Direct and indirect speeches are two ways used in reporting what someone has said. They are mostly used in spoken English. It is important to learn how the transformation goes so as to be accurate in your interactions with the others. The makeover of a direct utterance to indirect speech has to abide to some rules that we should talk about in this paper.
First I'd like to draw your attention that once the reporting verb (e.g. SAY, TELL) is in the present simple [She says] or the present perfect [He has told us] or the future simple tense [They will tell you], there's no change of tense at all.
Example:
She says, "John prefers tea"
She has told us that John prefers tea.
Yet, once the reporting verb is in the past (e.g. SAID, TOLD, REPORTED? etc), many changes occur depending of course on the tense used in the moment of speaking.
In direct speech the reporter repeats the original words of the speaker:
Leila said, "The cat has broken the vase."
In the indirect (reported) speech the reporter gives the exact meaning of the speaker's utterance without necessarily repeating the exact words of the speaker:
Leila said (that) the cat had broken the vase.
In indirect (reported) speech the tenses have to be changed in a way that the reporter (you) goes a step back in the time line with each tense. For instance, if the tense in the time of speaking (direct speech) is the present, it becomes past in the reported speech. If it is in the past, it is reported in the past perfect, if it is in the future, it is reported in the conditional and so on. Study this,
Tense Changes
Direct Speech
Indirect Speech
do /does
did
am / is / are doing
was / were doing
have / has done
had done
did
had done
shall do
should do
will do
would do
can do
could do
must do
had to do
needn't do
didn't have to do
should do
should have done *
would do
would have done *
could do
could have done *
N.B.: These tense changes are automatic only after past tense reporting verbs (said, told, informed, explained, etc).
Remark
Most Grammar books prefer not to change "would", "could", "should" & "might".
- He said, "I could solve the problem"
- He said that he could have solved the problem" *
With the use of "could have solved the problem" we surely create some misunderstanding. Look at this example for better understanding.
- He said, "I would help him if I could"
- He said that he would help him if he could.
Here it would be quite incomprehensible if we changed the modal verbs. We NORMALLY keep them as they are for fear the sentence in the reported speech should create confusion.
That's why some grammarians avoid changing "could do", for instance, into "could have done".
NOW have a look at this sentence and try to put it into the reported speech
- He said, "If I had a lot of money, I would buy the most expensive car ever"
- He said (that)
Pay attention because you are going to report this as well:
- He said, "I had breakfast late this morning"
- He said (that)
Some other expressions (signifiers) such as the adverbs of time and place also change
Direct Speech
Indirect Speech
here
there
now / at the moment
then / at once
this
that
yesterday
the day before (or) the previous day
the day before yesterday
two days before
last week/month/year/Monday etc.
the previous week/month/year/Monday etc.
tomorrow
the day after (or) the following day
the day after tomorrow
in two days time
next week/month/year/February/Sunday etc.
The following week/month/year/February/Sunday etc.
three years ago
three years before
today / tonight
that day / that night
N.B.: These equivalents are not to be taken for rules.
With Test Papers:
During the exam, the students' main purpose is not the level of their fluency in English but the ability to get good grades. Therefore, they are mostly interested in how to get the correct answers. Their first concern is to get them the simplest and easiest way. So, here are some helpful tricks which, once grasped, pave the way for the students to achieve their goal.
The tenses with auxiliaries (am/is/are/was/were/have/has/have been etc) in the direct speech are the easiest ones to report because the auxiliary is to be your key focus. You need only to deal with the auxiliary and forget about the main verb. That's why the "continuous" and "perfect" tenses are the easiest to do. Look at these examples:
- John said, "I amgoing to look for a larger flat"
- John said that he wasgoing to look for a larger flat.
- Sue said, "I havedone my homework."
- Sue said that she haddone her homework.
This is also true with modal verbs (will, can, must, may, etc). Our emphasis should go to them and keep the main verbs untouched.
- John said, "The pupils maygo home earlier this afternoon"
- John said that the pupils mightgo home earlier that afternoon.
- The teacher said, "The best students willbe rewarded."
- The teacher said that the best students wouldbe rewarded.
The present tense becomes the past tense except for reporting a general truth. In this case the present tense doesn't change.
EXAMPLE
She said, "The capital city of Morocco is Rabat"
She said that the capital city of Morocco is Rabat.
The teacher said, "Elephants have good memory"
The teacher said that Elephants have good memory.
Apart from reporting general truths, the rule is to be respected.
