Direct and Indirect Speech

• Direct and indirect speech are ways of reporting what someone said.
• Direct speech reports the exact words spoken, using quotation marks.
• Indirect speech (also called reported speech) reports the meaning of what was said, without using quotation marks.

Transforming Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

• When changing direct speech to indirect speech, several changes are typically made.
• Tense shifts usually occur, moving the verb tense back in time (e.g., present simple to past simple).
• Pronouns may need to be changed to reflect the new perspective.
• Time and place expressions might need adjustment to maintain accuracy.
• Reporting verbs (e.g., said, told, asked) introduce the reported speech.
• The word "that" is often used as a conjunction to introduce the reported clause, but it can sometimes be omitted.

Tense Changes

• Present Simple in direct speech becomes Past Simple in indirect speech.
  • Direct: He said, "I am happy."
  • Indirect: He said that he was happy.
• Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous.
  • Direct: She said, "I am watching TV."
  • Indirect: She said that she was watching TV.
• Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect.
  • Direct: They said, "We have finished."
  • Indirect: They said that they had finished.
• Past Simple becomes Past Perfect.
  • Direct: He said, "I went to the store."
  • Indirect: He said that he had gone to the store.
• Past Continuous becomes Past Perfect Continuous.
  • Direct: She said, "I was studying."
  • Indirect: She said that she had been studying.
• Future Simple (will) becomes Conditional Simple (would).
  • Direct: He said, "I will go."
  • Indirect: He said that he would go.
• Modal verbs change as follows:
  • Can becomes could.
  • May becomes might.
  • Must often becomes had to (or remained must, depending on the context).
  • Should, could, would, and might typically do not change.

Pronoun Changes

• Pronouns often need to be changed to reflect the change in perspective from direct to indirect speech.
• I often changes to he/she.
• We often changes to they.
• My changes to his/her.
• Our changes to their.
• You/Your changes depending on the context.

Time and Place Expression Changes

• Time and place expressions frequently require modification.
• Now becomes then.
• Today becomes that day.
• Yesterday becomes the day before or the previous day.
• Tomorrow becomes the next day or the following day.
• Here becomes there.
• Ago becomes before.

Reporting Verbs

• Common reporting verbs include said, told, asked, explained, stated, and claimed.
• "Said" is a general reporting verb.
• "Told" is used when the indirect speech includes the person being spoken to (e.g., He told me that...).
• "Asked" is used for questions.
• The choice of reporting verb can affect the nuance of the reported speech.

Questions in Indirect Speech

• When reporting questions, "if" or "whether" is used if the direct question is a yes/no question.
  • Direct: She asked, "Are you coming?"
  • Indirect: She asked if I was coming.
• When reporting questions, the question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) is retained.
  • Direct: He asked, "Where are you going?"
  • Indirect: He asked where I was going.
• The word order changes from question order to statement order in indirect questions.
  • Direct: She asked, "What is your name?"
  • Indirect: She asked what my name was.

Commands and Requests in Indirect Speech

• Commands and requests are usually reported using "tell" or "ask" + object + "to" + infinitive.
  • Direct: He said, "Close the door."
  • Indirect: He told me to close the door.
  • Direct: She said, "Please help me."
  • Indirect: She asked me to help her.

Exceptions and Special Cases

• If the statement in direct speech is a universal truth or a fact that is still true, the tense may not change.
  • Direct: He said, "The Earth is round."
  • Indirect: He said that the Earth is round.
• If the reporting verb is in the present tense, the tense of the direct speech usually does not change.
  • Direct: He says, "I am busy."
  • Indirect: He says that he is busy.
• Certain modal verbs (should, could, would, might, ought to) usually do not change in indirect speech.