english grammar direct and indirect speech exercise

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercise

Turn the following sentences into indirect speech.

1. John said, ‘I am very busy now.’ 2. He said, ‘The horse has been fed.’ 3. ‘I know her name and address,’ said John. 4. ‘German is easy to learn,’ she said. 5. He said, ‘I am writing letters.’ 6. ‘It is too late to go out,’ Alice said. 7. He said to me, ‘I don’t believe you.’ 8. He says, ‘I am glad to be here this evening.’ 9. He said to me, ‘What are you doing?’ 10. ‘Where is the post office?’ asked the stranger. 11. He said, ‘Will you listen to me?’ 12. John said to Peter, ‘Go away.’ 13. She said to me, ‘Please wait here till I return.’ 14. ‘Call the witness,’ said the judge. 15. The speaker said, ‘Be quiet and listen to my words.’

1. John said that he was very busy then. 2. He said that the horse had been fed. 3. John said that he knew/knows her name and address. (Note that the tenses may not change if the statement is still relevant or if it is a universal truth.) 4. She said that German is/was easy to learn. 5. He said that he was writing letters. 6. Alice said that it was too late to go out. 7. He told me that he didn’t believe me. OR He said he didn’t believe me. 8. He says that he is glad to be here this evening. (When the reporting verb is in the present tense, adverbs of time and place do not normally change in indirect speech.) 9. He asked me what I was doing. 10. The stranger asked where the post office is/was. 11. He asked me if I would listen to him. 12. John ordered Peter to go away. 13. She asked me to wait there till she returned. 14. The judge commanded them to call the first witness. 15. He urged them to be quiet and listen to them.

english grammar direct and indirect speech exercise

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100+Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises and Answers

Improve your knowledge of Direct and Indirect Speech with our comprehensive set of Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises and Answers . Practice converting quotes to reported speech, understand the rules and techniques involved, and master the difference between direct and indirect speech. Sharpen your language skills and get a better grasp of the English language with our direct and indirect Speech exercises and answers.

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises and answers are given in the following for practice. It’s important for students as well as for competitive Exams. For practice and easy comprehension, Direct and indirect speech Exercises and answers have been arranged according to different rules in the following.

With these Direct and indirect speech exercises with answers , the students will make themselves able to change Direct speech into indirect speech and indirect speech into direct speech with a Change of tenses, change of pronouns, and change of time and place words in different sentences .

Exercises on How to Change Tenses with Answers

Change the mode of narration from direct Speech to indirect speech .

(1) He said to me, “I can’t recall your name.” Ans: He told me that he could not recall my name.

(2) Poulami says, “I am fine.” Ans: Poulomi says that she is fine.

(3) He said, “I did it.” Ans: He said that he had done it.

(4) “I know her address,” said Gopi. Ans: Gopi said that he knew her address.

(5) Ram said, “The earth is round.” Ans: Ram said that the Earth is round.

(6) “We planted it ourselves,” said the grandfather. Ans: The Gran Father said that they had planted it themselves.

(7) Debu said, “I have been playing rugby.” Ans: Debu said that he had been playing rugby.

(8) Purbasha said to me,” I am afraid of ghosts.” Ans: Purbasha told me that she was afraid of ghosts.

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Change the following mode of narration from direct Speech to indirect speech .

(1) The boys said, “It has been raining since morning. We cannot play today.” Ans: The boys said that it had been raining since morning so they could not play that day.

(2) Anjan’s mother said, “Your father has left for Mumbai.” Ans: Anjan’s mother said that my father had left for Mumbai.

(3) My teacher said, “Practice makes a man perfect.” Ans: My teacher said that practice makes a man perfect.

(4) He says, “I go to the temple every morning.” Ans: He says that he goes to the temple every morning.

(5) He said to me, “I will not get down from the bus.” Ans: He told me that he would not get off the bus.

(6) Rita says to Mita, “I will go with you.” Ans: Rita tells Mita that she will go with her.

(7) The boy said to his friend, “I went to school yesterday.” Ans: The boy told his friend that he had gone to school the previous day.

(8) You said, “I was right.” Ans: You said that you had been right.

(9) “I ‘ll go to the top,” said the young lady. Ans: The young lady said that she would go to the top.

(10) I ‘ve got my rules,” the conductor said to me. Ans: The conductor told me that he had got his rules.

Change of Pronouns Exercises and Answers

(1) He said to me, “ I have done the job.” Ans: He told me that he had done the job.

(2) Rohit said, “ I was absent yesterday.” Ans: Rohit said that he had been absent the previous day.

(3) The boy said, “ My father died two years ago.” Ans: The boy said that his father had died two years before.

(4) He said, “ My goal is to climb Mt Everest. “ Ans: He said that his goal was to climb Mount Everest.

(5) “ I shall certainly do nothing of this kind”, the woman. Ans: The woman said that she would certainly do nothing of that kind.

(6) The man said, “ I am exhausted.” Ans: The man said that he was exhausted.

(7) He said, “ I am washing my hands.” Ans: He said that he was washing his hands.

(8) Mother bird said to her little ones, “Today I will teach you how to fly.” Ans: Mother bird told her little ones that that day, she would teach them how to fly.

(9) Rita’s father says. “ I have done this for you. Ans: Rita’s father says that he had done that for her.

(10) Sumana said to her sister, “ I want to play with you.” Ans: Sumana told her sister that she wanted to play with her.

Change of Time & place for Direct Indirect Speech

Change the following sentences into indirect speech.

(1) The boy said to his father, “I had my tiffin in school yesterday. “ Ans: The boy told his father that he had had his tiffin in school the previous day .

(2) The captain informed, “The tournament was postponed last year. “ Ans: The captain informed us that the tournament was postponed the previous year .

(3) She said, “We have been living here for two years.” Ans: She said that they had been living there for two years.

(4) Arnab said to Ajit,” I am happy today .” Ans: Arna told Ajit that he was happy that day.

(5) My friend said to me, “We went to the zoo yesterday. “ Ans: My friend told me that they had gone to the zoo the previous day.

(6) The clerk said, “I’ll do the work now. “ Ans: Clark said that he would do the work then.

(7) Hiten said to Mihir, “I received this letter yesterday. “ Ans: Hiten told me that he had received that letter the previous day.

(8) Rajib said to me. “I shall go to the picture today. “ Ans: Rajiv told me that he would go to the picture that day.

(9) He said, “We are very happy here. “ Ans: He said that they were very happy there.

(10) The farmer said, “I’ll sow the seeds now. “ Ans: The farmer said that he will show the seats then.

(12) The man said to me, “I received your gift yesterday. “ Ans: The man told me that he had received my gift the previous day.

(15) I said to my friend, “You were present in the class yesterday. “ Ans: I told my friend that he had been present in the class the previous day.

Assertive Sentences Exercises with Answers

Change the following sentences converting the direct speeches into indirect speeches.

(1) The teacher said to the boy, “You have forgotten the lesson.” Ans: The teacher told the boy that he had forgotten the lesson.

(2) The boy said, “I shall go out and play.” Ans: The boy said that he would go out and play.

(3) He said, “I am happy to be here today.” Ans: He said that he was happy to be there that day.

(4) They said, “We shall play the game again tomorrow.” Ans: They said that they would play the game again the next day.

(5) The boy said, “Two and two make four.” Ans: The boy said that two and two make four.

Change the form of narration from indirect speech into direct speech.

(1) She told them that she had lost her books and theirs too. Ans : “I have lost my books and yours too”, she told them.

(2) The princess says that she has lost her way. Ans: The princess says, “I have lost my way.”

(3) They say that they must keep their locality clean. Ans: They say, “We must keep our locality clean.”

(4) The girl says that those books are theirs, but that one is hers. Ans: The girl says, “These books are theirs, but this one is mine.”

(5) The Happy prince said that he had led the dance in the Great Hall. Ans: The Happy Prince said, “I led the dance in the great hall.”

Interrogative Sentences Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

Turn the following sentences from direct speech to indirect speech.

(1) Bulbuli said to her friend, “Will you come tomorrow?” Ans: Bulbuli asked her friend if she would on the next day.

(2) The policeman said to the stranger, “What are you looking for?” Ans: The police asked the stranger what he was looking for.

(3) Nikhil said to me, “Why do you look sad? Ans: Nikhil asked me why I looked sad.

(4) I said to her, “Did you take tea ?” Ans: I asked her if she had taken tea.

(5) The girl said to her mother, “Will you give me your bangles ?” Ans: The girl asked her mother if she would give her her bangles.

(6) Father said to me, “Why are you so upset?” Ans: Father asked me why I was so upset.

Change the following indirect speech into Direct speech.

(1) She asked me if I had called her. Ans: She said to me, “Did you call me ?”

(2) He asked me if I was writing a letter. Ans: He asked me, “Are you writing a letter ?”

(3) The man asked the child how he had got there. Ans: “How did you get here, child ?”, the man said.

