Learn Direct and Indirect Speech complete course with clear rules, examples, and explanations. Understand how to change narration easily and practice with helpful exercises for all tenses.

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Muhammad Irfan Abid

Muhammad Irfan Abid is an English grammar expert, educator, and content creator with over 10 years of experience in teaching and developing English language resources. As the founder of englishfy.net, he is passionate about simplifying complex grammar concepts for students, competitive exam aspirants, and ESL learners across the globe.

Direct Indirect Basic Changes

Let us get through direct and indirect speech basic changes with definitions, rules, and exercises. We can express anyone’s speech or talk in two ways. 

1. Direct Speech

2. Indirect Speech

1. Direct Speech

To state anyone’s speech as such or as actual.

2. Indirect Speech

To state anyone’s speech with modification or with changed words so that the actual meaning remains the same.

Parts of Direct Speech

We shall apply changes in indirect speech as we want to change it to direct speech. So, direct speech contains two parts.

He said to me, (Reporting Speech)

“He is going to school” (Reported Speech)

Basic Changes

Basically, we apply five changes from indirect speech to direct speech.

1. Replacement of Say, said, etc

2. Replacement of Commas

3. Change of Pronoun

4. Change of Tenses

5. Change of Certain Words

Change/Replacement of “Said to”:

Exercise Just for the above rules:

I said to him, “Reported Speech.” (Dir.)
I told him that ………………….. (Ind)

Irfan says to them,” any type of a sentence”(Dir)
Irfan tells them that…………………….. (Ind)

They say to me, “……………………..”(Dir)
They tell me that ……………………. (Ind)

They said, “……………………”(Dir)
They said that…………………. (Ind)
(No change)

He says, “……………………..”(Dir)
He says that…………………… (Ind)
(No change)

Remember:

The above changes are according to the rules but not compulsory if you do not make these changes, the sentences will not be incorrect. In other words, these changes are optional. So, you can say that the compulsory changes are all in a reported speech from the replacement of commas followed by the change of pronouns, change of tenses, and change of certain words.

All these compulsory changes have been discussed in the next phase and you can consult it but we advise you to go step by step to get productive learning.

Rules for Certain Words

1. Rule One

If the reporting speech is in Past Indefinite Tense, the following certain words in the reporting speech will be changed to the following:

Change in Certain Words

this → that

He said, “This is my pen.”

He said that that is his pen.

these → those

I said, “These are beautiful goats”.

I said that those were beautiful goats.

here → there

You said, “Akmal is here.”

You said that Akmal was there.

now  →then

The teacher said to him, “You should write now.”

The teacher told him that he should write then.

thus →so

He said, “Thus they stood at once”.

He said that so they had stood at once. 

ago →before

The peon said, “The officer came five minutes ago“.

The peon said that the officer had come five minutes before.

hither →thither

I said, “It is easy to see hither in a word”.

I said that it was easy to see thither in a word.

hence →thence

The teacher said, “They tried and hence proved it”.

The teacher said that they had tried and thence proved it.

today →that day

She said, “I got up late today“.

She said that she had gotten late that day.

tonight →that night

We said, “The passengers arrived tonight.”

We said that the passengers had arrived that night.

tomorrow →the next day

We said, “The passengers will arrive tomorrow.”

We said that the passengers would arrive the next day.

the next day →the following day

We said, “The passengers will arrive the next day.“

We said that the passengers would arrive the following day. 

yesterday  → the previous day

We said, “The passengers arrived yesterday.“

We said that the passengers had arrived the previous day. 

last night  →the previous night

We said, “The passengers arrived last night.“

We said that the passengers had arrived the previous night.

2. Rule Two

The words like all right, hello, well, yes, and no will be removed.

Examples:

Hello

He said, “Hello Afzal, I am going.”

He said to Afzal that he was going.

All right

They said, “All right, we should go now.”

They said that they should go then.

Well

She said, “Well, Ali will not stay.”

She said that Ali would not stay.

Yes

The teacher said, “Yes, He can go.”

The teacher said that he could go.

No

He said, “No, I did not take tea.”

He said that he had not taken tea.

3. Rule Three

Good morning, Good afternoon, good noon, and Good evening will be replaced or changed with greet/greeted by placing it right after the subject who used to say these words.

Examples

Good noon 

He said, “Brother, good noon.”
He greeted his brother.

Good afternoon

They said, “Friends, good afternoon.”
They greeted their friends.

Good morning

I said, “Uncle, good morning.”
I greeted my uncle

Good evening 

We said, “Good evening, Ali”.
We greeted Ali.

4. Rule Four

Good night, goodbye will be a good night to and goodbye to then place the name to whom the subject says these words.

Examples: 

Goodbye

She said, “Goodbye, Saima.”

She said goodbye to Saima.

Good night

Irfan said, “Good night father.”

Irfan said good night to his father.

5. Rule Five

Madam or Sir will be replaced with respectfully.

Examples

Sir

He said, “Sir, I have done it.”

He said respectfully that he had done it.

Madam

She said, “Madam, I solved this MCQ.

She said respectfully that she had solved that MCQ.

6. Rule Six

If there is an object of reporting speech used in reported speech then add this object right after said to. Words like hello and hi will be removed.

Examples

I said, “Zain, I am going.”

I told/said to Zain that he was going.

He said, Hello Zain, I am going.”

He told/said to Zain he was going.

