DIRECT SPEECH AND INDIRECT SPEECH

DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

English language has two ways to narate the spoken words of a person. these are two ways are as follows:

1. Direct Speech
2. Indirect Speech

These two ways are usually used to convey a message (spoken-words) of one person to another person.

1. Definition of Direct and Indirect Speech

*Direct Speech

Direct speech, also known as quoted speech, Reporting of what a speaker said without quoting his exact words is called ‘Indirect Speech’.These words are quoted or written exactly as the words were originally spoken.

When we use direct speech in writing, we place the words spoken between quotation marks (" ") and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's being said NOW (for example a telephone conversation), or telling someone later about a previous conversation. In other words, we take the words directly from the speaker and repeat them exactly as they were originally stated.

Here are the examples of direct speech:

David: I have to talk to you about something. (original statement)
"I have to talk to you about something," said David. (direct speech)

Michelle: I'll call them tomorrow. (original statement)
Michelle said, "I'll call them tomorrow." (direct speech)

In these examples, the direct speech is shown in quotations, which signifies that the speech is taken directly from the source with no alterations.

*Indirect Speech

Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is when words or phrases are reported in our own words. The original words are modified and/or interpreted as opposed to being quoted.

When talking about indirect speech, we use words that refer to something that has already happened. To do so, we are speaking in the past tense and are summarizing, modifying, or synthesizing what has already been said.

Here are the examples of indirect speech:

David: I have to talk to you about something. (original statement)
David said he had to talk to me about something. (indirect speech)

Michelle: I'll call them tomorrow. (original statement)
Michelle promised she would call them the next day. (indirect speech)

2. The Characteristic of Direct and Indirect Speech

*Direct Speech

1. it is original quotation of a talk.
2. it is always placed between two quotation mark.
3. it is always preceded by capital letter.
4. accompanied by a reporting verb.

*Indirect speech

1. in indirect speech we do not use the exact words of the speaker.
2. we sometimes need to change pronouns and verb tense.
3. we don't use speech marks.

3. Procedure of changing direct speech into indirect speech & indirect speech into direct speech

*Direct into Indirect Speech

Remove comma and inverted commas.
Put "that" between the reporting and reported speeches.(it is optional to put "that" between the reporting and reported speech)
Change the 1st letter of reported speech into small letter except for "I"
Change the pronoun of the direct speech according to the rules described in table 2
Change the tense of the direct speech appropriately according to rules described in table 3.
Change the words expressing nearness in time or places of the direct speech into its appropriate words expressing distance as per table 1

*Indirect Speech into Direct Speech

Use the reporting verb, "say" or "said to" in its correct tense.
Remove the conjuctions "that, to, if or whether etc". wherever necessary.
Insert quotation marks, question mark, exclamation and fullstop, wherever necessary.
Put a comma before the statement.
Write the first word of the statement with capital letter.
Change the past tense into present tense wherever the repoting verb is in the past tense.
Convert the past perfect either into past tense or present perfect as found necessary.
Be careful about the order of words in the question.

4. Rules of Change in Tenses

Rules	Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Simple Present Changes To Simple Past	" I always drink coffee", she said	She said that she always drank coffee.
Present Continuous Changes To Past Continuous	"I am reading a book", he explained.	He explained that he was reading a book
Present Perfect Changes To Past Perfect	She said, "He has finished his work"	She said that he had finished his work.
Present Perfect Continuous Changes To Past Perfect Continuous	" I have been to Spain", he told me	He told me that he had been to Spain.
Simple Past Changes To Past Perfect	" Bill arrived on Saturday", he said.	He said that Bill had arrived on Saturday
Past Perfect Changes To Past Perfect (No Change In Tense)	" I had just turned out the light," he explained.	He explained that he had just turned out the light.
Past Continuous Changes To Past Perfect Continuous	" We were living in Paris", they told me.	They told me that they had been living in Paris.
Future Changes To Present Conditional	"I will be in Geneva on Monday", he said	He said that he would be in Geneva on Monday.
Future Continuous Changes To Conditional Continuous	She said, "I'll be using the car next Friday."	she said that she would be using the car next Friday.

*Change the Pronouns

Rules	Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
The first person of the reported speech changes according to the subject of reporting speech.	She says, "I am in tenth class."	She says, "I am in tenth class."
The second person of reported speech changes according to the object of reporting speech.	He says to them, "You have completed your job."	He tells them that they have completed their job.
The third person of the reported speech doesn't change.	She says, "She is in tenth class."	She says that she is in tenth class.

*Change the Adverb

*In the Form of Statement

DIRECT: i said to my mother, “I want coffee now”.
INDIRECT: I told my mother that I wanted coffee then.

DIRECT: Yobu said to Lazar, “You are lying”.

· INDIRECT: Yobu told Lazar that he was lying.

*In the Form of Imperative

Changes for Imperative Sentences

Imperative sentences consist any of these four things:

Order
Request
Advice
Suggestion

Most commonly used words to join clauses together are ordered, requested, advised and suggested. Forbid(s)/ forbade is used for the negative sentences.

Direct: The old woman said to the boy, ‘Please help me.’
Indirect: The old woman requested the boy to help her.

Direct: I said to him, ‘Love and obey your parents.’
Indirect: I advised him to love and obey his parents. OR I advised that he should love and obey his parents.

Direct: The officer said to the clerk, ‘Do it immediately.’
Indirect: The officer ordered the clerk to do it immediately.

Direct: The teacher said to the boy, ‘Come in, please.’
Indirect: The teacher allowed (or asked) the boy to come in.

*In the Form of Question

1. QUESTION WORDS

This type of question is reported by using 'ask' (or another verb like 'ask') + question word + clause. The clause contains the question, in normal word order and with the necessary tense change.

Direct speech	Indirect speech
"What is your name?" he asked me.	He asked me what my name was.
"How old is your mother?", he asked.	He asked how old her mother was.
The policman said to the boy, "Where do you live?"	The policeman asked the boy where he lived.
"What time does the train arrive?" she asked.	She asked what time the train arrived.
"When can we have dinner?" she asked.	She asked when they could have dinner.
Peter said to John, "Why are you so late?"	Peter asked John why he was so late.

2. YES/NO QUESTION

This type of question is reported by using 'ask' + 'if / whether' + clause:

Direct speech	Indirect speech
"Do you speak English?"	He asked me if I spoke English.
"Are you British or American?"	He asked me whether I was British or American.
"Is it raining?"	She asked if it was raining.
"Have you got a computer?"	He wanted to know whether I had a computer.
"Can you type?"	She asked if I could type.
"Did you come by train?"	He enquired whether I had come by train.
"Have you been to Bristol before?"	She asked if I had been to Bristol before.