Change of Speech questions with answers and concepts

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Change of Speech, also known as Reported Speech, involves converting statements from Direct Speech (exact words spoken) to Indirect Speech (reported words) and vice versa. This transformation requires careful attention to tense changes, pronoun adjustments, time and place expressions, and appropriate reporting verbs. Mastery of these rules is essential for accurate communication and sentence correction in competitive exams.

Key formulas and rules

9 rules

Simple Present to Simple Past: Direct: $S + V_{1} \to$ Indirect: $S + V_{2}$ (e.g., 'I write' $\to$ he wrote)

Present Continuous to Past Continuous: Direct: $S + is/am/are + V_{ing} \to$ Indirect: $S + was/were + V_{ing}$

Present Perfect to Past Perfect: Direct: $S + has/have + V_{3} \to$ Indirect: $S + had + V_{3}$

Simple Past to Past Perfect: Direct: $S + V_{2} \to$ Indirect: $S + had + V_{3}$

Modal Shifts: $will \to would$ , $shall \to should$ , $can \to could$ , $may \to might$

Time & Place Adverbs: $now \to then$ , $today \to that day$ , $yesterday \to the previous day$ , $tomorrow \to the next day$ , $here \to there$

Interrogative (Yes/No): Reporting verb $\to$ $asked + if/whether + S + V$

Interrogative (Wh- Questions): Reporting verb $\to$ $asked + wh-word + S + V$ (no connective that)

Universal Truth Invariant: If reported speech expresses a universal truth or scientific law, tense remains unchanged ( $V_{1} \to V_{1}$ )

Key concepts

Reporting Verbs and Their Usage

The choice of reporting verb determines the structure of indirect speech. 'Say' is used without an object (He said that...), while 'tell' requires an object (He told me that...). 'Ask' is used for questions (He asked if/whether...), 'request' for polite requests (He requested me to...), 'order' for commands (He ordered them to...), 'advise' for suggestions (He advised me to...), and 'exclaim' for exclamations (He exclaimed that...). The reporting verb often changes based on the mood and context of the original statement.

Tense Changes in Indirect Speech

When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of the reported speech usually changes. Present tenses become past tenses, and past tenses become past perfect. However, if the reported statement expresses a universal truth, scientific fact, or habitual action, the tense remains unchanged. For example: 'The teacher said, 'The Earth revolves around the Sun'' -> 'The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.' If the reporting verb is in present or future tense, no tense change occurs.

Pronoun Changes

First-person pronouns (I, we, my, our, mine, ours) change according to the subject of the reporting verb. Second-person pronouns (you, your, yours) change according to the object of the reporting verb. Third-person pronouns (he, she, it, they, his, her, their) remain unchanged. For example: 'She said, 'I will bring my book'' -> 'She said that she would bring her book.' 'He said to me, 'You are late'' -> 'He told me that I was late.'

Handling Questions in Indirect Speech

For yes/no questions, use 'if' or 'whether' after the reporting verb (He asked if she was coming). For WH-questions, keep the WH-word and change the word order to statement form (He asked where she was going). The reporting verb changes to 'asked', 'inquired', 'questioned', or 'wondered'. Remove the question mark and quotation marks. For example: 'Where are you going?' she asked him -> She asked him where he was going.

Commands, Requests, and Exclamations

Imperative sentences (commands/requests) use 'to' + infinitive in indirect speech. Positive commands use 'told/ordered/requested/advised + object + to + verb' (He said, 'Open the door' -> He told me to open the door). Negative commands use 'told/ordered + object + not + to + verb' (He said, 'Don't go' -> He told me not to go). Exclamations use 'exclaimed' with appropriate emotion words: He exclaimed with joy/sorrow/surprise/anger that... (He said, 'What a beautiful flower!' -> He exclaimed that it was a beautiful flower).

Converting Indirect to Direct Speech

To convert indirect speech to direct speech, reverse the transformations: change 'said that' to 'said,', 'told X that' to 'said to X,'; restore original tenses; change past perfect to simple past; change 'would' to 'will', 'could' to 'can', etc.; restore 'that day' to 'today', 'the next day' to 'tomorrow', etc.; and add quotation marks. For example: He said that he had finished his work -> He said, 'I have finished my work.'

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Worked examples

Example 1

Convert to Indirect Speech: She said, 'I am learning French these days.'

Solution

Step 1: Identify the reporting verb 'said' and the reported speech 'I am learning French these days.'
Step 2: Change 'said' to 'said that' for statements.
Step 3: Change first-person pronoun 'I' to 'she' (subject of reporting verb).
Step 4: Change Present Continuous 'am learning' to Past Continuous 'was learning'.
Step 5: Change 'these days' to 'those days'.
Final Answer: She said that she was learning French those days.

