Reported speech

Verb Forms in Reported Speech

Present	Past	Past Participle
Eat/Eats	Ate	Eaten
Do/Does	Did	Done
Know/Knows	Knew	Known

Verbs and Their Past Forms

Verbs	Past Forms
is, am, was	were, was
Do, does, did	did, had done
washes, washed	washed, had washed
was/were	had been
was asked	had been asked
were asked	had been asked
had	had had
has had	had had
have had	had had

Modal Verbs (Present vs. Past)

Modal Verbs (Present)	Modal Verbs (Past)
can	could
will	would
shall	should
may	might
must	must

Words Expressing Nearness (Direct vs. Indirect Speech)

Words Expressing Nearness (Direct)	Words Expressing Nearness (Indirect)
Now	Then
This	That
These	Those
Here	There
Thus	So
Ago	Before
Hither	Thither
Hence	Thence
Today	That day
Tonight	That night
Tomorrow	The next day
Yesterday	The previous day
Last night	The previous night
Next week	The following week
Last week	The previous week
The day before yesterday	The day before the previous day
The day after tomorrow	The day after the next day
Come	Go
Just	Then

Reported Speech [Grammar]

We may report the words of a speaker in 2 ways:

1. We may quote his/her actual words. This is called Direct Speech.
2. We may report what he said without quoting his exact words. This is called Indirect or Reported Speech.

Rules for changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

When the reporting or the principal verb is in the past tense, all Present Tenses of the Direct Speech are changed into the corresponding Past Tenses. Thus:

i) Simple Present becomes Simple Past

Direct: He said, "I am unwell."

Indirect: He said that he was unwell.

ii) Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous

Direct: He said, "My master is writing letters."

Indirect: He said that his master was writing letters.

iii) Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect

Direct: He said, "I have passed the exam."

Indirect: He said that he had passed the exam.

iv) Simple Past becomes Past Perfect

Direct: He said, "The horse died in the night."

Indirect: He said that the horse had died in the night.

v) The tense may not change if the statement is a universal truth or is still relevant.

Direct: The teacher said, "The earth goes around the sun."

Indirect: The teacher said that the earth goes around the sun.

Direct: She said, "German is easy to learn."

Indirect: She said that German is easy to learn.

vi) If the reporting verb is in the Present Tense, the tense of the Direct Speech does not change.

Direct: He says, "I am unwell."

Indirect: He says that he is unwell.

Direct: He says, "My master is writing letters."

Indirect: He says that his master is writing letters.

viii) When reporting a question, the indirect speech is introduced by some verbs such as "asked," "inquired," etc.

Direct: He said to me, "What are you doing?"

Indirect: He asked me what I was doing.

Direct: "Where do you live?" asked the stranger.

Indirect: The stranger asked/enquired where I lived.

Direct: The policeman said to us, "Where are you going?"

Indirect: The policeman enquired where we were going.

ix) When the question is not introduced by an interrogative word, the reporting word is followed by "whether" or "if."

(If the question in the direct speech can be answered in a "yes" or "no," then "if" or "whether" is used in the indirect speech.)

Direct: The teacher asked the student, "Have you brought your book today?"

Indirect: The teacher asked the student whether he had brought his book that day.

Direct: Aunt to Ron, "Do you like bread?"

Indirect: Aunt asked Ron whether he liked bread.

Direct: Tom asked Tanmay, "Did you see the new library?"

Indirect: Tom asked Tanmay whether he saw the new library.

Commands and Requests

In reporting commands and requests, the indirect speech is introduced by some verbs expressing command or request, and the imperative mood is changed into the infinitive (to + first form of verb).

Direct: Anoop said to Arjun, "Go away."

Indirect: Anoop ordered Arjun to go away.

Direct: He said to him, "Please wait here till I return."

Indirect: He told him to wait there till he returned.

Direct: He shouted, "Let me go."

Indirect: He shouted to them to let him go.

Direct: He said, "Be quiet."

Indirect: He urged her to be quiet.

Exclamations and Wishes

In reporting exclamations and wishes, the indirect speech is introduced by some words expressing exclamation or wish.

Direct: He said, "Bravo! You have done well."

