Reported speech: indirect speech Cambridge Grammar

So, these were the examples of direct and indirect speech. Conversion of direct to indirect speech includes change in tenses, pronouns and time expression. When writers repeat words or phrases directly from a source, they are using direct Direct, Indirect Speech speech . When writers modify or report on words or phrases of a source, they are using indirect speech. While there are quotation and question marks in the direct speech, indirect speech does not have any quotation or question marks.

For other kinds of questions, the question word should stay; however, the order of the sentence must become subject verb object. Adverbs can be used with the reporting verb, to delineate the manner in which something is spoken. Click here for a list of reported speech exercises. Click here to download this explanation in PDF. With regard to direct speech, there is no interpretation or annotation; the words are taken directly from one source and repeated to another. In other words, we take the words directly from the speaker and repeat them exactly as they were originally stated.

Direct and Indirect Speech Examples with Answers

Grandfather said to me, “May God bless you.”5. Mr. Harvey said to me, “Please wait here till I return.”6. “We have been living alone for years,” he said.

• The question word itself works as conjunction.
• While there are quotation and question marks in the direct speech, indirect speech does not have any quotation or question marks.
• The teacher said that French was easy to learn.9.
• Conversely, when own words are used to report the speaker’s statement, it is indirect speech.
• You’ll want to utilize both direct and indirect speech on a regular basis, so be sure you’re comfortable with both and can utilize them properly.

When we use indirect speech, we’re reporting what was said. Let’s now look at some specific examples to learn how to change speech from direct to indirect. These examples will also reinforce the difference between direct and indirect speech. Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like ‘say’, ‘tell’, ‘ask’, and we may use the word ‘that’ to introduce the reported words. Indirect Speech or otherwise called as reported speech is one in which a person reports on what someone else said or wrote to him, not using the actual words.

Indirect speech: reporting commands

When the exact rendition of the words of the speaker is used in a sentence, it is direct speech. Conversely, when own words are used to report the speaker’s statement, it is indirect speech. I. Direct Speech https://accounting-services.net/amortizing-loan-definition/ means the exact repetition of the words spoken by a person, using a quotative frame. Whereas, indirect speech means to report something said or written by another person, without using the exact words.

In indirect speech, the original speaker’s words are changed. In this lesson we learn about reported speech, the structure that we use when we report what another person has said, and reported speech rules. V. In direct speech, inverted comma is used whereas, it is not used in indirect speech. Direct Speech is narrated from the speaker’s viewpoint, whereas indirect speech is narrated from the listener’s viewpoint.

What is Direct & Indirect Speech?

Direct Speech is also known as ‘quoted speech,’ since it uses the exact words of the speaker. Whereas, the indirect speech is also known as ‘reported speech,’ since it narrates what is spoken by a person. When anything is repeated exactly as it was – usually between two inverted commas – it is referred to as direct speech. Further, we use the word ‘that’ in general, in indirect speech. The formation of the reported clause in an indirect speech is mainly based on whether the speaker is just reporting something, or ordering, commanding, requesting, etc. When converting speech from direct to indirect, you must change the present tense verbs to the past tense and remove any quotation marks or commas.

• Next, the pronouns must agree with the antecedents in the indirect speech.
• Therefore, the first step in rendering direct speech to indirect speech is to remove the quotation marks.
• Sometimes we hear the original tale, and other times we hear a retelling of the story.
• When we use direct speech, we are repeating what was said.

In these two examples, you might have observed that when we use direct speech, we use quotations to outline the real words of the speaker. As against, in an indirect speech, there is no such thing, as the listener narrates the same in his/her own words. 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. 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 writers write about phrases or sentences a source has said, they can use either direct speech or indirect speech. Direct speech is used to repeat what someone else has said, and indirect speech is used to report on what someone else has said. The quotation and question marks must be removed from the direct speech. The pronouns must change, and agree with their antecedents.