Example 2

Convert to Indirect Speech: The teacher said to the students, 'Did you complete your homework?'

Solution

Step 1: This is a yes/no question, so use 'if' or 'whether'.
Step 2: Change 'said to' to 'asked' for questions.
Step 3: Remove the question mark and quotation marks.
Step 4: Change second-person 'you' to 'they' (referring to students).
Step 5: Change 'your' to 'their'.
Step 6: Convert interrogative to statement form: 'Did complete' -> 'had completed'.
Final Answer: The teacher asked the students if they had completed their homework.

Example 3

Convert to Indirect Speech: My father said, 'Don't waste your time.'

Solution

Step 1: This is a negative command/imperative sentence.
Step 2: Use 'told + object + not to + verb' structure.
Step 3: Change 'said' to 'told me'.
Step 4: Change 'your' to 'my' (second person -> first person based on object).
Step 5: Convert 'Don't waste' to 'not to waste'.
Final Answer: My father told me not to waste my time.

Example 4

Convert to Direct Speech: Ram said that he would be late that evening.

Solution

Step 1: Change 'said that' to 'said,' with quotation marks.
Step 2: Change 'he' (third person) back to 'I' (first person).
Step 3: Change 'would' to 'will'.
Step 4: Change 'that evening' to 'this evening'.
Final Answer: Ram said, 'I will be late this evening.'

Representative solved questions

See the kind of question in this topic before opening the full practice set.

Question 1

Direct: He said, 'I was watching TV when she called.'
Indirect: ?

He said that he had been watching TV when she called.
He said that he was watching TV when she had called.
He said that he had been watching TV when she had called.
He said that he watched TV when she called.

Answer: C. He said that he had been watching TV when she had called.

Explanation

Step 1: Past continuous 'was watching' changes to past perfect continuous 'had been watching'.
Step 2: Past simple 'called' changes to past perfect 'had called'.
Step 3: 'I' changes to 'he'.
Step 4: Both verbs shift back one tense when the reporting verb is in past tense.
Answer: He said that he had been watching TV when she had called.

Sources and review notes

This is an AISEA-authored practice question.

Review status: accepted · Reviewed 2026-08-13 · structure and answer-key checks, editorial quality checks, duplicate screening

Question 2

Direct: 'Is anyone there?' she cried.
Indirect: ?

She cried if anyone was there.
She cried and asked if anyone was there.
She cried asking whether anyone was there.
She cried out to ask if anyone was there.

Answer: B. She cried and asked if anyone was there.

Explanation

Step 1: 'Cried' can combine with 'asked' for shouted questions.
Step 2: Present tense 'is' changes to past 'was'.
Step 3: Question mark removed, 'if' or 'whether' used.
Step 4: Word order changes to statement form.
Answer: She cried and asked if anyone was there.

Sources and review notes

This is an AISEA-authored practice question.

Review status: accepted · Reviewed 2026-08-13 · structure and answer-key checks, editorial quality checks, duplicate screening

Question 3

Direct: He said, 'Alas! I have lost my wallet.'
Indirect: ?

He exclaimed that he had lost his wallet.
He exclaimed with sorrow that he had lost his wallet.
All of these are correct
He exclaimed sorrowfully that he had lost his wallet.

Answer: C. All of these are correct

Explanation

Step 1: 'Alas' indicates sorrow/grief.
Step 2: Options include 'exclaimed with sorrow', 'exclaimed sorrowfully', or simple 'exclaimed' (context understood).
Step 3: Present perfect 'have lost' changes to past perfect 'had lost'.
Step 4: 'My' changes to 'his'.
Answer: All of these are correct

Sources and review notes

This is an AISEA-authored practice question.

Review status: accepted · Reviewed 2026-08-13 · structure and answer-key checks, editorial quality checks, duplicate screening

Common mistakes and useful habits

Always identify the type of sentence first: statement, question, command, or exclamation — this determines the reporting verb and structure.
Pay special attention to pronoun changes based on the subject (for first person) and object (for second person) of the reporting verb.
Universal truths and scientific facts do NOT change tense in indirect speech (e.g., 'The sun rises in the east' remains in present tense).
Remember that 'said to' becomes 'told' (with object) or remains 'said' (without object); never use 'said to that'.
For time expressions: today->that day, tomorrow->the next day/the following day, yesterday->the day before/the previous day, now->then, here->there.
When converting questions, remove the auxiliary verb (do/does/did) and restore the main verb to its proper tense form.

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