(4) The police asked me if I could show my identity card. Ans: The police said to me, “Can you show your identity card ?”

(5) He asked us if we were attending the meeting that day. Ans: He said to us, “Are you attending the meeting today?”

(6) I asked her if she had taken medicine. Ans: I said to her, “Did you take medicine ?”

(7) Raja asked Dipu if he would go to school that day. Ans: Raja said to Dipu, “Will you go to school today?

Imperative Sentences Exercises with Answers

Change the following sentences from direct speech to indirect speech.

(1) The teacher said to the students, “Keep quiet.” Ans: The teachers ordered the students to keep quiet.

(2) My teacher said to me. “Do not neglect your studies.” Ans: My teacher advised me not to neglect my studies.

(3) The man said to his son, “Always try to be honest.” Ans: The man advised it’s on to always try to be honest.

(4) Mother said to Raju, “Do not run in the sun.” Ans: Mother ordered Raju not to run in the sun.

(5) The man said to me, “Brother, please help me.” Ans: Addressing as a brother, the man requested me to help him.

(6) The students said, “Please allow us to play in the field.” Ans: The students requested to allow them to play on the field.

(7) He said to me, “Please give me some money.” Ans: He requested me to give him some money.

Exercise 10

Change the following sentences from Indirect speech to Direct Speech of narration.

(1) He advised me not to waste my valuable time. Ans: He said to me, “Don’t waste your valuable time.”

(2) The grandson advised the children not to pluck flowers. Ans: The gardener said to the children, “Do not pluck flowers.”

(3) Tom forbade Sid to shake him. Ans: Tom said to Sid, “Don’t shake me.”

(4) The master ordered the servant to sort the door. Ans: The master said to the servant, “Shut the door.”

(5) The commander ordered the soldiers to stand at ease. Ans: The commander said to the soldiers, “Stand at ease.”

(6) Addressing as sethji, the vendor told him not to rob the poor. Ans: “Sethji, don’t rob the poor”, said the vendor.

(7) The doctor advised the patient to take proper vitamins to stay healthy. Ans: The doctor said to the patient, “Take proper vitamins to stay healthy.”

(8) The teacher ordered the students to do it then. Ans: The teacher said to the students, “Do it now.”

Direct and indirect speech Exercises Answers with “Let”

Exercise 11.

Change the following sentences from direct speech to indirect speech mode of narration.

(1) Rahim said, “Let us decide the matter together.” Ans: Rahim suggested that they should decide the matter together.

(2) The boy said to me, “Let us play cricket.” Ans: The boy proposed that they should play cricket.

(3) He said, “Let me go home.” Ans: He wished that he might go home.

(4) He said to me, “Let him say whatever he likes.” Ans: He wished me that he might say whatever he liked.

(5) He shouted, “Let me go out. Ans: He shouted at me to go out.

Exercise 12

Change the following sentences from indirect speech to direct speech mode of narration.

(1) She proposed that they should go to the cinema. Ans: She said, “Let us go to the cinema.”

(2) He suggested that they should drop the matter. Ans: He said, “Let us drop the matter”

(3) They suggested that they should make him give them their fears back. Ans: “Let’s make him give us our fares back,” they said.

(4) Shabnam proposed Chandni that they should go for a walk. Ans: “Let us go for a walk.” said Shabnam to Chandni.

(5) The leader suggested that they should hold a meeting the next day. Ans: The leader said, “Let’s hold a meeting tomorrow.”

Direct and indirect speech Exercises Answers of Optative Sentences

Exercise 13.

Change the following from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech.

(1) I said to him, “May you be happy.” Ans: I wished that he might be happy.

(2) Mother said to me, “May God bless you.” Ans: Mother prayed that God might bless me.

(3) He said, “May his soul rest in peace.” Ans: He prayed that his soul might rest in peace.

(4) The girl said, “Oh, had I the wings of a dove.” Ans: The girl wished that she could have the wings of a dove.

(5) I said to him, “May you live long.” Ans: I wished him that he might live long.

Exercise 14

Change the following from Indirect Speech to Direct Speech.

(1) Nilima wished me that I might recover soon. Ans: Nilima said to me, “May you recover soon.”

(2) Mother wished him that God might grant him a long life. Ans : Mother said to him, “May God grant you a long life.”

(3) The holy man wished that peace might prevail. Ans: The holy man said, “May peace prevail.”

(4) She wished that Mother Teresa might recover from illness soon. Ans: She said, “May Mother Teresa recover from illness soon.”

(5) He wished that he could bring his departed friend back to life. Ans: He said, “Oh, if I could bring my departed friend back to life.”

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises of Exclamatory Sentences

Exercise 15.

(1) The boys triumphantly said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.” Ans: The boys exclaimed in joy that they had won the match.

(2) The old man said to the girl, “May you be happy !” Ans: The old man wished the girl that she might be happy.

(3) He said, “What good news!” Ans: He exclaimed in joy that it was very good news.

(4) The children said, “How happy we were there!” Ans: The children gloomily said that they had been very happy there.

(5) He said to you. “May God bless you.” Ans: He wished you that God might bless you.

(6) My friend said to me. “What a fool you are!” Ans: My friend exclaimed in despair that she was a big fool.

Exercise 16

(1) Piyali exclaimed in sorrow that she had lost her phone. Ans: “Alas! I have lost my phone”, said Piyali.

(2) Mother wished Roy that his dreams might come true. Ans: Mother said to Roy, “May your dreams come true.”

(3) The girl exclaimed that she had been very sensible. Ans: How insensible I have been!”, said the girl.

(4) The girl exclaimed in sorrow that she had torn her frock. Ans: The girl said, “Oh dear! I have torn my frock.”

(5) She exclaimed in sorrow that she was undone. Ans: She said, “Alas! I am undone.”

(6) They wished me happy birthday. Ans: They said to me. “Happy birthday!”

(7) The students bade their teacher good morning. Ans: “Good morning, Madam!”, said the students to the teacher.

Practice Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

A . Change the following into reported speech .

1. Rita says, “Kishore sang a song”.

2. The saint said, “Man is mortal”

3. You said, “we are learning our lesson’.

4. He said to me, “My father went to Mumbai last week.

5. I said to her, “Are you leaving tonight?”

6. He said to her, “Can you lend me your umbrella?”

7. She said, “I saw a tiger here’.

8. The principal said, “well done! my boys”.

9. She said, “Let them play.”

10. I said to Harsh, “Please help me.”

B. Change the direct speech into Indirect Speech

1. He asked me, “Where has he gone?”

2. The Prime Minister said, “National Integrity will be preserved at all costs.

3. She said, “My uncle came yesterday.”

4. Sheela said to us, “You must work hard.”

5. They said, “We trust in God.”

6. The officer said to him. “You will be dismissed if you do not attend the office in time.'”

7. He said to me “I am reading a book.”

8. He said, “Thanks for reminding me.’

9. She said,” Keep this room open.’

10. I said to him, “I went there on Tuesday.”

C. Choose the correct option .

1. I advised him ____________ it.

(a) to not do

(b) not to do

2. She told me ____________ careful.

3. She asked me if I ____________ my lunch.

(b) have eaten

4. She asked me ____________ going to the movies

(a) that I was

(b) if was I

5. The dentist suggested ____________ get a new toothbrush.

(b) that I should

6. She said that no one ____________ me

7. He asked me ____________ to deserve such a cruel punishment.

(a) what had he done

(b) what he had done

8. He promised he ____________ do it by the end of the week.

9. She said that ____________ me before.

(a) she hadn’t met

(b) she did not meet

10. I requested her____________ me.

(b) to help

D. Complete the sentences in reported speech.

1. The girl said that it ___________ to be there that evening.

(a) gave her great pleasure

(b) gives her great pleasure

2. The man said that he ___________ as soon as possible.

(a) must go

(b) had gone

3. She said that she ___________ to se any of them.

(a) does not want

(b) did not want

4. The teacher says that if you work hard you ___________

(a) would pass

(b) will pass

5. He said that he ___________

(b) has won

6. He proposed that they ___________ for her return.

(a) shall wait

(b) will wait

7. Alice exclaimed how clever ___________

(a) she was

(b) was she

8. The young man asked which way she ___________

(a) has gone

9. He asked me where ___________ going.

10. She requested them to wait there till she ___________

(a) returns

(b) returned

E. Complete the sentence in reported speech.

1. Ravi said, “I love this place”.

Ravi said _______________

2. “Do you like football?” He asked me.

He asked me_______________

3. “I can’t drive a lorry”, he said.