Rules for Subjective Pronouns

We have to learn first what are the persons of pronouns with their types or cases. By learning pronouns, we can learn respective changes.

Before we proceed, we shall have to learn what are pronouns and persons of pronouns or the types of pronouns.

Possessive (S)=Possessive Singular

Possessive (P)=Possessive Plural

Rule One

If the subject of ‘reported speech’ is first person, it changes with the subject of ‘reporting speech’.

First Person of Reported Speech → Subject of Reporting Speech

For Example:

(R.ing Speech)      (R.ted Speech)

He said to me,      I am …………
↓                           ↓
Subject          First Person

Now the answer will be as:
He told me that he was…….

More Example:

(R.ing Speech)      (R.ted Speech)
You                           I am listening…
↓                             ↓
subject             First Person
Now the answer will be as:
You told me that you were listening….

Rule of First Person (We)

If the subject of ‘reported speech’ is first person, it changes with the subject of ‘reporting speech’. But remember, if the subject of reported speech is ‘we’, change everytime it with ‘they’.

If the subject of reported speech is “We” and whatever the subject reporting speech has, just change it to they in reported speech except “you”.

For Example:

(R.ing Speech)             (R.ted Speech)

He said,                        “We are friends.”

He→Subject
We→  First Person

He told me that they were friends.

The reason behind changing “He” to “They” is that “We” is plural whereas “He” is singular so to make the balance of plural, we changed “He to They”.

Example:

You said,     “We are writing….  (Dir.)

                       ↓

You told that you are writing…. (Ind.)

In the above example, both “We” and “you” are plural so the balance of plural is there. Therefore, you will be changed with “We” to give “you”

Role No. 2

Rule of 2nd Person(You)

As we know that ‘You’ is only the second person. So, if the subject of the reported speech is ‘You’, it will be changed with the object of reporting speech.

Remember, if reporting speech has no object, just suppose ‘me’ or ‘him’ as an object and then make a change.

Example:

He said to me,  “You are a good friend.”(Dir.)

                          ↓

He told me that  I am……….(Ind.)

Note: If there is no object in reporting speech, we can consider “him” or “me”.

Example:

He said You are……….(Dir.)

                    ↓

He told that he was (Ind.)

or

He told that I was…. (Ind.)

We shall also change the helping verb according to the newly changed subject of reported speech. Look above example for understanding.

Rule No.3

“Rule of the Third Person for Subjective Pronoun Changes in Direct and Indirect Speech”

[He, She, It They, Name(s)]

If the subject of reported speech is ‘3rd person’ then it will remain unchanged but change of pronouns will be made.

Example:

You said,   “They are lawyers. (Dir.)

                    ↓
You told that they were lawyers. (Ind.)   

Example:

You say,     “He is topper.”.(Dir.)

                  ↓
You tell that he is topper. (Ind.)   

Example:

They told,    “Ali is a good boy”.(Dir.)

Rules for Possessive Pronouns

The Objective Pronouns Changes are of two types.

a Possessive Pronoun (Singular) Change

b. Possessive Pronoun (Plural) Change

Possessive Pronoun (Singular) Change:

Singular Possessive Pronouns

My, our, your, his, her, their, it

Rule of Possessive Pronouns 1st Person (my, our)

If there is a Possessive pronoun singular in reported speech, it will change with the subject of reporting a speech by changing it into the Possessive Singular Case.

Example(my)

He said to me, “It is my bat.”

He said to me, “It is my bat.”

He told me that it… his bat.

Note: We do not write helping verb and keep it empty because we will learn its changes in next lesson.

Example(my) Possessive Pronouns Changes

You said to me, “It is my bat.”

You said to me, “It is my bat.”

He told me that it… your bat.

Example(my)

She said to me,   “It is my bat.”

She told me that it was her bat.

Example(our) Possessive Pronouns Changes

She said to me,      “It is our bat.”

She told me that it was their bat.

Note: Change ‘our’ to ‘their’ whatever the subject of reporting speech is. The reason is that ‘our’ is used for plural.

Example(our)

He said to me, “It is our bat.”

He said to me, “It is our bat.”

He told me that it… their bat.

Example(our)

You said to me, “It is our bat.”

You said to me, “It is our bat.”

You told me that it……your bat.

Rule for Second Person Possessive Pronoun (Your)

Change possessive pronoun singular of reported speech with objective of reporting speech.

Example(your) Possessive Pronouns Changes

He said to me, “It is your bat.”

He told me that it… my bat.

Example(your)

He said to us, “It is your bat.

He told us that it… our bat.

Example(your)

He said to him, “It is your bat.”
He said to him, “It is your bat.”

He told us that it…… his bat.”

Example(your)

He said to her, “It is your bat.”
He said to her, “It is your bat.

He told us that it…. her bat.”

Example(your):

He said to them, “It is your bat.”

He said to them, “It is your bat.

He told them that it…. their bat.

Rule for Possessive Pronoun Third Person Singular 

The third-person possessive pronouns such as his, her, their, its, names will not be changed.

Possessive Pronouns Changes in Direct and Indirect Speech

Example(his)

He said to them, “It is his bat.”
He said to them, “It is his bat.

He told them that it…. his bat.

Example(her)

He said to them, “It is her bat.”
He said to them, “It is her bat.”

He told them that it…. her bat.

Example (their) Possessive Pronouns Changes in Direct and Indirect Speech

He said to them, “It is their bat.”
He said to them, “It is their bat.”

