Direct and indirect speech

DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH:

There are two ways of reporting the words spoken by a person. We can reproduce the words exactly spoken or we can express in our own words the substance of what he said. The first of there method is called Direct speech or Direct Narration. The second is called Indirect Speech or Indirect Narration.

Imran said to his father, “I need more money.”

Imran told his father that he needed more money.

REPORTED SPEECH, REPORTING VERB:

The exact words of the speaker which are put within inverted commas are called the Reported  Speech.

The verb that introduces the Reported speech is called Reporting Verb.

In the above example

“said”

is the reporting verb and

“I need more money”

is the reported speech.

The following points should be observed about these two modes of narration.

1. The Direct speech is always enclosed within inverted commas and it always begins with a capital letter. It is seperated from the Reporting verb by a comma.
2. (a) In the Indirect Speech, no inverted commas are used and no comma is used to seperate the Reporting Verb from the Reported Speech.
(b) The tense of the Reporting verb is never changed.
(c) A conjunction, if necessary, is used after the Reporting verb.
 (d) Tenses, pronouns and words denoting nearness of time and position undergo certain change in the Indirect Speech.

TRANSFORMATION OF DIRECT SPEECH INTO INDIRECT:

Roles for the change of Tenses:

If the Reporting Verb is in a present Tense (e.g

says, is/am/are saying, has/have said, has/have been saying)

or a future tense e.g
(shall/will say, shall/will have said,)

etc the tense of the verb in the Reported speech remains unchanged.

 As;

1. He says, “Children like to play”.

He says that children like to play.
2. Your brother will say, “Life was very hard during the war.”

Your brother will say that life was very hard during the war.
3. Ali has said, “Dogs would be hard to beat in faith fullness.”

Ali has said that dogs would be hard to beat in faithfullnes.