A Simple Guide to Narrating Direct / Indirect Speech

The exact words spoken by the speaker are known as Direct Speech.
The words spoken by somebody and expressed by someone else with some modification are known as Indirect Speech. 

(a) Ram says to me, 'You do not help me.'

(b) Ram tells me that I do not help him.

The sentence (a) shows the words spoken by Ram. So, it is a sentence of Direct Speech.
The sentence (b) shows the words spoken by Ram and expressed by someone else with certain modification. So, it is a sentence of Indirect Speech.

The following points should be noted while changing Direct Speech into Indirect speech:
1. The verb outside the inverted commas is called the Reporting Verb.
2. The verb or sentence inside the inverted commas is called the Reported Speech.
3. If the Reporting verb is in the Present or Future Tense, there is no change in the tense in the Reported Speech.
4. If the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense, the Tense in the Reported Speech is changed.
5. The Reporting verb may be in any Tense, in it the Pronouns are changed as under: 
(i) First Person according to Subject 
(ii) Second Person according to Object 
(iii) Third Person, No change.

6. If the Reporting verb is in the Past Tense the Adverb will change as under in the Indirect Speech.

Direct - Indirect

now -  then 
here -  there 
after  - before 
today  - that day 
yesterday -  the previous day 
these -  those
tomorrow  - the next day 
last week  - the previous week 
this  - that

7. Adjectives/Determiners are changed as under:

Direct - Indirect 

this  - that 
these  - those

Rules for Change of Tense

Reporting Verb  - Reporting Speech  - Change of Tense

Present Tense  -  Any Tense  -  No change
Future Tense   - Any Tense   - No change
Past Tense   - Present/Future Tense   - Change into corresponding Past Tense
Past Tense   - Past Indefinite Tense   - Change into Past Perfect Tense
Past Tense   - Past Continuous Tense   - Change into Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Tense   - Past Perfect/Perfect Continuous Tense   - No change
Past Tense   - Universal Truth   - No change
Past Tense   - Proverb   - No change

Transformation of Speech Based on Special Rules

1. Rule Related to Interrogative Sentence
- If the answer of an interrogative sentence is possible in yes-no manner.

Example:
Jack said to Jerry, 'Will you help me?'
Jack asked Jerry whether he would help him. (Note : The answer of R.S. is possible in yes-no manner)

Rule of Transformation from Direct to Indirect speech
Step I : Change R.V. into ask.
Step II : In place of comma use 'if/whether'.
Step III : Change interrogative sentence into assertive sentence.

- If the answer of an interrogative sentence is not possible in yes-no manner.

Example:
Jerry said to Jack, 'What do you want?'
Jerry asked Jack what he wanted. (Note : Only in Step II, you have to avoid comma and inverted comma and rest will be same as mentioned above).

2. Rule related to Imperative Sentence
- Imperative sentence is a sentence which shows Order/ Advice/Request

Example:
My teacher said to me, 'Go there'.
My teacher ordered me to go there.

Rule of Transformation from Direct to Indirect Speech

Step I : Change R.V. as per meaning/sense of R.S. into order/request/advise.
Step II : In place of comma, use 'to'.
Step III : Rest portion will be same.

3. Rule related to Optative Sentence
- Optative sentence is a sentence which expresses the feeling of bless/curse/pray/wish.

Example:
Mother said to me, 'May you live long!'
Mother blessed me that I might live long.

Rule of Transformation from Direct to Indirect Speech

Step I : Change R.V. as per meaning/sense of R.S. into bless/curse/pray/wish.
Step II : In place of comma, use 'that'.
Step III : Change optative sentence into assertive sentence.

4. Rule related to Exclamatory Sentence

- Exclamatory sentence is a sentence which takes note of exclamatory (!) mark in that sentence showing inner feeling.

Example:
She said, 'Alas! I am ruined'.
She exclaimed with sorrow that she was ruined.

Rule of Transformation from Direct to Indirect Speech

Step I : Change R.V. as per meaning/sense of R.S. into exclaim/exclaims/exclaimed/will or shall exclaim + joy/sorrow/anger/surprise/ applause/contempt.
Step II : Change comma into that.
Step III : Change note of exclamation (!) into full stop (.)
Step IV : Change exclamatory sentence into assertive sentence. Universal, Historical Truth, etc.

If the Reported Speech expresses a Universal or Historical or Habitual truth, its Tense will not change.

1. The teacher said to the students, 'The sun rises in the east.'
The teacher told the students that the sun rises in the east.

2. My father said to me, 'The First Battle of Panipat was fought in 1526.'
My father told me that the First Battle of Panipat was fought in 1526.