Indirect: He applauded him saying that he had done well.

Direct: Aparna said, "How clever I am!"

Indirect: Aparna exclaimed that she was very clever.

Direct: "So help me God", he cried, "I will never lie again."

Indirect: He prayed to God for help and promised that he would never lie again.

Change of Tenses When the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense

Rules for Changing Tenses:

1. Present Indefinite → Past Indefinite
2. Present Continuous → Past Continuous
3. Present Perfect → Past Perfect
4. Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
5. Past Indefinite → Past Perfect
6. Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
7. Future Indefinite (will/shall + 1st form of verb) → (would/should + 1st form of verb)
8. Future Continuous (will/shall + 1st form of verb + ing) → (would/should + 1st form of verb + ing)
9. Future Perfect (will/shall + have + 3rd form of verb) → (would/should + have + 3rd form of verb)
10. Future Perfect Continuous (shall/will + have been + 1st form of verb + ing) → (should/would + have been + 1st form of verb + ing)

Examples:

Direct Speech: Radha said, "I like friends."

Indirect Speech: Radha said that she liked friends.

Direct Speech: He said to his mother, "I am going to Delhi today."

Indirect Speech: He told his mother that he was going to Delhi that day.

Direct Speech: Garima said to me, "I have finished my work."

Indirect Speech: Garima told me that she had finished her work.

Direct Speech: He said to me, "I have been living here for 2 years."

Indirect Speech: He told me that he had been living there for 2 years.

---

Important Facts:

There are 3 situations in which, even if the reporting verb is in the past tense, we do not change the tense in the reported speech:

(a) The reported speech has two clauses, both in the past:

Direct Speech: Reena said to me, "Neha was tired, so she didn't go out to play with friends."

Indirect Speech: Reena told me that Neha was tired, so she didn’t go out to play with friends.

(b) The tense in the reported speech is not changed when the sentence describes a situation that still exists when the speech is reported.

Direct Speech: Mr. Gupta said, "All the flights are delayed due to heavy rain."

Indirect Speech: Mr. Gupta said that all the flights are delayed due to heavy rain.

(c) The reported speech expresses a universal truth or a habitual fact.

Direct Speech: The teacher said to us, "Water boils at 100°C."

Indirect Speech: The teacher told us that water boils at 100°C.

Direct Speech: Uncle said to Nephew, "I take a morning walk every day."

Indirect Speech: Uncle told Nephew that he takes a morning walk every day.

Change of Tenses When the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense

1. Present Indefinite → Past Indefinite

Example:

Direct Speech: Radha said, "I like friends."

Indirect Speech: Radha said that she liked friends.

Direct Speech: Mohan said to Govind, "I visit her often."

Indirect Speech: Mohan told Govind that he visited her often.

(No change in tense for universal truths or habitual actions)

Direct Speech: The teacher said, "The sun sets in the west."

Indirect Speech: The teacher said that the sun sets in the west.

Direct Speech: He said, "I always speak the truth."

Indirect Speech: He said that he always speaks the truth.

2. Present Continuous → Past Continuous

Direct Speech: He said to his mother, "I am going to Delhi today."

Indirect Speech: He told his mother that he was going to Delhi that day.

Direct Speech: I said to him, "You are wasting your time."

Indirect Speech: I told him that he was wasting his time.

3. Present Perfect → Past Perfect

Direct Speech: Garima said to me, "I have finished my work."

Indirect Speech: Garima told me that she had finished her work.

Direct Speech: Garbha said to Shamli, "I have tired myself."

Indirect Speech: Garbha told Shamli that she had tired herself.

4. Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous

Direct Speech: He said to me, "I have been living here for 2 years."

Indirect Speech: He told me that he had been living there for 2 years.

Direct Speech: My friend Harish said to me, "I have been doing all this for you."

Indirect Speech: My friend Harish told me that he had been doing all that for me.

5. Past Indefinite → Past Perfect

Direct Speech: I said to my brother, "You didn't follow my advice."

Indirect Speech: I told my brother that he had not followed my advice.

6. Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous

Direct Speech: You said to me, "Girls were dancing."

Indirect Speech: You told me that girls had been dancing.

