Direct and Indirect Speech by Types of Sentences
1. Statements (Assertive Sentences)
Structure:
Direct Speech: "She said, 'I am happy.'"Indirect Speech: She said that she was happy.
Changes:
- Remove quotation marks.
- Use "that" after the reporting verb.
- Change the tense of the verb in the reported speech.
- Change pronouns and time expressions as necessary.
Examples:
Direct: "He said, 'I like this movie.'"Indirect: He said that he liked that movie.
Direct: "They said, 'We will come tomorrow.'"
Indirect: They said that they would come the next day.
2. Questions (Interrogative Sentences)
Structure:
Direct Speech: "She asked, 'Do you like chocolate?'"Indirect Speech: She asked if I liked chocolate.
Changes:
- Remove quotation marks and question marks.
- Use "if" or "whether" after the reporting verb for yes/no questions.
- Use the question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) for WH-questions.
- Change the tense of the verb in the reported speech.
- Change pronouns and time expressions as necessary.
- The word order is changed to that of a statement (subject before verb).
Examples:
Direct: "He asked, 'Where are you going?'"Indirect: He asked where I was going.
Direct: "They asked, 'Have you finished your homework?'"
Indirect: They asked if I had finished my homework.
3. Commands (Imperative Sentences)
Structure:
Direct Speech: "He said, 'Close the door.'"Indirect Speech: He told me to close the door.
Changes:
- Remove quotation marks.
- Use "to" + base form of the verb after the reporting verb.
- Use "told" instead of "said" if it's a command or request.
- For negative commands, use "not to" + base form of the verb.
Examples:
Direct: "She said, 'Do your homework.'"Indirect: She told me to do my homework.
Direct: "They said, 'Don't be late.'"
Indirect: They told me not to be late.
4. Exclamations (Exclamatory Sentences)
Structure:
Direct Speech: "He said, 'What a beautiful day!'"Indirect Speech: He exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.
Changes:
- Remove quotation marks and exclamation marks.
- Use "exclaimed" or "said with joy/surprise" after the reporting verb.
- Convert the exclamation into a statement.
- Change the tense of the verb in the reported speech.
- Change pronouns and time expressions as necessary.
Examples:
Direct: "She said, 'How amazing this is!'"Indirect: She exclaimed that it was amazing.
Direct: "They said, 'Wow, we won the game!'"
Indirect: They exclaimed with joy that they had won the game.
Summary
1. Statements: Use "that" after the reporting verb, change pronouns and tenses.2. Questions: Use "if" or "whether" for yes/no questions; use the question word for WH-questions, change word order.
3. Commands: Use "to" + base form of the verb, or "not to" for negative commands.
4. Exclamations: Use "exclaimed" and convert the exclamation to a statement.