He said _______________

4. “Be nice to your brother”, he said

He asked me _______________

5. “Don’t be nasty, “he said

He urged me _______________

6. “Don’t waste your money “she said,

She told the boys _______________

7. “What have you decided to do? “she asked

him. She asked him _______________

8. “I always wake up early”. he said,

He said_______________

9. “You should revise your lessons’, he said,

He advised the students _______________

10. “Where have you been? “he asked me

He wanted to know _______________

F. Complete the sentence in reported speech.

1. She said, “I went to cinema yesterday,”

She said _______________

2. You said, “I will do this for him.”

You said _______________

3. He said, “I am writing a test tomorrow,

4. She said, “I am not hungry now”,

5. They said, “We have never been here before.”

They said _______________

6. They said, “We were in London last week.”

7. He said, “They won’t sleep.”

8. “Have you been shopping?” he asked us.

9. She said, “It is very quiet here.

10. “I don’t speak Italian”, she said.

She said_______________

Direct and Indirect Speech Answers Key

1. Rita says that Kishore sang a song.

2. The saint said that the man is mortal.

3. You said that you were learning your lesson.

4. He hold me that his father had gone to Mumbai the previous week.

5. I asked her if she was leaving that night.

6. He asked her if she could lend him her umbrella.

7. She said that she had seen a tiger there.

8. The principal exclaimed with applause that the boys had done well.

9. She suggested that they should be allowed to play.

10. I requested Harsh to help me.

1. He asked me where he had gone.

2. The Prime Minister declared that the National Integrity would be preserved at all costs.

3. She said that her uncle had come the previous day.

4. Sheela told us that we must work hard.

5. They said that they trusted in God.

6. The officer warned him that he would be dismissed

if he did not attend the office in time.

7. He told me that he was reading a book.

8. He thanked me for reminding him.

9. She ordered to keep that room open.

10. I told him that I had gone there on Tuesday.

1. (b) not to do

2. (b) to be

3. (c) had eaten

4. (c) if I was

5. (b) that I should

6. (c) had called

7. (b) what he had done

8. (b) would

9. (a) she hadn’t met

10. (b) to help

1. (a) gave her great pleasure.

2. (a) must go

3. (b) did not want

4. (b) will pass

5. (c) had won

6. (c) should wait

7. (a) she was

8. (b) had gone

9. (a) I was

10. (b) returned

1. that he loved that place

2. whether I liked football

3. that he couldn’t drive a lorry

4. to be nice to my brother

5. not to be nasty

6. not to waste their money

7. what he had decided to do

8. that he always wake up early

9. to revise their lessons

10. where I had been

1. that she had gone to cinema the previous day.

2. that you would do that for him.

3. that he will be writing a test the next day.

4. that she was not hungry then.

5. that they had never been there before.

6. that they had been in London the previous week.

7. that they wouldn’t sleep.

8. whether we had been shopping.

9. that it was very quiet there.

10. that she didn’t speak Italian.

FAQs on Direct and Indirect speech

Q: what’s the purpose of the indirect speech.

A: Indirect speech allows us to convey someone else’s words without quoting them verbatim. It’s useful for summarizing and paraphrasing.

Q: Are tense changes mandatory in indirect speech?

A: Yes, tense changes are often necessary to accurately reflect the timing of the original statement.

Q: Can reporting verbs be used interchangeably?

A: While reporting verbs can be interchangeable to some extent, their nuances can impact the meaning of the reported speech.

Q: Is it possible to transform any direct speech into indirect speech?

A: Yes, most direct speech can be converted into indirect speech, although some cases may require adjustments.

Q: How can I identify indirect speech in a sentence?

A: Look for keywords like “said,” “asked,” or other reporting verbs, as well as changes in pronouns, tenses, and time expressions.

Q: Why is mastering direct and indirect speech important?

A: Mastering these skills enhances communication clarity, adds variety to language use, and fosters effective expression.

Conclusion:

Direct and indirect speech exercises and answers are invaluable tools for effective communication. By honing this skill, you’ll not only convey information accurately but also showcase your language expertise. Remember that practice makes perfect, and the more you engage in these exercises, the more naturally you’ll incorporate them into your everyday language use.

Class 10 English Writing Questions and Answers

English Grammar
Grammar Exercises
Direct And Indirect Speech Exercises

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

Direct and indirect speech is one topic in English grammar that confuses most language learners. It need not necessarily be so; if you understand how it works, you can easily use it in your writing.

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises with Answers

When converting direct speech to indirect speech or vice-versa, you will have to take care to convert the verb , pronoun and the adverb appropriately. Go through the following exercises and try them out. Answers are given below each exercise; refer to them to see if your answers are right.

Exercise 1: Change into indirect speech

Read the following sentences and convert them into indirect speech.

Rahul told to me, “When are you leaving?”
“Where do you live?” the stranger asked Aladdin.
The teacher said to Shelly, “Why are you laughing?”
Dhronacharya said to Arjun, “Shoot the bird’s eye.”
“Call the first convict,” said the jury.
“Call the ambulance,” said the man.
Bruce said to me, “I shall do the work.”
My mother said to me, “You were wrong.”
Mr Richard said to me, “Please wait here till I return.”
The captain said to me, “Bravo! You have played well.”
Raj said, “Alas! My pet died.”
Ruchi said, “I may go there.”
Bucky said to Steve, “Do you hear me?”
The boy said, “Let me come in.”
Granny said to me, “May God bless you.”

Answers –

Rahul asked me when I was leaving.
The stranger asked Aladdin where he lived.
The teacher asked Shelly why he was laughing.
Dhronacharya ordered Arjun to shoot the fish’s eye.
The jury ordered to call the first convict.
The man urged to call the ambulance.
Bruce said to me he would do the work.
My mother told me that I was wrong.
Mr Richard requested me to wait there till he returned.
The captain applauded me, saying that I had played well.
Raj exclaimed sadly that his pet died.
Ruchi said that she might go there.
Bucky asked Steve if he heard him.
The boy asked to let him come in.
Granny prayed that God might bless me.

Convert the following into Direct Speech

Read the following passage and convert it into direct speech.

One of them told Issac that the latter had forgotten one thing that belonged to a mill. Issac enquired what that was. The friend asked where the miller was. Issac replied that (absence of the miller) was true – and he must look for one.

“But Issac,” said one of them, “you have forgotten one thing that belongs to a mill.”

“What is that?” asked Issac.

“Why, where is the miller?” said his friend.

“That is true – I must look for one,” said Issac.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is direct narration.

When the actual words/sentences as spoken by the speaker are quoted in a speech, it’s called direct speech/narration.

What is indirect speech?

When the quoted speech is reported in the form of a narrative without changing the meaning of the actual quotation/words by the speaker, it’s called indirect speech/narration.

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Direct and Indirect speech, Rules, Chart and Exercises

Direct and Indirect speech are ways of narrating the speech of someone to some other person following certain rules. This article covers its types, rules, examples and some exercises on the same.

Table of Contents

Direct and Indirect Speech: In English Grammar, direct and Indirect speech are used in instances when we wish to repeat or convey a speech or statement of some other person. Both direct and indirect speech describes what a third person said or conveyed in the past. Indirect speech is more commonly employed unless it’s a direct quotation, which is consistently enclosed in double quotation marks. Whereas indirect speech is used when you want to convey someone’s statement using your own precise words. It’s worth highlighting that indirect speech is consistently expressed using verbs like “said,” “told,” or “asked.”

Direct and Indirect Speech

There are two types of reported speech in English grammar, they are Direct and Indirect speech. Both speech conveys the speech or statement which was told by some other person. To explain any event, action or scenario we generally convey the sentences quoted by someone in the form of direct and indirect speech. In order to clearly differentiate and make people understand easily, we have detailed the two types of reported speech with examples and exercises below.

Direct Speech

Direct speech is the mode of expression that directly presents the words spoken or quoted by a third person. Generally, direct speech is written inside quotation marks (“”). The quotation is used to differentiate the speech of the third person that has happened in the past. Thus direct speech conveys statements or conversations of someone in the past tense but quoted inside the quotation marks in the present or future tense.

Kiran said, “I am doing my work.”
They said, ” We will go for the function.”
He asked,”Can I make this?”

Indirect Speech

Indirect Speech is used when we convey what someone said in our own words without repeating the actual text of that person. Instead of using quotation marks, the conjunction word, ‘that’ is used. Thus speaker’s words and sentences are reframed into our own words in Indirect speech. Some examples of indirect speech are:

Direct speech: Kiran said, “I am doing my work.”
Indirect speech: Kiran said that she is doing her work.
Direct speech: They said, ” We will go for the function.”
Indirect speech: They said that they would go to the function.
Direct speech: He asked, “Can I make this?”
Indirect speech: He asked whether he can make that.

Rules for Direct and Indirect Speech

There are certain rules and regulations followed while converting a simple direct speech into indirect speech. Certain factors such as Verbs, Tenses, Modals, time, place, and pronouns are also considered while changing. The following are the rules applied when you convert direct speech to indirect speech in English grammar.

