Rules for the Change of Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives: Narration | English Grammar Advanced - Class 10 PDF Download

1. Pronouns and possessive adjectives of the First Person (I, We) are changed into pronouns and possessive adjectives of the same person as that of the subject of the reporting verb.

Examples:
(i) Direct : I said, “I am going to my native place.”
Indirect : I said that I was going to my native place. 

(ii) Direct : You said, “I do my homework”
Indirect : You said that you did your homework. 

(iii) Direct : He/ She said, “I am solving my problems.”
Indirect : He/ She said that he/ she was solving his/ her problems. 

(iv) Direct : I said, “I am going to my cousin’s home.”
Indirect : I said that I was going to my cousin’s home.

2. Pronouns and possessive adjectives of the Second Person (You) are changed into pronouns and possessive adjectives of the same person as that of the object of the reporting verb.

Examples:
 (i) Direct : He said to me, “Your brother obeys to you.”
Indirect : He told me that my brother obeyed to me. 

(ii) Direct : He said to me, “Your sister respects you.”
Indirect : He told me that my sister respected me.

(iii) Direct : Roshan said to me, “You are honest.”
Indirect : Roshan said to me that I was honest.

3. Pronouns and possessive adjectives of the Third Person (He, She, It, They, etc.) are not changed.

Examples: 
(i) Direct : Ajit said to me, “They are good children.”
Indirect : Ajit tol d me that they were good children. 

(ii) Direct : I said, “She is washing her clothes.”
Indirect : I said that she was washing her clothes.

(iii) Direct : Kamal said to me, “Rohan works hard.”
Indirect : Kamal told me that Rohan worked hard.

Note: If the reporting verb ‘said’ is followed by an object it is changed into ‘told’. The verb told is not followed by the preposition to.