He told them that it…. their bat.

Example(its) Possessive Pronouns Changes in Direct and Indirect Speech

He said to them, “It is its beak.”
He said to them, “It is its beak.”

He told them that it…. its bat.

Example(name)

He said to them, “It is Ali’s bat.”
He said to them,   “It is Ali’s bat.”

He told them that it… Ali’s bat.

2. Possessive Pronoun (Plural) Change

Possessive pronouns such as mine, ours, yours, hers, theirs, its will be changed in plural form.

Example(mine)

He said to me, “It is mine.”

She said to me,   “It is mine.”

She told me that it ۔۔۔ hers. 

Example(mine)

You said to me, “It is mine

You said to me, “It is mine.”

You told me it …….. yours.

Example(mine)

Amina said to them, “It is 

Amina said to me, “It is mine.”

Amina told me it………….hers.

Example(ours)

She said to me, “It is ours.”

She told me that it….. hers.

Example(ours):

He said to me, “It is 

He said to me, “It is ours.”

He told me that it….theirs.

We place ‘their’ because ‘our’ is plural and ‘he’ is singular so, to make ‘he’ plural, ‘their’ will be written which is our final change.

Rule for Possessive Pronoun Second Person Singular (yours)

As we know the second person changes with the object of reporting speech. But if there is possessive pronoun of the second person is in plural form then it changed with object of reporting speech in plural form.

Example(yours)

He said to me, “It is yours.”

He said to me, “It is yours“

He told me that it… mine.

Example(yours)

He said to us, “It is yours.”
He said to us, “It is yours.”

He told us that it… ours.

Example(yours)

He said to her, “It is yours.”
He said to her, “It is yours.

He told her that it….. hers.

Example(yours)

He said to them, “It is yours.”

He said to them, “It is yours.”

He told them that it….. theirs.

Rule for Possessive Pronoun Plural for 3rd Person

The third person will not be changed whether they are possessive, subjective, or objective.

Example(hers)

He said to them, “It is hers.”
He said to them, “It is hers.”

He told them that it…. hers.

Example(theirs)

He said to them, “It is theirs.”
He said to them, “It is theirs.”

He told them that it…. theirs.

Example(its)

He said to them, “It is its.”
He said to them, “It is its.”

He told them that it…. its.

Example(name) Possessive Pronouns Changes in Direct and Indirect Speech

He said to them, “It is Ali’s.”
He said to them, “It is Ali’s.

Rules for Objective Pronouns Change

This rule is as same as we applied to subjective pronouns in relation to objective pronouns. In other words, we’ll change persons with objective pronouns now.

All the changes will be made as we did on the rules previously. The first person will be changed with the subject of reporting speech whereas the second person with the object of reporting speech but all changes will be transformed into objective cases.

Objective Pronoun Change

‘Me, us, you, him, her, them, it’

Rule (First Person Objective me, us)

The objective pronoun (1st Person) of the reported speech will be changed with the subject of the reporting speech and it will be written in an objective case.

Example(me) Objective Pronouns Changes

You said to me, “It is best for me.”

You said to me, “It is best for me.”

You told me that it… best for you.

Example(me)

He said to me, “It is best for me.”

He told me that it… best for him.

Example(me)

She said to me, “It is best for me.”

She told me that it…best for her.

Example(me)

They said to us, “They are praying for me.”

They told us that they…praying for them.

Example(us)

You said to me, “It is best for us.”

You told me that it… best for you.

Example(us) Objective Pronouns Changes

I said to them, “It is best for  us.”

I told them that it….. best for us/them.”

Rule of Second Person Objective Case (You)

The object (2nd Person) of the reported speech will be changed with the object of the reporting speech all in the objective case.

Example(you) Objective Pronouns Changes in Direct and Indirect Speech

I said to them, “It is best for  you.”

I told them that it….. best for them.

Example(you)

I said to her, “It is best for  you.”

I told her that it….. best for her.

Example(you)

I said to him, “It is best for  you.”

I told her that it….. best for him.

Rule for Third Persons Objective Case

The third person will not be changed whatever the case is. Whether the case is subjective objective or possessive.

Example(him) Objective Pronouns Changes

I said, “It is best for  him.”

I said that it…best for him.

Example(her)

I said, “It is best for  her.”

I said that it.. best for her.

Example(them)

I said, “It is best for  them.”

I said that it.. best for them.

“Them” is a third person → No change

Rules for Tense Changes

In this lesson, we will learn key changes for direct and indirect speech rules for tense change. Remember, the changes in tenses in Indirect Speech can be done by considering five rules. These five rules are compulsory.

Rule One (Present Indefinite Tense)

In the first rule, first part i,e reporting speech is present indefinite tense then tense of reported speech will not be changed but other changes will be made.

Examples

1. He says to me, → Present Indefinite Tense

In the above sentence, “He says to me,” belongs to the present indefinite tense. Therefore, the tense will not be changed.

He says to me, “I get up early in the morning.”(Dir)

He says to me that he gets up early in the morning. (Ind)

2. You say to us, → Present Indefinite Tense

You say to us, “we went to school on foot.” (Dir)

Finally,

You say to us that they went to school on foot. (Ind)

3. Subject + says to them, → Present Indefinite Tense

He says to them, “I called them twice.” (Dir)

He says to them that he called them twice. (Ind)

Rule Two (Past Indefinite Tense)

In the second rule, if reporting speech consisted of Past Indefinite Tense and reported speech consisted of Present Indefinite Tense then the Present will be converted into Past Indefinite Tense.

