Using Direct and Indirect/Reported Speeches
Direct and indirect (reported) speeches involve tenses. When you change a direct speech to an indirect/reported speech, always pay attention to the change of tense.
Direct and indirect/reported speech in statements
from simple present tense to simple past tense
"I eat porridge for breakfast," Tony told David. (direct speech)
Tony told David (that) he ate porridge for breakfast. (indirect speech)
from present continuous tense to past continuous tense
(is/are + verbing in direct speech) (was/were + verbing in indirect speech)
(now in direct speech changed to then in indirect speech)
"Daisy is coloring the picture now," said Mrs Lee. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee said Daisy was coloring the picture then. (indirect speech)
from present perfect tense to past perfect tense
(has/have + past participles in direct speech) (had + past participles in indirect speech)
"Henry has done his homework," Tom told Mary. (direct speech)
Tom told Mary (that) Henry had done his homework. (indirect speech)
from present perfect continuous tense to past perfect continuous tense
(has/have + been + verbing in direct speech)
(had + been + verbing in indirect speech)
"The children have been frolicking in the pool for hours," Sandy told Mrs Lee. (direct speech)
Sandy told Mrs Lee (that) the children had been frolicking in the pool for hours.
from simple past tense to past perfect tense
(past tense verbs in direct speech)
(had + past participles in indirect speech)
(last night in direct speech changed to the night before in indirect speech)
"I took the necklace from the drawer last night," Nancy told her mum.
Nancy told her mum that she had taken the necklace from the drawer the night before.
simple future tense
(will + present verb in direct speech)
(would + present verb in indirect speech)
(tomorrow in direct speech changed to the next/following day in indirect speech)
"I will type the letter tomorrow," said the typist.
The typist said she would type the letter the next/following day.
future continuous tense
(will + be + verbing in direct speech)
(would + be + verbing in indirect speech)
(this evening in direct speech changed to that evening in indirect speech)
"I will be doing revision at home this evening," Florence told her friends.
Florence told her friends that she would be doing revision at home that evening.
Direct and indirect/reported speech in questions
Questions that begin with question words. Pay attention to the change of tense/ possessive pronouns as you read these example sentences.
"Where is the museum?" the tourist asked the passer-by. (direct speech)
The tourist asked the passer-by where the museum was. (indirect speech)
Note that "was" must come immediately after "the museum" in the indirect/reported speech. Incorrect to say: The tourist asked the passer-by where was the museum.
"Which bag is yours?" Mrs Lee asked her daughter. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee asked her daughter which bag hers was. (indirect speech)
Note that yours becomes hers in the indirect speech as "daughter" is a feminine gender.
"How did the thieves get past the alarm system?" the police officer wondered. (direct speech)
The police officer wondered how the thieves had got past the alarm system. (indirect speech)
For questions that begin with modal verbs like can/may and phrases such as Do you know/Do you want and verbs like Is/Are//Has/Have, use if/whether in the indirect/reported speech. Pay attention to the words in bold print and the change of tense as you read these example sentences.
"Can I use your computer?" Robert asked Sharon. (direct speech)
Robert asked Sharon if/whether he could use her computer. (indirect speech)
"May I borrow your van?" Jason asked his aunt. (direct speech)
Jason asked his aunt if/whether he might borrow her van. (indirect speech)
"Do you know how to drive?" Jenny asked her colleague. (direct speech)
Jenny asked her colleague if/whether he knew how to drive. (indirect speech)
"Do you want some biscuits?" Mrs Lee asked the kids. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee asked the kids if/whether they wanted some biscuits. (indirect speech)
"Is the new student from Norway?" asked the lecturer. (direct speech)
The lecturer asked if/whether the new student was from Norway. (indirect speech)
"Are there any potatoes in the basket?" Mary asked her mum. (direct speech)
Mary asked her mum if/whether there were any potatoes in the basket. (indirect speech)
"Has the bus arrived?" Peter asked David. (direct speech)
Peter asked David if/whether the bus had arrived. (indirect speech)
"Have the children gone to bed?" Mrs Lee asked her husband. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee asked her husband if/whether the children had gone to bed. (indirect speech)
Direct and indirect/reported speech in positive commands
(to + present tense verb/infinitive......)
Pay attention to the words in bold print.
"Come here at once!" Mr Lee shouted to the boys. (direct speech)
Mr Lee shouted to the boys to go there at once. (indirect speech)
"Stop crying!" Mrs Lee told her little girl. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee told her little girl to stop crying. (indirect speech)
Direct and indirect/reported speech in negative commands
(not to + present tense verb/infinitive.....)
