Direct and Indirect Narration rules Tenses wise and Sentences wise
Direct and Indirect Narration rules Tenses and Sentences wise are described here systematically for helping the students in their exams. The type of sentence that represents a conversation between two individuals is known as direct speech and spoken words are written inside inverted commas, the type of sentence that represents the same information of the dialogue conveyed by you to others is known as indirect speech and written without inverted commas.
Direct and Indirect Narration rules Tenses wise and Sentences wise
The direct speech has two parts.
(1) Reporting speech (ii) Reported speech
As an example
Direct: Ram said to Shyam, “I am going to home”
Indirect: Ram told Shyam that he was going to home.
The part of the sentence ‘Ram said to Shyam’ is called reporting speech and ‘Said’ is reporting verb. The part of the sentence inside inverted commas “I am going home” is known as reported speech.
See the video-Rules of Converting Direct Speach to Indirect speach
Direct and Indirect Narration rules Tenses wise and Sentences wise
Rule (1): If the tense of the reporting verb is in present or future then tense of reported speech remains in the same tense.
As an example
Direct: Sohan says to his mother, “I am going to school”
Indirect: Sohan tells his mother that he is going to school.
Direct: Sohan will say to the teacher, “I didn’t solve the questions”
Indirect: Sohan will tell the teacher that he didn’t solve the questions.
Rule(2): If the reporting verb is in the past tense then the tense of the reported speech is changed as mentioned below.
| (Direct)Reported Speech | (Indirect)Reported speech |
| Present Indefinite | Past Indefinite |
| Present Continuous Tense | Past Continuous Tense |
| Present Perfect Tense | Past Perfect Tense |
| Present Perfect Continuous Tense | Past Perfect Continuous Tense |
| Past Indefinite | Past Perfect Tense |
| Past Continuous Tense | Past Perfect Continuous Tense |
| Past Perfect Tense | Past Perfect Continuous Tense |
| Past Perfect Continuous Tense | Past Perfect Continuous Tense |
| Future Tense(Will/Shall) | Future in Past Would/Should |
Direct and Indirect Narration rules Tenses wise and Sentences wise
Rule(3): The following changes should be made in the case when sentences are assertive.
Said to→ Told
Conjunction → That
Rule(4): The following changes should be made in the case when reported speech is an Interrogative sentence with an auxiliary verb.
Conjunction → If/whether
Said to→ Asked
Rule(5): The following changes should be made in the case when reported speech is an Interrogative sentence with an interrogative word.
Conjunction → Interrogative word itself
Said to→ Asked
Rule(6): The pronoun of the reported speech is changed according to the person of the subjects(first, second and third).
Rule(7): The pronoun of the reported speech must be changed as per the object of reporting verb mentioned below.
Direct and Indirect Narration rules Tenses wise and Sentences wise
| DIRECT | INDIRECT |
| This | That |
| Here | There |
| Now | Then |
| Their | Those |
| Today | That day |
| Tomorrow | Next day |
| Yesterday | Previous day |
| Ago | Before |
| Just | Then |
| Come | Go |
| Can | Could |
| May | Might |
| Will/Shall | Would/Should |
The example when reported speech is in present indefinite:
Affirmative
Direct: Radha said to her father,“I always get up at 4 O Clock ”
Indirect: Radha told her father that she always got up at 4 O Clock.
Negative
Direct: Radha said to her father,“I always don’t get up at 4 O Clock ”
Indirect: Radha told her father that she always didn’t get up at 4 O Clock.
Interrogative
Direct: Radha said to her father, “Do you always get up at 4 O Clock? ”
Indirect: Radha asked her father if he always got up at 4 O Clock.
The example when reported speech is in present continuous:
Affirmative
Direct: Rohit said to his friend,“We are going to see the movie today”
Indirect: Rohit told his friend that they were going to see the movie that day.
Negative
Direct: Rohit said to his friend,“We are not going to see the movie today”
Indirect: Rohit told his friend that they were not going to see the movie that day.
Interrogative
Direct: Rohit said to his friend,“Are you going to see the movie today?”
Indirect: Rohit asked his friend if they were going to see the movie that day.
Interrogative (using the interrogative word)
Direct: Rohit said to his friend,“Where are you going to see the movie today?”
Indirect: Rohit asked his friend where was he going to see the movie that day.
The example when reported speech is in present perfect:
Affirmative
Direct: Saraswati said to Mohan, “You have cleared your maths syllabus.”
Indirect: Saraswati told Mohan that he had cleared his maths syllabus.
Negative
Direct: Saraswati said to Mohan, “You have not cleared your maths syllabus.”
Indirect: Saraswati told Mohan that he had not cleared his maths syllabus.
Interrogative
Direct: Saraswati said to Mohan, “ Have you cleared your maths syllabus?”
Indirect: Saraswati asked Mohan if he had cleared his maths syllabus.
Direct: Saraswati said to Mohan, “What have you cleared in your maths syllabus?”
Indirect: Saraswati told Mohan what he had cleared in his maths syllabus.
The example when reported speech is in present perfect continuous:
Affirmative
Direct: Mohini said to her brother, “Father has been suffering from fever since last night.
Indirect: Mohini told her brother that father had been suffering from fever since last night.
