Direct and Indirect Speech: Rules, Examples, Exercises

Have you ever tried to tell someone what your teacher said in class? If yes, then you have already used direct and indirect speech. Direct and indirect speech are two important parts of English grammar. They help us communicate clearly, whether we are writing an essay, taking an exam, or simply having a conversation. Understanding the rules of direct and indirect speech helps you write better and speak more accurately. In this guide, you will learn what direct and indirect speech is, its rules, examples for all types of sentences, practice exercises, and a rules chart.

Table of Contents

• What is Direct and Indirect Speech?
• Direct and Indirect Speech Rules
• Rules for Different Types of Sentences
• Key Differences Between Direct and Indirect Speech
• Direct and Indirect Speech Examples
• Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Chart
• Common Mistakes to Avoid in Direct and Indirect Speech
• Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

What is Direct and Indirect Speech?

When we talk about someone's words, we have two choices: we can either quote them exactly or we can report what they said in our own words. These two methods are known as direct speech and indirect speech (also called reported speech).

What is Direct Speech?

Direct speech is when you repeat the exact words that someone said, placed inside quotation marks (''). Nothing is changed; the original words of the speaker are kept intact. For example, Riya said, "I love reading books."

Here, the words inside the quotation marks are exactly what Riya said. Direct speech is commonly used in stories, conversations, dialogues, and literary writing to make the text feel vivid and authentic.

What is Indirect Speech?

Indirect speech (or reported speech) is when you report what someone said without quoting their exact words. Instead of repeating the original sentence, you describe its meaning, and in doing so, certain changes are made to tense, pronouns, and time expressions. For example, Riya said that she loved reading books.

Here, there are no quotation marks, the pronoun changes from 'I' to 'she', and the verb changes from 'love' to 'loved'.

Indirect speech is widely used in news reporting, academic writing, and everyday communication because it focuses on conveying the meaning rather than the exact wording.

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

There are three main categories of changes that occur when you convert direct speech to indirect speech. Let's look at each of them carefully.

Change of Reporting Verb and Conjunction

The conjunction ‘that’ is introduced after the reporting verb in indirect speech for assertive sentences. The quotation marks are removed.

Direct: She said, "I am happy."

Indirect: She said that she was happy.

For questions, ‘say/said’ changes to ‘ask/asked’, and ‘if’ or ‘whether’ is used for yes/no questions. Wh-question words act as their own conjunction.

Change of Tense

When the reporting verb (e.g., said, told, asked) is in the past tense, the verb inside the reported speech must also shift back in time. This is known as the ‘backshift’ rule.

Important exception: Universal truths, habits, and scientific facts do not change their tense in indirect speech.

Example: He said, "The Earth revolves around the Sun."  

He said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Change of Pronouns

• First-person pronouns (I, me, my, we, us, our) change according to the subject of the reporting clause.

• Second-person pronouns (you, your, yours) change based on the object of the reporting clause.

• Third-person pronouns (he, she, it, they) remain unchanged.

Change of Time and Place Expressions

Words that indicate time and place also shift when converting to indirect speech.

 

Key Differences Between Direct and Indirect Speech

Understanding what sets these two forms apart will make it much easier to apply the rules correctly.

 

Rules for Different Types of Sentences

The rules for converting direct and indirect speech vary depending on the type of sentence. Let’s learn how each sentence changes in direct and indirect speech.

Assertive Sentences (Statements)

• Remove quotation marks and add the conjunction 'that'.

• The reporting verb 'say/said to' generally changes to 'tell/told' when followed by an object.

• Apply tense backshift if the reporting verb is in the past tense.

• Change pronouns and time expressions as required.

Examples: 

Direct: Ram said, "I am ill."

Indirect: Ram said that he was ill.

Direct: She said, "My uncle came yesterday."

Indirect: She said that her uncle had come the previous day.

Interrogative Sentences (Questions)

• The reporting verb changes to 'ask/asked', 'enquire/enquired', 'wonder/wondered', etc.

• For Yes/No questions, use 'if' or 'whether' before the reported question.

• For Wh-questions (who, what, where, when, why, and how), the question word itself acts as the conjunction.

• The question mark (?) is removed, and a full stop (.) is used instead.

• The word order changes to subject + verb (statement order), not question order.

Examples:  

Direct (Yes/No): The teacher said to me, "Have you submitted your project?"

Indirect: The teacher asked me whether I had submitted my project.

Direct (Wh-): The stranger said to me, "Where do you live?"

Indirect: The stranger asked me where I lived.

Imperative Sentences (Orders, Requests, Advice)

• The reporting verb changes to 'order/ordered', 'request/requested', 'advise/advised', 'tell/told', etc., depending on the tone.

• Use 'to + verb (infinitive)' for positive commands.

• Use 'not to + verb' for negative commands (e.g., 'Don't go' becomes 'not to go').

• Words like 'please' and 'kindly' are removed.

Examples:  

Direct: Doshi said to his wife, "Please select one of these necklaces."

Indirect: Doshi requested his wife to select one of those necklaces. 

Direct: Father said, "Do not get wet in the rain."

Indirect: Father advised me not to get wet in the rain.

Exclamatory Sentences

• The reporting verb changes to 'exclaim/exclaimed', 'shout/shouted', 'cry/cried', etc.

• Exclamatory words such as 'Oh!', 'Alas!', 'Hurrah!' are removed and replaced with adverbs like 'sadly', 'joyfully', etc., or described in the reported clause.

• The exclamation mark (!) is replaced with a full stop.

Examples:  

Direct: She said, "Hurrah! We have won the match!"

Indirect: She exclaimed joyfully that they had won the match.

Optative Sentences (Wishes and Prayers)

• The reporting verb changes to 'wish/wished', 'pray/prayed', 'bless/blessed', etc.

• In indirect speech, 'may' is often changed to 'might'.

Examples: 

Direct: Grandfather said to me, "May God bless you."

Indirect: Grandfather prayed that God might bless me.

Direct and Indirect Speech Examples

Here are some examples of direct and indirect speech. 

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Chart

Here is a quick-reference rules chart summarising the key changes to make when converting direct speech to indirect speech.

 

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Direct and Indirect Speech

Forgetting to change the tense

Wrong: She said that she is happy.

Correct: She said that she was happy.

Not changing pronouns

Wrong: He said that I was going to the market.

Correct: He said that he was going to the market.

Keeping quotation marks in indirect speech

Wrong: She told me that "she was tired".

Correct: She told me that she was tired.

Wrong word order in questions

Wrong: She asked where was I going.

Correct: She asked where I was going.

Changing universal truths

Wrong: The teacher said that the Earth revolved around the Sun.

Correct: The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

Exercise 1: Change to Indirect Speech

1. Sheela said to me, "When are you leaving?"

2. His mother said to me, "You were wrong."

3. Manav said, "I may go there."

4. Mr Harvey said to me, "Please wait here till I return."

5. "You must leave now," Sunny said to me. 

Answers:

1. Sheela asked me when I was leaving.

2. His mother told me that I had been wrong.

3. Manav said that he might go there.

4. Mr Harvey requested me to wait there till he returned.

5. Sunny told me that I had to leave then. 

Exercise 2: Change to Direct Speech

1. She told me that she was feeling tired.

2. He asked me where I was going.

3. The teacher told the students to open their books.

4. She exclaimed sadly that she had missed the bus.

5. He said that he had been waiting for two hours.

Answers:

1. She said, "I am feeling tired."

2. He said to me, "Where are you going?"

3. The teacher said to the students, "Open your books."

4. She said, "Alas! I have missed the bus."

5. He said, "I have been waiting for two hours."