Example of Change in Tenses for Past Indefinite Tense

He said to me, = Past Indefinite Tense

“I get up early in the morning.”= Present Indefinite Tense

As we know the reported speech is past indefinite. So, the tense (verb or helping verb) will be changed from present to past.

He said to me, “I get up early in the morning.”(Dir)

He told me that he got up early in the morning. (Ind)

Similarly, for Example Change In Tense in Indirect Speech

I said to him, = Past Indefinite Tense

“You do not play cricket.”= Present Indefinite Tense

I said to him, “You do not play cricket.”(Dir)

I told him that he did not play cricket. (Ind)

Rule Three (When Both Past Indefinite)

In the third rule, if reporting speech consisted of Past Indefinite Tense and reported speech consisted of Past Indefinite Tense as well then it will be converted into Past Perfect Tense.

Examples

Both parts are Past Indefinite Tenses.

1. He said to him, “He went to school.”(Di)

He told me that he had gone to school. (Ind)

Like the first sentence, apply the same concept.

2. I said to you, “Hamza cooked food.”(Di)

I told you that Hamza had cooked food. (Ind)

Similarly,

3. They said to him, “We wrote a book.”(Di)

They told him that they had written a book. (Ind)

In the rule, if reported speech consists of universal truth, reality, or any customs then just change commas to that and do not make any other changes.

Example

Remember, punctuational marks must be applied.

You said to me, “The Earth is round”.(Di)

Note: capitalization will be applied because Earth is a proper noun.

You said to me that the Earth is round. (Ind)

They said, “Honesty is the best policy.”(Di)

They said that honesty is the best policy. (Ind)

Similarly,

I said, “God helps those who help themselves.”(Di)

I said that God helps those who help themselves. (Ind)

Rules For Universal Truth

In the rule, if reported speech consists of universal truth, reality, or any customs then just change commas to that and do not make any other changes.

Example

Remember, punctuational marks must be applied.

You said to me, “The Earth is round”.(Di)

Note: capitalization will be applied because Earth is a proper noun.

You said to me that the Earth is round. (Ind)

They said, “Honesty is the best policy.”(Di)

They said that honesty is the best policy. (Ind)

Similarly,

I said, “God helps those who help themselves.”(Di)

I said that God helps those who help themselves. (Ind)

The rule for Helping Verb

In this section, we will change the helping verb in reported speech if the reporting speech is past tense. This how we shall change it. Examples are as follow: 

Remember, the following changes are also compulsory.

Is, are, am → was, were

He said, “I am going to school”

He said that he was going to school.

was, were → had been

He said, “I was watching TV.”

He said that he had been watching TV.

will, shall → would

They said, “We will go.”.

They said that they would go.

Also, change these:

can→ could

The girl said, “She can cook.”

The girl said that she could cook.

Similarly,

may →might

The student said, “He may pass.”

The student said that he might pass.

has, have → had

She said to him, “I have done it”.

She told him that she had done it.

I said, “He has done it”.

I said that he had done it.

do not, does not → did not

They said, “We do no go daily.”

They said that they did not go daily.

You said, “He does not write.”

You said that he did not write.

did not → had not

I said to him, “You did not wash hands”.

I told him that he had not washed hands.

could → no change

He said to him, “I could get the result.”

He told him that he could get the result.

must → no change

They said, “We must follow him.”

They said that they must follow him.

would → no change

Ali said, “I would go there.”

Ali said that he would go there.

should → no change

The teacher said, “We should speak the truth.”

The teacher said that they should speak the truth.

had → no change

Alia said, “I had done her duty.”

Alia said that she had done her duty.

Finally, change the following:

might → no change

Ahmad said, “He might be absent.”

Ahmad said that he might be absent.

Remember, we shall not change the form of verbs after these helping verbs because according to the rule, after these helping verbs only the first form of the verb comes.

Rules for Different Sentence Types

In the final lesson, we will learn direct and indirect speech rules for sentence types like assertive, exclamatory, imperative and optative sentences.

Rules for Change for Assertive Sentences

These sentences consist of news that shows anything happened or not and these sentences in reported speech are those which start with subjects such as I, We, You, He, She, It, or name.

He said to me, “I am waiting for you.”

Asma said, “She did not write a letter yet.”

They said to us, ” We are enjoying a party.”

I said to him, ” I am in the room.”

Ali said to Umar, “I am not in the market.”

Changing 1

Write said to/say to as it is or change them to told/tell.

Replace commas with that.

Never use to right after tell/told.

Examples

1. He said to me, “I advise you to do your duty.” (Di)

He said, “I advise you to do your duty.” (Di)

Changing 2

said to→told

commas (,) → that

I→he

you  →me

your→my

advise→advised

He told me that he advised me to do my duty. (Ind)

He told me that he advised me to do my duty. (Ind) without colours

2. I said to the headmaster, “I have acted upon your advice, Sir.” (Di)

I said to the headmaster, “I have acted upon your advice, Sir.” (Di)

Changing 3

said to→told

commas (,) → that

I→I

your  →his

Sir  → respectfully

have→had

I told the headmaster respectfully that I had acted upon his advice. (Ind)

I told the headmaster respectfully that I had acted upon his advice. (Ind) without colours

3. Akram will say, “I do not tell lies as I am afraid of Allah.” (Di)

Akram will say, “I do not tell lies as I am afraid of Allah.” (Di)

Changes for  Assertive Sentences

commas (,) → that

I→Akram
I→Akram

As reporting speech is not in Past Tense therefore tense will not be changed.

