Grammar Rules For Changing Direct Speech To Indirect speech

As the SSC Exam is scheduled to be in the month of August, you have to gear up the preparation
of the Exam. You still have one month to clear your basics and work on them. The prerequisite
for this is that you must have adequate knowledge about the basic grammar rules of all the
topics that are covered in the syllabus of the exam. One of the most important topics among
them is Narration.
Students usually take this topic as cumbersome because of the numerous rules. But if you
understand the concept of the topic, you will be easily able to covert Direct speech into Indirect
speech.
What is Narration ?
The statement in the Inverted commas is the actual statement given by the person about whom
the sentence is talking about. Narration means to narrate that statement to another person.
Now the person who is narrating that will not explain the speech to another person in direct
speech, thus he will have to use indirect speech for the same.
Example: If Rani says to Rameeta, I will teach you English.
Now, if Teena tells it to her friend Asha and if she says Rani says to Rameeta I will teach you
English, it will somehow mean that Teena will teach Rani. Thus, Teena needs to use Indirect
speech for the same to convey the correct meaning.
Teena should say Rani tells Rameeta that she will teach her English.

Rules For Change Of Pronouns:

Nominative Possessive Objective Reflexive
I My Me Myself
We Our Us Ourselves
You Yours You Yourself
He His Him Himself
She Her Her Herself
They Their Them Themselves

Pronouns are changed according to a rule designated as SON where

S stands for Subject
O stands for Object
N stands for No change.
First person changes to subject of Reporting Verb
Second person changes to Object of Reporting Verb
There is no change if it is a Third person.
Rule No 1.
1st Person pronoun of Reported speech is changed according to the Subject of Reporting verb.
Direct: Sheena says, I am in ninth class.
Indirect: She says that she is in ninth class.
Direct: I say, I am a loyal person.
Indirect: I say that I am a loyal person.
Rule No 2.
2nd Person pronoun of Reported speech is changed according to Object of Reporting verb.
 Grammar Rules For Changing Direct Speech To Indirect speech

Direct: Smita says to me, you have not done your work
Indirect: Smita tells me that I have not done my work.
Direct: She says to him, You have not done your work
Indirect: She tells him that he has not done his work.
Direct: I say to them, you have not done your work.
Indirect: I tell them that they have not done their work.
Rule No 3.
3rd Person Pronoun of Reported speech is not changed.
Direct: He says, He does not dance well.
Indirect: He says that he does not dance well.
Direct: Everybody says, They have completed the work.
Indirect: Everybody says that they have completed the work.
Rules of change of verb or Tense
Rule No.1
If reporting verb is given in Present or Future tense then there will be no change in the verb or
tense of Reported speech
Direct: The teacher says, Ganesh sings on the stage
Indirect: The teacher says that Ganesh sings on the stage.
Direct: The teacher is saying, Ganesh performs on the stage
Indirect: The teacher is saying that Ganesh performs on the stage.
Direct: The teacher will say, Ganesh is performing on the stage
Indirect: The teacher will say that Ganesh is performing on the stage.
Rule No.2
If reporting verb is given in Past tense then the tense of the verb of Reported Speech will
change into corresponding Past tense.
Direct: The teacher said, I am suffering from fever.
Indirect: The teacher said that she was suffering from fever.
Direct: She said to me, I took the lunch in the afternoon.
Indirect: She told me that she had taken the lunch in the afternoon.
Rules for Tenses Change:
1. Present Indefinite Tense changes to Past Indefinite Tense.
2. Present Continuous Tense changes to Past Continuous Tense.
3. Present Perfect Tense changes to Past Perfect Tense.
4. Present Perfect Continuous changes to Past Perfect Continuous Tense.
5. Simple Past Tense changes to Past Perfect Tense.
6. Past Continuous Tense changes to Past Perfect Continuous Tense.
7. Past Perfect Tense remains the same in Indirect Speech.
8. Will used in Future Indefinite Tense changes to would .
9. Will be used in Future Continuous Tense changes to would be .
10. Will have used in Future Perfect Tense changes to would have , Can changes to could
and May changes to might .
Some of the exceptional cases of Rule 2
Exception 1:
 Grammar Rules For Changing Direct Speech To Indirect speech

If Reporting speech has Universal Truth or Habitual fact then there is no change in the Tense.
Direct: Our teacher said, The earth revolves around the sun.
Indirect: Our teacher said that the earth revolves around the sun.
(Universal Truth)
Direct: Raju said to me, He plays with right hand
Indirect: Raju told me that he plays with the right hand.(Habitual fact)
Exception 2:
If reporting speech has Past Historical Fact then there is no change in the Tense.
Direct: Our teacher said, Asoka left war after the conquest of Kalinga .
Indirect: Our teacher said that Asoka left war after the conquest of Kalinga.
Exception 3:
If Reporting speech has two actions to be happening at a time when there is no change in the
Tense.
Direct: She said My husband was making lunch when I was studying
Indirect: She said that her husband was making lunch when she was studying.
Exception 4:
If Reporting speech has some Imagined Condition then there is no change in the Tense.
Direct: She said, If I were a princess, I would help him.
Indirect: She said that if she were a princess she would help her.
Exception 5:
If Reporting speech contains had 3rd form, to-infinitive and ought to etc. then there is no
change in the Tense.
Direct: She said to me, You ought to respect your elders.
Indirect: She told me that I ought to respect my elders.
Some other small changes that used to take place while changing Direct Speech to Indirect
Speech.
Here changes to there
Now changes to then
This changes to that
These changes to those
Today changes to that day
To-night changes to that night
Yesterday changes to the previous day
Last night changes to the previous night
Last week changes to the previous week
Tomorrow changes to the next day
Next Week changes to the following week
Ago changes to Before
Thus changes to so
Hence changes to Thence
Hither changes to Thither
Come changes to Go
 Grammar Rules For Changing Direct Speech To Indirect speech