Rule-1 : Direct To Indirect Speech Conversion – Reporting Verb

The reporting verb is an important factor to note when changing a direct to an indirect sentence. When the reporting verb is past tense, then the verb inside the quotation is also changed to past when changing a sentence from direct to indirect speech. Examples:

Direct: He said,’ I am sad.’
Indirect: He said that he was sad.

An exception is for cases like a universal truth, the tenses remain the same.

Teena said” The sun rises in the east”.
Teena said that the sun rises in the east.

If the reporting verb is in present/future tense, then the tense remains the same as in direct speech.

Direct: She says/will say, ‘I am coming.’
Indirect: She says/will say she is coming.

Rule 2: Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Tenses

If the sentences inside quotes in direct speech are present tense, it is changed to past tense when changed to indirect speech. The rule in the following table is applied while changing tenses from direct speech to reported speech.

Examples of change in Tenses

Rule 4: Direct to Indirect speech Conversion Interrogative sentences

If a sentence starts with a question word like what, when, and why in direct speech, the question word itself acts as the joining class.

Direct speech: “Where do you live ?” Asked the boy.
Indirect Speech: The boy enquired where I lived.

Rule 5: Direct to Indirect Speech Conversion Change in Modals

Modal verbs are those verbs that are preceded by another verb, which is the main verb. Can, May, and Must are some examples of Modals. Modals that won’t change are Could, would, should, ought to, might. While changing direct to indirect speech, the Modals change as below:

Can become could
May becomes Might
Must becomes had to (or) would have to
Direct: She said,” She can sing.”
Indirect: She said that she could sing.
Direct: She said,” I should cook the lunch”
Indirect: She said that she should cook the lunch.

Rule 6: Direct to Indirect speech conversion – pronoun

The first person in Direct speech changes as per the subject of the speech

Direct: He said, “I am in grade sixth.”
Indirect: He said that he was in grade sixth.

The second person of Direct speech changes as per the object of the indirect speech.

Direct: She says to them, “You have achieved your goal.”
Indirect: She tells them that they have achieved their goal.

If the third person is mentioned in the Direct speech, it does not change in reported speech.

Direct: He says, “She sings well.”
Indirect: He says that she sings well.

Rule 7: Direct to indirect speech conversion – Request, Command, Wish and Exclamation.

The imperative words in direct speech change into Infinitives in indirect speech.

Direct: She said to her ‘Please remove it’.
Indirect: She requested her to remove that.

Exclamation

Direct: She said, ‘Alas! I am undone.
Indirect: She exclaimed sadly that she was broke.

Rule 8: Direct to indirect speech conversion – punctuations

In Direct speech, the words spoken must start with(“) and ends with(.) inside the double inverted commas. All symbols such as question marks, full stops or exclamatory marks should be placed inside the quotes.

They said. “We are the best”
She asked, “Can I come with You?”
He uttered, “Keep Quiet!”

Rule 9: Direct to indirect speech conversion – Change of time

While converting direct speech to Indirect speech, there are certain words to be noted that cannot be used as such in indirect speech. These words get modified into new words which are enlisted below:

Now becomes Then
Ago becomes before
Thus becomes So
Today becomes That day
Tomorrow becomes the next day
Yesterday becomes the day before
This becomes that
These become those
Come becomes go
Hence becomes thence
Next week or next month becomes the following week or month
Direct: He says/will say, ‘My girlfriend came yesterday.’
Indirect: He says/will say that his girlfriend had come the day before.

Rules for Converting Indirect Speech into Direct Speech:

The following rules should be followed while converting an indirect speech to direct speech:

Use the reporting verb such as (say, said to) in its correct
Put a comma before the statement and the first letter of the statement should be in capital
Insert question marks, quotation marks, exclamation marks and full stops, based on the mood of the
Remove the conjunctions like (that, too, if or wh ether) wherever necessary .
Where the reporting verb is in the past tense in indirect, change it to present tense in the direct
Change the past perfect tense either into the present perfect tense or past tense, as necessary .

Direct and Indirect Speech – Some Exercises

The following are some exercises that students can practice while preparing for their revision tests or board exams.

Q.1. Find out the correct indirect speech for the given sentence.

She said,’ I have cooked this meal.’

She said that she cooked this meal
She said that she had cooked that meal.
She said that I cooked that meal.
She said that she had cooked this meal.

Answer (2) She said that she had cooked that meal.

Q.2. Choose the correct sentence.

Sanjay said, ‘What a beautiful painting it is’.

Sanjay exclaimed wonderfully that the painting was very beautiful.
Sanjay exclaimed with wonder that the painting was very beautiful.

Answer (4) Sanjay exclaimed with wonder that the painting was very beautiful.

Q.3. The correct indirect speech for She asked, “What is the cost of these books?”

She enquired what was the cost of those books.
She inquired what was the cost of these books.
She enquired what is the cost of those books.
She questioned what was the cost of those books.

Answer (1) She enquired what was the cost of those books.

Q.4. The man said, ‘Oh God! I missed the train today.’

The man cried that he missed the train that day.
The man exclaimed in grief that he missed the train today.
The man said that oh God! he missed that day.
The man exclaimed with sorrow that he missed the train that day.

Answer (4) The man exclaimed with sorrow that he missed the train that day.

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Direct and Indirect speech-FAQs

Q1. what are direct and indirect speech in english.

Ans. Direct speech is a speech that describes what a third person has conveyed or quoted in a direct manner. Generally, direct speech is written inside quotation marks ("").Indirect Speech is used when we convey what someone said in our own words without repeating the actual text of that person.

Q2. In which speech conjunctions are used and what is the purpose?

Ans. The conjunctions are used in Indirect speech. The speaker's words and sentences are reframed into our own words in Indirect speech using conjuctions as connecting words.

Q3. What are modals and what is the significance of using modals?

Ans. Modal verbs are those verbs that are preceded by another verb, which is the main verb. Can, May, and Must are some examples of Modals. While converting direct to indirect speech Can becomes could, May becomes Might, Will becomes Would. Modals that won’t change are Could, would, should, ought to, might.

As Team Lead- Content Writer, I take on leadership within our content creation team, overseeing the development of error-free educational content. My primary responsibility is to produce and analyse high-quality content educating and informing the aspirants about upcoming government exams published on our website. I have more than 6 years experience in content writing wherein 3.5 years of experience in ed-tech content writing.

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Direct and indirect speech exercises

There are many occasions in which we need to describe an event or action that happened, and very often that includes repeating what someone said. Such occasions can include a social situation as well as in a work email or presentation. In order to describe what people said there are two different types of speech – direct speech and indirect speech (or reported speech).

Read the article below to find out more about these forms and improve your English storytelling skills.

Do you want to practice your English speaking skills with small classes with native-level teachers? Find out more about Speak+ now

Direct Speech

When we want to describe what someone said, one option is to use direct speech . We use direct speech when we simply repeat what someone says, putting the phrase between speech marks:

Paul came in and said, “I’m really hungry.”

It is very common to see direct speech used in books or in a newspaper article. For example:

The local MP said, “We plan to make this city a safer place for everyone.”

As you can see, with direct speech it is common to use the verb ‘to say’ (‘said’ in the past). But you can also find other verbs used to indicate direct speech such as ‘ask’, ‘reply’, and ‘shout’. For example:

When Mrs Diaz opened the door, I asked, “Have you seen Lee?”
She replied, “No, I haven’t seen him since lunchtime.”
The boss was angry and shouted, “Why isn’t he here? He hasn’t finished that report yet!”

Indirect Speech

When we want to report what someone said without speech marks and without necessarily using exactly the same words, we can use indirect speech (also called reported speech). For example:

Direct speech: “We’re quite cold in here.”
Indirect speech: They say (that) they’re cold.

When we report what someone says in the present simple, as in the above sentence, we normally don’t change the tense, we simply change the subject. However, when we report things in the past, we usually change the tense by moving it one step back. For example, in the following sentence the present simple becomes the past simple in indirect speech:

Direct speech: “I have a new car.”
Indirect speech: He said he had a new car.

All the other tenses follow a similar change in indirect speech. Here is an example for all the main tenses:

The same rule of moving the tenses one step back also applies to modal verbs. For example:

Using ‘say’ or ‘tell’

As an alternative to using ‘say’ we can also use ‘tell’ (‘told’ in the past) in reported speech, but in this case you need to add the object pronoun. For example:

He told me he was going to call Alan.
They told her they would arrive a little late.
You told us you’d already finished the order.

Changing Time Expressions

Sometimes it’s necessary to change the time expressions when you report speech, especially when you are speaking about the past and the time reference no longer applies. For example:

Direct speech: “I’m seeing my brother tomorrow .”
Indirect speech: She said she was seeing her brother the following day .

Here are some other examples:

Direct speech: “I had a headache yesterday .”
Indirect speech: You said you’d had a headache the day before yesterday .
Direct speech: “It’s been raining since this afternoon .”
Indirect speech: He said it’d been raining since that afternoon .
Direct speech: “I haven’t seen them since last week .”
Indirect speech: She said she hadn’t seen them since the previous week .

