Reported Speech

 Reported Speech – Reported speech refers to recording the speaker’s speech, whether it is done directly by recording the speaker’s words or indirectly by recording the speaker’s words but changing them.

For example

Direct speech – Priya said, “I’d like to have an apple.”

Priya said is the reporting verb.

“I’d like to have an apple.” is the reported speech.

Reporting Verb

Reported Speech

The part of the sentence which is not in the inverted commas is called the reported verb.

The part of the sentence which is under inverted commas is called reporting speech. The second part of the sentence refers to some other person, universal facts, imaginary parts, historical facts, happening events, etc.

 Direct Speech

It refers to reporting the exact words spoken by the speaker. There is no change in the verb or the sentence.

Rules of Direct Speech

Speech should be opened with quotations or inverted commas.

The word said is used to connect two sentences.

Reporting clause should be  used at the end of the sentence.

At the end of the sentence full stop should be placed.

 Examples: Rahul said, “Saina Nehwal has won the match against PV Sindhu.”

Krish says, “I am having my dinner.”

 Indirect Speech

It is the speech that tells what someone has said but it does not explain the actual words spoken by the person. It just conveys the basic narration of what is being said to the third person.

 

 

 

Rules of Indirect Speech

 

Past tense is used when the situation is uncertain.

The present tense of the sentence is changed to the past tense in indirect speech.

Universal facts tense remains the same.

The use of the word “that” connects the reported verb and reported speech.

 Let us look at some examples

Shivani said that she enjoyed watching the movie Titanic.

My mother says that she is eating watermelon.

 Changing direct speech into reported speech

Change in tenses

When the reporting verb is in the simple present tense or simple future tense, the verb in reported speech does not change.

When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the verb and reported speech is changed into the corresponding past tense.

There are three situations in which, even if the reporting verb is in the past tense, we do not change the tenses in the reported speech.

The reported speech expresses a universal truth or a habitual fact.

The reported speech has two clauses, both in the past.

The reported speech describes a situation which still exists when the speech is reported.

Change in personal pronouns and possessive adjectives.

Pronouns in the third person and their possessive adjectives do not change in reported speech.

Pronoun of the second person and its corresponding possessive adjective change into the same person as the object of the reporting verb.

First person pronouns and the possessive adjectives in direct speech change into the same person as the subject of the reporting verb in indirect speech.

 Change of Pronouns

Direct Speech

Reported Speech

I

He, she

Me

Him, her

We

They

Us

Them

You

He, she, they

You

Him, her, them

My

His, her

Mine

His, hers

Our

Their

Ours

Theirs

Your

His, her, their

Yours

His, hers, theirs

 

 

Change in Tenses

 

 

 

Direct Speech

Reported Speech

is/am/are

Was/were

Was/were

Had been

Had been

(No change)

Has/have

Had

Had

(No change)

Do

Did

Did

Had done

Had done

(No change)

Will/shall

Would/Should

Must

Had to

Would/Should/Might/could/Ought to

(No change)

 

 

Change of Adverbs of Place and Adverbs of Time

 

 

 

Direct Speech

Reported Speech

Here

There

Now

Then

Today

That day

Tomorrow

The next day / The following day

Yesterday

The previous day

Tonight

That night

Last week

The week before

Next week

The week after

Last month

The previous month

Next month

The following month

Last year

The previous year                    Next year

The following year                  Ago

Before                                                 Thus

So

 

 

Change of Modal Verbs

 

 

Direct Speech

Reported Speech

Will                              Would

May                             Might

Can

Could

Shall

Should

Has/Have

Had

 

 

Exercise on Reported Speech (Practice Questions)

 A  Convert the following sentences into reported speech.

Sana said, “Mother, where have you kept my new pair of jeans?”

Mother said to her friend, “My daughter sang well, didn’t she?”

Sita said to him, “Will you play today?”

He said, “May you succeed in your venture, my daughter.”

She said, “Oh! What a lovely dress.”

Mridula asked Manisha, “Did you buy the magic show tickets?”

He said, ”Let’s go to the market.”

They said, “Alas! We have lost our way in the forest.”

Akbar said to HImesh, “A very happy birthday.”

The chemistry teacher said to her students, “You have understood the experiment, haven’t you?”

Reena said, “I think the book is too expensive.”

He said, “Oh! I have met you after a long time.”

The compere announced, “The chief guest will reach here any moment.”

The fisherman said to the customer, “The fish is fresh and will taste good.”

Rahul said, “Are you exhausted today?”

 

 

 

Answers

 

Sana asked her mother where she had kept her new pair of jeans.

Mother asked her friend if her daughter had sung well.

Sita asked him whether he would play that day.

He wished that his daughter might succeed in her venture.

She exclaimed with admiration that it was a lovely dress.

Mridula asked Manisha if she had bought the magic show tickets.

He suggested that they should go to the market.

They exclaimed with regret that they had lost their way in the forest.”

Akbar wished HImesh a very happy birthday.

The chemistry teacher asked the students if they had understood the experiment.

Reena thought that the book was too expensive.

He exclaimed with surprise that he had met her after a long time.

The compere announced that the chief guest would reach there any moment.

The fisherman said to the customer that the fish was fresh and would taste good.

Rahul asked if I was exhausted that day.

 

 

B Convert the following paragraph into reported speech.

 

 

He said, “Are you tired today? Let us take the children to the zoo. Tomorrow is a holiday, so we will be relaxed.”

Ans He asked if I was tired that day. He suggested that we take the children to the zoo as the next day was a holiday so we would be relaxed.

 

 

 

C Convert the following paragraph into reported speech.

 

She said, “It’s very hot today, isn’t it? Summer is here to stay and it is the right time to go for a swim. Let’s also buy mangoes, ice-cream and juice cans to beat the heat.”

Ans She said that it was very hot that day and summer was there to stay. It was the right time to go for a swim she added. She also suggested that we should buy mangoes, ice-cream and juice cans to beat the heat.

 

 

 

D Convert the following paragraph into reported speech.

 

My friend said, “Oh! What a pleasant surprise to have you in my house. I will prepare pasta and risotto for you. Let’s watch a movie in my home theater.”

Ans My friend exclaimed with joy that it was a pleasant surprise to have me in her house. She said that she would prepare pasta and risotto for me and suggested that we should watch a movie in her home theater.

 

 

 

E Convert the following paragraph into reported speech.

 

 

Mother Teresa said, “Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted, according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.”

Ans Mother Teresa said that we should touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted, according to the graces we had received and we should not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.

 

 

 

F Convert the following paragraph into reported speech.

 

Daughter: Papa, please buy a mobile phone for me.

Father : What is the need of a mobile when you can use the landline?

Daughter: All my friends have mobiles, I want one for myself.

Father : I will buy it for you after your final exams.

 

Ans The daughter requested her father to  buy a mobile phone for her. Father asked her what was the need of a mobile when she could use the landline. The daughter replied that all her friends had mobiles. She wanted one for herself. Father agreed and said that he would buy it for her after her final exams.