Class 5 English Grammar Chapter 7 Reported Speech

The following paragraphs illustrate the two ways in which we can report the words of a speaker.

• 1. Teacher said, “Have you done your homework?”
  Student said, “Sorry, teacher, I could not complete it.”
  Teacher said, “Why couldn’t you complete your homework? Now get out of my class!”
• 2. The teacher asked the student if he had done his homework.
  The student apologised that he could not do his homework. On knowing this, the teacher angrily asked him the reason for not doing the homework and asked him to get out of the class.

In 1, we give the exact words used by the speaker. This is called the Direct Speech. In 2, we do not give the exact words of the speaker but give only the substance of what he said. This is called the Indirect Speech or Narration.

The following rules will help you in changing Direct Speech into Indirect:
Rule 1:
If the Reporting Verb is in the Present or Future Tense, the Verb in the Reported Speech is not changed at all.
Direct: Meena says, “There is no water in the jug.”
Indirect: Meena says that there is no water in the jug.

Rule 2:
If the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense, the Verb in the Reported Speech is also in the Past Tense. The matter inside the inverted comma will change as under.
1. The Simple Present becomes the Simple Past; as:
Direct: Teacher said, “Kitty works very hard.”
Indirect: Teacher said that Kitty worked very hard.

Rule 3:
(Exception to Rule 2.) If the reported speech contains some universal or habitual fact, then the Simple Present in the Reported Speech is not changed into the corresponding Simple Past, but remains unchanged.
Direct: The Mother Teresa said, “Charity begins at home.”
Indirect: The Mother Teresa said that Charity begins at home.

Rule 4:
Students may carefully note the following in order to understand the change of persons.
First Person is changed into the person of the subject.
Second Person is changed into the person of the object.
For the Third Person, there is no change.

Rule 5:
In the Reported Speech ‘said to’ changes to “told”, thus:
Direct: He said to me, “I will go there tomorrow.”
Indirect: He told me that he would go there the next day.

Rule 6:
In the Reported Speech the words expressing nearness are changed into words expressing distance or remoteness, thus:
ex.: This- changes into- that