Direct and Indirect Speech: Rules for Narration

English Grammar needs an Understanding of the Usage of Various rules of Narration as well as other aspects like voices and tenses as well.
See this presentation by Tri Wahyuni (Source Online-Rights with the Maker only)

2. Direct Speech
In the English language, there are two
ways of conveying what someone else
has said:
direct/quotedspeechand
indirect/reportedspeech

3. Direct Speech
What is it?
Direct/quoted speech, involves quoting the exact
words uttered by the person, within inverted
commas or quotation marks.
2nd September 2012 Anne said, “I will
be coming home
tonight.”
statement

4. Indirect Speech
Indirect/reported speech, on the other hand, does
not have to be within quotes or reported word-to-
word. In fact, unless one is relaying the exact words
spoken, one should never use quotation marks.
5th September 2012
She said that she
wouldbe coming
home that night.
statement

5. Indirect Speech of Exclamatory Sentences
Sentence which expresses state of joy or sorrow or
wonder is called exclamatory sentence.
For example.
Hurrah! We won the match.
Alas! I failed the test.
Wow! What a nice shirt it is.

6. Tochangesuchsentences,thewords“exclaimedwith
joy”or“exclaimedwithsorrow”or“exclaimedwith
wonder”isaddedinthereportingverbdependingupon
thenatureofexclamatorysentenceinindirectspeech.
Direct speech Indirect Speech
He said, “Hurrah! I won a
prize”
He exclaimed with joythat
he had won a prize.
She said, “Alas! I failed in
exam”
She exclaimed with sorrow
that she failed in the exam.
John said, “Wow! What a
nice shirt it is.”
John exclaimed with
wonderthat it was a nice
shirt.

7. Indirect Speech of Imperative
Sentence
A sentence which expresses command, request, advice or
suggestion is called imperative sentence.
For example,
•Open the door.
•Please help me.
•Learn your lesson.

8. Tochangesuchsentencesintoindirectspeech,theword
“ordered”or“requested”or“advised”or“suggested”or
“forbade”or“nottodo”isaddedtoreportingverb
dependinguponnatureofimperativesentenceinreported
speech.
Examples
Direct speech Indirect Speech
He said to me, “Please help me”.He requestedme to help him.
She said to him, “You should
work hard for exam”.
He suggestedhim to work hard
for exam.
They said to him, “Do not tell a lie”.They told him not totell a lie.
He said, “Open the door”. He orderedto open the door.
The teacher said to student, “Do
not waste time”.
The teacher advised the students
not to waste time.

9. Indirect Speech for Interrogative (Question)
Sentence
For changing interrogative (question) sentence into indirect
speech we have to observe the nature of question and then
change it into indirect speech according to it rules for
indirect speech.
A question can be of two types:
One type which can be answered in only YES or NO and
Other type which needs a little bit explanation for its
answer and cannot be answered in only YES or NO.

10. For example:
Direct speech: They said to me, “Did you go to school?”
Indirect Speech:They asked me if I had gone to school
.

12. How to Use Reported Speech
When we use reported speech, we are usually
talking about the past.
Therefore, verbs usuallychange to the past tense
in reported speech.
For example:

13. am / is was
are were
have/has had
can/can’t could/couldn’t
will/won’t would/wouldn’t
become
become
become
become
become

14. Tense Change in Indirect Speech
Present simple tense
INTO

Past simple
Present Continuous tense Past continuous
Present Perfect tense Pastperfect
Present Perfect
Continuous
Past perfect continuous
Past Simple Past Perfect
Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
Future simple, will would
Future Continuous, will
be
would be
Future Perfect, will have would have

15. Changes in Time and Adverbs in
Indirect Speech
Changes to
Today that day/the same day
Tomorrow the next day/the following day
Yesterday the day before/the previous day
Next week/month/year the following week/month/year
Last week/month/year the previous week/month/year
Now/just then
Ago before
Here there
This that