DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
DIRECT AND REPORTED SPEECH
You can answer the question "What did he/she say?" in two ways:
· by repeating the words spoken (direct speech)
· by reporting the words spoken (indirect or reported speech).
Direct Speech
Direct speech repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in writing, we place the words spoken between inverted commas ("....") and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's being said NOW (for example a telephone conversation), or telling someone later about a previous conversation
Direct speech repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in writing, we place the words spoken between inverted commas ("....") and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's being said NOW (for example a telephone conversation), or telling someone later about a previous conversation
Examples:
She says "What time will you be home?"
She said "What time will you be home?"
and I said "I don't know! "
"There's a fly in my soup!" screamed Simone.
John said, "There's an elephant outside the window."
She said "What time will you be home?"
and I said "I don't know! "
"There's a fly in my soup!" screamed Simone.
John said, "There's an elephant outside the window."
Reported Speech
Reported speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.
Reported speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.
She said, "I saw him." She said that she had seen him.
a. 'That' may be omitted:
She told him that she was happy.
She told him she was happy.
She told him that she was happy.
She told him she was happy.
For example :
Direct speech : “ I’m going to the cinema”, he said.
Indirect speech: he said he was going to the cinema
Tense change
As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense: (the tense on the left changes to the tense on the right):
Direct speech | Indirect speech | |
Present simple She said, "It's cold." | › | Past simple She said it was cold. |
Present continuous She said, "I'm teaching English online." | › | Past continuous She said she was teaching English online. |
Present perfect simple She said, "I've been on the web since 1999." | › | Past perfect simple She said she had been on the web since 1999. |
Present perfect continuous She said, "I've been teaching English for seven years." | › | Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching English for seven years. |
Past simple She said, "I taught online yesterday." | › | Past perfect She said she had taught online yesterday. |
Past continuous She said, "I was teaching earlier." | › | Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching earlier. |
Past perfect She said, "The lesson had already started when he arrived." | › | Past perfect NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had already started when he arrived. |
Past perfect continuous She said, "I'd already been teaching for five minutes." | › | Past perfect continuous NO CHANGE - She said she'd already been teaching for five minutes. |
Modal verb forms also sometimes change:
Direct speech | Indirect speech | |
will She said, "I'll teach English online tomorrow." | › | would She said she would teach English online tomorrow. |
can She said, "I can teach English online." | › | could She said she could teach English online. |
must She said, "I must have a computer to teach English online." | › | had to She said she had to have a computer to teach English online. |
shall She said, "What shall we learn today?" | › | should She asked what we should learn today. |
may She said, "May I open a new browser?" | › | might She asked if she might open a new browser. |
Time change
If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time of reporting.
For example we need to change words like here and yesterday if they have different meanings at the time and place of reporting.
Today | + 24 hours - Indirect speech |
"Today's lesson is on presentations." | She said yesterday's lesson was on presentations. |
Expressions of time if reported on a different day | ||
this (evening) | › | that (evening) |
today | › | yesterday ... |
these (days) | › | those (days) |
now | › | then |
(a week) ago | › | (a week) before |
last weekend | › | the weekend before last / the previous weekend |
here | › | there |
next (week) | › | the following (week) |
tomorrow | › | the next/following day |
In addition if you report something that someone said in a different place to where you heard it you must change the place (here) to the place (there).
For example :
At work : "How long have you worked here?"
At home : She asked me how long I'd worked there.
Pronoun change
In reported speech, the pronoun often changes.For example :
Me : “ I teach english online”
You : She said she teaches English online.
Direct and Indirect speech Example :
1. What do you want?’ she asked him
2. ‘Are you coming with us?’ he asked me.
3. He asked, ‘When do you intend to make the payment?
4. ‘Do you come from China?’ said the prince to the girl.
5. The poor man exclaimed, ‘Will none of you help me?’
6. ‘Which way should I go?’ asked the little girl.
7. Alladin said to the magician, ‘What have I done to deserve so severe a punishment?
8. ‘Don’t you know the way home?’ I said to her.
9. ‘Do you write a good hand?’ the teacher said to the student
10. ‘Have you anything to say on behalf of the accused?’ said the judge finally.
11. ‘Have you anything to tell me, little bird?’ asked Ulysses
12. Who are you, sir, and what do you want?’ they asked
13. The king was impressed with the magician and asked, ‘What can I do for you?
14. She asked, ‘What is it that makes you stronger and braver than other men?
15. ‘Can you solve this problem?’ he asked me
Answer :
1. She asked him what he wanted.
2. He asked me if I was coming/going with them.
3. He enquired when I/he/she intended to make the payment.
4. The prince asked the girl if she came from China.
5. The poor man exclaimed whether none of them would help him.
6. The little girl asked which way she should go.
7. Alladin asked the magician what he had done to deserve so severe a punishment.
8. I asked her whether she did not know the way home.
9. The teacher asked the student if he/she wrote a good hand.
10. The judge finally asked whether he/she had anything to say on behalf of the accused.
11. Ulysses asked the little bird whether it had anything to tell him.
12. They asked who he was and what he wanted.
13. The king was impressed with the magician and asked what he could do for him.
14. She asked him what was it that made him stronger and braver than other men
15. He asked me if I could solve that problem
Exercise :
Exercise :
1. Mother : Don’t be so noisy, Herman. The baby is sleeping.
Herman : Okay, mom.
Rudy : What did your mother just told you?
Herman : She told me ___ because the baby was sleeping.
a. I wasn’t so noisy d. I am very noisy
b. not to be so noisy e. to be not so noisy
c. don’t be noisy
Herman : Okay, mom.
Rudy : What did your mother just told you?
Herman : She told me ___ because the baby was sleeping.
a. I wasn’t so noisy d. I am very noisy
b. not to be so noisy e. to be not so noisy
c. don’t be noisy
Answer : B (direct: don’t + be maka indirect: not + to be)
2. Doctor : Open your mouth!
Mother : What did the doctor tell you?
Son : The doctor told me ___
a. that I open his mouth d. to open my mouth
b. if I opened my mouth e. opened my mouth
c. to open my mouth
Mother : What did the doctor tell you?
Son : The doctor told me ___
a. that I open his mouth d. to open my mouth
b. if I opened my mouth e. opened my mouth
c. to open my mouth
Answer : D (direct: V1 + O maka direct: to V1 + O)
3. Mother : Do you want meatballs or fried chicken?
Mother asked me ____
a. whether I wanted meatball or fried shicken
b. whether I want meatball or fried chicken
c. that I wanted meatball or fried chicken
d. that I want meatball or fried chicken
e. if I want meatball or fried chicken
Mother asked me ____
a. whether I wanted meatball or fried shicken
b. whether I want meatball or fried chicken
c. that I wanted meatball or fried chicken
d. that I want meatball or fried chicken
e. if I want meatball or fried chicken
Answer: A (direct: do/does + S +V1 maka indirect: if/whether + S + V2)
Source : http://4englishcourses.blogspot.com/2011/07/latihan-bahasa-inggris-materi-direct.html
Source : http://irena040506.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/direct-and-indirect-speech/
Source : http://irena040506.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/direct-and-indirect-speech/