Reporting Questions

When you report a question you need to change the interrogative form into an affirmative sentence, putting the verb tense one step back, as with normal reported speech.

There are two types of questions that we can report – questions that have a yes/no response, and questions that begin with a question word like ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘who’ etc. When we report a yes/no question, we use ‘if’. For example:

Direct speech: “Do they live here?”
Indirect speech: You asked me if they lived here.

As you can see, in the reported version of the question, ‘do’ is eliminated because it is no longer a question, and the verb ‘live’ becomes ‘lived’.

For questions starting with question words like ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘who’, etc., we report the question using the question word but change the interrogative form to the affirmative form. For example:

Direct speech: “Where do they live?”
Indirect speech: You asked me where they lived.
Direct speech: “When are you leaving?”
Indirect speech: He asked us when we were leaving .
Direct speech: “How will they get here?”
Indirect speech: She asked me how they would get here.

When we report a question we normally use the verb ‘ask’. As with the verb ‘to tell’, the verb ‘to ask’ is normally followed by an object pronoun, though it is possible to omit it.

Reporting Orders and Requests

When you give someone an order, you use the imperative form, which means using just the verb without a subject. For example:

“ Call me back later.”
“ Have a seat.”
“ Don’t do that!”

To report an order we use ‘tell’ and the infinitive of the verb. For example:

You told me to call you back later.
He told me to have a seat.
She told us not to do that.

When you make a request, you normally use words like ‘can’, ‘could’, or ‘will’. For example:

“Could you call me back later?”
“Will you have a seat?”
“Can you not do that please?”

To report a request, we use the verb ‘to ask’ and the infinitive form of the verb. For example:

You asked me to call you back later.
He asked me to have a seat.
She asked us not to do that.

Now you’ve seen how we use direct and indirect speech , practice using them yourself. An excellent and easy way to see how they are used is by reading a short story in English or a news article online, because stories and articles contain many examples of reported speech.

The first conditional is one of four types of hypothetical sentence in English. In which situations can we use it and why? Find out here.

When we give a time reference there are various words we use such as at, on, in, and also for and since. Read on to find out when to use each one of them.

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Ready to chat to a member of the Wall Street English team? We’re here to help you.

Direct and Indirect Exercises With Answers

We often convey a message or give information about what someone said, thought, or felt to somebody else. In order to do this, you can use the grammar structure named indirect or reported speech. direct and indirect rules have already talked about, below we have prepared direct and indirect exercises with answers for ESL learners.

Direct And Indirect Speech Complete Rules
Direct and Indirect Objects Exercise With Answers

Direct and Indirect Exercises

Attempt the exercises below then compare your answers with the correct answers given below.

Exercise 1:

Turn into reported speech. 1. “It’s hot” Tom said that _______________________________________________________. 2. “I have done my homework.” Tom said that __________________________________________________. 3. “I will give you a book” Tom said that _______________________________________________________. 4. “Do you smoke?” Tom asked me if ____________________________________________________. 5. “Where does Bob live?” Tom asked me where _______________________________________________. 6. “Jane has not arrived yet” Tom told us that________________________________________________________. 7. “I’m so worried,” Tom, told us that_______________________________________________________. 8. “I want to go away”. Tom told us that ____________________________________________________. 9. “You should eat less.” The doctor advised me that _______________________________________. 10. “Don’t shout” The teacher told me________________________________.

Exercise 2:

Turn into direct speech. 1. Mary said she was very tired. Mary said, “____________________________________________________________.” 2. The teacher told the boys to open their books. The teacher said to the boys, “___________________________________________________________.” 3. Tom’s mother told him not to eat any ice cream. Tom’s mother said to Tom: “_____________________________________________________________.” 4. My friend said that he was going skiing at the weekend. My friend said: “__________________________________________________at the weekend.” 5. Bob’s mates told the teacher that Bob was ill that day. Bob’s mates said: “Teacher,__________________________________________________________ today.” 6. Mary told Jane she would help her. Mary said to Jane,”____________________________________________________.” 7. I said I would have bought a new car if I had had the money. I said,”_______________________________________________________________________________.” 8. My father told me to look for a job if I wanted more money. My father said:”_____________________________________________________________.” 9. Tim wrote to his brother that their cat had died that day. Tim wrote to his brother: “________________________________________________________________.” 10. The teacher informed the students that the break lasted ten minutes. The teacher said to the students,”____________________________________________________________.”

Exercise 3:

Turn the following questions into reported speech. 1. “Where do you live?” Mary asked Tom, “______________________________________________.” 2. “How are you going to travel to Italy?” Mary asked Tom__________________________________________________. 3. “Why did you buy that book?” Mary asked Tom___________________________________________________. 4. “What’s the time?” Mary asked Tom__________________________________________________. 5. “Who helped you with your work?” Mary asked Tom______________________________________________.

Choose the right option 6. I (said/told) her not to disturb me. 7. My friend never (told/said) me about his plans. 8. The teacher (that/said) that we had to study harder. 9. Don’t (tell/say) me what I have to do. 10. He did not (say/tell) why he was late.

Exercise 4:

The following sentences use quoted speech. Change the following sentences from quoted speech to reported speech. 1.) James said, “I am watching TV.” 2.) Professor Jones said, “I worked all day!” 3.) The president said, “I will be visiting Italy in December.” 4.) The weatherman announced, “It may rain today.” 5.) My father screamed, “I have to go to the airport, now!” 6.) Then my mother said, “I must take your father.” 7.) The psychologist said, “You should calm down.” 8.) I responded, “I ought to leave the office.” 9.) Mark said, “I love visiting China and Korea.” 10.) Martin said, “I can be a great president!” 11.) Sung-He said, “Close the windows” 12.) Bobby will say, “I have already done direct and indirect speech exercises.”

Direct and Indirect of Modal Auxiliaries
Direct and Indirect of Future Perfect Progressive
Direct and Indirect of Future Perfect Tense
Direct and Indirect of Future Progressive Tense
Direct and Indirect of Simple Future Tense
Direct and Indirect of Past Perfect Progressive
Direct and Indirect of Past Perfect Tense

Exercise 1.

Tom said that it was hot.
Tom said that he had done his homework.
Tom said that he would give me a book.
Tom asked me if I smoked.
Tom asked me where Bob lived.
Tom told us that Jane had not arrived yet.
Tom told us that he was so worried.
Tom told us that he wanted to go away.
The doctor advised me that I should eat less.
The teacher told me not to shout.

Exercise 2.

Mary said, “I am very tired.”
The teacher said to the boys, “open your books.”
Tom’s mother said to Tom: “Don’t eat any ice cream.”
My friend said:” I am going skiing on the weekend.
Bob’s mates said: “Teacher, Bob is ill today.”
Mary said to Jane, “I will help you.”
I said, “I will have bought a new car if I had had the money.”
My father said: “look for a job if I want more money.”
Tom wrote to his brother:” Our cat died today.”
The teacher said to the student, “the break lasts ten minutes.”

Exercise 3.

Mary asked Tom, “Where he lived.”
Mary asked Tom how he was going to travel to Italy.
Mary asked Tom why he bought that book.
Mary asked Tom what was the time.
Mary asked Tom who helped him with his work.
I told her not to disturb me.
My friend never told me about his plans.
The teacher said that we had to study harder.
Do not tell me what I have to do.
He did not say why he was late.

Exercise 4.

James said that he was watching TV.
Professor Jones said that he had worked all day.
The president said that he would be visiting Italy in December.
The weatherman announced that it might rain that day.
My father screamed that he had to go to the airport, then.
Then my mother said that she had to take my father.
The psychologist said that I should calm down.
I responded I ought to leave the office.
Mark said that he loved visiting China and Korea.
Martin said that he could be a great president.
Sung-He ordered to close the windows.
Bobby will say that he has already done Direct and Indirect Exercises.

I hope the direct and indirect exercises were helpful to you and if you would like to know more about direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech, check out more in the book below.

Exercise: Indirect Speech

Indirect speech grammar exercise.

Practicing indirect speech can effectively help you improve your grammar skills. Here, we will engage in an array of exercises to challenge your understanding of indirect speech usage.

Table of Contents

Exercise 1: Conversion of Direct to Indirect Speech

In this exercise, convert the given direct speech sentences into indirect speech.

"I am studying," Jane said.
"We will attend the party," they promised.
"You must finish the report by tomorrow," the boss commanded.
"He is arriving tonight," she informed me.
"They have moved to a new house," John told me.

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Use the correct indirect speech form to fill in the blanks.

She said she __(be)___ studying the whole night.
They promised they ______(attend) the party.
The boss commanded that I ______(finish) the report by tomorrow.
She informed me that he ______(arrive) that night.
John told me that they ______(move) to a new house.

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the correct conversion in indirect speech.

