APSC AAO 2024: Direct and Indirect Speech with examples

Direct and Indirect Speech (also known as Reported Speech) are ways to convey what someone has said.

1. Direct Speech

Direct speech is when we quote someone’s exact words, using quotation marks.

• Structure: [Subject] + said/asked + comma + “Exact Words”
• Example 1: John said, “I am going to the park.”
• Example 2: She asked, “Are you coming to the party?”

2. Indirect Speech

Indirect speech is when we report what someone said without using their exact words. The structure changes, and quotation marks are not used. Additionally, verb tenses and pronouns often change to reflect the shift in time and perspective.

• Structure: [Subject] + said/asked + that + reported sentence (without quotation marks)
• Example 1: John said that he was going to the park.
• Example 2: She asked if I was coming to the party.

Key Changes from Direct to Indirect Speech:

Pronoun Changes: Pronouns usually change to match the perspective of the speaker.

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

Tense Changes: If the reporting verb is in the past (said, asked), the tense of the verb in indirect speech usually shifts one step back in time.

• Present simple changes to past simple:
  • Direct: He said, “I play football.”
  • Indirect: He said that he played football.
• Present continuous changes to past continuous:
  • Direct: She said, “I am cooking dinner.”
  • Indirect: She said that she was cooking dinner.
• Present perfect changes to past perfect:
  • Direct: They said, “We have finished the work.”
  • Indirect: They said that they had finished the work.
• Past simple changes to past perfect:
  • Direct: He said, “I saw the movie.”
  • Indirect: He said that he had seen the movie.

Time and Place Words: Time expressions often change in indirect speech.

• Now → then
• Today → that day
• Tomorrow → the next day / the following day
• Yesterday → the day before
• Here → there Example:
• Direct: He said, “I will meet you tomorrow.”
• Indirect: He said that he would meet me the next day.

Questions in Indirect Speech:
For yes/no questions, we use if or whether in indirect speech.

• Direct: She asked, “Do you like pizza?”
• Indirect: She asked if I liked pizza. For WH- questions (who, what, where, when, why, how), we keep the question word but change the sentence structure to a statement (subject + verb order).
• Direct: He asked, “Where are you going?”
• Indirect: He asked where I was going.

Examples:

Example 1: Statement (Present to Past)

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

Example 2: Question (WH- Question)

• Direct Speech: He asked, “What are you doing?”
• Indirect Speech: He asked what I was doing.

Example 3: Yes/No Question

• Direct Speech: She asked, “Did you finish the homework?”
• Indirect Speech: She asked if I had finished the homework.

Example 4: Request or Command

For requests or commands, we use to + verb.

• Direct Speech: He said, “Please open the window.”
• Indirect Speech: He asked me to open the window.

Example 5: Negative Command

• Direct Speech: She said, “Don’t be late.”
• Indirect Speech: She told me not to be late.

Special Cases:

No Change in Tense:
If the reporting verb (say, ask) is in the present tense, there is no change in the tense of the reported speech.

• Direct: He says, “I am tired.”
• Indirect: He says that he is tired.

Modal Verbs:
Some modal verbs change in indirect speech:

• Will → would
  • Direct: She said, “I will call you.”
  • Indirect: She said that she would call me.
• Can → could
  • Direct: He said, “I can help you.”
  • Indirect: He said that he could help me.