Direct and Indirect Speech (Narration) Part:1. Pronoun Changes

Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct Speech:

A kind of sentence structure in which we report people’s exact words is called ‘direct speech’. These words are placed between inverted commas.

Examples:

Maheen said, "I want to work hard.”

He said, "I am happy.”

Indirect Speech

A kind of sentence structure in which we make people’s words a part of our own sentence by using conjunctions (e.g. that), and changing sentences, pronouns, and other words where necessary. There

are no inverted commas in indirect speech.

Examples:

Maheen said that she wanted to work hard.

He said that he was happy .

Rule for conversion of Direct speech to indirect speech

In order to change a sentence from direct speech to indirect speech, we apply some general rules.

These rules involve:

• Changing of tenses

• Changing of pronouns

• Change of expressions of time and space

• The comma and the inverted commas are omitted

• The conjunction ‘that’ is generally used

Pronoun Changes in Indirect Speech: 

Table is showing how pronouns change in indirect speech

Direct speech	Direct Speech                      Indirect Speech	change
I→ he/she	She said, "I am happy." → She said that she was happy.	"I" changes to "she" (depending on the speaker).
We → they	They said, "We love football." → They said that they loved football	"We" changes to "they."
You → I/he/she/they	He said, "You are late." → He said that I was late. Direct: The teacher said to John, "You did well in your  test." Indirect: The teacher told John that he had done well in his test. Direct: He said to his friends, "You are always late." Indirect: He told his friends that they were always late.	"You" changes based on who "you" refers to.
My → his/her	John said, "My car is new." → John said that his car was new.	"My" changes to "his" (based on the speaker).
Our → their	They said, "Our house is big." → They said that their house was big.	"Our" changes to "their."
Me → him/her	She said, "He gave me a gift." → She said that he gave her a gift	"Me" changes to "her."
Us → them	They said, "He told us a story." → They said that he told them a story.	"Us" changes to "them."
Mine → his/her	She said, "This book is mine." → She said that the book was hers. Direct: John said, "This book is mine." Indirect: John said that the book was his.

Things to Remember:

Personal pronouns (he, she, they, him, her, them, it, its) usually remain unchanged. Possessive and subject pronouns (I → he/she, we → they, my → his/her, our → their, etc.) change based on the speaker and listener. The pronoun "I" changes based on the subject of the reporting verb. If the speaker is female, "I" changes to "she" in indirect speech. If the speaker is male, "I" changes to "he." Rule for Changing "I" in Indirect Speech "I" → "he" (if the speaker is male) "I" → "she" (if the speaker is female) Examples of "I" Changing in Indirect Speech 1. Speaker is a female → "I" changes to "she" Direct: Emma said, "I love painting." Indirect: Emma said that she loved painting. Direct: Sarah said, "I have completed my assignment." Indirect: Sarah said that she had completed her assignment. 2. Speaker is a male → "I" changes to "he" Direct: John said, "I am feeling tired." Indirect: John said that he was feeling tired. Direct: Michael said, "I will call you later." Indirect: Michael said that he would call me later. 3. "I" in a question Direct: Lisa asked, "Am I late?" Indirect: Lisa asked if she was late. Direct: David asked, "Am I on the list?" Indirect: David asked if he was on the list. .............................................................................................................................................. Different examples showing how "you" changes to I/he/she/they in indirect speech: 1. "You" changes to "I" (when the speaker reports what was said to them) Direct: She said to me, "You are my best friend." Indirect: She told me that I was her best friend. Direct: He said to me, "You should study harder." Indirect: He told me that I should study harder. ………………………………………………………………………………… 2. "You" changes to "he" (when the speaker is talking about another male person) Direct: The teacher said to John, "You did well in the test." Indirect: The teacher told John that he had done well in the test. Direct: She said to Tom, "You need to be careful." Indirect: She told Tom that he needed to be careful. ………………………………………………………………………………… 3. "You" changes to "she" (when the speaker is talking about another female person) Direct: He said to Sarah, "You look tired." Indirect: He told Sarah that she looked tired. Direct: The doctor said to Emma, "You should rest more." Indirect: The doctor told Emma that she should rest more. ………………………………………………………………………………… 4. "You" changes to "they" (when the speaker is talking to multiple people) Direct: The teacher said to the students, "You must complete the homework." Indirect: The teacher told the students that they must complete the homework. Direct: He said to his friends, "You are always late." Indirect: He told his friends that they were always late. ……………………………………………………………………….. 5. "You" in a question Direct: She asked me, "Do you like ice cream?" Indirect: She asked me if I liked ice cream. Direct: The manager asked him, "Do you have experience?" Indirect: The manager asked him if he had experience. ………………………………………………………………………. 6. "You" in a request/command Direct: The officer said, "You must follow the rules." Indirect: The officer said that we/they must follow the rules. Direct: The teacher said, "You should complete your homework." Indirect: The teacher said that they should complete their homework.

