Two Parts of Direct Speech: Narration

Direct Speech and Indirect Speech

There are two ways of reproducing the words of a speaker:

• You can reproduce the actual words of the speaker exactly as they were spoken.
• You can give only the substance or gist of what the speaker said, using your own words.

Example:

• Rohan said, "My father is watching a movie".
• Rohan said that his father was watching a movie.

In the first sentence we give the exact words of the speaker. This is called Direct speech. In the second sentence we give the meaning of what was said without quoting the exact words. This is called Indirect speech (also called reported speech).

Understanding Direct Speech and Indirect Speech

The actual words of the speaker which are put within inverted commas are called reported speech when quoted directly. The verb that introduces the reported speech is called the reporting verb. Common reporting verbs are said, asked, told, replied, shouted, promised, etc.

When we change from direct speech to indirect speech we usually make the following changes: the punctuation used in direct speech is removed, the reporting verb may change or remain, the verb tense in the reported clause usually shifts back in time (this is called sequence of tenses), and pronouns and words of time and place may change to fit the new context.

Important Points about Direct Speech

• In direct speech, the quoted speech is always placed within inverted commas (quotation marks).
• The first word of the quoted speech begins with a capital letter.
• A comma (or appropriate punctuation) is placed after the reporting verb to separate it from the quoted words when the quote follows the reporting clause: e.g. He said, "I am tired."
• If the reporting clause comes in the middle of the quotation, punctuation and capitals are adjusted: "I am," he said, "very tired."
• For direct questions, the question mark remains inside the quotation marks: She asked, "Are you coming?"

Important Points about Indirect Speech

• In indirect speech we do not use inverted commas.
• There is no comma after said when introducing indirect speech: e.g. He said that he was tired.
• The reported speech is usually introduced by the conjunction that (though that may sometimes be omitted in informal style): She said (that) she was ready.
• The tense of the verb in the reported clause normally changes one step back in time when the reporting verb is in a past tense. This is called the backshift or sequence of tenses.
• Personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, and adverbs/phrases of time and place often change to suit the new context (speaker → he/she; this/these → that/those; today → that day).

Common Changes when Converting Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

• If the reporting verb is in a past tense, shift the verb in the quoted clause back one tense: present simple → past simple; present continuous → past continuous; present perfect → past perfect; will → would; can → could.
• Modal verbs: will → would, can → could, may → might, must usually remains must or becomes had to depending on meaning.
• Pronouns are changed to match the subject of the reporting clause: "I" becomes he/she/they or a suitable noun.
• Time and place words change: today → that day, tomorrow → the next day / the following day, yesterday → the day before / the previous day, here → there, this → that, these → those.
• Questions are changed into statement form in indirect speech. Yes-no questions are introduced by whether or if. WH-questions keep the question word (what, where, when, why, how) and then use a statement word order.
• Imperatives (commands, requests, advice) are reported using verbs like told, asked, ordered + infinitive: "Close the door." → He told me to close the door.
• Exclamations can be reported with expressions of feeling or verbs like exclaimed, often using that + clause with an appropriate verb: "What a clever boy you are!" → She exclaimed that I was a clever boy.

Examples of Conversion

• Direct: Rohan said, "My father is watching a movie."
  Indirect: Rohan said that his father was watching a movie.
• Direct: Setu said, "I will go to meet my friend tomorrow."
  Indirect: Setu said that he would go to meet his friend the next day.
• Direct: She asked, "Are you coming?"
  Indirect: She asked if I was coming.
• Direct: He asked, "Where do you live?"
  Indirect: He asked where I lived.
• Direct: Mother said to me, "Do your homework."
  Indirect: Mother told me to do my homework.
• Direct: He said, "I can finish it."
  Indirect: He said that he could finish it.