Page 51 - DENG201_ENGLISH_II

Unit 3: Functional English Grammar: Direct and Indirect Speech (Reported Speech)

1. Direct Speech contains the actual words of the speaker ; as— Notes
Sarla said, “My father has a roaring business in Mumbai.”
2. Indirect Speech gives the substance of the speaker’s actual words and not the exact words spoken
by him or her ; as—
Sarla said that her father had a roaring business in Mumbai.

3.2 Reporting Verb and Reported Speech

The actual words of the speaker are called the Reported Speech and the Verb which introduces the Reported
Speech is called the Reporting Verb.
In the sentence above said is the Reporting Verb and ‘My father has a roaring business in Mumbai’ is the
Reported Speech.
Here are some distinctive points regarding the Direct Speech and Indirect Speech:
1. In the Direct Speech
(i) The Reported Speech is put within Inverted Commas.
(ii) The Reporting Verb is separated from the Reported Speech by a comma.
(iii) The first word of the Reported Speech begins with a capital letter.
(iv) In the Reported Speech we may use any Tense required by the sense and any kind of
sentence.
2. In the Indirect Speech
(i) Inverted commas are not used.
(ii) The comma separating the Reporting Verb from the Reported Speech is removed.
(iii) The Reported Speech is introduced by some Conjunction (that, if, what, why etc.)
(iv) The Reporting Verb changes according to the sense.
(v) The Tense of the Reporting Verb is never changed.
(vi) All kinds of sentences change into Assertive ones.

3.3 Transformation of Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

(A)
3.3.1 Rules for the Change of Tenses
Rule I. If the Reporting Verb is in the Present or Future Tense, the Tense of the Verb in the Reported Speech
does not change.
EXAMPLES
1. Direct : Rajesh says, “She has brought a fair name to her family.”
Indirect : Rajesh says that she has brought a fair name to her family.
2. Direct : I say, “I spoiled all my books.”
Indirect : I say that I spoiled all my books.
Rule II. If the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense, the Verb in the Reported Speech must be changed into the
corresponding Past Tense.
EXAMPLES
1. Direct : I said, “I am speaking the truth.”
Indirect : I said that I was speaking the truth.

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