The simple present tense
First off, you have to learn your Irregular Verbs. If you don't learn them well, they can make a lot of mess in your paper no matter how well you grasp the rules.
Leila said, "I have a big car" => She said that she had a big car.
Leila said, "I always drive to school" => She said (that) she always drove to school.
Leila said, "I never go to work on foot" => She said (that) she never went to school on foot.
The present progressive
The focus here is primarily on the auxiliary as shown previously, whereas the main verb is retained.
Leila and Sue said, "We aremaking cakes"
They said that they weremaking cakes.
Sue said, "Leila iswashing some dishes in the kitchen"
Sue said that Leila waswashing some dishes in the kitchen"
Leila said, "Sue isn'tfeeling well"
Leila said that Sue wasn'tfeeling well"
The present perfect
"HAVE" or "HAS" only bear the change. Both of them become "HAD". That's all.
Leila said,"Peter has sold his old car"
Leila said that Peter had sold his old car.
Ali said, "We have made the biggest mistake"
Ali said that they had made the biggest mistake.
Peter said, "Tania has never been to Marrakech"
Peter said that Tania had never been to Marrakech.
John said, "I have not visited Marrakech yet"
John said that he had not visited Marrakech yet.
EXERCISE
Leila said: "I am going to Tangiers with Sue"
Leila said that
The man said: "My name is Mr. X"
The man said that
Vicky said, "They are learning new things about life"
Vicky said that
Leila said, "Sue is waiting outside"
Leila said that
Leila said, "Peter has taken the wrong train"
Leila said that
Peter said, "They are not giving any party today"
Peter said that
They said, "We have seen this film twice"
They said that
The first thing you have to care too much about here is your IRREGULAR VERBS. If you don't know the past participle of a given verb everything will collapse and all the rules you master are useless. So be careful, it is a matter of Right or Wrong. Also you have to deal with the pronouns and the signifiers carefully.
The Simple Past
Peter said, "Ilostmy keys in the train yesterday"
Peter said that hehad losthis keys in the train the day before.
Juliana said, "Iwas extremely nervous last week"
Juliana said that shehad been extremely nervous the previous week.
Hassan said, "Wewent to bed early last night"
Hassan said that theyhad gone to bed early the night before.
Vicky said, "Ididn't take a taxi home last night"
Vicky said that Shehadn't taken a taxi home the previous night.
Leila said, "I read this book a few years ago."
Leila said that she had read that book a few years before.
The Past Continuous
"was" and "were" become "had been".
Peter said, "Iwas having a shower."
Peter said that hehad been having a shower.
The boy said, "Wewere at home playing chess."
The boy said that theyhad been at home playing chess.
The Past Perfect
No change except for the pronouns.
Peter said, "The children had worked hard."
Peter said that The children had worked hard.
The boys said, "We had done our homework."
The boys said that they had done their homework.
What you have to retain about the use of the imperative in the direct speech is that it turns into the infinitive with "to" in the reported speech. If the speaker uses a negative imperative, the reporter should place "NOT" before the infinitive. The reporting verbs are generally, (ask, tell, order)
Before all, the reporting verbs used with questions are various, [asked, wanted to know, inquired, wondered, etc.]. There are normally two sorts of questions:
Yes/No questions [Are you ready?]
With question words [why do you look so tired?]
I.
When reporting a YES/NO question use " if " or " whether " appropriately.
- Hassan, "Are you ready?"
- Hassan asked me if I was ready.
- Leila, "Do the boys do well at school?"
- Leila asked the teacher whether the boys did well at school.
II.
When the question uses a question word, use it, too.
- John, "Wherewere you last night?"
- John wanted to know where I had been the previous night.
- Peter said, "Does she always have breakfast at home?"
- Peter wanted to know if she always had breakfast at home.
- Sue said, "May I use your mobile phone?"
- Sue asked if she she might use my mobile phone.
Reporting long speeches is not really an easy game; however it is not complicated. Once you learn how to manage simple sentences you can do the same for compound or complex utterances.
The clerk, "Takethese papers to the manager and make sure she reads them before youleave her office."
The clerk asked his assistant to takethose/the papers to the manager and to make sure she read them before heleft her office.
Leila said, "I wouldn't buy a luxurious car if I were as rich as you are, but I would rather buy a large house".
Peter told Sindy that he wouldn't have bought a luxurious car if he had been as rich as she is, but he would rather have bought a big house.
Sometimes the reporting becomes completely based on the introducing (reporting) verb. Here, the complication dwells in the fact that the content of the direct speech is either an advice, a confession, a comparison or else.
