English Grammar - Speech

Chapter: Speech (Direct and Indirect)

What is Speech in Grammar?

Speech in grammar refers to reporting or narrating what someone else has said. There are two common ways to do this:

Direct Speech: The exact words spoken by the speaker are quoted and enclosed in quotation marks.  

  Example: He said, "I am hungry."

Indirect Speech (Reported Speech): The gist/meaning of what was said is conveyed without quoting exact words. The sentence structure, pronouns, tenses, and time expressions often change.  

  Example: He said that he was hungry.

Why Learn Direct and Indirect Speech?

- Helps in narrating or reporting conversations, important in writing and speaking.

- Common in storytelling, news reporting, and everyday communication.

- Important for exams and improving language proficiency.

Rules for Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

1. Remove Quotation Marks: Indirect speech does not use quotation marks.

2. Change of Pronouns: Pronouns change to fit the new sentence context.  

   - "I" becomes "he" or "she" depending on the speaker.  

   - "You" changes to "I", "we", or "they" as per meaning.

3. Change of Tenses: 

   When the reporting verb is in past tense (e.g., said, told), tenses in direct speech usually shift back one step:  

   - Present simple → Past simple (I am → He was)  

   - Present continuous → Past continuous (I am going → He was going)  

   - Present perfect → Past perfect (I have gone → He had gone)  

   - Past simple → Past perfect (I went → He had gone)  

   - Past continuous → Past perfect continuous  

   - Note: If the reporting verb is in present or future tense, tense usually remains same.

4. Change of Time and Place Words:

   Words indicating time or place often change to fit the reported context:  

   - now → then  

   - today → that day  

   - tomorrow → the next day  

   - yesterday → the day before  

   - here → there

5. Use of Reporting Verbs:

   Common reporting verbs include: said, told, asked, requested, etc.

6. Questions and Commands:

   - Questions use 'asked' or 'inquired' and often change sentence structure.  

   - Commands use 'told' or 'requested' + object + infinitive form of verb.

Examples: 30 Sentences Converted from Direct to Indirect Speech with Hindi Translation

1. Direct: He said, "I am hungry."  

   Indirect: He said that he was hungry.  

   Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह भूखा था।

2. Direct: She said, "I am going to school."  

   Indirect: She said that she was going to school.  

   Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह स्कूल जा रही थी।

3. Direct: Ram said, "I will come tomorrow."  

   Indirect: Ram said that he would come the next day.  

   Hindi: राम ने कहा कि वह अगले दिन आएगा।

4. Direct: They said, "We are playing football."  

   Indirect: They said that they were playing football.  

   Hindi: उन्होंने कहा कि वे फुटबॉल खेल रहे थे।

5. Direct: He said to me, "Please help me."  

   Indirect: He requested me to help him.  

   Hindi: उसने मुझसे कहा कि कृपया उसकी मदद करो।

6. Direct: She said, "I have finished my homework."  

   Indirect: She said that she had finished her homework.  

   Hindi: उसने कहा कि उसने अपना होमवर्क पूरा कर लिया था।

7. Direct: The teacher said, "Open your books."  

   Indirect: The teacher told us to open our books.  

   Hindi: शिक्षक ने हमें कहा कि हम अपनी किताबें खोलें।

8. Direct: He said, "I cannot come."  

   Indirect: He said that he could not come.  

   Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह नहीं आ सकता।

9. Direct: She said, "I like apples."  

   Indirect: She said that she liked apples.  

   Hindi: उसने कहा कि उसे सेब पसंद थे।

10. Direct: They said, "We will help you."  

    Indirect: They said that they would help me.  

    Hindi: उन्होंने कहा कि वे मेरी मदद करेंगे।

11. Direct: He said, "I will call you later."  

    Indirect: He said that he would call me later.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह बाद में मुझे फोन करेगा।

12. Direct: She said, "I am tired."  

    Indirect: She said that she was tired.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह थकी हुई थी।

13. Direct: The boy said, "I can swim."  

    Indirect: The boy said that he could swim.  

    Hindi: लड़के ने कहा कि वह तैर सकता था।

14. Direct: The girl said, "I am learning English."  

    Indirect: The girl said that she was learning English.  

    Hindi: लड़की ने कहा कि वह अंग्रेजी सीख रही थी।

15. Direct: He said, "We are friends."  

    Indirect: He said that they were friends.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि वे दोस्त थे।

16. Direct: She said, "I will come soon."  

    Indirect: She said that she would come soon.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह जल्दी आएगी।

17. Direct: He said to me, "I don't know the answer."  

    Indirect: He told me that he did not know the answer.  

    Hindi: उसने मुझसे कहा कि वह उत्तर नहीं जानता।

18. Direct: She said, "I hope you recover soon."  

    Indirect: She said that she hoped I would recover soon.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह आशा करती है कि मैं जल्दी ठीक हो जाऊं।

19. Direct: They said, "We have finished our work."  

    Indirect: They said that they had finished their work.  

    Hindi: उन्होंने कहा कि उन्होंने अपना काम पूरा कर लिया था।

20. Direct: He said, "I lost my keys yesterday."  

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

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि उसने कल अपनी चाबियाँ खो दी थीं।

21. Direct: She asked, "Where do you live?"  

    Indirect: She asked where I lived.  

    Hindi: उसने पूछा कि मैं कहाँ रहता हूँ।

22. Direct: He said, "I will not go to school tomorrow."  

    Indirect: He said that he would not go to school the next day.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह अगले दिन स्कूल नहीं जाएगा।

23. Direct: They said, "We are coming now."  

    Indirect: They said that they were coming then.  

    Hindi: उन्होंने कहा कि वे तब आ रहे थे।

24. Direct: She said, "I can help you."  

    Indirect: She said that she could help me.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह मेरी मदद कर सकती है।

25. Direct: He said, "I have been working here for five years."  

    Indirect: He said that he had been working there for five years.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह वहाँ पाँच साल से काम कर रहा था।

26. Direct: She said, "I am feeling cold."  

    Indirect: She said that she was feeling cold.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि उसे ठंड लग रही थी।

27. Direct: The teacher said, "You must do your homework."  

    Indirect: The teacher said that we had to do our homework.  

    Hindi: शिक्षक ने कहा कि हमें अपना होमवर्क करना होगा।

28. Direct: He said, "I want to see you."  

    Indirect: He said that he wanted to see me.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह मुझे देखना चाहता है।

29. Direct: She said, "I have never been there."  

    Indirect: She said that she had never been there.  

    Hindi: उसने कहा कि वह कभी वहाँ नहीं गई।

30. Direct: They said, "We will come back soon."  

    Indirect: They said that they would come back soon.  

    Hindi: उन्होंने कहा कि वे जल्दी वापस आएंगे।