Direct and Indirect Speech: Rules, Examples, Worksheet

Understanding Direct and Indirect Speech

Hello there! Are you ready to learn about direct and indirect speech? This is an important part of English that can help you express yourself clearly and accurately. Let's dive in!

Table of contents

1. What is Direct Speech?

2. What is Indirect Speech?

3. Key Differences Between Direct and Indirect Speech

4. How to Change Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

5. Common Changes in Indirect Speech (Tense, Modal, Pronoun, Time and Place)

6. Direct and Indirect Speech Examples

7. Direct and Indirect Speech Worksheet

8. FAQs

1. What is Direct Speech?

Direct speech is when you repeat exactly what someone said. You use quotation marks to show their exact words. It’s like quoting them directly.

Example:

• Sarah said, "I am going to the market."

In this example, you can see Sarah's exact words inside the quotation marks.

2. What is Indirect Speech?

Indirect speech is when you report what someone said without using their exact words. You don’t use quotation marks, and you often need to change the tense and pronouns.

Example:

• Sarah said that she was going to the market.

Here, we are sharing the same information, but we are not quoting Sarah’s exact words.

3. Key Differences Between Direct and Indirect Speech

1. Quotation Marks: Direct speech uses quotation marks; indirect speech does not.
2. Tense Changes: Often, the tense changes in indirect speech.
3. Pronouns Change: Pronouns may change to match the speaker.

4. How to Change Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

Changing direct speech to indirect speech can be simple if you follow these steps:

Step 1: Remove the Quotation Marks

Take away the quotation marks since we won’t need them in indirect speech.

• Direct Speech: He said, "I am happy."
• Indirect Speech: He said that he was happy.

Step 2: Change the Pronouns

Change the pronouns to match the new speaker’s perspective.

• Direct Speech: She said, "I will call you."
• Indirect Speech: She said that she would call me.

Step 3: Adjust the Tense

Often, you need to change the tense when switching from direct to indirect speech.

• Direct Speech: They said, "We are learning English."
• Indirect Speech: They said that they were learning English.

Step 4: Use 'That'

In indirect speech, we usually add the word 'that' to connect the two parts of the sentence. However, in some cases, 'that' can be optional.

• Direct Speech: John said, "I will visit you tomorrow."
• Indirect Speech: John said that he would visit me the next day.

See also: Direct and Indirect Speech by Types of Sentences- Statements, Questions, Commands, Exclamations.

5. Common Changes in Indirect Speech

Here are some common changes you need to make when converting direct speech to indirect speech:

1. Tense Changes

Direct Speech Tense	Indirect Speech Tense	Example (Direct Speech -> Indirect Speech)
Present Simple	Past Simple	He said, "I eat an apple." -> He said that he ate an apple.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	He said, "I am eating an apple." -> He said that he was eating an apple.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	He said, "I have eaten an apple." -> He said that he had eaten an apple.
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous	He said, "I have been eating an apple." -> He said that he had been eating an apple.
Past Simple	Past Perfect	He said, "I ate an apple." -> He said that he had eaten an apple.
Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous	He said, "I was eating an apple." -> He said that he had been eating an apple.
Past Perfect	Past Perfect (No Change)	He said, "I had eaten an apple." -> He said that he had eaten an apple.
Past Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous (No Change)	He said, "I had been eating an apple." -> He said that he had been eating an apple.
Future Simple (will)	Would	He said, "I will eat an apple." -> He said that he would eat an apple.
Future Continuous (will be)	Would be	He said, "I will be eating an apple." -> He said that he would be eating an apple.
Future Perfect (will have)	Would have	He said, "I will have eaten an apple." -> He said that he would have eaten an apple.
Future Perfect Continuous (will have been)	Would have been	He said, "I will have been eating an apple." -> He said that he would have been eating an apple.

2. Modal Changes

Direct Speech Modal	Indirect Speech Modal	Example (Direct Speech -> Indirect Speech)
Will	Would	He said, "I will go to the market." -> He said that he would go to the market.
Can	Could	She said, "I can swim." -> She said that she could swim.
May	Might	He said, "I may come early." -> He said that he might come early.
Shall	Should/Would	He said, "I shall start now." -> He said that he should start now. / He said he would start now.
Must	Had to	She said, "I must finish my work." -> She said that she had to finish her work.
Could	Could (No Change)	He said, "I could see the stars." -> He said that he could see the stars.
Might	Might (No Change)	She said, "I might go to the party." -> She said that she might go to the party.
Should	Should (No Change)	He said, "You should see this movie." -> He said that I should see the movie.
Would	Would (No Change)	She said, "I would help you." -> She said that she would help me.