7. Future Indefinite (will/shall) → (would/should)

Direct Speech: He said to me, "I shall not trouble you."

Indirect Speech: He told me that he would not trouble me.

Direct Speech: Jhanvi said to me, "I shall meet you tomorrow."

Indirect Speech: Jhanvi told me that she would meet me the next day.

8. Future Continuous → (would be/should be)

Direct Speech: He said to Hari, "I shall be running a loss."

Indirect Speech: He told Hari that he would be running a loss.

9. Future Perfect → (would have/should have)

Direct Speech: Ram told Sita, "I shall have written a letter."

Indirect Speech: Ram told Sita that he would have written a letter.

10. Future Perfect Continuous → (would have been/should have been)

Direct Speech: She said to her son, "I shall have been waiting for you for 2 hours."

Indirect Speech: She told her son that she would have been waiting for him for 2 hours.

Direct Speech: Rafi told Zubaida, "I shall have been doing it for you for a month."

Indirect Speech: Rafi told Zubaida that he would have been doing that for her for a month.

Wh-Words (Interrogatives)

Such interrogative sentences that begin with Wh-words (whose answers can't be given as Yes/No) do not use if/whether but use Wh-Words as conjunctions.

Examples:

• He said to me, "What do you expect from me?" (Direct)
  ➝ He asked me what he expected from him. (Indirect)
• Ram said to Mohan, "Why are you late?" (Direct)
  ➝ Ram asked Mohan why he was late. (Indirect)
• She said to me, "Where do you live?" (Direct)
  ➝ She asked me where I lived. (Indirect)
• Meera asked him, "Who are you?" (Direct)
  ➝ Meera asked him who he was. (Indirect)
• Hari said to me, "How many pens do you have?" (Direct)
  ➝ Hari asked me how many pens I had. (Indirect)
• She said to me, "When did you come?" (Direct)
  ➝ She asked me when I had come. (Indirect)
• He said to the boy, "Which class are you in?" (Direct)
  ➝ He asked the boy which class he was in. (Indirect)
• He said to me, "Who got the prize?" (Direct)
  ➝ He asked me who had got the prize. (Indirect)
• She said to me, "What is your idea about it?" (Direct)
  ➝ She asked me what my idea was about that. (Indirect)
• She said to Vimla, "When are you going to be married?" (Direct)
  ➝ She asked Vimla when she was going to be married. (Indirect)

"Do/Does/Did" (Interrogatives)

If the Reported Speech has the auxiliary do/does/did, then these do/does/did are dropped.

Examples:

• He said to me, "Do you have a bike?" (Direct)
  ➝ He asked me if (do is dropped) I had a bike. (Indirect)
• Fateh said to me, "Did you receive my letter?" (Direct)
  ➝ Fateh asked me if I had received his letter. (Here, the auxiliary did is dropped.)

More Examples of Changing Interrogative Sentences into Indirect Speech

Direct	Indirect
Rahim said to Ashraf, "Can you do it?"	Rahim asked Ashraf if he could do that.
John said to Laila, "Are you coming here?"	John asked Laila if she was coming there.
Akshra said to Mahima, "Do you love me?"	Akshra asked Mahima if she loved her.
Laxmi said to me, "Has Hari invited you to dinner?"	Laxmi asked me if Hari had invited me to dinner.
He said to me, "When does the postman come?"	He asked me when the postman comes/came.
"Where does this road lead to?" said he to me.	He asked me where that road led to.
She said to me, "Do you like Thomas Hardy?"	He asked me if I liked Thomas Hardy.
The gatekeeper said to me, "Whom do you want to see?"	The gatekeeper asked me whom I wanted to see.
My boss said to me, "What can I do for you?"	My boss asked me what he could do for me.
Ramesh said to me, "Can you ride a camel?"	Ramesh asked me if I could ride a camel.
The teacher said to me, "Why are you wasting your time? Have you done your homework?"	The teacher asked me why I was wasting my time and further asked if I had done my homework.

