REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON

Paix-Travail-Patrie Peace-Work-Fatherland
******** ********
MINISTERE DE L’ENSEIGNEMENT MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION
SUPERIEUR **********
********** HIGHER INTITUT OF INDUSTRIAL
INSTITUT SUPERIEUR DES TECHNOLOGIE AND DESIGN
TECHNOLOGIES ET DU DESIGN
INDUSTRIEL

EXPOSE: INDIRECT AND DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT

SPEEC Indirect and direct speech

Présenté par :
MOUSSINGUE LEANDRA
EYIDI EDIMO JEAN MOISE
TCHOKOGUEU NGOUNOU RONI
KINGUE SENGHOR RUDOLPH
NDICKA JEAN-YVES NOËL

Sous l’encadrement de :
Ms. BERINYUY MOKI
Honorine

Année académique : 2021 - 2022

INTRODUCTION

In English grammar, indirect speech is a morphosyntactic adaptation of spoken or written speech

and is distorted speech. It is one of two varieties of reported speech. This type of reported speech is
much less objective than direct speech. This type of reported speech is much less objective than
direct speech. Indeed, the tenses used in indirect speech tell us that the person who reports the
speech does not know if it is verifiable. This obvious distance between the statement quoted and the
quite relative credit that the narrator can grant to it, makes it possible to let pass all sorts of
insinuations, things left unsaid, doubts vis-à-vis the discourse in question.

I. What is direct and indirect speech (Reported Speech)?

There are two ways of relating what a person has said: direct and indirect.

Direct speech: reporting the message of the speaker in exact words as spoken by him.

Direct speech example: Rama said ‘I am busy now’.

Indirect speech: reporting the message of the speaker in our own words

Indirect speech example: Rama said that he was very busy then.

II. Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

To change a sentence of direct speech into indirect speech there are various factors that are
considered such as reporting verbs, modals, time, place, pronoun, tense, etc. we will take up
all the factors one by one.

PRONOUNS AND ADJECTIVES: CHANGES NECESSARY

A. First and second person pronouns and possessive adjectives normally change to the third
person except when the speaker is reporting his own words. (I = he, she; me = him, her; my
= his, her; mine = his, hers; we = they...)
She said, “He’s my son”. She said that he was her son.
“I’m ill”, she said. She said that she was ill.

B. THIS / THESE
This used in time expressions usually becomes that.
 She said, “She’s coming this week”. She said that she was coming that week.
This and that used as adjectives usually change to the.
He said, “I bought this pearl/these pearls for my mother”. He said that he had
bought the pearl/the pearls for his mother.
This, these used as pronouns can become it, they/them.
He came back with two knives and said, “I found these beside the king’s bed”. He
said he had found them beside the king’s bed.
He said, “We will discuss this tomorrow”. He said that they would discuss it (the
matter) the next day.

EXPRESSIONS OF TIME AND PLACE IN INDIRECT SPEECH

A. Adverbs and adverbial phrases of time change as follows:

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

today that day
yesterday the day before
the day before yesterday two days before
tomorrow the next day/the following day
the day after tomorrow in two day’s time
next week/year etc. the following week/year etc.
last week/year etc. the previous week/year etc.
a year etc. ago a year before/the previous year

“I saw her the day before yesterday”, he said. He said he’d seen her two days
before.

“I’ll do it tomorrow”, he promised. He promised that he would do it the next day.

B. But if the speech is made and reported on the same day these time changes are not necessary:
At breakfast this morning he said, “I’ll be very busy today”. At breakfast this
morning he said that he would be very busy today.

C. here can become there but only when it is clear what place is meant:
At the station he said, “I’ll be here again tomorrow”. He said that he’d be there
again the next day.

Usually here has to be replaced by some phrase:

 She said, “You can sit here, Tom”. She told Tom that he could sit beside her.