"Don't play with sharp objects," Miss Lee advised the kids. (direct speech)
Miss Lee advised the kids not to play with sharp objects. (indirect speech)
NOTE: In some situations, the indirect/reported speech rules are not applicable.
When reporting a universal truth or a fact, the present tense is still used in the indirect/reported speech.
"The Earth is spherical in shape," the Geography teacher told the students. (direct speech)
The Geography teacher told the students that the Earth is spherical in shape. (indirect/reported speech)
Incorrect to report: The Geography told the students that the Earth was spherical in shape. It means the Earth was previously spherical; now it's no longer spherical!
When reporting something that is true at the time of speaking.
"Your sister's newborn is a girl," the obstetrician told me. (direct speech)
The obstetrician told me my sister's newborn is a girl. (indirect/reported speech)
When reporting a situation which has not happened and the person who is reporting is sure that the situation is very likely to happen in the near future, the tense and time do not change in the indirect/reported speech.
"Please inform the staff that they have an important briefing this afternoon," the personnel manager told his secretary. (direct speech)
The personnel manager told his secretary to inform the staff that they have an important briefing this afternoon. (indirect speech)
When reporting a situation which is still going on at the time of speaking, the same tense and time are still used in the indirect/reported speech.
"My kids didn't attend class today," Mrs Lee told her neighbor. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee told her neighbor that her kids didn't attend class today. (indirect speech)
It will be inappropriate to report: Mrs Lee told her neighbor that her kids hadn't attended class that day.
Why is this so? Imagine you are Mrs Lee's neighbor and you just talked to Mrs Lee 15 minutes ago. After 15 minutes (on the same day), your sister asked you: "What did Mrs Lee tell you about her kids?" You'd most probably give your sister an answer like this: Mrs Lee told me her kids didn't attend class today. It will sound rather awkward to follow the reported speech rule and say: Mrs Lee told me her kids hadn't attended class that day! Therefore, you see, when constructing reported speeches, you should pay attention to the situation and the time/day mentioned in the direct speech.
Now imagine Mrs Lee told you about her kids not attending class quite some time ago. Now you're telling your sister about her kids. In this case, you must follow the reported speech rule. You must change the tense and time in the reported speech like this: Mrs Lee told me her kids hadn't attended class that day.
Direct and indirect/reported speeches involve different tenses. To view the tenses, click on "References" or "grammar".
Direct and indirect/reported speech in statements
from simple present tense to simple past tense
"I eat porridge for breakfast," Tony told David. (direct speech)
Tony told David (that) he ate porridge for breakfast. (indirect speech)
from present continuous tense to past continuous tense
(is/are + verbing in direct speech) (was/were + verbing in indirect speech)
(now in direct speech changed to then in indirect speech)
"Daisy is coloring the picture now," said Mrs Lee. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee said Daisy was coloring the picture then. (indirect speech)
from present perfect tense to past perfect tense
(has/have + past participles in direct speech) (had + past participles in indirect speech)
"Henry has done his homework," Tom told Mary. (direct speech)
Tom told Mary (that) Henry had done his homework. (indirect speech)
from present perfect continuous tense to past perfect continuous tense
(has/have + been + verbing in direct speech)
(had + been + verbing in indirect speech)
"The children have been frolicking in the pool for hours," Sandy told Mrs Lee. (direct speech)
Sandy told Mrs Lee (that) the children had been frolicking in the pool for hours.
from simple past tense to past perfect tense
(past tense verbs in direct speech)
(had + past participles in indirect speech)
(last night in direct speech changed to the night before in indirect speech)
"I took the necklace from the drawer last night," Nancy told her mum.
Nancy told her mum that she had taken the necklace from the drawer the night before.
simple future tense
(will + present verb in direct speech)
(would + present verb in indirect speech)
(tomorrow in direct speech changed to the next/following day in indirect speech)
"I will type the letter tomorrow," said the typist.
The typist said she would type the letter the next/following day.
future continuous tense
(will + be + verbing in direct speech)
(would + be + verbing in indirect speech)
(this evening in direct speech changed to that evening in indirect speech)
"I will be doing revision at home this evening," Florence told her friends.
Florence told her friends that she would be doing revision at home that evening.
Direct and indirect/reported speech in questions
Questions that begin with question words. Pay attention to the change of tense/ possessive pronouns as you read these example sentences.
"Where is the museum?" the tourist asked the passer-by. (direct speech)
The tourist asked the passer-by where the museum was. (indirect speech)
Note that "was" must come immediately after "the museum" in the indirect/reported speech. Incorrect to say: The tourist asked the passer-by where was the museum.