3. Pronoun Changes

Direct Speech Pronoun	Indirect Speech Pronoun	Example (Direct Speech -> Indirect Speech)
I	He/She	He said, "I am happy." -> He said that he was happy.
You	I/He/She/They	She said, "You are kind." -> She said that I was kind.
We	They	They said, "We are going out." -> They said that they were going out. OR They said that they and I were going out. (If you’re part of the group in the conversation, "we" includes you, so the pronoun must reflect that in indirect speech.)
Me	Him/Her	He said, "She likes me." -> He said that she liked him.
Us	Them	He said, "They gave us gifts." -> He said that they gave them gifts.
My	His/Her	He said, "My car is new." -> He said that his car was new.
Your	My/His/Her/Their	She said, "Your house is big." -> She said that my house was big.
Our	Their	They said, "Our team won." -> They said that their team won.
Mine	His/Hers	She said, "This book is mine." -> She said that the book was hers.
Yours	Mine/His/Hers/Theirs	He said, "This is yours." -> He said that it was mine.
Ours	Theirs	They said, "The victory is ours." -> They said that the victory was theirs.
He	He	She said, "He is here." -> She said that he was there.
She	She	He said, "She is singing." -> He said that she was singing.
Him	Him	She said, "I saw him." -> She said that she saw him.
Her	Her	He said, "I called her." -> He said that he called her.
His	His	She said, "That is his book." -> She said that was his book.
Hers	Hers	He said, "The car is hers." -> He said that the car was hers.
They	They	She said, "They are coming." -> She said that they were coming.
Them	Them	He said, "I helped them." -> He said that he helped them.
Their	Their	She said, "Their plan worked." -> She said that their plan worked.
Theirs	Theirs	He said, "The house is theirs." -> He said that the house was theirs.
It	It	She said, "It is raining." -> She said that it was raining.
Its	Its	He said, "Its color is blue." -> He said that its color was blue.

4. Time and Place Changes

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech	Example (Direct Speech -> Indirect Speech)
Now	Then	He said, "I am studying now." -> He said that he was studying then.
Today	That day	She said, "I will go today." -> She said that she would go that day.
Tonight	That night	He said, "I will see you tonight." -> He said that he would see me that night.
Tomorrow	The next day / The following day	She said, "I will visit you tomorrow." -> She said that she would visit me the next day.
Yesterday	The previous day / The day before	He said, "I saw her yesterday." -> He said that he had seen her the day before.
Last night	The previous night / The night before	She said, "I was at home last night." -> She said that she had been at home the night before.
Last week	The previous week / The week before	He said, "I met him last week." -> He said that he had met him the week before.
Next week	The next week / The following week	She said, "I will travel next week." -> She said that she would travel the following week.
Ago	Before	He said, "I saw him two days ago." -> He said that he had seen him two days before.
This	That	She said, "This is my book." -> She said that was her book.
These	Those	He said, "These are my friends." -> He said that those were his friends.
Here	There	She said, "I am here." -> She said that she was there.
Come	Go	He said, "Come here." -> He told me to go there.

6. Direct and Indirect Speech Examples

To master direct and indirect speech, practice is key. Try converting some sentences yourself and check if you got them right.

• Direct Speech: She said, "I can help you."
• Indirect Speech: She said that she could help me.

• Direct Speech: They said, "We are going to the park."
• Indirect Speech: They said that they were going to the park.

• Direct Speech: "I am reading a book," Mary said.
• Indirect Speech: Mary said that she was reading a book.

• Direct Speech: John said, "I will meet you at the library."
• Indirect Speech: John said that he would meet me at the library.

• Direct Speech: "Can you help me with my homework?" she asked.
• Indirect Speech: She asked if I could help her with her homework.

• Direct Speech: "We visited the museum yesterday," they said.
• Indirect Speech: They said that they had visited the museum the day before.

• Direct Speech: "I have finished my project," he announced.
• Indirect Speech: He announced that he had finished his project.

