Direct Speech and Indirect Speech

Direct and indirect speech

​What do you mean by direct and indirect speech?

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​Direct speech is when we use the exact words of the speaker.

For example-:

1} Ram said," I am going to the market".

​2} I said," I have already visited the bank".

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​Indirect speech is when we convey the message of the speaker in our own words.It is also known as reported speech.

​1} Ram said that he was going to the market.

​2} I said that I had already visited the bank".

​Rules for a sentence into Indirect speech-

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​1. Remove all the double inverted commas and comma.

​2. Add the word 'that' in place of single comma which is after the reporting verb.

​3. Change the tense, pronoun and time of the sentence according to the rules.

​4. If the sentence in direct speech is a universal truth, so the tense of the sentence will not change in indirect speech.

​5. If the reporting verb in direct speech is in simple present, so the tense will not change in indirect speech.

​Table1-: Change in tense

​Direct speech Indirect speech

​Present Simple Past Simple

​Present Continous Past Continous

​Present Perfect Past perfect

​Present Perfect Continous Past Perfect Continous

​Past Continous Past Perfect Continous

​Past Perfect No Change

​Past Perfect Continous No Change

​Past Simple Past perfect