He said that he was singing.
He said he is singing.
He said that he sings.
She told her father that she had bought a new car.
She told her father she has bought a new car.
She told her father that she bought a new car.
She said that he won't come to the party.
She said he wouldn't come to the party.
She said that he wouldn't came to the party.

Exercise 4: Long Question

Convert the following conversation in direct speech to an indirect speech paragraph.

"Hello! How are you?" asked Jane. "Fine, thank you. And you?" replied John. "I'm good. Are you coming to the dance tonight?" Jane questioned. "Yes, I will be there," affirmed John.

Jane said that she was studying.
They promised to attend the party.
The boss commanded to finish the report by tomorrow.
She informed me that he was arriving that night.
John told me that they had moved to a new house.
She said she had been studying the whole night.
They promised they would attend the party.
The boss commanded that I must finish the report by tomorrow.
She informed me that he would arrive that night.
a. He said that he was singing.
a. She told her father that she had bought a new car.
b. She said he wouldn't come to the party.

Jane asked John how he was, to which John responded that he was fine and returned the inquiry. Jane confirmed that she was good and questioned if John would be coming to the dance that night. John affirmed that he would be there.

Adverbs sharing same words as Adjectives (List)

B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: statements

Do you know how to report what somebody else said? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person said.

direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said. indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films. direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef. direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel. indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.

In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g. worked ) than the tense originally used (e.g. work ). This is called 'backshift'. We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns.

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

When we backshift, present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous and present perfect changes to past perfect.

'I travel a lot in my job.' Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job. 'The baby's sleeping!' He told me the baby was sleeping. 'I've hurt my leg.' She said she'd hurt her leg.

Past simple and past continuous

When we backshift, past simple usually changes to past perfect simple, and past continuous usually changes to past perfect continuous.

'We lived in China for five years.' She told me they'd lived in China for five years. 'It was raining all day.' He told me it had been raining all day.

Past perfect

The past perfect doesn't change.

'I'd tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.' He said he'd tried everything without success, but the new medicine was great.

No backshift

If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense.

'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house. I'm thinking about going with her. 'I'm working in Italy for the next six months.' He told me he's working in Italy for the next six months. Maybe I should visit him! 'I've broken my arm!' She said she's broken her arm, so she won't be at work this week.

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

'I enjoy working in my garden,' said Bob. Bob said that he enjoyed working in his garden. 'We played tennis for our school,' said Alina. Alina told me they'd played tennis for their school.

However, if you are the person or one of the people who spoke, then the pronouns don't change.

'I'm working on my thesis,' I said. I told her that I was working on my thesis. 'We want our jobs back!' we said. We said that we wanted our jobs back.

We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.

'This is my house.' He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house.] He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.] 'We like it here.' She told me they like it here. [You are currently in the place they like.] She told me they like it there. [You are not in the place they like.] 'I'm planning to do it today.' She told me she's planning to do it today. [It is currently still the same day.] She told me she was planning to do it that day. [It is not the same day any more.]

In the same way, these changes to those , now changes to then , yesterday changes to the day before , tomorrow changes to the next/following day and ago changes to before .

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 2

Language level

Thank you for the information. It states that If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. I wonder if it is still correct to change the tense in this example: 'London is in the UK', he said. to He said London was in the UK. Or it has to be the present tense.

Hello Wen1996,

Yes, your version of the sentence is also correct. In this case, the past tense refers to the time the speaker made this statement. But this doesn't mean the statement isn't also true now.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Good evening from Turkey.

Is the following example correct: Question: When did she watch the movie?

She asked me when she had watched the movie. or is it had she watched the movie.

Do Subjects come before the verbs? Thank you.

Hello muratt,

This is a reported question, not an actual question, as you can see from the fact that it has no question mark at the end. Therefore no inversion is needed and the normal subject-verb word order is maintained: ...she had watched... is correct.

You can read more about this here:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/reported-speech-questions

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you for your response.

Hello Sir, kindly help with the following sentence-

She said, "When I was a child I wasn't afraid of ghosts."

Please tell me how to write this sentence in reported/ indirect speech.

Hello! I was studying reported speech and I didn't really understand the difference between 'need' and 'need to' when we shift them. Could you please explain a little bit about the semi-modal need? I came across to this while I was studying: Backshift Changes need (no change) ‘You needn’t come till six o’clock,’ he said. He said we needn’t come till six o’clock. AND need to (becomes needed to) She said, 'I need to have a party.' She said she needed to have a party. Why do we change 'need to' but not 'need'? Could you also please give a positive indirect reported speech with the word 'need' and a negative indirect speech with the word 'need to'? Thanks in advance!

Hello Meldo,

'need' can be used -- and is most often used -- as an ordinary verb. In the text you copied above, this is the second entry ('need to'). Since it is an ordinary verb, in indirect speech, it backshifts in the way other ordinary verbs do. An example of a negative form here is 'They told me I didn't need to bring my passport'.

Particularly in British English (only very rarely in American English), 'need' can also be used as a modal verb. In this case, it behaves as a modal verb, i.e. no 's' is added to a third person singular form, infinitives after it are used without 'to' and 'do/does/did' is not used to form questions, negatives or past simple forms. This is also why '-ed' is not added for a backshift.

When 'need' is a modal, it's most commonly used in the negative. It is possible to use it in questions (e.g. 'Need I bring my passport?' or 'I asked if I need bring my passport'), but it's generally not used in the affirmative.

You might find this BBC page and this Cambridge Dictionary explanation helpful if you'd like to read more.

Hope this helps.

Do we change 'had better' in indirect reported speech? I think no, but I just wanted to make sure. Can you also give an example with 'had better' in an indirect speech? Thanks a lot! The best English grammar site ever!

Hello Melis_06,

'had better' is not generally changed in reported speech. Here's an example for you:

direct: 'You had better be on time!'
indirect: They told us we had better be on time.

Glad you find our site useful!

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Direct and indirect speech exercises PDF

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Time clauses
Relative clauses
Indirect questions
Question tags
Imperative sentence
Gerund and infinitive
Direct | indirect object

Direct and indirect speech

Online exercises
Grammar rules PDF

English grammar books PDF

PDF book 1: English grammar exercises PDF

PDF book 2: English grammar rules PDF

Direct and indirect speech exercises

Reported speech exercises PDF

Learn how to change tenses, pronouns, expressions of time and place in the reported speech.

Reported questions + commands exercises PDF

Practise the difference between the direct and indirect speech in questions, commands and requests.

Online exercises with answers:

Direct - indirect speech exercise 1 Rewrite sentences in the reported speech.

Direct - indirect speech exercise 2 Report a short dialogue in the reported speech.

Direct - indirect speech exercise 3 Find and correct mistakes in the reported speech.

Direct - indirect speech exercise 4 Choose correct answers in a multiple choice test.

Indirect - direct speech exercise 5 Rewrite sentences from the reported speech to direct speech.

Reported questions, commands and requests:

Reported questions exercise 6 Change the reported questions and orders into direct questions and orders.

Reported questions exercise 7 Change direct questions into reported questions.

Reported commands exercise 8 Make reported commands and requests.

Grammar rules PDF:

Reported speech rules PDF Changes of tenses, pronouns, time and place in reported statements, questions and commands.

English grammar PDF All PDF rules with examples on e-grammar.org.

Direct + indirect speech

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Reported Speech /

50 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises [PDF Available]

Updated on
Jan 30, 2024

50+ Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech: Do you tend to quote exactly what you listen to, or do you prefer to convey the message instead of quoting word-for-word what you listen to? In any case, both actions are examples of Direct and Indirect speech exercises in practicality. There is no doubt that the English language and its grammar rules can be both tricky and easy at times. After all, where tenses are just the tip of the iceberg, you would find voices and direct and indirect speech at its other end under the ocean to explore. But, once you master their complicated rules through tons of examples and exercises, you can be as proficient as a native English speaker.

So, let’s not forget that there is nothing that you, as a human, cannot conquer. Observe these 50 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises given in this blog article and make the most out of the rules involved to upgrade your grammar wizardry.

This Blog Includes:

What is direct and indirect speech, rules for direct and indirect speech, 50 examples of direct and indirect speech, examples of direct and indirect speech exercise pdf.

MUST READ! Reported Speech: Definition, Rules, Usage with Examples, Tips, Exercises for Students

Before we walk through the examples of direct and indirect speech exercises, let’s learn that both direct and indirect speech are a part of Reported Speech. You can identify them on the following grounds of differentiation:

Also Read: Figures of Speech with Examples, PDF

Following are some rules for direct and indirect speech which can be used in making sentences:

Note the reporting verb, which can be used to establish the tense of the Indirect Speech.
Adjust the place and time to match the speaker’s current place and time.
Write the correct pronoun for both the object and the subject.
Finally, cross-check the sentence if it has the proper structure and word arrangement.