7. Direct and Indirect Speech Worksheet

Convert the Following Sentences from Direct to Indirect Speech

1. Direct Speech: "I love ice cream," Sarah said.
    Indirect Speech: ___________________________

2. Direct Speech: "We are going to the beach tomorrow," they told us.
    Indirect Speech: ___________________________

3. Direct Speech: "Can you come to my party?" John asked.
    Indirect Speech: ___________________________

4. Direct Speech: "I have never been to Paris," she mentioned.
    Indirect Speech: ___________________________

5. Direct Speech: "He will call you later," my mom said.
    Indirect Speech: ___________________________

Answers to the Worksheet

1. Indirect Speech: Sarah said that she loved ice cream.

2. Indirect Speech: They told us that they were going to the beach the next day.

3. Indirect Speech: John asked if I could come to his party.

4. Indirect Speech: She mentioned that she had never been to Paris.

5. Indirect Speech: My mom said that he would call me later.

Practice with These Sentences

6. Direct Speech: "I need some help with this task," Mark said.
    Indirect Speech: ___________________________

7. Direct Speech: "We will finish our work soon," they announced.
    Indirect Speech: ___________________________

8. Direct Speech: "Do you know the way to the station?" he asked.
    Indirect Speech: ___________________________

9. Direct Speech: "I bought a new car last week," she said.
    Indirect Speech: ___________________________

10. Direct Speech: "You should visit the new museum," my friend suggested.
      Indirect Speech: ___________________________

Answers to the Practice Sentences

6. Indirect Speech: Mark said that he needed some help with that task.

7. Indirect Speech: They announced that they would finish their work soon.

8. Indirect Speech: He asked if I knew the way to the station.

9. Indirect Speech: She said that she had bought a new car the previous week.

10. Indirect Speech: My friend suggested that I should visit the new museum.

Extra Practice

For extra practice, try converting these direct speech sentences to indirect speech on your own:

11. Direct Speech: "I am going to the concert tonight," he said.

12. Direct Speech: "They are watching a movie," she mentioned.

13. Direct Speech: "Can you lend me your book?" Sarah asked.

14. Direct Speech: "I finished my homework," John announced.

15. Direct Speech: "She will arrive at 7 PM," they said.

Learning direct and indirect speech can be fun and easy! 

Remember to practice, and soon you'll be able to switch between them smoothly.

Happy Learning!

Keep practicing, and you'll get better each day. Enjoy your journey of learning English!

FAQs: Direct and Indirect Speech

1. What is Direct Speech?

Direct speech is when you quote someone's exact words and place them within quotation marks. It captures what a person says word for word.

Example:

• He said, “I am going to the store.”

2. What is Indirect Speech?

Indirect speech (or reported speech) is when you summarize or report what someone said without quoting their exact words. The sentence structure and pronouns may change, and quotation marks are not used.

Example:

• He said that he was going to the store.

3. What are the main differences between Direct and Indirect Speech?

Here are the key differences:

Direct Speech: Uses quotation marks and the speaker’s exact words.

• Example: She said, “I will help you.”

Indirect Speech: Does not use quotation marks, and the original words are often changed to fit into the report.

• Example: She said that she would help me.

4. How do you change a sentence from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech?

When changing from direct to indirect speech, follow these steps:

1. Remove the quotation marks.
2. Change the tense of the verb (if necessary) according to the reporting verb.
3. Adjust the pronouns and time expressions.
4. Add the word "that" if needed (it can be optional in some cases).

For Example:

• Direct: “I am hungry,” she said.
• Indirect: She said (that) she was hungry.

5. How do the tenses change in Indirect Speech?

When converting direct speech to indirect speech, the tense often changes depending on the original tense of the sentence:

Present simple → Past simple: “I eat lunch,” he said. → He said that he ate lunch.

Present continuous → Past continuous: “I am eating,” she said. → She said that she was eating.

Present perfect → Past perfect: “I have eaten,” she said. → She said that she had eaten.

Will → Would: “I will go,” he said. → He said that he would go.

6. Do we always need to change the tense in Indirect Speech?

No, if the reporting verb (e.g., said, told) is in the present or if the statement being reported is still true or relevant, the tense does not always change.

Example:

• Direct: He says, “I am tired.”
• Indirect: He says that he is tired. (The tense stays the same.)

