Direct and Indirect

Parts of Speech of Narration:

He said (Reporting Verb) to me, “I live (Reported verb) in Lahore.”
Reporting Speech Reported Speech

Changes that occur in changing the direct speech into indirect:

1. Reporting verb change. 2. Pronoun Changes
3. Word Changes 4. Tense Changes

Reporting Verb Changes:

He said (Reporting Verb) to me, “I live in Lahore.”

e.g. He said, “I like cricket.” He said, “Where do you live?”

He told that he liked cricket. He asked where did I live.
He said, “Please help me.” He said, “May God bless you!”
He requested to help him. He prayed that god might bless me.
In the above examples said is changed into told, asked, requested and prayed respectively.
These changes are called Reported Verb Changes.
1. Reporting verb Changes:

said told

Assertive Sentences said to told

says tells

Interrogative Sentences said Asked

says Asks

Imperative said requested, ordered, advised, asked

said Suggested, Proposed (Use of Let)

Optative said prayed

would that Wished

Exclamatory said Exclaimed with (joy, sorrow, wonder)

2. Pronoun Changes:

Personage of Subjective Case Possessive Case Objective Case

Pronouns

I My Me
First Person
We Our US

Second Person You Your You

He His Him

She Her Her

It Its It
Third Person They Their Themselves

Singular Person
e.g. Adam
Plural Persons
e.g. Arif and
Ayesha, Boys

3. Word Changes:

now then
this that

Here there
Thus so
Today that day
Tomorrow the next day

Yesterday the day before

last night the night before

Ago before
Tonight that night
4. Change in Tenses:

Present Indefinite Past Indefinite

Present Continuous Past Continuous
Present Perfect Past Perfect
Past Indefinite Past Perfect

Is, am was
Are were
Was/were had been
will/shall would/should
May might
Can could
has/have had
do/does did
Did had + V3 (Past participle)

Assertive Sentences:

Exercise no. 1
1. She said, “I like clouds in the sky.”
She told that she liked clouds in the sky.
2. He said, “I am unwell.”
He told that he was unwell.
3. He said to her, “I live in this building.”
He told her that he lived in that building.
4. They said, “Our teacher is on leave.”
They told that their teacher was on leave.
5. Arif and Ayesha told their mother, “We like mangoes.”
Arif and Ayesha told their mother that they liked mangoes.
6. She said, “I am helping my mother in the kitchen.”
She told that she was helping her mother in the kitchen.
7. He said, “I am watering the plants in the garden.”
He told that he was watering the plants in the garden.
8. Afshan said, “I am sewing mother’s shirt.”
Afshan told that she was sewing mother’s shirt.
9. He said, “They are not doing their duty well.”
He told that they were not doing their duty well.
10. He said to me, “You are not running fast.”
He told me that I was not running fast.
11. They said, “We have done our duty.”
They said that they had done their duty.
12. The teacher said to us, “You have not completed your drawing.”
The teacher told us that we had not completed our drawing.
13. She said, “They have not eaten their meals.”
She told that they had not eaten their meals.
14. The teacher said, “I have often told you not to play with fire.”
The teacher told that he had often told me not to play with fire.
15. My brother said to me, “You have missed the point completely.”
My brother told me that I had missed the point completely.
16. He said, “I completed my drawing half an hour ago.”
He told that he had completed his drawing half an hour before.
17. She said, “I did not go to school yesterday.”
She told that she had not gone to school the day before.
18. He said, “She sang a beautiful ghazal at the concert last night.”
He told that she had rung a beautiful ghazal at the concert last night.
19. He said, “She rang me up at twelve midnight.”
He told that she had rung me up at twelve midnight.
20. He said, “The boys did not put up a good show last night.”
He told that the boys had not put up a good show the night before.
21. She said, “I shall never do such a thing.”
She told that she would never do such a thing.
22. Afshan said, “They will wait for us for an hour only.”
Afshan said that they would wait for them for an hour only.
23. They said, “We shall never make a promise we fulfil.”
They told that they should never make a promise they fulfil.
24. He said, “I shall explain this to you if you listen to me with patience.”
He told that he would explain that to me if I listened to him with patience.
25. He said, “I hope you would not repeat that mistake.”
He told that he hopes that he would not repeat that mistake.
 Interrogative Sentences:
Exercise no. 2
1. She said, “Is this your book?”
She asked if that was my book.
2. He said, “Do you have any share in this firm?”
He asked if I had any share in that firm.
3. They said, “Have you ever visited Murree Hills?”
They asked if I had ever visited Murree Hills.
4. He said, “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
He asked if I wasn’t ashamed of myself.
5. The teacher said, “Did you do your home task yesterday?”
The teacher asked if I had done my home task the day before.
6. The mother said, “Didn’t I ask you not to go there?”
The mother asked if he hadn’t asked me not to go there.
7. Rehana said, “Will you stop interfering in my work?”
Rehana asked if I stop interfering in her work.
8. The mother said, “Shall we invite the Qureshis also?”
The mother asked if they visit the Qureshis also.
9. Adnan said, “Had you left Karachi before writing this letter?”
Adnan asked if I had left Karachi before writing that letter.
10. The Judge said, “Have you anything more to say?”
The judge asked if I had anything more to say.
11. He said, “What do you want me to do?”
He asked what did I want him to do.
or
He asked what I wanted him to do.
12. The mother said, “How did you fail in your examination?”
The mother asked how I had failed in my examination.
13. Raza said, “Where are you going?”
Raza asked where I was going.
14. The teacher said, “Whose book is this?”
The teacher asked whose book was that.
15. The teacher said, “Who is the author of this book?”
The teacher asked who the author of that book was.
16. The stranger said, “Which is the way to the Shalimar Garden?”
The stranger asked which the way to the Shalimar Garden was.
17. The manager said, “How do you propose to solve this problem?”
 The manager asked how did I propose to solve that problem.
Or
The manager asked how I proposed to solve that problem.
18. The boy said, “What do you want me to do?”
The boy asked what did I want him to do.
or
The boy asked what I wanted him to do.
19. The pupil said, “Where have I eased?”
The pupil asked where he had eased.
20. The teacher said, “Who is next on the list?”
The teacher asked who next on the list was.

