Change of Speech
Direct to indirect speech
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 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.'
Solved Examples
Problem 1:
Convert to Indirect Speech: She said, 'I am learning French these days.'
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.
Problem 2:
Convert to Indirect Speech: The teacher said to the students, 'Did you complete your homework?'
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.
Problem 3:
Convert to Indirect Speech: My father said, 'Don't waste your time.'
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.
Problem 4:
Convert to Direct Speech: Ram said that he would be late that evening.
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.'
Tips for Success
- 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.
Practice questions
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