Akram will say that he does not tell lies as he is afraid of Allah. (Ind) without colours

Exercise

Muhammad said to us, “I know what you mean to do.”(Di)

Muhammad told us that he knew what we meant to do. (Ind)

The captain said to the team, “We are hopeful to win the match.”(Di)

The captain told the team that they were hopeful to win the match. (Ind)

He said, “The earth revolves around the sun.”(Di)

He said that the Earth revolves around the sun. (Ind)

(Note: Universal Truth)

He says to her, “I and your brother can speak French fluently.”(Di)

He tells her that he and her brother can speak French fluently. (Ind)

More Examples for Change of Assertive Sentences to Indirect Speech

He said to me, “I shall drive your car if you allow me.”(Di)

He told me that he would drive my car if I allowed him. (Ind)

Our teacher said to us, “God helps those who help themselves.”(Di)

Our teacher told us that God helps those who help themselves. (Ind)

“Yes father, “said Ali, “I beat the dog but I am sorry for that.”(Di)

Ali told his father that he had beaten the dog but he was sorry for that. (Ind)

She says to me, “I shall attend the meeting if you invite me.”(Di)

She told me that she would attend the meeting if I invited her. (Ind)

Akram said to me, “I am always ready to help you in English.”(Di)

Akram told me that he(Akram) was always ready to help me in English. (Ind)

Exclamatory Sentence Changes

We will make changes to the reporting speech. Whereas in reported speech, changes will made that we have made before.

Changing ‘said to’ to be Made

For Joy

exclaimed with joy/exclaimed joyfully

For Surprise

exclaimed with wonder/exclaimed wonderfully

For Sorrow/Condolence

exclaimed with sorrow/exclaimed sorrowfully

Bravo, Wow, Alas, Oh, Ah, Hurrah, Buck Up

More Changings

Remove the words like Well done etc.

Change What/How to very.

Replace ‘commas’ with ‘that’.

The sentence having ‘wonder/surprise’, is converted into a simple sentence before changing to indirect speech.

If there is an objective in reporting speech, add ‘and told me’.

He exclaimed joyfully and told me 

Example(Joy) Change for Exclamatory Sentences

He said, “Hurrah! We have gotten brilliant marks.”(Dir)

He said, “Hurrah! We have gotten brilliant marks.”(Dir)

said + Hurrah! ⇒ exclaimed with joy

commas ⇒ that

we ⇒ they

have   ⇒ had

He exclaimed with joy that they had gotten brilliant marks. (Ind)

Example(Joy) Change for Exclamatory Sentences

He said to us, “Hurrah! I have gotten admission in the university.”(Dir)

He said to us, “Hurrah! I have gotten admission in the university.”(Dir)

said + Hurrah! ⇒ exclaimed with joy

to us⇒ and told us

commas ⇒ that

I ⇒ he

have   ⇒ had

He exclaimed with joy and told us that he had gotten admission to the university. (Ind)

Example(Wonder) Change for Exclamatory Sentences

He said, “Wow! What a huge building that is!”(Dir)

He said, “Wow! What a huge building that is!”(Dir)

said + Wow! ⇒ exclaimed with wonder

commas ⇒ that

what ⇒ very

is   ⇒ was

! ⇒ removed

make it simple,

He said, “The building is very huge”(Dir)

He exclaimed with wonder that the building was very huge. (Ind)

Example(Wonder)

I said to you, “Woh! What great cleanliness is here.”(Dir)

I said to you, “Woh! What great cleanliness is here.”(Dir)

said + Wow! ⇒ exclaimed with wonder

to you⇒ and told you

commas ⇒ that

what ⇒ very

is   ⇒ was

make it simple,

I said to you, “The cleanliness is very great here.”(Dir)

He exclaimed with wonder and told you that the cleanliness was very great there. (Ind)

Example(Sorrow) Change for Exclamatory Sentences

They said, “Alas! We lost the money”(Dir)

They said, “Alas! We lost the money”(Dir)

said + Alas! ⇒ exclaimed with sorrow

commas ⇒ that

what ⇒ very

lost   ⇒ had lost

They exclaimed with sorrow that they had lost the money. (Ind)

Example(Sorrow)

I said to you, “Oh! You lost the final match.”(Dir)

I said to you, “Oh! You lost the final match.”(Dir)

said + oh! ⇒ exclaimed with sorrow

to you ⇒ and told you

You ⇒ you

commas ⇒ that

lost   ⇒ had lost

I exclaimed with sorrow and told you that you had lost the final match. (Ind)

Example No. 2 (Sorrow):

I said to him, “Oh! She lost the golden locket.”(Dir)

I said to him, “Oh! She lost the golden locket.”(Dir)

said + oh!⇒exclaimed with sorrow

to him ⇒and told him

She ⇒third person no change

commas ⇒that

lost⇒had lost

I exclaimed with sorrow and told him that she had lost her golden locket. (Ind)

Change of Optative Sentences

There are two types of sentences containing the contents of pray, curse, or wish. 

Examples of Sentences(Pray)

He said to us, “May you get success.”

Examples of Sentences(Curse)

He said, “May you not reach in time.”