Imperative Sentences:
Exercise no. 3
1. He said to his sister, “Please say something.”
He requested his sister to say something.
2. She said to her friends, “Please have dinner with me tomorrow at eight.”
She requested her friends to have dinner with her tomorrow at eight.
3. The judge said, “Call the next witness.”
The judge ordered to call the next witness.
4. Farhan said to his uncle, “Please help me in getting some job.”
Farhan requested his uncle to help him in getting some job.
5. The doctor said to the patient, “Take complete rest and follow my directions.”
The doctor advised the patient to take complete rest and follow his directions.
6. The teacher said to his pupil, “Read the paragraph and explain it in simple English.”
The teacher asked his pupil to read the paragraph and explain it in simple English.
7. The mother said to her daughter, “Please tidy up your room.”
The mother asked her daughter to tidy up her room.
or
The mother advised her daughter to tidy up her room.
8. She said to me, “Do not waste your time in idle talk.”
She advised me not to waste my time in idle talk.
9. The father said to his son, Get up early in the morning and go for a walk.”
The father advised his son to get up early in the morning and go for a walk.
10. Afshan said, “Let us go for a picnic on Friday.”
Afshan suggested/proposed that they should go for a picnic on Friday.
Afshan proposed that they should go for a picnic on Friday.
11. He said to his friend, “Please lend me your bike for a day.”
 He requested his friend to lend him his bike for a day.
12. He said to her, “Please fetch me a glass of water.”
He requested her to fetch him a glass of water.
13. The master said to the servant, “Go and fetch me a glass of milk.”
The master ordered his servant to go and fetch him a glass of milk.
14. The father said to his son “Do not leave this room without my permission.”
The father ordered his son not to leave that room without his permission.
15. She said to them, “Let us not deceive ourselves.”
She suggested/proposed that they should not deceive themselves.

Optative Sentences:
Exercise no. 4
1. She said to her father, “May you live long!”
She prayed that her father might live long.
2. She said, “May you prosper!”
She prayed that I might prosper.
3. The mother said to her daughter, “May Allah bless you with a son!”
The mother prayed for her daughter that Allah might bless her with a son.
4. She said, “Would that my father were alive!”
She wished that her father had been alive.
5. The mother said to her son, “May you return successful!”
The mother prayed for her son that he might return successful.

Exclamatory Sentences:
6. She said, “What a beautiful piece of art!”
She exclaimed with wonder/surprise that a beautiful piece of art was.
Or
She exclaimed with wonder that the piece of art was very beautiful.
7. He said, “How well she sings!”
He exclaimed with wonder/surprise that she sang very beautiful.
8. He said, “Alas! We cannot defeat our enemies.”
He exclaimed with sorrow that they could not defeat their enemies.
9. She said, “What a pity you missed that function!”
She exclaimed with sorrow that I had missed that function.
10. He said, “Hurrah! I have won the medal.”
He exclaimed with joy that he had won the medal.
 Assertive Sentences:
Tense does not change in the sentences whose reporting verb is in present tense, present
perfect tense and Future Tense. Only Pronoun change occurs.

Exercise no. 5
1. They say, “We have done our duty.”
They say that they have done their duty.
2. She says, “We have shifted to another house.”
She says that they have shifted to another house.
3. The teacher will say, “You have done your work very well.”
The teacher will say that I have done my work very well.
4. He says, “She has written me a very encouraging letter.”
He says that she has written him a very encouraging letter.
5. She says, “We love and respect our neighbours very much.”
She says that they love and respect their neighbours very much.
6. She has said, “She is ready to accompany us to Karachi.”
She has told that she is ready to accompany them to Karachi.
7. He says, “I have not heard the latest news about her.”
He says that he has not heard the latest news about her.
8. The doctor says, “The patient is still in a state of coma.”
The doctor says the patient is still in a state of coma.
9. The teacher says, “She has always been a good student.”
The teacher says that she has always been a good student.
10. She will say, “He did not come up to my expectations.”
She will say that he did not come up to her expectation.