English: Speech

 

                          There are many occasions in which we need to describe an event or action that happened, and very often that includes repeating what someone said. In order to describe what people said there are two different types of speech – direct speech and indirect speech (or reported speech).

Conversion to indirect speech:

 

Following are some easy steps to convert direct speech to indirect speech.

Steps:

1)      Note the tense of the reporting verb to decide the tense of the indirect speech.

2)      Change the time and place to indicate the actual time and place meant by the speaker.

3)      Use the appropriate pronoun for the subject and object.

4)      Use the proper structure/word order for the sentence.

 

Ø Conversion Of Tenses:

 

·        
Simple Present Tense                  Simple Past Tense

·        
Continuous Present Tense                      Continuous Past Tense

·        
Perfect Present Tense                           Perfect Past Tense

·        
Perfect Continuous Present Tense                       Perfect Continuous Past Tense   

·        
Simple Past Tense                     Perfect Past Tense

·        
Continuous Past Tense                             Perfect Continuous Past Tense

 

 

Ø Some Important Changes in the Words:

 

1)      this – that

2)      these- those

3)      here – there

4)      now – then

5)      ago – before

6)      come – go

7)      today – that day

8)      tonight – that night

9)      yesterday – the day before

10)  tomorrow – the next day

11)  last week – the previous week

12)  next week – the following week

 

Ø  Required Changes in Pronouns:

 

1)     I	He / She
2)     We	they
3)     You[singular]	He / She
4)     You[plural]	They
5)     You [second person]	him / her / them
6)     Your [singular]	his / her
7)     Your [Plural]	their
8)     My	his / her
9)     Me	him/ her
10)  Our	their
11)  Us	them
12)  He/ she / it / they	No change

 

Ø  Changes in Auxiliary verbs:

 

am / is	was
are	were
can	could
shall	should/ would
will	would
have / has	had
may	might

 

      There are four types of conversion of Direct Speech into Indirect Speech.

v Indirect Speech of Assertive Sentence:

                          

                          If the speaker and listener both are present then use reporting verb – told otherwise use same reporting verb which is present in the sentence.

Connective – that

 

Examples:

1)

Direct Speech:  He said to his friend, “I am going to buy this product for my project”

Indirect Speech: He told his friend that he was going to buy that product for his project.

2)

Direct Speech: Teacher said to students, “You can complete your assignment today”.

Indirect Speech: Teacher told students that they could complete their assignment that

                               day.

3)

Direct Speech: “You will get good marks”, mother said to the daughter.

Indirect Speech: Mother told the daughter that she would get good marks.

4)

Direct Speech: She said, “I bought a new dress yesterday”.

Indirect Speech: She said that she had bought a new dress the day before.

5)

Direct speech: She says, “I feel like a flying bird”.

Indirect Speech: She says that she feels like a flying bird.

 

Note:

If reporting verb in the sentence contains s/es then there is no change in the tense of sentence.

 

 

 

 

v Indirect Speech of Imperative Sentence:

                       The sentence starts with the verb is known as Imperative Sentence.                    Imperative sentences have different types of emotions, Order, Command, Request, Suggestion and Advise.

Reporting Verbs:

1)    आज्ञा असेल तर – Ordered

2)    सूचना असेल तर – suggested

3)    विनंती असेल तर – requested

4)    सल्ला असेल तर – advised

5)    इशारा असेल तर – warned

6)    वरील पैकी एकही अर्थ नसेल तर – told / asked

Connectives:

1)      to

2)      not to (If sentence starts with “ Don’t ”)

 

Examples:

1)

Direct Speech:  The king said to his people, “Go to my forest and cut down biggest tree

                                 trunk.”                                      

Indirect Speech: The king ordered his people to go into his forest and cut down biggest

                           tree trunk.

2)

Direct Speech: Teacher said to students, “Complete your study before the exam”.

Indirect Speech: Teacher advised students to complete their study before the exam.

3)

Direct Speech: Mother said to his son, “Don’t argue with your father”.

Indirect Speech: Mother told her son not to argue with his father.

4)

Direct Speech: The manager said to the workers, “Complete your work in given time.”

Indirect Speech: The manager ordered the workers to complete their work in the given

                           time.

 

v Indirect Speech of Exclamatory Sentence:

Reporting verb – exclaimed

Connective – that

Examples:

1)

Direct Speech: The officer said, “What a beautiful sight it is!”                                        

Indirect Speech: The officer exclaimed that it was a beautiful sight.

2)

Direct Speech: She said, “What a long and colourful journey it has been!”

Indirect Speech: She exclaimed that it had been a long and colourful journey.

3)

Direct Speech: He says, “How lucky I am!”

Indirect Speech: He exclaims that he is very lucky.

4)

Direct Speech: The commentator said, “What a great victory it has been!”

Indirect Speech: The commentator exclaimed that it had been a great victory.

5)

Direct speech: He mumbled, “What a grand welcome they gave to it!”

Indirect Speech: He exclaimed that they had given to it a grand welcome.

 

v Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentence:

 

Indirect Speech of Verbal questions:

         If question is yes / no type then it called verbal question.

Reporting verb – asked

Connective – if / whether

 

Examples:

1)

Direct Speech: Father inquired, “Is my son doing well?”                                    

Indirect Speech: Father asked if his son was doing well.

2)

Direct Speech: Teacher said to students, “Have you completed your homework?”

Indirect Speech: Teacher asked students if they had completed their homework.

3)

Direct Speech: The tour manager said to the boys, “Did you visit the tower in the city?”

Indirect Speech: The tour manager asked the boys if they had visited the tower in the city.

4)

Direct Speech: She asked her friend, “Do you like the idea?”

Indirect Speech: She asked her friend if she liked the idea.

 

Note that:

If the sentence contains do/does/did then remove it completely. After removal of do/does use past tense of the verb and after removal of did use had + past participle of the verb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indirect Speech of Wh -questions:

 

An interrogative word or question word is a function word used to ask a question, such as what, which, when, where, who, whom, whose, why, whether and how. They are called wh- question.

Reporting verb – asked

Connective – Wh word in the that sentence

Examples:

1)

Direct Speech: Teacher said to the students, “What are you doing there?”                                   

Indirect Speech: Teacher asked the students what they were doing there.

2)

Direct Speech: The manager asked the workers, “When will you complete your work?”

Indirect Speech: The manager asked the workers when they would complete their work.

3)

Direct Speech: “How can any one break open this safe?” Grandpa asked.

Indirect Speech: Grandpa asked how any one could break open that safe.

4)

Direct Speech: He asked the boys, “What did you see in the forest?”

Indirect Speech: He asked the boys what they had seen in the forest.

5)

Direct Speech: Mother said to Meena, “What do you want to eat?”

Indirect Speech: Mother asked Meena what she wanted to eat.