To change direct speech into indirect speech, you typically report what was said without using the exact words, requiring specific changes to punctuation, pronouns, and verb tenses.
Here's a breakdown of the process, incorporating the key steps from the reference:
Steps for Converting Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
Converting direct speech to indirect speech involves a few essential transformations to accurately report the original statement or question.
1. Removing Quotation and Question Marks
The first crucial step is to eliminate the punctuation that signals direct speech.
- Action: Get rid of the quotation marks (
" ") that enclose the spoken words and any question marks (?) if the original direct speech was a question. - Explanation: Indirect speech integrates the reported words into a new sentence structure, rendering the original punctuation unnecessary.
2. Changing Pronouns
Pronouns often need adjustment to maintain agreement with the speaker and listener in the reported context.
-
Action: Modify pronouns (like I, you, we, my, your, our) to reflect who is speaking now about the original conversation. The pronouns must change and agree with their antecedents in the reporting clause.
-
Explanation: If someone says "I am tired," and you report it, "I" refers to the original speaker. When you report it, you use a pronoun that refers back to that person, such as "he" or "she."
-
Example:
- Direct: He said, "I finished my homework."
- Indirect: He said he finished his homework. (Here, 'I' changes to 'he', and 'my' changes to 'his' to refer back to 'He').
3. Applying Backshift to Verbs
Verb tenses generally shift back in time when converting from direct to indirect speech, particularly when the reporting verb (like said) is in the past tense.
-
Action: Apply backshift to the verbs in the reported clause. This means moving the verb tense one step back into the past.
-
Explanation: Since the reporting is happening after the original speech, the reported action is usually in the past relative to the reporting time.
-
Example:
- Direct: He said, "I finished my homework." (Past Simple)
- Indirect: He said he finished his homework. (In this specific case, Past Simple often remains Past Simple or changes to Past Perfect, but the reference example shows it remaining Past Simple, which is acceptable and common, especially when the action's timing is clear).
- Another common backshift:
- Direct: She said, "I am reading a book." (Present Continuous)
- Indirect: She said she was reading a book. (Past Continuous)
Here's a general guide to common verb backshifts:
| Direct Speech Verb Tense | Indirect Speech Verb Tense | Example (Direct -> Indirect) |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple (do/does) | Past Simple (did) | "I eat" -> He said he ate |
| Present Continuous (am/is/are doing) | Past Continuous (was/were doing) | "I am eating" -> He said he was eating |
| Present Perfect (has/have done) | Past Perfect (had done) | "I have eaten" -> He said he had eaten |
| Past Simple (did) | Past Perfect (had done) | "I ate" -> He said he had eaten |
| Past Continuous (was/were doing) | Past Perfect Continuous (had been doing) | "I was eating" -> He said he had been eating |
| Future Simple (will do) | Conditional Simple (would do) | "I will eat" -> He said he would eat |
| Can | Could | "I can eat" -> He said he could eat |
| May | Might | "I may eat" -> He said he might eat |
| Must / Have to | Had to | "I must eat" -> He said he had to eat |
Note: Modals like could, might, would, should, ought to generally do not change. Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous usually remain the same. Backshift is also sometimes optional if the reported statement is still true or refers to a future event.
Other Considerations (Standard Practice):
- Reporting Verbs: Use reporting verbs like said, told, asked, reported, explained, etc.
- Use told when there is a direct object indicating who was told (e.g., He told me). Do not use told without an object (e.g., He told - incorrect).
- Use asked when reporting questions.
- Connectors: Often introduce the reported clause with 'that' (for statements), 'if' or 'whether' (for yes/no questions), or the original question word (who, what, where, etc.).
- Time and Place: Words indicating time and place may also change to reflect the reporting time/location (e.g., today -> that day, here -> there, tomorrow -> the next day).
By following these steps, especially removing quotation marks, changing pronouns to agree with antecedents, and applying backshift to verbs as described in the reference, you can effectively convert direct speech into indirect speech.
