General rules

Pronouns of first and second persons become third person while reporting except when the speaker himself/herself is reporting.

Study the examples given below.

• He said, ‘I want to go home.’
• He said that he wanted to go home. (The pronoun I became he when we reported the statement.)
• Mother said to me, ‘Where are you going?’
• Mother asked me where I was going. (The pronoun you became I.)
• Suma said, ‘I don’t like this party.’
• Suma said that she didn’t like that party. (The pronoun I became she.)
• Robert said, ‘I will do it myself.’
• Robert said that he would do it himself.
• Sarita said, ‘They have invited me to their party.’
• Sarita said that they had invited her to their party.

Change of tenses

After past reporting verbs, the verbs of original speech are made more past. Details are given below.

Simple present becomes simple past.

• Surya said, ‘I like this shirt.’
• Surya said that she liked that shirt.
• Ram said, ‘I want to become an architect.’
• Ram said that he wanted to become an architect.

Present continuous tense becomes past continuous tense

• She said, ‘I am watching a movie.’
• She said that she was watching a movie.
• Rahul said, ‘I am working on a new project.’
• Rahul said that he was working on a new project.

Present perfect becomes past perfect

• Sam said, ‘I have received the parcel.’
• Sam said that he had received the parcel.
• Rahul said to me, ‘You have been selected.’
• Rahul told me that I had been selected.

Present perfect continuous becomes past perfect continuous

• She said, ‘I have been waiting for a long time.’
• She said that she had been waiting for a long time.

Simple past becomes past perfect

• Rahul said, ‘I passed the test.’
• Rahul said that he had passed the test.
• Maya said, ‘I waited for hours’.
• Maya said that she had waited for hours.

Past continuous becomes past perfect continuous

• He said, ‘It was raining.’
• He said that it had been raining.

Change of modal auxiliary verbs

• Will  becomes would
• Shall becomes should/would
• Can becomes could
• Must becomes had to / would have to

If the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, the verbs of the original speech do not change.

• He says, ‘I am leaving now.’
• He says that he is leaving now.
• ‘I am not going to do it,’ he says.
• He says that he is not going to do it.

Change of adverbs

Words indicating nearness will change to words indicating distance.

• This becomes that
• These becomes those
• Now becomes then
• Here becomes there
• Ago becomes before
• Today becomes that day
• Yesterday becomes the day before / the previous day
• Tomorrow becomes the next day / the following day
• Last week becomes the previous week
• Next week becomes the following week

Reported speech worksheet

Change the following sentences from direct speech to indirect speech.

1. He said to me, ‘I have never seen a boy as careless as you are.’

2. Mother told the girl, ‘This hairstyle doesn’t suit you.’

3. Geeta said, ‘I am going home.’

4. The boy said, ‘If my parents give me permission, I will go abroad for higher studies.’

5. Varsha said to Harita, ‘I would like to buy that dress.’

6. The salesperson told me, ‘I will show you how it works.’

7. The boy said, ‘I would like to borrow some books.’

8. My uncle said to me, ‘I will take you to the park in the evening.’

9. The boy said, ‘I am feeling sick.’

10. The customer says, ‘I want to see it before I buy it.’

Answers

1. He said that he had never seen a boy as careless as I was.

2. Mother told the girl that that hairstyle didn’t suit her.

3. Geeta said that she was going home.

4. The boy said that if his parents gave him permission he would go abroad for higher studies.

5. Varsha told Haritha that she would like to buy that dress.

6. The salesperson told me that he would show me how it worked.

7. The boy said that he would like to borrow some books.

8. My uncle told me that he would take me to the park in the evening.

9. The boy said that he was feeling sick.

10. The customer says that he wants to see it before he buys it.