Negative
Direct: Mohini said to her brother, “Father has not been suffering from fever since last night.
Indirect: Mohini told her brother that father had not been suffering from fever since last night.
Interrogative
Direct: Mohini said to her brother, “ Has father been suffering from fever since last night?”
Indirect: Mohini asked her brother if father had been suffering from fever since last night.
Direct: Mohini said to her brother, “ What has been bothering dad since last night?”
Indirect: Mohini asked her brother what had been bothering dad since last night.
The example when reported speech is in past indefinite:
Affirmative
Direct: Radha said to her father,“Yesterday I got up at 4 O Clock ”
Indirect: Radha told her father that yesterday she had got up at 4 O Clock.
Negative
Direct: Radha said to her father,“Yesterday I didn’t get up at 4 O Clock ”
Indirect: Radha told her father that yesterday she had not gotten up at 4 O Clock.
Interrogative
Direct: Radha said to her father,“Did you get up at 4 O Clock ”
Indirect: Radha asked her father if he had gotten up at 4 O Clock.
Direct: Radha said to her father,“When did you get up today? ”
Indirect: Radha asked her father when he had gotten up that day.
The example when reported speech is in past continuous:
Affirmative
Direct: Rohit said to his friend, “We were going to see the movie yesterday”
Indirect: Rohit told his friend that they had been going to see the movie the previous day.
Negative
Direct: Rohit said to his friend, “We were not going to see the movie yesterday”
Indirect: Rohit told his friend that they had not been going to see the movie the previous day.
Interrogative
Direct: Rohit said to his friend, “ Were we not going to see the movie yesterday?”
Indirect: Rohit asked his friend if they had not been going to see the movie the previous day.
Direct: Rohit said to his friend, “Where were you going to see the movie yesterday?”
Indirect: Rohit asked his friend where had you been going to see the movie last day.
The example when reported speech is in past perfect:
Affirmative
Direct: Saraswati said to Mohan, “You had cleared your maths syllabus.”
Indirect: Saraswati told Mohan that he had cleared his maths syllabus.
Negative
Direct: Saraswati said to Mohan, “You had not cleared your maths syllabus.”
Indirect: Saraswati told Mohan that he had not cleared his maths syllabus.
Interrogative
Direct: Saraswati said to Mohan, “Had you cleared your maths syllabus.”
Indirect: Saraswati asked Mohan if he had cleared his maths syllabus.
Direct: Saraswati said to Mohan, “Why had you not completed your maths syllabus.”
Indirect: Saraswati asked Mohan why he had not been cleared his maths syllabus.
The example when reported speech is in past perfect continuous:
Affirmative
Direct: Mohini said to her brother, “Father had been suffering from fever since last night.”
Indirect: Mohini told her brother that father had been suffering from fever since last night.
Negative
Direct: Mohini said to her brother, “Father had not been suffering from fever since last night.”
Indirect: Mohini told her brother that father had not been suffering from fever since last night.
Interrogative
Direct: Mohini said to her brother, “Had father been suffering from fever since last night?”
Indirect: Mohini asked her brother if father had been suffering from fever since last night.
Direct: Mohini said to her brother, “What had been bothering father since yesterday night?”
Indirect: Mohini asked her brother what had been bothering father since last night.
The examples when reported speech is in the future tense:
Affirmative
Direct: The teacher said to students, “You will check your maths notebook tomorrow.”
Indirect: The teacher told students that they would check their maths notebooks the next day.
Negative
Direct: The teacher said to students, “You will not check your maths notebook tomorrow.”
Indirect: The teacher told students that they would not check their maths notebooks the next day.
Interrogative
Direct: The teacher said to students, “ Will you check your maths notebook tomorrow?”
Indirect: The teacher asked students if they would check their maths notebooks the next day.
The examples when reported speech is an Imperative sentence:
The type of sentences which expresses command, request, and advice(or suggestion)
If reported speech is an imperative sentence then “To” is used as a conjunction
When reported speech shows command
Said to → Instructed
Meena said to her younger brother,“Keep quiet.”
Meena instructed her younger brother to keep quiet.
When reported speech shows a request
Said to → requested
Meena said to her brother, “Please close the window.”
Meena requested her brother to keep quiet.
When reported speech shows a advise
Said to →advised/suggested
The teacher said to the students, “Follow the traffic rules.”
The teacher advised the students to follow the traffic rules.
When reported speech is an Exclamatory Sentence
The type of sentences that express emotions of joy, surprise, pain, and sorrow is called exclamatory sentences.
If reported speech expresses pleasure then “Said” or “Said to” is replaced by “exclaimed with joy”
Example: He said, “Hurray! I have got excellent marks.”
Indirect: He exclaimed with joy that he had got excellent marks.
If reported speech expresses sorrow then “Said” or “Said to” is replaced by “exclaimed with sorrow”
Example: He said, “Oh! It is bad news.”
Indirect: He exclaimed with sorrow that it was bad news.
If reported speech expresses wonder then “Said” or “Said to” is replaced by “exclaimed with wonder or surprised”
Example: He said, “ What a beautiful dress is this!”
Indirect: He exclaimed with surprise that that was a beautiful dress.
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