Examples of Sentences(Wish)

She said, May I get first prize.”

Instructions

We’ll follow the following instructions

Change said/said to etc according to reporting speech. Like:

If pray then Said to → Prayed for

Pray then Say to → Pray for

Pray then Says to → Prays for                                                           

If wish then Said to → Wished for

Wish then Say to → Wished for

Wish then Says to → Wished for

If regret then Said to → Wood that

If there is ‘ sign of exclamation’ at the end of the sentence, replace it with full stop.

If the reported speech expressing a wish, change said to with wishes and remove ‘wood that’.

Examples(Pray) for Change for Optative Sentences

He said to me, “May your dream get true!”(Dir)

First, make it simple:

He said to me, “Your dream may get true!”(Dir)

Changes

said to ⇒ prayed for

commas ⇒ that

Your⇒ my

may⇒ might

!⇒ removed

He prayed for me that my dream might get true. (Ind)

More Examples

I said, “May you win the first prize!”(Dir)

I said, “You may win the first prize!”(Simple Dir)
I pray that he might win the first prize. (Ind)

The father said, “May my son pass the examination!”(Dir)

The father said, “My son may pass the examination!”(Simple Dir.)

The father prayed that his son might pass the examination. (Ind)

The mother said, “May my daughter make no mistake!”(Dir)

The mother said, “My daughter may make no mistake!”(Simple Dir.)

The mother wished/prayed that her daughter might make no mistake. (Ind)

You said to me, “May your business prosper!” (Dir)

You said to me, “Your business may prosper!” (Simple Dir.)

You prayed for me that my business might prosper. (Ind)

Examples(Curse)

He said, “May you forget the way.”(Dir)

First, make it simple:

He said, ”You may forget the way.”(Dir)

He said to me, “You may forget the way.”(Dir)

Changes

said to ⇒ prayed for

commas ⇒ that

You⇒ I

may⇒ might

He cursed me that I might forget the way. (Ind)

Example

She said, “May you go to hell!” (Dir)
She said, “You may go to hell!” (Simple Dir.)
She cursed that he might go to hell. (Ind)

Example

Similarly,

The beggar said angrily, “May you suffer a great loss!”(Dir)

The beggar said angrily, “You may suffer a great loss!”(Simple Dir)

The beggar cursed angrily that he might suffer a great loss. (Ind)

Examples(Wish):

He said, “Would that I were a captain.”(Dir)

He said, “Would that I were a captain.”(Dir)

Changes

said ⇒ wished

commas ⇒ that

I⇒ he

were⇒ had been

Would that⇒ remove it

He wished that he had been a captain. (Ind)

Example:

Similarly,

They said, “Would that we were born with a silver spoon in his mouth!”(Dir)

They wished that they had been born with a silver spoon in their mouth. (Ind)

Imperative Sentence Changes

These sentences consist of order, request, advice, or prohibition, called Imperative Sentences. Remember, there is no subject in these types of sentences.

Sentence Examples

The teacher said, “Bring the glass of water.”

Aamir said to me, “Please give me a pen.”

He said to Babar, “Say your prayers.”

I said, “Do not tell a lie.”

Changes 1

Change ‘said to’ according to reporting speech. It means:

If the order is given in the sentence, change ‘said to’ to ‘order’.

If the request is made then change (said to) to requested.

If advice is made, change it to advised.

Finally, change ‘said to’ to forbade if anything is prohibited.

Replace the comma with ‘to’ and place the first form of the verb very after ‘to’. Remove the words like please, kindly, etc.

In negative sentences, change ‘do not’ to ‘to not’.

Examples (Ordered) Change for Imperative Sentences

He said to me, “Write a letter right  and check me.”(Dir)

He said to me, “Write a letter and check.”(Dir)

So, the changes will be as:

said to⇒ ordered

commas ⇒ to

me⇒

Write⇒ Write

check⇒ check (to)

He ordered me to write a letter and check him. (Ind)

Examples (Requested)

Shahzad said to the teacher, “Give me a leave for tomorrow.”(Dir)

said to⇒ requested

Commas ⇒ to

me ⇒ him

Change tomorrow ⇒ the next day

Shahzad requested the teacher to give him leave for the next day. (Ind)

Examples (Advised) Change for Imperative Sentences

The old man said to us, “Drink the water in three breaths.”(Dir)

The old man said to us, “Drink the water in three breaths.”(Dir)

said to⇒ advised

Commas ⇒ to

Finally,

The old man advised us to drink water in three breaths. (Ind)

Examples (Forbade)

Aslam said to them, “Do not throw garbage in the streets.”(Dir)

Aslam said to them, “Do not throw garbage in the streets.”(Dir)

Now, 

said to forbade

Do not⇒ not to

Aslam forbade them not to throw garbage in the streets. (Ind)

Use of Let

In indirect speech, we make the use of let for two types of sentences:

• Proposal
• Permission

For Proposal: Said to/ said will be changed to proposed/suggested. The commas will be replaced with “that”. Furthermore, add “should” after the subject of reported speech. 

Secondly, change “us” with the subject of reporting speech because “us” is the first person and remember, after changing “us” the resultant must be in the subjective case.

