NARRATION

Study the following sentences:

1. Vikas said to me, I want to see a movie today. (Direct
speech)
2. Vikas told me that he wanted to see a movie that day.
(Indirect speech)
REMEMBER:
In Direct Speech the actual words of the speaker
are repeated and these repeated words are placed
within inverted commas(___).
In Indirect Speech the actual words of the speaker
are not repeated but the actual words are reported in

CHANGES WHILE CONVERTING A

SENTENCE OF DIRECT SPEECH INTO
INDIRECT SPEECH
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

said to/say to is changed.

Commas and inverted commas are removed.
Connector is used in place of comma.
Tense inside the inverted commas is changed.
Person is changed.
Nearness is changed into farness.

RULES OF CHANGE OF
PERSON(PRONOUNS)
REMEMBER:
While changing a sentence of Direct speech into
Indirect speech , only Persons(Pronouns) within the
inverted commas are changed. Pronouns outside the
inverted Commas remain the same.
I person pronouns like - I, my, me, we, our, us change according
to Subject of Verb outside inverted commas.
II person pronouns like- you, your, yours change according to
Object of Verb outside inverted commas.
III person pronouns like- he, his, him, she, her, they, their, them
do not change.

DIRECT
Am, is, are
Was/were
Shall/will
Can
May
Must
Have/has to

Might
Should
Would
could
Ought to
Used to

INDIRECT
Was/were
Had been
Should/would
Could
Might

Had to

No change

Changes of adverb of time &

place
Direct

Indirect

Now
Tomorrow

Next week
Tonight
Today
Yesterday

Last night

Last week

Here
This
These
Ago
Come
Thus

Then
The next day/
the following day
The following week
That night
That day
The previous day/
the day before
The previous night/
the night before
The previous week/
the week before
There
That
Those
Before
Go
So

CHANGES OF TENSES

Direct
Simple present(break)
Present continuous(is/am/are
breaking)
Present perfect(has/have broken)
Present perfect continuous(has
been/have been breaking)
Simple past(broke)
Past continuous(was/were breaking)

Past perfect(had broken)

Past perfect continuous(had been
breaking)
Simple future(will/shall break)

Future continuous(will be/shall be

breaking)
Future perfect(will/shall have broken)

Future perfect continuous (will/shall

have been breaking)

Indirect
Simple past(broke)
Past continuous(was/were
breaking)
Past perfect(had broken)
Past perfect continuous(had been
breaking)
Past perfect(had broken)
Past perfect continuous(had been
breaking)
No change
No change
Simple future in past(would
break)
Future continuous in past(would
be breaking)
Future perfect in past(would
have broken)
Future perfect continuous
in past(would have been
breaking)

1. STATEMENT
HE SAYS
HE SAID
HE TELLS ME
HE TOLD ME

THAT

REPORTED WORDS

NOTE:
If no Object is given after Reporting Verb, it is not changed.
If an Object is given after Reporting Verb, say to is
converted into tell to & said to is changed into told.

STATEMENT EXAMPLE
DIRECT

INDIRECT

They said to me, we They told me that

they were going to
are going to visit
visit Delhi the
Delhi tomorrow.
following day.

Rajesh said, I didnt

go to school today.
Anne told Angel, My
father got angry with
me last night.

Rajesh said that he

hadnt gone to school
that day.
Anne told Angel that
her father had got
angry with her the
night before.

STATEMENT Exception:
If the introductory sentence is in the Present Tense or Future
Tense, there wont be any change in the tense of the Reported
(Indirect) speech .

DIRECT

INDIRECT

Seema says: I will come to

your house tonight.

Seema says that she

will come to my
house tonight
He will say that his
mother was not at
home the previous
day.
Dimpal says that she
meets her friend
every Saturday.
Chandra says that he
doesnt like sport.

He will say, My mother was

not at home yesterday.

Dimpal says: I meet my

friend every saturday.
Chandra says: I dont like
sport.

HE ASKED ME
HE TOLD ME

TO

INFIVITIVE

COMMAND EXAMPLE
DIRECT
The teacher asked me:
Open your book page
65!
Siska asked Manu: give
me a piece of paper!
Ronny told him: call
me tonight!

INDIRECT
The teacher asked me
to open my book page
65.
Siska asked Manu to
give her a piece of
paper.
Ronny told him to
call him that night.

HE ASKED ME
HE TOLD ME

NOT TO

INFINITIVE

COMMAND EXAMPLE
DIRECT
Seema asked Esha: Dont
leave me alone
anymore!
Vikash asked Ignesh:
Dont hurt me
anymore!
Subham told them:
Dont disturb me!

INDIRECT
Seema asked Esha not
to leave her alone
anymore.
Vikash asked Ignesh
not to hurt him
anymore.
Subham told them not
to disturb him.

HE ASKED ME

IF/WHETHER S + V + COMPLEMENT

A. Yes/No Question Example

DIRECT

INDIRECT

Ritu said to Henry: Does

your father work near
here?

Ritu asked Henry

if/whether his father
worked near there.

Mr. Rathor said to Shyam

have you finished your
homework?

Mr. Rathor asked

Shyam if/whether he
had finished his
homework.
Dev asked William
if/whether he could
accompany him to
market that night.

Dev said to William: can

you accompany me to
market tonight?

HE ASKED ME

WHEN/WHAT S + V + COMPLEMENT
etc.

b. Wh- Question Example

DIRECT
The girl asked me:
Where Do you come
from?
My father asked my
brother: Why did you
arrive at home late last
night?
Handy asked the girl:
what is your favorite
movie star?

INDIRECT
The girl asked me
where I came from.
My father asked my
brother why he had
arrived at home late
the night before
Handy asked the girl
what her favorite
movie star was

Read the following dialogue and then complete the report by choosing the
correct options from the ones given below. Write your answers in your
answer sheet with the correct blank number.
(1x3=3 Marks)
Do not copy the dialogue and the report:Utkarsh: I have lost my wallet.
Inspector: How did you lose it?
Utkarsh: My pocket was picked.
Inspector: Where did it happen?
Utkarsh: In the local market, sir.
Utkarsh reported to the inspector (A)_______lost his wallet. The inspector
asked him (B)___________Utkarsh replied(C)________.The inspector further
asked him where it had happened. Utkarsh replied that it had happened in the
local market.
(A) i) that I had
ii) that he had
iii) that he has
iv) that I have
(B) i) how he has lost it
ii) how he had lost it.
iii) how had he lost it.
iv) how he had lost that
(C) i) my pocket has been picked
ii) if his pocket had been picked
iii) that his pocket had been picked
iv) whether his pocket has been
picked