DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
Look, Listen & Say
DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
DIRECT SPEECH | INDIRECT SPEECH
TENSE CHANGE | TIME CHANGE | PRONOUN CHANGE
REPORTING VERBS | USE OF 'THAT'
We often have to give information about what people say or think. In order to do this you can use direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech.
Direct Speech / Quoted Speech
Saying exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called quoted speech) (কারও কোন উক্তি হুবহু প্রকাশ করলে তাকে প্রত্যক্ষ উক্তি বলে।) Here what a person says appears within quotation marks ("...") and should be word for word.
For example:
She said, "Today's lesson is on presentations."
or
"Today's lesson is on presentations", she said.
Indirect Speech / Reported Speech
Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech), doesn't use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word. (প্রত্যক্ষ উক্তিকে অন্য কারও ভাষায় প্রকাশ করলে তাকে পরোক্ষ উক্তি বলে।)
When reporting speech the tense usually changes. This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.
For example:
Direct speech Indirect speech
"I'm going to the cinema", he said. He said he was going to the cinema.
Tense change
As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense: (the tense on the left changes to the tense on the right):
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
|
Present simple |
Past simple |
|
Present continuous |
Past continuous |
|
Present perfect simple |
Past perfect simple |
|
Present perfect continuous |
Past perfect continuous |
|
Past simple |
Past perfect |
|
Past continuous |
Past perfect continuous |
|
Past perfect |
Past perfect |
|
Past perfect continuous |
Past perfect continuous |
Modal verb forms also sometimes change:
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
|
will |
would |
|
can |
could |
|
must |
had to |
|
shall |
should |
|
may |
might |
Note - There is no change to; could, would, should, might and ought to.
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
|
"I might go to the cinema", he said |
He said that he might go the cinema. |
You can use the present tense in reported speech if you want to say that something is still true i.e. my name has always been and will always be Lina so:-
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
|
|
She said her name was Lina. |
|
"My name is Lina ", she said. |
or |
|
|
She said her name is Lina. |
You can also use the present tense if you are talking about a future event.
| Direct speech (exact quote) | Indirect speech (not exact) |
|---|---|
|
"Next week's lesson will be on reported speech", she says. |
She says that following week’s lesson will be on reported speech. |
Time change
If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time of reporting.
For example we need to change words like here and yesterday if they have different meanings at the time and place of reporting.
| Now | + 24 hours - Indirect speech |
|---|---|
|
|
She said that yesterday's lesson was on presentations. |
|
She said, "Today's lesson is on presentations." |
or |
|
|
She said that yesterday's lesson would be on presentations. |
Expressions of time if reported on a different day
|
this (evening) |
that (evening) |
|
today |
yesterday / that day |
|
these (days) |
those (days) |
|
now |
then |
|
(a week) ago |
(a week) before |
|
last weekend |
the weekend before last / the previous weekend |
|
here |
there |
|
next (week) |
the following (week) |
|
tomorrow |
the next/following day |
In addition if you report something that someone said in a different place to where you heard it you must change the place (here) to the place (there).
For example:-
| At work | At home |
|---|---|
|
"How long have you worked here?" |
She asked me how long I'd worked there. |
Pronoun change
In reported speech, the pronoun often changes.
For example:
| Me | You |
|---|---|
|
|
Direct Speech |
|
"I teach English online." |
She said that she taught English online. |
|
|
Reported Speech |
Reporting Verbs
Said, told and asked are the most common verbs used in indirect speech.
We use asked to report questions:-
For example: I asked Lina what time the lesson started.
We use told with an object.
For example: Lina told me she felt tired.
!Note - Here me is the object.
We usually use said without an object.
For example: Lina said she was going to teach online.
If said is used with an object we must include to ;
For example: Lina said to me that she'd never been to China.
Note - We usually use told.
For example: Lina told me (that) she'd never been to China.
There are many other verbs we can use apart from said, told and asked.
These include:-
accused, admitted, advised, alleged, agreed, apologised, begged, boasted, complained, denied, explained, implied, invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied, suggested and thought.
Using them properly can make what you say much more interesting and informative.
For example:
He asked me to come to the party:-
He invited me to the party.
He begged me to come to the party.
He ordered me to come to the party.
He advised me to come to the party.
He suggested I should come to the party.
Use of 'That' in reported speech
In reported speech, the word that is often used.
For example: He told me that he lived in Greenwich.
However, that is optional.
For example: He told me he lived in Greenwich.
Note - That is never used in questions, instead we often use if.
For example: He asked me if I would come to the party