Example No. 1

He said to them, “Let us clean the floor.”(Dir)

He said to them, “Let us clean the floor.”(Dir)

Now, applying changes:

said to⇒ proposed/suggested

Commas⇒ that

Let  ⇒ should

us ⇒ they(subjective case)

He proposed them they should clean the floor. (Ind)

Example No. 2

She said, “Let us play cricket.”(Dir)

She said, “Let us play cricket.”(Dir)

said to⇒ proposed/suggested

Commas⇒ that

Let  ⇒ should

us ⇒ they(subjective case)

She proposed that they should play cricket. (Ind)

For Permission: “said to / said will be changed to requested and commas will be replaced with “to”.

Example No.3

He said, “Let me go home.”(Dir)

Firstly,

He said, “Let me go home.”(Dir)

said⇒ requested

Commas⇒ to

me ⇒ him

He requested to let him go home. (Ind)

Example No. 4

They said to us, “Let them lend some money.”(Dir)

Firstly,

They said to us, “Let them lend some money.”(Dir)

said⇒ requested

Commas⇒ to

them⇒ third person no change

They requested to let them lend some money. (Ind)

Exercise with Answers

Are you looking for narration change with answers to test your learnings? Let’s learn important narration sentence changes that will help you to solve all your doubts and queries.

Narration Change Exercise

Example:

• Direct: John said to Smith, “I am going to the store for groceries for my family.”
• Indirect: John said to Smith that he was going to the store for groceries for his family.

Examples:

• Direct: “I’m going to the park,” said Mary.
• Indirect: Mary said that she was going to the park.
• Direct: “I love you,” said Tom.
• Indirect: Tom told me that he loved me.
• Direct: “Don’t be late!” said Mom.
• Indirect: Mom warned me not to be late.
• Direct: “Can you help me with my homework?” asked Sue.
• Indirect: Sue asked me if I could help her with her homework.
• Direct: “I’m going to bed,” said Dad.
• Indirect: Dad said that he was going to bed.
• Direct: “I’m so sorry!” said Sarah.
• Indirect: Sarah apologized for being late.
• Direct: “I’m the best there is!” said Billy.
• Indirect: Billy boasted that he was the best there was.
• Direct: “I’m going to win this race!” shouted Peter.
• Indirect: Peter exclaimed that he was going to win the race.
• Direct: “I’m so scared!” cried Jane.
• Indirect: Jane confessed that she was scared.
• Direct: “I’m not going to do that!” said Michael.
• Indirect: Michael refused to do that.
• Direct: “I’m going to tell on you!” threatened David.
• Indirect: David threatened to tell on me.
• Direct: “I’m going to take a nap I must need it,” said Emily.
• Indirect: Emily announced that she was going to take a nap she must need it.
• Direct: “I’m going to eat this whole cake!” said Jessica.
• Indirect: Jessica declared that she was going to eat the whole cake.

Indirect to Direct Narration

Example:

• Indirect: Mary said that she was going to the park.
• Direct: “I’m going to the park,” said Mary.

Examples:

• Indirect: Tom told me that he loved me.
• Direct: “I love you,” said Tom.
• Indirect: Mom warned me not to be late.
• Direct: “Don’t be late!” said Mom.
• Indirect: Sue asked me if I could help her with her homework.
• Direct: “Can you help me with my homework?” asked Sue.
• Indirect: Dad said that he was going to bed.
• Direct: “I’m going to bed,” said Dad.
• Indirect: Sarah apologized for being late.
• Direct: “I’m so sorry!” said Sarah.
• Indirect: Billy boasted that he was the best there was.
• Direct: “I’m the best there is!” said Billy.
• Indirect: Peter exclaimed that he was going to win the race.
• Direct: “I’m going to win this race!” shouted Peter.
• Indirect: Jane confessed that she was scared.
• Direct: “I’m so scared!” cried Jane.
• Indirect: Michael refused to do that.
• Direct: “I’m not going to do that!” said Michael.
• Indirect: David threatened to tell on me.
• Direct: “I’m going to tell on you!” threatened David.
• Indirect: Jessica declared that she was going to eat the whole cake.
• Direct: “I’m going to eat this whole cake!” said Jessica.

Change of Person

Example:

• Direct: “They are going to the store to purchase perfumes.,” said John.
• Indirect: John said that they were going to the store to purchase perfumes.

Change of Tense

Example:

• Direct: John said to Smith, “I am going to the store with Joe.”
• Indirect: John said to Smith that he was going to the store with Joe.

Examples:

• Direct: “I went to the stadium to enjoy a cricket match yesterday,” said Mary.
• Indirect: Mary said that she had gone to the stadium to enjoy a cricket match the day before.
• Direct: “I will be late tonight,” said Tom.
• Indirect: Tom said that he would be late that night.
• Direct: “We have been to Switzerland twice for business meetings,” said Joe.
• Indirect: Joe said that They had been to Switzerland twice for business meetings.
• Direct: “I had a wonderful time with your friends at your party,” said Dad to my friends.
• Indirect: Dad said to my friends that he had had a wonderful with my friends time at my party.

Change of Mood

Example:

• Direct: John said to me, “I am going to the store alone.”
• Indirect: John said to me that he was going to the store alone.

Examples:

• Direct: “I wish I had more money than I have,” said Mary to her friends.
• Indirect: Mary said to her friend that she wished she had more money than she had.
• Direct: “I wonder if it’s going to rain today,” said Tom to his mother.
• Indirect: Tom asked his mother if it was going to rain that day.
• Direct: “You should be more careful,” said Sue.
• Indirect: Sue advised me to be more careful.
• Direct: “I’m so sorry that I hurt you,” said Dad to his son.
• Indirect: Dad apologized to his son for hurting me.