Note:-In Indirect speech, we need to narrate the incidents that have already taken place at
some different point of time. Thus, we need to change the adverbs or adjectives of place
accordingly.
Some exception in these changes
1. Come is changed to go if there is some word given after come that shows nearness.
2. If this, here and now points to such a thing, place or time that is in front of the speaker then
no change takes place in Indirect Narration.

Rules for Change in Narration of different type of sentences

Type No 1. Assertive Sentences

Rule 1
If there Reporting verb contains only says or said then there is no need to change Reporting
verb.
If to is used after the Reporting verb then say to is changed to tell, says is
changed to tells and said to told.
Said to can also be replaced by replied, informed, stated, added, remarked, asserted, assured,
pleaded, reminded, reported or complained etc. according to the context of the sentence.
Examples showing some Assertive Sentences Changed into Indirect form
Direct: Rani said to him, I shall read now
Indirect: Rani told him that she would read then.
Direct: He said, My brother s marriage comes off next month.
Indirect: He said that his brother s marriage would come off the following month.

Type No 2. Interrogative Sentences

Rule 1
An interrogative sentence is that which is in the form of questions, therefore, Reporting
verb said/said to is changed to asked.
Said to can also be changed into enquired or demanded.

Rule 2
If the helping verbs like is/are/am, was/were, has/have, do/does, will/would etc. are used to
ask the question in the Reported Speech then it should be replaced by if or whether.
If the question is formed with the help of Wh... words like who , whose , what , whom ,
when etc. (also known as W family) or How then no conjunction is used to change direct
speech into indirect speech.

Rule 3
In the Indirect speech only assertive sentences are to be used and full-stop should be used in
the end of the sentence instead of question mark.
As the interrogative sentences are changed to the assertive sentences, we need to follow the
assertive structure of the sentence Subject – Verb – Object instead of Verb – Subject – Object
as used in the interrogative sentences.
 Grammar Rules For Changing Direct Speech To Indirect speech

If positive interrogative sentence is used in the Reported speech then do/does of the Direct
speech is removed and are/is is used in the Indirect speech.
If negative interrogative sentence is used in the Reported speech then do/does of the Direct
speech is replaced with did not in the Indirect speech.
If the interrogative sentence starts with Did or has/have then it is changed to had in the
Indirect speech.

Rule 4
Pronouns and verbs are changed according to the set rules of Narration.
Practice Exercise for Narration:
1. Shyam said, I am attending a workshop.
(a) Shyam said him that he was attending a workshop.
(b) Shyam said that a workshop was being attended by him.
(c) Shyam exclaimed that he was attending a workshop.
(d) Shyam said that he was attending a workshop.
2. Teena said to me, I shall go to the college tomorrow.
(a) Teena told me that she shall go to the college tomorrow.
(b) Teena told me that she would go to the college that day.
(c) Teena told me that she should go to the college the next day.
(d) Teena told me that she would go to the college the next day.
3. She says to Akshit, You are not doing your work.
(a) She told Akshit that he was not doing his work.
(b) She told Akshit that his work was not being done by him.
(c) She tells Akshit that he is not doing his work.
(d) She tells Akshit that he was not doing his work.
4. The teacher said, The earth revolves around the sun.
(a) The teacher said that the earth revolved around the sun.
(b) The teacher said that the earth revolves around the sun.
(c) The teacher says that the earth revolves around the sun.
(d) The teacher tells that the earth revolves around the sun.
5. Manisha said to Rahul, What are you doing here?
(a) Manisha asked Rahul what he was doing there.
(b) Manisha asked Rahul what he is doing there.
(c) Manisha told Rahul what he was doing there.
(d) Manisha asked Rahul what was he doing there.

Answers With Explanation:

1. Option (d) is the correct alternative and the correct narration is Shyam said that he was
attending a workshop.
2. Option (d) is the correct alternative the correct narration is Teena told me that she would go
to the college the next day.
 Grammar Rules For Changing Direct Speech To Indirect speech

3. Option (c) is the correct alternative the correct narration is She tells Akshit that he is not
doing his work.
4. Option (b) is the correct alternative the correct narration is The teacher said that the earth
revolves around the sun.
5. Option (a) is the correct alternative the correct narration is Manisha asked Rahul what he
was doing there.