with his results. (Correct)

Direct: She said, “I have baked a cake.”

Indirect: She said (that) she baked a cake. (Incorrect)

Indirect: She said (that) she had baked a cake. (Correct)

Direct: He said, “All people have equal rights.”

Indirect: He said that all people had equal rights. (Incorrect)

Indirect: He said that all people  have equal rights. (Correct)

Direct: Roshni said, “I may meet him here”.

Indirect: Roshni said that she may meet him here. (Incorrect)

Indirect: Roshni said that she might meet him there . (Correct)

Direct: She says, “I will go to school tomorrow.”

Indirect: She says that she would go to school the day after. (Incorrect)

Indirect: She says that she will go to school tomorrow . (Correct)

Direct: He said, “She is coming this week to discuss this.”

Indirect: He said that she was coming this week to discuss this. (Incorrect)

Indirect: He said that she was coming that week to discuss it . (Correct)

Direct: He said to them, “Will you come for dinner?”

Indirect: He said to them will they come for dinner? (Incorrect)

Indirect: He asked them whether they would come for dinner.(Correct)

Direct: The teacher said, “Be quiet and listen to my words.”

Indirect: The teacher said them to be quiet and listen to my words. (Incorrect)

Indirect: The teacher urged /ordered them to be quiet and listen to his words. (Correct)

Direct: The old man said, “Ah! I am ruined.”

Indirect: The old man said that Ah he was ruined! (Incorrect)

Indirect: The old man exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.

Indirect: The policeman enquired where we were going.

Direct: The policeman enquired where are you going. (Incorrect)

Direct: The policeman said, “Where are you going ?” (Correct)

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How to use indirect speech in English

Updated December 12, 2022

If you’ve been wondering ‘What is indirect speech in English , and how do I use it?’ you’ve come to the right place!

Indirect speech can be confusing at first, but you’ll see plenty of explanations and examples below to get you on the right track.

In order to understand what indirect speech is, it’s important to first understand its counterpart: direct speech. 

What is direct speech in English?

Direct speech refers to repeating, or quoting, what someone said, word for word.

Direct speech can be useful – and even important – in some scenarios, such as these:

• If you’re writing an essay and need to quote someone influential:

The US president said, ‘I will end this pandemic’.

• If you’re making a statement to the police about a crime: 

The man said, ‘If you give me all your money, no one will get hurt!’

• Or, of course, if you’re trying to win an argument: 

Yesterday night, before we went to bed, you said to me (and I quote): ‘Honey, I promise I will take out the rubbish bin first thing in the morning’.

But in reality, indirect speech is more common in most everyday situations.

When and how to use a hyphen in English

What is indirect speech in English?

Indirect speech is also known as reported speech . We use it to report on what someone has said, much like direct speech, but not as a direct quote. 

To show you what we mean, let’s take one of the examples from above and turn it into an indirect statement: 

• Direct: US president: ‘I will end this pandemic’.
• Indirect: The US president said he would end this pandemic.

While the message is the same, you can see that the indirect speech is no longer directly quoting the US president’s words. 

Here’s another one:

• Direct: The man: ‘If you give me all your money, no one will get hurt!’
• Indirect: The man said that if we gave him all our money, no one would get hurt.

Now, let’s discuss how to change direct speech into indirect speech!

How to use affect and effect in English

Reporting statements using ‘say’ or ‘tell’

First, we’ll look at the most common forms of indirect speech, which most commonly use the reporting verbs say and tell . A reporting verb is the verb you use to introduce what someone said.

Without a direct object (say)

subject + reporting verb + (that) + clause 

Direct: Brother: I’ve quit my job.

Indirect: My brother said (that) he had quit his job. 

With a direct object (tell)

subject + reporting verb + direct object** + (that) + clause 

Direct: Carmel: I am leaving. 

Indirect: Carmel told me (that) she was leaving. 

**While the verb ‘say’ can stand alone, the verb ‘tell’ must use a direct object (in the example above that’s ‘me’).

Adding ‘that’

You’ll see in the forms above, the word ‘ that ’ is in parenthese. That’s because you can decide to use it or not – it doesn’t usually make much difference.  

The main reason you’d add the word ‘that’ is to give a bit of extra clarity to a sentence whose meaning could otherwise be a bit confusing. 

Use and used to in English

Reporting actions (orders, requests, promises, offers, etc.)

When we report on something someone tells or asks you to do, or something that they’ve promised or offered, the form is different. A variety of reporting verbs can be used, such as promise , offer , ask , and order . Sometimes you should use a direct object, whereas other times, you shouldn’t.

Without a direct object

subject + reporting verb + infinitive

Direct: Brother: ‘I will pay you back in one month’.

Indirect: My brother promised to pay me back in one month. 

Direct: Sister: I can help you with your homework, if you’d like.

Indirect: My sister offered to help me with my homework. 

With a direct object

subject + reporting verb + direct object + infinitive

Direct: Uncle: ‘Can you please watch the movie with us?’

Indirect: My uncle asked me to watch the movie with them.

Direct: Grandmother: Wash the dishes before the party!

Indirect: My grandmother ordered me to wash the dishes before the party.

How to confidently use reported speech in English

Verb tense changes in English

When you change a sentence from direct to indirect, the verb tenses change. Let’s look at some general rules: 

Other word changes

In addition to the verb tense changes above, there are other words you need to change, such as time markers and modal verbs.  

Pronoun changes

When you’re reporting on what someone else has said, it’s important that you modify the pronouns accordingly. Check out the following rules:

• First-person pronouns in direct speech change to third-person pronouns in indirect speech:
• Direct: Sam: ‘I’m so excited to visit my sister in Spain!’ 
• Indirect: Sam said that she was so excited to visit her sister in Spain.
• If the direct speech uses a second-person pronoun as an object, report it using a first-person pronoun :
• Direct: Michael: ‘I’m going to miss you so much.’ 
• Indirect: Michael said he was going to miss me so much.
• Third-person pronouns in direct speech don’t change in indirect speech:
• Direct: Cousin: ‘ They are going to love their new house’. 
• Indirect: My cousin said that they were going to love their new house.

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English Notes

English notes latest questions, he said, “i have finished my homework.” change into indirect speech.

Indirect Speech: He said that he had finished his homework.

Explanation : When the reporting verb is in the past (said) and the direct speech is in the present perfect tense, then the indirect (reported) speech will change into the past perfect tense.

Present Perfect Tense > Past Perfect Tense.

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Indirect Speech : He said that he had finished his homework.

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