A small attempt to teach direct and indirect speech in English

1. DIRECT AND INDIRECT
SPEECH

2. “ I want to study Grammar from tomorrow
onwards”, Mr. Kezang said.
Mr. Kezang said that he wanted to study
Grammar from the next day onwards.
Note the changes that happen when you
change direct speech into indirect speech

3. It is our tendency to report what others say…..
Just check how many of our sentences are reported
speeches…
When we say what others have said exactly using their
own words, we consider that to be direct reporting
And
When we report what others have said with some
minor changes, we consider it to be indirect reporting.

4. • The change of tense
• The change of pronouns
• The change of pointer words (words indicating
time and place)
THREE IMPORTANT CHANGES THAT HAPPEN…

5. CHANGE OF TENSE
Tense takes one step backward
All present tense becomes past tense
Simple Present  Simple Past
Present continuous  Past Continuous
Present Perfect  Past Perfect
Present perfect continuous  Past perfect continuous
Simple past  Simple Past/ Past Perfect
Past continuous  Past Continuous/ Past perfect Continuous
Past Perfect  Past Perfect
Past Perfect continuous Past Perfect continuous
Future Tense
Will  would
Shall  should

6. Pronouns change according to
their context
“I LOVE YOU”, he told her
He told her that he loved her
“I love you” I told her.
I told her that I loved her.
“I hate you” she said to me.
She said to me that she hated me
“We love you” you told us
You told us that you loved us.
“We like you”, they said to you
They said to you that they liked you.

7. Change of Pointer words –
Indicating Time and Space
TOMORROW  THE NEXT DAY
TODAY  THAT DAY
YESTERDAY  THE PREVIOUS DAY/THE DAY BEFORE
NOW  THEN
HERE  THERE

8. Again, the changes have to be made
according to the types of sentences
•Declarative (STATEMENTS)
Eg. My name is Sonam. I am interested in Grammar
• Exclamatory (expressing surprises)
Eg. What an amusing experience we had!
• Imperative (commands/requests)
“Open the door”, “Please give me a chalk”
•Interrogative (Questions) Two types:
“Wh- questions “and “Yes/No Questions”
Where is your home?
Do you like to have a cup of coffee?
Activity: (write Five examples for each type

9. Declarative sentences can be reported with
“that”.
•He said, “ I want to go for a picnic tomorrow”
•He said that he wanted to go for a picnic the coming day.
“Our teacher will come to my home to meet my father”,
she said to her friend.
She told her friend that their teacher would come to her
home to meet her father.
Activity: (write Five examples like this)

10. Wh- Questions can reported,
using the “wh-question word”: like what, when,
where, how, why etc.
She asked her mother, “What have you prepared for breakfast?
She inquired her mother what she had prepared for breakfast
“Where are you going, Pema?” Tashi asked.
Tashi asked Pema where he was going.
Activity: (write Five examples like this)

11. Yes/No Questions require the use of
whether/ if
“Do you love cats?” the little Lily asked her brother.
The little Lily asked her brother whether/if he loved cats.
“Will you marry me?”, She asked Sharuk Khan.
She asked Sharuk Khan, whether/if he would marry
her.
Activity: (write Five examples like this)

12. Exclamatory sentences need to be changed into
Declarative , before reporting it.
“What a bright morning !”, she said.
It is a very bright morning. (declarative)
She exclaimed that it was a very bright morning
Activity: (write Five examples like this)

13. Imperatives : can be reported with “ to
infinitives”.
“Stop blaming your friends.” He said to them.
He asked them to stop blaming their friends.
“Do not come to talk to me.” She told him.
She told him not to come to talk to her.
Activity: (write Five examples like this)

14. Do every reporting
systematically and avoid
errors

15. When we report questions, the indirect speech is
introduced by verbs such as asked, inquired etc.
He said to me, ‘What are you doing there?’
He asked me what I was doing there.
To report an Yes/No question, we use if or whether.
He said to me, ‘Are you interested?’
He asked me if I was interested.
He said to them, ‘Will you listen to such a man?’
He asked them whether they would listen to such a
man.

16. If the reporting verb is in the present tense, the tenses in
the direct speech do not change.
He says, ‘He is leaving.’
He says that he is leaving.
Or
When a universal truth is reported, the tense do not
change
The teacher said, “The earth goes round the sun”
The teacher said that the earth goes round the sun.
A few Reminders

17. When we report commands and requests, the
indirect speech is introduced by verbs expressing
a command or request.
Examples are: ordered, requested, commanded,
shouted etc.
The master said to the servant, ‘Go away.’
The master ordered the servant to go away.
He said to them, ‘Please wait here till I return.’
He requested them to wait there till he returned.

18. THANK YOU
Dev’s creation