DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct Speech Refers to reproducing another person’s exact words or saying exactly what someone has said (sometimes called quoted speech).

We use quotation marks (“______________”) and it should be word for word.

Indirect speech Refers to reproducing the idea of another person’s words that doesn’t use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn’t have to be word for word. Indirect speech is sometimes called reported speech.












The tense usually changes when reporting speech. This is because we are usually talking about a time in the past and obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past.

The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too

For example:

Direct speech Indirect speech

Present simple Past simple

Vita said, “I eat fried rice”. Vita said that she ate fried rice.

Past simple Past Perfect

Mother said, “I went to market yesterday”. Mother said (that) she had gone to market the day before.

Future simple Past Future

Lea said, “I am going to wash my clothes”. Lea said (that) she was going to wash her clothes.

Dave said, “I will buy an I-Pod next week”. Dave said (that) he would buy an I-Pod the week after.

Present continuous Past continuous

Gama said, “I am playing football”. Gama said he was playing football.

Past continuous Past perfect continuous

She said, “I was teaching earlier.” She said she had been teaching earlier.

v When we want to report what someone said, we do not usually repeat their exact words, we use our words. We can use reporting verbs, such as tell, say, ask followed by ‘that-clause’.

Example: My mother said that she got up at 4 o’clock.

v When reporting verbs is in the Present, Present Perfect, or Future, there is no change of tense in the words reported.

Example: She will tell you

She says (that) she doesn’t know.

She has just said

In time expressions and pronouns
Direct speech
Indirect speech
Now

Today/tonight

Yesterday

Tomorrow

Last week

Next week

Ago Then

That day/that night

The day before/the previous day

The next/following day

The previous week

The following week/the week after

Before
This/these

Here

Pronouns That/those

There

They change according to the context

v Sometimes we need to report someone’s questions. The reported question are introduced with the verb ask, inquire, wonder, want to know, etc.
Type
Form
Examples
Yes-No questions Ask + if/whether + subject + verb

Wonder etc.
“Do you speak English?”

- He wondered if I spoke English.
Wh-questions Ask + question word + subject + verb

Wonder etc.
“What are you watching?”

- She asked what I am watching.