Now, you should check these 50 examples of Direct and Indirect Speech exercises for a good insight into the topic:

Direct Speech: “I love pizza,” said Sarah.

Indirect Speech: Sarah said that she loved pizza.

Direct Speech: “I’m going to the movies tonight,” said David.

Indirect Speech: David told me that he was going to the movies that night.

Direct Speech: “Can you pass me the salt?” asked Emily.

Indirect Speech: Emily asked me to pass her the salt.

Direct Speech: “I have a big test tomorrow,” said Tom.

Indirect Speech: Tom said that he had a big test the next day.

Direct Speech: “I’m so tired,” said Jessica.

Indirect Speech: Jessica said that she was so tired.

Direct Speech: “What a beautiful day!” exclaimed Mary.

Indirect Speech: Mary exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.

Direct Speech: “I don’t understand,” said John.

Indirect Speech: John said that he didn’t understand.

Direct Speech: “Please be quiet,” said the teacher.

Indirect Speech: The teacher asked the students to be quiet.

Direct Speech: “I’m not feeling well,” said Peter.

Indirect Speech: Peter said that he wasn’t feeling well.

Direct Speech: “I’m so happy to see you!” said Rachel.

Indirect Speech: Rachel told me that she was so happy to see me.

Direct Speech: “Please help me with my homework,” said Amy.

Indirect Speech: Amy asked me to help her with her homework.

Direct Speech: “I’m hungry,” said Ben.

Indirect Speech: Ben said that he was hungry.

Direct Speech: “I can’t believe I won the lottery!” said Charlie.

Indirect Speech: Charlie couldn’t believe that he had won the lottery.

Direct Speech: “I’m so sorry for being late,” said Diana.

Indirect Speech: Diana apologised for being late.

Direct Speech: “I think it’s going to rain,” said Emily.

Indirect Speech: Emily said that she thought it was going to rain.

Direct Speech: “I’m exhausted,” said Fred.

Indirect Speech: Fred said that he was exhausted.

Direct Speech: “I hope you had a nice birthday,” said Harry.

Indirect Speech: Harry hoped that I had had a nice birthday.

Direct Speech: “I’m so excited to go on vacation!” said Isabella.

Indirect Speech: Isabella said that she was so excited to go on vacation.

Direct Speech: “I’m really proud of you,” said Jack.

Indirect Speech: Jack said that he was really proud of me.

Direct Speech: She said, “I am studying for my exam.”

Indirect Speech : She said that she was studying for her exam.

Direct Speech: “We will go to the beach,” he said.

Indirect Speech : He said that they would go to the beach.

Direct Speech : “I don’t like seafood,” she exclaimed.

Indirect Speech : She exclaimed that she didn’t like seafood.

Direct Speech : “They are coming to visit us tomorrow,” he told me.

Indirect Speech : He told me that they were coming to visit us the next day.

Direct Speech : “I have finished my homework,” she mentioned.

Indirect Speech : She mentioned that she had finished her homework.

Direct Speech : “It’s raining heavily,” he observed.

Indirect Speech : He observed that it was raining heavily.

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Direct Speech : “I will call you later,” she promised.

Indirect Speech : She promised that she would call me later.

Direct Speech : “We are going on a trip next week,” they announced.

Indirect Speech : They announced that they were going on a trip the following week.

Direct Speech : “I want to buy a new car,” he said.

Indirect Speech : He said that he wanted to buy a new car.

Direct Speech : “Don’t touch the hot stove,” she warned.

Indirect Speech : She warned not to touch the hot stove.

Direct Speech : “We have been waiting here for hours,” they complained.

Indirect Speech : They complained that they had been waiting there for hours.

Direct Speech : “Let’s have dinner together,” she suggested.

Indirect Speech : She suggested that they should have dinner together.

Direct Speech : “I might visit Spain next summer,” he mentioned.

Indirect Speech : He mentioned that he might visit Spain the following summer.

Direct Speech : “The movie starts at 7 PM,” she informed us.

Indirect Speech : She informed us that the movie started at 7 PM.

Direct Speech : “I can’t attend the meeting tomorrow,” he explained.

Indirect Speech : He explained that he couldn’t attend the meeting the next day.

Direct Speech : “I am going to Paris next month,” she said.

Indirect Speech : She said that she was going to Paris the following month.

Direct Speech : “I have lived here for ten years,” he stated.

Indirect Speech : He stated that he had lived there for ten years.

Direct Speech : “Please pass me the salt,” she requested.

Indirect Speech : She requested to pass her the salt.

Direct Speech : “I lost my keys yesterday,” he admitted.

Indirect Speech : He admitted that he had lost his keys the day before.

Direct Speech : “I will be ready in five minutes,” she assured.

Indirect Speech : She assured that she would be ready in five minutes.

Direct Speech : “She plays the piano beautifully,” he remarked.

Indirect Speech : He remarked that she played the piano beautifully.

Direct Speech : “I want to be a doctor when I grow up,” she said.

Indirect Speech : She said that she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up.

Direct Speech : “I have a busy schedule this week,” he mentioned.

Indirect Speech : He mentioned that he had a busy schedule that week.

Direct Speech : “I don’t like horror movies,” she confessed.

Indirect Speech : She confessed that she didn’t like horror movies.

Direct Speech : “We finished the project last night,” they explained.

Indirect Speech : They explained that they had finished the project the previous night.

Direct Speech : “I will buy some groceries on my way home,” she mentioned.

Indirect Speech : She mentioned that she would buy some groceries on her way home.

Direct Speech : “He can speak three languages fluently,” they informed us.

Indirect Speech : They informed us that he could speak three languages fluently.

Direct Speech : “I finished reading that book last week,” he stated.

Indirect Speech : He stated that he had finished reading that book the previous week.

Direct Speech : “I am attending the conference next month,” she declared.

Indirect Speech : She declared that she was attending the conference the following month.

Direct Speech : “The train leaves at 8 AM,” he reminded me.

Indirect Speech : He reminded me that the train left at 8 AM.

Direct Speech : “Please pass the message to Sarah,” Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech are requested.

Indirect Speech : He requested to pass the message to Sarah.

Direct Speech : “We should submit the report by Friday,” she suggested.

Indirect Speech : She suggested that they should submit the report by Friday.

52. Direct Speech: I said to her, When do you do your homework.”

Indirect Speech: I asked her when she did her homework.

53. Direct Speech: We said to him, “Are you ill?”

Indirect Speech: We asked him if he was ill.

54. Direct Speech: You said to me, “Have you read the articles?”

Indirect Speech: You asked me if I read the article.

55. Direct Speech: He said, “May you live long.”

Indirect Speech: He prayed that I may live long.

If you believe that the examples of direct and indirect speech from above have garnered you the needed confidence, you should download the following practice reported speech exercise and test your learning for assurance.

Explore more exciting reads below:

This was all about the 50 examples of Direct and Indirect Speech exercises. Hopefully, you understood the usage of the speech. To read more voice blogs, follow Leverage Edu .

Harshita is a creative writer cum literature enthusiast in pursuit to extend her learnings of overseas and Indian education sectors to the masses, through her well-curated articles. You may also find her emerging in prose writing or reading Toni Morrison when not writing stuff related to education.

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Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

Exercises on reported speech.

If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.

When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:

present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
place and time expressions
tenses (backshift)

→ more on statements in reported speech

When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:

Also note that you have to:

transform the question into an indirect question
use the interrogative or if / whether

→ more on questions in reported speech

→ more on requests in reported speech

Additional Information and Exeptions

Apart from the above mentioned basic rules, there are further aspects that you should keep in mind, for example:

main clauses connected with and / but
tense of the introductory clause
reported speech for difficult tenses
exeptions for backshift
requests with must , should , ought to and let’s

→ more on additional information and exeptions in reported speech

Statements in Reported Speech

no backshift – change of pronouns
no backshift – change of pronouns and places
with backshift
with backshift and change of place and time expressions

Questions in Reported Speech

Requests in reported speech.

Exercise 1 – requests (positive)
Exercise 2 – requests (negative)
Exercise 3 – requests (mixed)

Mixed Exercises on Reported Speech

Exercise on reported speech with and without backshift

Grammar in Texts

„ The Canterville Ghost “ (highlight direct speech and reported speech)

Grammar Exercise - Reported Speech

Do the exercise below on reported speech and click on the button to check your answers..

(Before doing the exercises you may want to read the lesson on reported speech )

Complete the sentences in reported speech.

John said, "I love this town." John said
"Do you like soccer ?" He asked me. He asked me
"I can't drive a lorry," he said. He said
"Be nice to your brother," he said. He asked me
"Don't be nasty," he said. He urged me
"Don't waste your money" she said. She told the boys
"What have you decided to do?" she asked him. She asked him
"I always wake up early," he said. He said
"You should revise your lessons," he said. He advised the students
"Where have you been?" he asked me. He wanted to know

Before submitting the test, check the following:

Punctuation and capitalization
Spaces (don't add any unnecessary spaces)

Related materials:

Reported speech exercise (mixed)
Reported speech exercise (questions)
Reported speech exercise (requests and commands)
Reported speech lesson

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Reported Speech Exercises

Perfect english grammar.

