Lesson 12 of 13 – Direct & Indirect Speech

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Direct & Indirect Speech

Direct and Indirect Speech are used to report what someone says. It is one of the most important topics in English Grammar.

Note: Direct Speech = Exact words of the speaker.
Indirect Speech = Reporting someone's words without using exact quotation marks.

What is Direct Speech?

Direct Speech repeats the exact words spoken by a person.

✔ He said, "I am happy."
✔ She said, "I will come tomorrow."
✔ Ram said, "I play cricket."

Quotation marks (" ") are always used in Direct Speech.

What is Indirect Speech?

Indirect Speech reports the meaning of the speaker's words without quotation marks.

✔ He said that he was happy.
✔ She said that she would come the next day.
✔ Ram said that he played cricket.

Quotation marks are removed in Indirect Speech.

Parts of Direct Speech

There are two important parts:

Reporting Verb
Reported Speech

He said, "I am ready."

Reporting Verb = said
Reported Speech = "I am ready"

Basic Rules of Conversion

Remove quotation marks.
Use "that" when needed.
Change pronouns.
Change tense according to rules.
Change time expressions.

Direct:
She said, "I am busy."

Indirect:
She said that she was busy.

Why Do We Use Indirect Speech?

To report conversations.
To write news reports.
To describe discussions.
To avoid repeating exact words.
To make communication formal.

✔ The teacher said that the exam would start at 10 AM.
✔ The news reported that heavy rain had affected the city.

Tense Changes in Indirect Speech

When the Reporting Verb is in Past Tense (said, told), the tense usually changes.

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Present Indefinite	Past Indefinite
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
Past Indefinite	Past Perfect
Will	Would
Can	Could

Direct: He said, "I am busy."

Indirect: He said that he was busy.

Pronoun Changes

Pronouns change according to the Subject and Object of the sentence.

Direct	Indirect
I	He / She
My	His / Her
We	They
Our	Their

Direct: Ram said, "I am happy."

Indirect: Ram said that he was happy.

Time Word Changes

Certain time expressions change in Indirect Speech.

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Now	Then
Today	That day
Tomorrow	The next day
Yesterday	The previous day
Here	There
This	That
These	Those

Direct: She said, "I will come tomorrow."

Indirect: She said that she would come the next day.

Questions in Indirect Speech

Question sentences are converted differently.

Yes / No Questions

Use if or whether

Direct: He said, "Are you ready?"

Indirect: He asked if I was ready.

WH Questions

WH words remain unchanged.

Direct: He said, "Where do you live?"

Indirect: He asked where I lived.

Commands, Requests & Orders

Imperative sentences use special reporting verbs.

Sentence Type	Reporting Verb
Order	ordered
Request	requested
Advice	advised
Command	commanded

Direct: The teacher said, "Open the book."

Indirect: The teacher ordered the students to open the book.

Direct: He said, "Please help me."

Indirect: He requested me to help him.

Common Mistakes

Students often make mistakes while changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech.

Wrong	Correct
He said me to come.	He told me to come.
He said that I am busy.	He said that he was busy.
She asked that where I lived.	She asked where I lived.
He told that he was tired.	He said that he was tired.
She said me the truth.	She told me the truth.

Remember:
✔ Say + something
✔ Tell + person + something

Special Cases

Universal Truth

If the reported speech expresses a universal truth, the tense does not change.

Direct: The teacher said, "The sun rises in the east."

Indirect: The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.

Habitual Facts

Direct: He said, "Water boils at 100°C."

Indirect: He said that water boils at 100°C.

Important Rules Summary

Remove quotation marks.
Use "that" in statements.
Use "if/whether" in Yes-No questions.
Keep WH words unchanged.
Change pronouns properly.
Change tense when needed.
Change time words.
Use suitable reporting verbs.

✔ He said, "I am tired."
✔ He said that he was tired.

Direct vs Indirect Speech

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Uses quotation marks	No quotation marks
Exact words	Reported meaning
Informal conversation	Formal reporting
Speaker's actual words	Reported words

Direct: She said, "I will help you."

Indirect: She said that she would help me.

Daily Life Examples

✔ Ram said, "I am studying."
➡ Ram said that he was studying.

✔ She said, "I will come tomorrow."
➡ She said that she would come the next day.

✔ The teacher said, "Work hard."
➡ The teacher advised the students to work hard.

✔ He said, "Can you help me?"
➡ He asked if I could help him.

✔ She said, "Where do you live?"
➡ She asked where I lived.

These examples show how Direct Speech is converted into Indirect Speech in real-life communication.

🧠 Quick Quiz

Which word is generally used in Indirect Speech for Yes/No questions?

if / whether
that
because