Indirect Speech

📘 Indirect Speech – Rules, Examples & MCQs

Indirect speech is an important part of English grammar, used when we report what someone said without quoting their exact words. Mastering indirect speech helps you write and speak more naturally, especially in formal or narrative contexts.

🔤 What is Indirect Speech?

Indirect speech (or reported speech) is when we express what someone said in our own words, often changing pronouns, verb tenses, time expressions, and removing quotation marks.

✅ Example:

  • Direct: She said, “I am busy.”
  • Indirect: She said that she was busy.

📚 Why Use Indirect Speech?

✅ To summarize or report conversations without quoting every word.
✅ To make writing or speaking more concise.
✅ Useful in news reports, storytelling, and professional communication.

✏️ Key Rules for Changing Direct to Indirect Speech

✅ Remove quotation marks – indirect speech doesn’t use them.
✅ Use reporting verbs like said, told, asked.
✅ Change pronouns according to the subject/object:

Direct: He said, “I will come.”
Indirect: He said that he would come.

✅ Shift verb tenses one step back in time:

Direct (Present) Indirect (Past)
am/is was
are were
have/has had
will/shall would/should
can could

✅ Adjust time expressions:

Direct Indirect
today that day
tomorrow the next day
yesterday the previous day
now then
here there

🔄 Examples of Direct to Indirect Speech

✅ Statement

  • Direct: John said, “I am tired.”
  • Indirect: John said that he was tired.

✅ Question

  • Direct: She asked, “Where do you live?”
  • Indirect: She asked where I lived.

✅ Yes/No Question

  • Direct: He asked, “Are you happy?”
  • Indirect: He asked if I was happy.

✅ Command/Request

  • Direct: The teacher said, “Sit down.”
  • Indirect: The teacher told us to sit down.

🚫 Common Mistakes in Indirect Speech

❌ Forgetting to change pronouns.
❌ Keeping verbs in the present tense.
❌ Using direct speech punctuation like quotation marks.
❌ Not adjusting time expressions.

🧠 5 MCQs on Indirect Speech

1. Choose the correct indirect speech:

Direct: He said, “I like coffee.”
A) He said that he liked coffee.
B) He said that he likes coffee.
C) He said that I liked coffee.
D) He said he like coffee.
✅ Answer: A) He said that he liked coffee.

2. Convert to indirect: She said, “I will call you.”

A) She said that she would call me.
B) She said she will call me.
C) She said that she calls me.
D) She said that she would called me.
✅ Answer: A) She said that she would call me.

3. Identify the correct indirect question:

Direct: John asked, “Where is the library?”
A) John asked where was the library.
B) John asked where is the library.
C) John asked where the library was.
D) John asked where the library is.
✅ Answer: C) John asked where the library was.

4. Choose the correct indirect speech:

Direct: She said, “I have finished my work.”
A) She said that she finished her work.
B) She said that she had finished her work.
C) She said that she has finished her work.
D) She said that she have finished her work.
✅ Answer: B) She said that she had finished her work.

5. Convert to indirect: He asked, “Are you coming?”

A) He asked if I was coming.
B) He asked if I am coming.
C) He asked if I were coming.
D) He asked if I will come.
✅ Answer: A) He asked if I was coming.

📝 Conclusion

Indirect speech is essential for reporting conversations accurately and naturally. By mastering the rules for changing pronouns, verbs, and time expressions, you can use indirect speech effectively in both writing and speaking.


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