STATEMENTS IN INDIRECT SPEECH: TENSE CHANGES NECESSARY

A. Indirect speech can be introduced by a verb in a present tense: He says that ... This is usual
when we are:

a. reporting a conversation that is still going on

b. reading a letter and reporting what it says
c. reading instructions and reporting them
d. reporting a statement that someone makes very often, e.g. Tom says that he’ll never
get married.
When the introductory verb is in a present, present perfect or future tense we can report the
direct speech without any change of tense:

PAUL (phoning from the station): I’m trying to get a taxi.

ANN (to Mary, who is standing beside her): Paul says he is trying to get a taxi.

B. But indirect speech is usually introduced by a verb in the past tense. Verbs in the direct speech
have then to be changed into a corresponding past tense. The changes are shown in the
following table.

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

Simple Present Simple Past

“I never eat meat”, he explained. = He explained (that) he never ate meat.

Present Continuous Past Continuous

“I’m waiting for Ann”, he said. = He said (that) he was waiting for Ann.

Present Perfect Past Perfect

“I have found a flat”, he said. = He said (that) he had found a flat.

Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

He said, “I’ve been waiting for ages”. = He said (that) he had been waiting for ages.

Simple Past Past Perfect

“I took it home with me”, she said. = She said (that) he had taken it home with her.
 Future Conditional
He said, “I will/shall be in Paris on Monday”. = He said (that) he would be in Paris on Monday.

Future Continuous Conditional Continuous

“I will/shall be using the car myself on the 24h”, she = She said (that) she’d been using the car herself on the
said. 24th.

Conditional Conditional
I said, “I would like to see it”. = I said (that) I would like to see it.

All those changes represent the distancing effect of the reported speech. Common sense,
together with the time aspect from the speaker’s point of view, are more important than the
rules when making the usual changes.

QUESTIONS IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct question: He said, “Where is she going?”

Indirect question: He asked where she was going.

A. When we turn direct questions into indirect speech, the following changes are necessary:
a. Tenses, pronouns and possessive adjectives, and adverbs of time and place change
as in statements.

b. The interrogative form of the verb changes to the affirmative form.

c. The question mark is omitted in indirect questions.
B. If the introductory verb is say, it must be changed to a verb of inquiry, e.g. ask, wonder, want
to know etc.
He said, “Where is the station?” He asked where the
station was. C. ask can be followed by the person addressed (indirect object):

He asked, “What have you got in your bag?” He asked (me) what I had got
in my bag.

But wonder and want to know cannot take an indirect object, so if we wish to report a
question where the person addressed is mentioned, we must use ask.

He said, ”Mary, when is the next train?” He asked Mary when the next train
was.
 D. If the direct question begins with a question word (when, where, who, how, why etc.) the
question word is repeated in the indirect question:

He said, “Why didn’t you put on the brake?” He asked (her) why she hadn’t
put on the brake.

She said, “What do you want?” She asked (them) what

they wanted. E. If there is no question word, if or whether must be used:

“Is anyone there?” he asked He asked if/whether anyone was there.

COMMANDS, REQUESTS, ADVICE IN

INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct command: He said, “Lie down, Tom”.

Indirect command: He told Tom to lie down.

Indirect commands, requests, advice are usually expressed by a verb of command/request/advice +

object + infinitive.

A. The following verbs can be used: advice, ask, beg, command, order, remind, tell, warn etc.

He said, “Get your coat, Tom!” He told Tom to get his coat.

B. Negative commands, requests etc. are usually reported by not + infinitive:

“Don’t swim out too far, boys”, I said I warned/told the boys not to swim out too
far.

EXCLAMATIONS IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Exclamations usually become statements in indirect speech. The exclamation mark disappears.

a. Exclamations beginning what (a) ... or How ... can be reported by:

- exclaim/say that:

He said, “What a dreadful idea!” or “How dreadful!” He exclaimed that it was a

dreadful idea/was dreadful.

- Give an exclamation of delight/disgust/horror/relief/surprise etc.

 - If the exclamation is followed by an action we can use the construction with
an exclamation of delight/disgust etc. + he/she etc. + verb.

b. Other types of exclamation such as Good! Marvellous! Splendid! Heavens! Oh! Ugh! etc. can
be reported as in (b) or (c) above:
“Good!” he exclaimed. He gave an exclamation of pleasure/satisfaction.