"Which bag is yours?" Mrs Lee asked her daughter. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee asked her daughter which bag hers was. (indirect speech)
Note that yours becomes hers in the indirect speech as "daughter" is a feminine gender.
"How did the thieves get past the alarm system?" the police officer wondered. (direct speech)
The police officer wondered how the thieves had got past the alarm system. (indirect speech)
For questions that begin with modal verbs like can/may and phrases such as Do you know/Do you want and verbs like Is/Are//Has/Have, use if/whether in the indirect/reported speech. Pay attention to the words in bold print and the change of tense as you read these example sentences.
"Can I use your computer?" Robert asked Sharon. (direct speech)
Robert asked Sharon if/whether he could use her computer. (indirect speech)
"May I borrow your van?" Jason asked his aunt. (direct speech)
Jason asked his aunt if/whether he might borrow her van. (indirect speech)
"Do you know how to drive?" Jenny asked her colleague. (direct speech)
Jenny asked her colleague if/whether he knew how to drive. (indirect speech)
"Do you want some biscuits?" Mrs Lee asked the kids. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee asked the kids if/whether they wanted some biscuits. (indirect speech)
"Is the new student from Norway?" asked the lecturer. (direct speech)
The lecturer asked if/whether the new student was from Norway. (indirect speech)
"Are there any potatoes in the basket?" Mary asked her mum. (direct speech)
Mary asked her mum if/whether there were any potatoes in the basket. (indirect speech)
"Has the bus arrived?" Peter asked David. (direct speech)
Peter asked David if/whether the bus had arrived. (indirect speech)
"Have the children gone to bed?" Mrs Lee asked her husband. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee asked her husband if/whether the children had gone to bed. (indirect speech)
Direct and indirect/reported speech in positive commands
(to + present tense verb/infinitive......)
Pay attention to the words in bold print.
"Come here at once!" Mr Lee shouted to the boys. (direct speech)
Mr Lee shouted to the boys to go there at once. (indirect speech)
"Stop crying!" Mrs Lee told her little girl. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee told her little girl to stop crying. (indirect speech)
Direct and indirect/reported speech in negative commands
(not to + present tense verb/infinitive.....)
"Don't play with sharp objects," Miss Lee advised the kids. (direct speech)
Miss Lee advised the kids not to play with sharp objects. (indirect speech)
NOTE: In some situations, the indirect/reported speech rules are not applicable.
When reporting a universal truth or a fact, the present tense is still used in the indirect/reported speech.
"The Earth is spherical in shape," the Geography teacher told the students. (direct speech)
The Geography teacher told the students that the Earth is spherical in shape. (indirect/reported speech)
Incorrect to report: The Geography told the students that the Earth was spherical in shape. It means the Earth was previously spherical; now it's no longer spherical!
When reporting something that is true at the time of speaking.
"Your sister's newborn is a girl," the obstetrician told me. (direct speech)
The obstetrician told me my sister's newborn is a girl. (indirect/reported speech)
When reporting a situation which has not happened and the person who is reporting is sure that the situation is very likely to happen in the near future, the tense and time do not change in the indirect/reported speech.
"Please inform the staff that they have an important briefing this afternoon," the personnel manager told his secretary. (direct speech)
The personnel manager told his secretary to inform the staff that they have an important briefing this afternoon. (indirect speech)
When reporting a situation which is still going on at the time of speaking, the same tense and time are still used in the indirect/reported speech.
"My kids didn't attend class today," Mrs Lee told her neighbor. (direct speech)
Mrs Lee told her neighbor that her kids didn't attend class today. (indirect speech)
It will be inappropriate to report: Mrs Lee told her neighbor that her kids hadn't attended class that day.
Why is this so? Imagine you are Mrs Lee's neighbor and you just talked to Mrs Lee 15 minutes ago. After 15 minutes (on the same day), your sister asked you: "What did Mrs Lee tell you about her kids?" You'd most probably give your sister an answer like this: Mrs Lee told me her kids didn't attend class today. It will sound rather awkward to follow the reported speech rule and say: Mrs Lee told me her kids hadn't attended class that day! Therefore, you see, when constructing reported speeches, you should pay attention to the situation and the time/day mentioned in the direct speech.
Now imagine Mrs Lee told you about her kids not attending class quite some time ago. Now you're telling your sister about her kids. In this case, you must follow the reported speech rule. You must change the tense and time in the reported speech like this: Mrs Lee told me her kids hadn't attended class that day.
Direct and indirect/reported speeches involve different tenses. To view the tenses, click on "References" or "grammar".
By Susan L
On 1/07/2010 05:53:00 AM
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