Here's a list of all the reported speech exercises on this site:

( Click here to read the explanations about reported speech )

Reported Statements:

Present Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
Present Continuous Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
Past Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
Present Perfect Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
Future Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
Mixed Tense Reported Statement Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
'Say' and 'Tell' (quite easy) (in PDF here)

Reported Questions:

Present Simple Reported Yes/No Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
Present Simple Reported Wh Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
Mixed Tense Reported Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)

Reported Orders and Requests:

Reported Requests and Orders Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 1 (difficult) (in PDF here)
Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 2 (difficult) (in PDF here)

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Direct and Indirect Speech
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Direct And Indirect Speech Worksheets With Answers
Grammar Direct And Indirect Speech Exercises

VIDEO

Class 5 English Grammar ( Direct & Indirect Speech)
Direct and indirect Speech
English Grammar
Direct Indirect IMP Example 1
English grammar ( DIRECT SPEECH- INDIRECT SPEECH ) QUICK REVISION
direct indirect speech in English

COMMENTS

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercise
The speaker said, 'Be quiet and listen to my words.'. Answers. 1. John said that he was very busy then. 2. He said that the horse had been fed. 3. John said that he knew/knows her name and address. (Note that the tenses may not change if the statement is still relevant or if it is a universal truth.)
100+Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises and Answers
Exercise 2. Change the following mode of narration from direct Speech to indirect speech. (1) The boys said, "It has been raining since morning. We cannot play today." Ans: The boys said that it had been raining since morning so they could not play that day. (2) Anjan's mother said, "Your father has left for Mumbai." Ans: Anjan's mother said that my father had left for Mumbai.
Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises
Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises with Answers. When converting direct speech to indirect speech or vice-versa, you will have to take care to convert the verb, pronoun and the adverb appropriately. Go through the following exercises and try them out. Answers are given below each exercise; refer to them to see if your answers are right.
Direct And Indirect Speech Exercise
Latest Exercises. Simple Present Tense Passive Voice Exercise March 23, 2024; Reported Speech Exercise For Intermediate Level March 22, 2024; Kinds of Subordinate Clauses Exercise March 21, 2024; Present Perfect Tense Passive Voice Exercise March 21, 2024; Choose The Adjective Form March 20, 2024; Adjective vs. Adverb Exercise March 20, 2024
Direct and Indirect speech, Rules, Chart and Exercises
Direct and Indirect Speech: In English Grammar, direct and Indirect speech are used in instances when we wish to repeat or convey a speech or statement of some other person.Both direct and indirect speech describes what a third person said or conveyed in the past. Indirect speech is more commonly employed unless it's a direct quotation, which is consistently enclosed in double quotation marks.
Direct and indirect speech exercises
Direct speech: "I'm seeing my brother tomorrow.". Indirect speech: She said she was seeing her brother the following day. Here are some other examples: Direct speech: "I had a headache yesterday.". Indirect speech: You said you'd had a headache the day before yesterday. Direct speech: "It's been raining since this afternoon.".
Direct and Indirect Exercises With Answers
In order to do this, you can use the grammar structure named indirect or reported speech. direct and indirect rules have already talked about, below we have prepared direct and indirect exercises with answers for ESL learners. Also Read: Direct And Indirect Speech Complete Rules; Direct and Indirect Objects Exercise With Answers
Exercise: Indirect Speech
Exercise 1: Conversion of Direct to Indirect Speech. In this exercise, convert the given direct speech sentences into indirect speech. "I am studying," Jane said. "We will attend the party," they promised. "You must finish the report by tomorrow," the boss commanded. "He is arriving tonight," she informed me.
Reported speech: statements
indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films. direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef. direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day. Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Indirect speech
What is indirect speech or reported speech? When we tell people what another person said or thought, we often use reported speech or indirect speech. To do that, we need to change verb tenses (present, past, etc.) and pronouns (I, you, my, your, etc.) if the time and speaker are different.For example, present tenses become past, I becomes he or she, and my becomes his or her, etc.
Direct and indirect speech exercises PDF
Reported questions + commands exercises PDF. Practise the difference between the direct and indirect speech in questions, commands and requests. Online exercises with answers: Direct - indirect speech exercise 1 Rewrite sentences in the reported speech. Direct - indirect speech exercise 2 Report a short dialogue in the reported speech.
Reported Speech Exercise 1
Reported Statements 1. Change the direct speech into reported speech. Use 'she said' at the beginning of each answer. It's the same day, so you don't need to change the time expressions. 1) "He works in a bank." [ . Check. Show.
50 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises [PDF Available]
50+ Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech: Do you tend to quote exactly what you listen to, or do you prefer to convey the message instead of quoting word-for-word what you listen to? In any case, both actions are examples of Direct and Indirect speech exercises in practicality. There is no doubt that the English language and its grammar rules can be both tricky and easy at times.
Reported Speech
Reported Speech (Indirect Speech), explanation and exercises. Exercises on Reported Speech. If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker's exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech.
Grammar Exercise
She told the boys. "What have you decided to do?" she asked him. She asked him. "I always wake up early," he said. He said. "You should revise your lessons," he said. He advised the students. "Where have you been?"
Direct and indirect speech exercise
Direct and indirect speech exercise. October 26, 2013 -. A sentence has been given in direct speech. Out of the four alternatives, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in indirect speech. 1. Rahul asked me, 'Did you see the cricket match on TV last night?'. Rahul asked me if I had seen the cricket match on TV the previous ...
Direct, Indirect Speech (Narration)
In this lesson, you will learn all the rules for direct and indirect speech / reported speech (narration) in English grammar.***** RELATED LESSONS *****1. Le...
CBSE Class 10 English Grammar
Formulae Handbook for Class 10 Maths and Science CBSE Class 10 English Grammar - Direct And Indirect Speech (Statements, Commands, Requests, and Questions) The words spoken by a person can be reported in two ways—Direct and Indirect. When we quote the exact words spoken by a person, we call it Direct Speech. Sohan said to […]
Reported Speech Exercises
Perfect English Grammar. Here's a list of all the reported speech exercises on this site: ( Click here to read the explanations about reported speech ) Reported Statements: Present Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here) Present Continuous Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy)
Oxford Current English |Exercise 79
Oxford Current English Grammar | Exercise 79 | Direct and Indirect Speech | Narration | GrammarAbout this video:—Dosto Is Video Me Maine Aapko Oxford Current...
Direct and Indirect Speech Exercise
1. The girl said that it gave her great pleasure to be there that evening. 2. The man said that he must go as soon as possible. 3. She said that she did not want to see any of them and asked them to go away. 4. The teacher says that if you work hard you will pass. 5.
Class 11 English
Class 11 English | Direct And Indirect (Final Shot) | English Grammar | by Piyush Sir💥Welcome to "Unacademy Class 11 Hindi Medium" YouTube Channel💥Telegra...

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercise

Search Articles

100+Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises and Answers

Exercises on How to Change Tenses with Answers

Change of Pronouns Exercises and Answers

Change of Time & place for Direct Indirect Speech

Assertive Sentences Exercises with Answers

Interrogative Sentences Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

Imperative Sentences Exercises with Answers

Exercise 10

Direct and indirect speech Exercises Answers with “Let”

Exercise 12

Direct and indirect speech Exercises Answers of Optative Sentences

Exercise 14

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises of Exclamatory Sentences

Exercise 16

Practice Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

D. Complete the sentences in reported speech.

F. Complete the sentence in reported speech.

Direct and Indirect Speech Answers Key

FAQs on Direct and Indirect speech

Conclusion:

Related posts:

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises with Answers

Exercise 1: Change into indirect speech

Answers –

Convert the following into Direct Speech

Frequently Asked Questions

What is indirect speech?

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Direct and Indirect speech, Rules, Chart and Exercises

Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

Rules for Direct and Indirect Speech

Rules for Converting Indirect Speech into Direct Speech:

Direct and Indirect Speech – Some Exercises

Direct and Indirect speech-FAQs

Q2. In which speech conjunctions are used and what is the purpose?

Q3. What are modals and what is the significance of using modals?

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Direct and indirect speech exercises

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Direct and Indirect Exercises With Answers

Direct and Indirect Exercises

Exercise 1:

Exercise 2:

Exercise 3:

Exercise 4:

Exercise 1.

Exercise 2.

Exercise 3.

Exercise 4.

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Exercise: Indirect Speech

Exercise 1: Conversion of Direct to Indirect Speech

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice Questions

Exercise 4: Long Question

Related Posts:

Reported speech: statements

Grammar explanation

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

Past simple and past continuous

Past perfect

No backshift