“Ugh!” she exclaimed, and turned the programme off. è With an exclamation
of disgust she turned the programme off.

c. Note also:
He said, “Thank you!” He thanked me.

He said, “Good luck!” He wished me luck.

He said, “Happy Christmas!” He wished me a happy Christmas.

YES AND NO IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Yes and no are expressed in indirect speech by subject + appropriate

auxiliary verb.

He said, “Can you swim?” and I said “No” He asked (me) if I could swim and I said
I couldn’t.

He said, “Will you have time to do it?” and I said “Yes” He asked if I would have
time to do it and I said that I would.

OFFERS AND SUGGESTION IN

INDIRECT SPEECH

A. OFFERS

“Shall I bring you some tea?” could be reported He offered to bring me some tea.

B. SUGGESTIONS

“Shall we meet at the theatre? Could be reported He suggested meeting at the theatre.
INDIRECT SPEECH: MIXED TYPES

Direct speech may consist of statement + question, question + command, command + statement, or
all three together. Normally each requires its own introductory verb.

“I don’t know the way. Do you?” he asked. He said he didn’t know the way and
asked her if she did/if she knew it.

He said, “Someone is coming. Get behind the screen.” He said that someone was
coming and told me to get behind the screen.

REPORTED SPEECH: OTHER POINTS

A. MUST: after a past reporting verb, must does not usually change:
He said, “It must be pretty late, I really must go”. He said that it must be pretty
late and he really must go.

had to is also possible in reported speech, but this is really the past of have to, not
must.

He said, “I have to go. I have an appointment in half an hour” He said that he had
to go because he had an appointment in half an hour.

B. MODAL VERBS: Past modal verbs (could, might, ought to, should, used to, etc. ) do not
normally change in reported speech.
He said, “I might come”. He said that he might come.

He said, “You needn’t wait”. He said that I needn’t wait.

C. CONDITIONALS:
Conditional sentences type two remain unchanged.
He said, “If my children were older I would emigrate”. He said that if his
children were older he would emigrate.
SAY AND TELL AS
INTRODUCTORY VERBS

A. say and tell with direct

speech.

1. say can introduce a statement or follow it.

Tom said, “I’ve just heard the news”. or “I’ve just heard the news”,Tom said.

Inversion of say and noun subject is possible when say follows the statement.

“I’ve just heard the news”, said Tom.

say + to + person addressed is possible, but this phrase must follow the direct
statement; it cannot introduce it.

“I’m leaving at once”, Tom said to

me. (Inversion is not possible here. )

2. tell requires the person addressed.

Tell me. He told us. I’ll tell Tom.

Except with tell lies/stories/the truth/the time, when the person addressed need not to be
mentioned.

He told (me) lies. I’ll tell (you) a story.

Tell used with direct speech must be placed after the direct
statement: “I’m leaving at once”, Tom told me. Inversion is not possible
with tell. B. say and tell with indirect speech
Indirect statements are normally introduced by say, or tell + object. Say + to + object is possible but
less usual than tell + object.

He said he’d just heard the news.

He told me that he’d just heard the news.

Note also tell ... how/about:

He told us how he had crossed the mountains.

He told us about crossing the mountains.

He told us about his journeys.

 CONCLUSION
Reported Speech is the French equivalent of indirect speech. When reporting a sentence, there
is no longer any need to quote, so the quotation marks disappear. If in French, the subordinate clause
is introduced by “que”, in English, we use “that”. Reported Speech is used to report the words of
another person. To do this, it is customary to go through two processes. Is :

We repeat the words in direct speech:

He said: I'm listening to the radio.

We use indirect speech:

He said (that) he was listening to the radio.

In the second example, the word “that” has been put in parentheses, because it is not mandatory in
the sentential form.

Generally speaking, when we use indirect speech in English, we are addressing another person in the
past tense. Also, you must use the verb or the auxiliary in the past tense.