7. What changes do we make to pronouns in Indirect Speech?

When converting direct speech to indirect speech, the pronouns often change to reflect the perspective of the speaker.

• Direct: “I love this book,” she said.
• Indirect: She said that she loved that book.

8. How do time expressions change in Indirect Speech?

Time expressions in direct speech often need to be adjusted when converting to indirect speech. 

Here are some common changes:

• Today → That day
• Tomorrow → The next day / The following day
• Yesterday → The day before
• Now → Then
• This time → That time
• Here → There

Example:

• Direct: “I will meet you tomorrow,” he said.
• Indirect: He said that he would meet me the next day.

9. Do we need to use “that” in Indirect Speech?

In indirect speech, "that" is often used to connect the reporting verb with the reported speech, but it is optional in many cases.

• With "that": She said that she was coming.
• Without "that": She said she was coming.

Both sentences are correct.

10. How do you report questions in Indirect Speech?

When reporting questions, the word order changes, and we don’t use question marks. Instead, we use words like if or whether for yes/no questions and leave out the auxiliary verbs (like do or did).

Yes/No Questions:

• Direct: “Are you coming?” he asked.
• Indirect: He asked if I was coming.

Wh- Questions:

• Direct: “Where do you live?” she asked.
• Indirect: She asked where I lived.

11. How do you report commands in Indirect Speech?

For reporting commands or requests, we use verbs like ask, tell, or order, followed by the infinitive form of the verb.

• Direct: “Close the door,” he said.
• Indirect: He told me to close the door.

• Direct: “Please help me,” she said.
• Indirect: She asked me to help her.

12. How do we report suggestions in Indirect Speech?

For suggestions, use verbs like suggest or recommend, followed by a clause or the -ing form of the verb.

• Direct: “Let’s go to the park,” he said.
• Indirect: He suggested going to the park.

13. Can we use "said" and "told" interchangeably?

No, said and told are not used interchangeably:

Said is used without a direct object:

• He said (that) he was tired.

Told requires a direct object (the person being spoken to):

• He told me (that) he was tired.

14. What are reporting verbs?

Reporting verbs are verbs used to report what someone has said. 

Common examples include: say, tell, ask, suggest, advise, warn, promise, order, and explain.

Example:

• Direct: “You should rest,” the doctor said.
• Indirect: The doctor advised me to rest.

15. How do modal verbs change in Indirect Speech?

When reporting modal verbs like will, can, and must, they usually change to their past form:

Will → Would

• Direct: “I will go,” she said.
• Indirect: She said that she would go.

Can → Could

• Direct: “I can help,” he said.
• Indirect: He said that he could help.

Must → Had to

• Direct: “You must finish this,” she said.
• Indirect: She said that I had to finish it.

16. How do you report negative statements in Indirect Speech?

To report negative statements in indirect speech, simply keep the negative form in the reported speech.

• Direct: “I don’t like coffee,” he said.
• Indirect: He said that he didn’t like coffee.

17. What happens if the reporting verb is in the present tense?

If the reporting verb (e.g., says, tells) is in the present tense, the tense in the reported speech does not need to change.

• Direct: “I love pizza,” she says.
• Indirect: She says that she loves pizza.

18. How do we report exclamations in Indirect Speech?

When reporting exclamations or strong emotions, we generally turn them into statements and adjust the structure accordingly.

• Direct: “What a beautiful dress!” she exclaimed.
• Indirect: She exclaimed that it was a beautiful dress.

19. Are there any exceptions to tense changes in Indirect Speech?

Yes, in some cases, we don’t change the tense, such as:

When reporting universal truths or general facts:

• Direct: “The Earth orbits the Sun,” she said.
• Indirect: She said that the Earth orbits the Sun.

When the reported speech is still relevant or true at the time of reporting:

• Direct: “I live in New York,” he said.
• Indirect: He said that he lives in New York. (If he still lives there).

20. How can I practice changing Direct to Indirect Speech?

To practice, try converting simple direct speech sentences into indirect speech. Focus on adjusting the tense, pronouns, and time expressions. Start with sentences like:

• Direct: “I’m going to the park,” she said.
• Indirect: She said that she was going to the park.

You can also practice with questions, commands, and requests to build confidence!

See also: Direct and Indirect Speech by Types of Sentences- Statements, Questions, Commands, Exclamations.