Class 9 English Grammar: Reported Speech
Reported Speech (also known as Direct and Indirect Speech) is used to tell someone what another person said.
- Direct Speech: Quoting the exact words spoken by a person. (e.g., He said, “I am playing.”)
- Indirect Speech: Conveying the meaning of what was said without using the exact words. (e.g., He said that he was playing.)
The 5 Golden Rules of Conversion
When changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech, you must make changes in five main areas:
1. Change of Reporting Verb
The verb outside the quotation marks changes based on the type of sentence.
- Statements: said remains said; said to becomes told.
- Questions: said/said to becomes asked or enquired.
- Commands/Requests: said/said to becomes ordered, requested, advised, or suggested.
2. Removal of Quotation Marks (Conjunctions)
Remove the commas and inverted commas (” “) and use a joining word.
- Statements: Use “that”.
- Yes/No Questions: Use “if” or “whether”.
- Wh- Questions: Use the same Wh- word (what, where, why, who).
- Commands/Requests: Use “to” (or “not to” for negative commands).
3. Change of Pronouns (The S-O-N Rule)
Pronouns inside the quotation marks change according to the S-O-N formula:
- S (Subject): 1st Person pronouns (I, We, My, Us) change according to the Subject of the reporting verb.
- O (Object): 2nd Person pronouns (You, Your) change according to the Object of the reporting verb.
- N (No Change): 3rd Person pronouns (He, She, It, They) do NOT change.
4. Change of Tense
If the reporting verb (outside) is in the Past Tense (e.g., “said”), the tense inside the quotation marks moves one step back into the past.
- Simple Present ➔ Simple Past (e.g., write ➔ wrote)
- Present Continuous ➔ Past Continuous (e.g., is writing ➔ was writing)
- Present Perfect ➔ Past Perfect (e.g., has written ➔ had written)
- Simple Past ➔ Past Perfect (e.g., wrote ➔ had written)
- Past Continuous ➔ Past Perfect Continuous (e.g., was writing ➔ had been writing)
- Modals: will ➔ would, shall ➔ should, can ➔ could, may ➔ might.
(Exception: If the quoted speech is a Universal Truth or Habitual Fact, the tense does NOT change. e.g., The teacher said, “The earth is round.” ➔ The teacher said that the earth is round.)
5. Change of Time and Place Words
Words showing nearness in time and place change to words showing distance.
- This ➔ That
- These ➔ Those
- Here ➔ There
- Now ➔ Then
- Today ➔ That day
- Tomorrow ➔ The next day / The following day
- Yesterday ➔ The previous day / The day before
- Tonight ➔ That night
Examples by Sentence Type
A. Assertive Sentences (Statements)
- Direct: Rahul said to me, “I am going to the market today.”
- Indirect: Rahul told me that he was going to the market that day. (Note: ‘said to’ ➔ told, ‘I’ ➔ he, ‘am’ ➔ was, ‘today’ ➔ that day)
- Direct: She said, “I have completed my homework.”
- Indirect: She said that she had completed her homework.
B. Interrogative Sentences (Questions)
Rule reminder: Change the question format into a normal statement format (Subject + Verb) in indirect speech. Do NOT put a question mark at the end.
Type 1: Yes/No Questions (Start with helping verbs like is, do, have, will)
- Direct: The teacher said to him, “Are you listening to me?”
- Indirect: The teacher asked him if he was listening to her/him.
Type 2: Wh- Questions (Start with What, Where, Why, etc.)
- Direct: He said to me, “Where do you live?”
- Indirect: He asked me where I lived.
C. Imperative Sentences (Commands, Requests, Advice)
- Direct: The doctor said to the patient, “Take your medicines on time.”
- Indirect: The doctor advised the patient to take his medicines on time.
- Direct: The teacher said to the boys, “Do not make a noise.”
- Indirect: The teacher ordered the boys not to make a noise. (or: The teacher forbade the boys to make a noise).
- Direct: He said to me, “Please help me.”
- Indirect: He requested me to help him.