More Complex Exercises

• Direct: “I’m going to the store to buy some milk,” said John. “Would you like anything?”
• Indirect: John said that he was going to the store to buy some milk and asked if I would like anything.
• Direct: “I’m so glad to see you!” said Mary. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”
• Indirect: Mary expressed her joy at seeing me and said that she hadn’t seen me in a long time.
• Direct: “Don’t you just love the weather today?” said Tom. “It’s perfect for a picnic.”
• Indirect: Tom asked if I didn’t just love the weather that day and said that it was perfect for a picnic.
• Direct: “I’m so tired,” said Sue. “I could sleep for a week.”
• Indirect: Sue complained that she was tired and said that she could sleep for a week.
• Direct: “I’m so sorry for being late back home,” said Dad. “I got stuck in traffic.”
• Indirect: Dad apologized for being late back home and explained that he had gotten stuck in traffic.
• Alright, let’s get started with the first set of 10 examples:
• Direct: He said, “I am going to the store.”
•    Indirect: He said that he was going to the store.
• Direct: She said, “I have finished my homework.”
•    Indirect: She said that she had finished her homework.
• Direct: “Don’t touch that,” he said to her.
•    Indirect: He told her not to touch that.
• Direct: “I will meet you at the park,” said Tom.
•    Indirect: Tom said that he would meet me at the park.
• Direct: “I can’t believe it,” she exclaimed.
•    Indirect: She exclaimed in disbelief.
• Direct: “Please close the door,” he requested.
•    Indirect: He requested to close the door.
• Direct: “We have been working hard,” they mentioned.
•    Indirect: They mentioned that they had been working hard.
• Direct: “Let’s go for a walk,” suggested Jane.
•    Indirect: Jane suggested going for a walk.
• Direct: “I didn’t eat breakfast,” he admitted.
•    Indirect: He admitted that he hadn’t eaten breakfast.
• Direct: “Why did you do that?” she asked him.
• Indirect: She asked him why he had done that.

Direct and Indirect Speech Quiz

FAQs

How does the Narration Change again in the third Section?

In this lesson, we’ll learn how does the narration change again in the third section with examples step by step. All important changes are discussed thoroughly.

In Direct and Indirect Speech, sometimes narration changes not just once but multiple times, especially in complex sentences or reported dialogues. The third section of narration change typically refers to cases where:

1. A previously reported speech is further reported by another person.
2. A chain of reporting happens in different tenses and perspectives.
3. The speech inside reported speech is transformed again in indirect speech.

This lesson explains how narration changes again in the third section, step by step, with rules and examples.

1. Understanding the Concept

When a sentence moves from direct speech to indirect speech, it follows specific rules. However, if it is reported again by another person, the narration changes again.

For example:

1. First Narration Change (Direct → Indirect):
   • Direct: Rahul said, “I am happy.”
   • Indirect: Rahul said that he was happy.
2. Second Narration Change (Indirect → Further Indirect by another person):
   • Rahul told me that he was happy.
3. Third Narration Change (Another person reports it further):
   • I told my friend that Rahul had said that he was happy.

2. Rules for the Third Narration Change

The following table summarizes the major changes:

3. Step-by-Step Process with Examples

Case 1: Simple Sentence

Direct Speech:

• Teacher said, “I teach grammar.”

First Narration Change (Direct → Indirect):

• The teacher said that she taught grammar.

Second Narration Change:

• The principal informed the students that the teacher had said that she taught grammar.

Third Narration Change:

• The students later told their parents that the principal had informed them that the teacher had said that she taught grammar.

Case 2: Interrogative Sentence

Direct Speech:

• Mother asked, “Where is your book?”

First Narration Change (Direct → Indirect):

• Mother asked where my book was.

Second Narration Change:

• I told my friend that my mother had asked where my book was.

Third Narration Change:

• My friend informed the teacher that I had told him that my mother had asked where my book was.

Case 3: Imperative Sentence

Direct Speech:

• Manager said, “Close the door.”

First Narration Change (Direct → Indirect):

• The manager ordered to close the door.

Second Narration Change:

• The assistant reported that the manager had ordered to close the door.

Third Narration Change:

• The employee later informed the staff that the assistant had reported that the manager had ordered to close the door.

Case 4: Mixed Sentences (Statement + Question)

Direct Speech:

• She said, “I will come tomorrow. Can you wait?”

First Narration Change (Direct → Indirect):

• She said that she would come the next day and asked if I could wait.

Second Narration Change:

• I told my brother that she had said that she would come the next day and had asked if I could wait.

Third Narration Change:

• My brother informed our parents that I had told him that she had said that she would come the next day and had asked if I could wait.

4. Key Observations

• Each time the narration changes, the past form remains consistent, and sometimes it moves further into past perfect tense.
• Pronouns shift according to the new speaker’s perspective.
• Time expressions may change again depending on how much time has passed.

5. Final Summary of Rules

• Present tense changes to past (e.g., “am” → “was”).
• Past simple becomes past perfect (e.g., “went” → “had gone”).
• Past perfect remains the same (e.g., “had seen” → “had seen”).
• Pronouns change according to the new speaker.
• Reporting verbs adjust (e.g., “said” → “told,” “asked” → “inquired”).
• Time references shift further in the past (e.g., “tomorrow” → “the next day”).