Do exercise 1 (solved)by yourself from the book

Exercise-6

Change the calling sentences into indirect speech

1. Our teacher said, "The sun rises in the east." → Our teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
2. He said to me, "Do you keep a pet?" → He asked me if I kept a pet.
3. She said to me, "Why has he gone there?" → She asked me why he had gone there.
4. The teacher said to the students, "Keep quiet and don’t make a noise." → The teacher told the students to keep quiet and not make a noise.
5. My mother said to me, "May you prosper in life!" → My mother wished me prosperity in life.
6. "May you succeed!" said the old man. → The old man wished me success.
7. I said to the gatekeeper, "Let him come." → I told the gatekeeper to let him come.
8. "How stupid I am!" said he. → He exclaimed how stupid he was.
9. She said, "Goodbye, friends!" → She bade her friends goodbye.
10. I said to him, "Have you done your homework?" → I asked him if he had done his homework.
11. He said to me, "Where do you live?" → He asked me where I lived.
12. I said to Meera, "When will we meet again?" → I asked Meera when we would meet again.
13. "Can you help me?" she said to me. → She asked me if I could help her.
14. He said to his old mother, "Don’t exert yourself too much." → He advised his old mother not to exert herself too much.
15. Mita said to me, "Where are you going?" → Mita asked me where I was going.

Exercise-7

Change the narration

1. He said to me, "I am writing a letter. Don’t disturb me. What do you want?" → He told me that he was writing a letter and asked me not to disturb him. He then asked what I wanted.
2. Mohan said to me, "Never trust her. She is always making excuses. Avoid her if you can." → Mohan advised me never to trust her as she was always making excuses. He suggested avoiding her if I could.
3. The teacher said to Hari, "Don’t make a noise in the class. Devote your time and mind to your studies. Be a good boy." → The teacher advised Hari not to make a noise in the class and to devote his time and mind to his studies. He also told him to be a good boy.
4. He asked Leela to accompany him to the market. → He said to Leela, "Please accompany me to the market."
5. Leela replied that she couldn’t do so. → Leela said, "I can’t do so."
6. My sister asked me what present I had brought on her birthday. → My sister said to me, "What present have you brought on my birthday?"
7. I told him that I would visit him next Sunday. → I said to him, "I will visit you next Sunday."
8. Sarita said to me, "I have not seen your brother before." → Sarita told me that she had not seen my brother before.
9. An old mouse said to his companions, "Who will bell the cat?" → An old mouse asked his companions who would bell the cat.
10. "Have you come from Europe?" said my friend to me. → My friend asked me if I had come from Europe.
11. She said to me, "Will none of you come to my help?" → She asked me if none of us would come to her help.
12. The teacher said to me, "Do you write in a good hand? I want to see your handwriting." → The teacher asked me if I wrote in a good hand and said that he wanted to see my handwriting.
13. The beggar said to me, "Please, help me. I’m hungry." → The beggar requested me to help him and said that he was hungry.
14. The teacher said to the students, "The earth rotates on its axis." → The teacher told the students that the earth rotates on its axis.
15. My friend said that it gave him great honor to be there that morning. → My friend said, "It gives me great honor to be here this morning."
16. My wife told me that she was tired and that she was going to bed. → My wife said to me, "I am tired and I am going to bed."
17. My sister asked me if I had read her letters. → My sister said to me, "Have you read my letters?"
18. The old man said to his son, "I have become very weak. I can’t work any more." → The old man told his son that he had become very weak and that he couldn’t work anymore.
19. The lady asked if he would visit her garden more often. → The lady said, "Will you visit my garden more often?"
20. The gambler said, "My God! I am done." → The gambler exclaimed with sorrow that he was done.
21. "Please, give me a glass of water. I am very thirsty," said a stranger to me. → A stranger requested me to give him a glass of water as he was very thirsty.
22. "Sit down. Don’t make a noise in the class," said the teacher to Hari. → The teacher told Hari to sit down and not to make a noise in the class.
23. "What a terrible sight!" she said. → She exclaimed that it was a terrible sight.
24. "Are you really serious? If you are, I am ready to help you," said Megha to me. → Megha asked me if I was really serious. She added that if I was, she was ready to help me.
25. I asked Meera if she would lend me her pen. → I said to Meera, "Will you lend me your pen?"