Conversion of direct speech to indirect speech Reporting Verb:

Rules	Examples
If the reporting verb is in past tense, the verb of the reporting speech is changed to the corresponding past tense.	Direct: She said. ”I am sick.” Indirect: She said that she was sick. Reporting verb        Reporting speech verb  Direct: She said,                  "I am sick.” Indirect: She said that she was sick. Direct: She said, "I like coffee." Indirect: She said that she liked coffee. Direct: He said, "I play football every weekend." Indirect: He said that he played football every weekend. Direct: They said, "We live in London. Indirect: They said that they lived in London. Direct: She said, "He works hard." Indirect: She said that he worked hard. Direct: He said, "I want to learn English." Indirect: He said that he wanted to learn English. Direct: She said, "I feel happy today." Indirect: She said that she felt happy that day. Direct: Tom said, "She speaks Spanish." Indirect: Tom said that she spoke Spanish. Direct: They said, "We need more time." Indirect: They said that they needed more time. Direct: He said, "My brother visits me often." Indirect: He said that his brother visited him often. Direct: He said, "I am busy." Indirect: He said that he was busy. Direct: They said, "We are late for the meeting." Indirect: They said that they were late for the meeting. Direct: John said, "I need some help." Indirect: John said that he needed some help. Direct: She said, "My brother is playing outside." Indirect: She said that her brother was playing outside. Direct: He said, "The weather is cold today." Indirect: He said that the weather was cold that day.
If the reporting verb is in present tense or future tense then the tense of the reported speech remains unchanged.	Direct: She says,  "I am going.” Indirect: She says that she is going. Direct: She will say, "I am going.” Indirect: She will say that she is going. Direct: She says, "I love reading books." Indirect: She says that she loves reading books. Direct: He says, "I am going to the market." Indirect: He says that he is going to the market. Direct: They say, "We have completed our homework." Indirect: They say that they have completed their homework. Direct: My friend will say, "I visited my grandparents last week." Indirect: My friend will say that he visited his grandparents last week. Direct: She says, "I can solve this problem." Indirect: She says that she can solve this problem. Direct: He will say, "I need some help with my project." Indirect: He will say that he needs some help with his project. Direct: They will say, "We are enjoying the party." Indirect: They will say that they are enjoying the party. Direct: The doctor says, "You should drink more water." Indirect: The doctor says that I should drink more water. Direct: She will say, "I have been working hard for this exam." Indirect: She will say that she has been working hard for this exam.
If the reported speech has a universal truth or a habitual action, the tense of the reported speech usually remains unchanged: Note: whatever the tense of the Reporting Verb.	Direct: He said, "Man is mortal.” Indirect: He said that man is mortal. Direct: The teacher says, "The sun rises in the east." Indirect: The teacher says that the sun rises in the east. Direct: He said, "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius." Indirect: He said that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. Direct: She says, "The Earth revolves around the sun." Indirect: She says that the Earth revolves around the sun. Direct: The professor said, "Gravity pulls objects toward the Earth." Indirect: The professor said that gravity pulls objects toward the Earth. Direct: My dad says, "Honesty is the best policy." Indirect: My dad says that honesty is the best policy. Direct: The scientist said, "Plants need sunlight to grow." Indirect: The scientist said that plants need sunlight to grow. Direct: He said, "I brush my teeth every morning." Indirect: He said that he brushes his teeth every morning. Direct: She says, "I go to the gym every day." Indirect: She says that she goes to the gym every day. Direct: The coach said, "Practice makes a person perfect." Indirect: The coach said that practice makes a person perfect. Direct: He said, "The moon affects ocean tides." Indirect: He said that the moon affects ocean tides.