Direct and Indirect Speech Examples with Answers

Direct speech is simply self-explanatory. It is a sentence or statement that reports a person's ideas, opinions and expressions precisely in their natural form. Quotation marks frequently surround it to make it clear to the reader that the quoted statement is the presenter's original narrative.

Examples of Direct Speech

1. Alina said, "I'll come back in ten minutes. "
2. The educator said to Paul, "If do not finish your project, I'll call your mother. "
3. Puja said to me, "What are you watching? "
4. Joe said, "You must give me another opportunity. "
5. Lilly said, "I had a body ache yesterday night. "
6. Jazz said, "I am going to purchase a new home. "

Most often, reporting verb occurs in the middle of the statement :

Is it like that? He asked You do not like to stay with us ?

Adverbs can be employed along with the reporting verb. This is for delineating the manner in which something is said.

"I will not attend the birthday celebration," Kylie said agitatedly.

"I will always make sure to help you", he said gently.

Indirect speech may also be known as reported speech, indirect narrative, or indirect discourse. In grammar, indirect speech occurs when you convey somebody else's statement in your own sentences without changing the comment's meaning.

Examples of Indirect Speech

1. Alina said that she would return back in 1 hour.
2. The educator scolded Paul and said that he would call his mother, if he did not finish his project.
3. Puja asked me What I had been watching.
4. Joe advised that I must give her another opportunity.
5. Lilly told me that she had a stomach ache last week.
6. Jazz said that he was going to purchase a new home.

Rules for Direct and Indirect Narratives

Following are the methods for converting Direct/Indirect Speech.

Step 1: Note down the reporting verb, which is used to establish the tense of the Indirect Speech.

Step 2: Adjust the place and time to match the speaker's current place and time.

Step 3: Employ the appropriate pronoun for both the object and the subject.

Step 4: Check that the statement has the proper structure and word arrangement

Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech With Conversion

Direct Speech: He says, "I eat 5 almonds in a day. "
Indirect Speech: He says that he eats 5 almonds a day.

Direct Speech: The group said, "We go for exercise every day. "
Indirect Speech: That group said that they go for exercise every day.

Direct Speech: My brother said, "I am baking Pizza. "
Indirect Speech: My brother said that he was baking the Pizza.

Direct Speech: Marla said, "Sing with me. "
Indirect Speech: Marla told me to sing with her.

Direct Speech: "Today is a bright and sunny day." said Gaurav.
Indirect Speech: Gaurav said that the day was bright and sunny.

Direct Speech: My daughter said, "I had already taken the bag. "
Indirect Speech: My daughter said she had already taken the bag.

Direct Speech: She said, "I might arrive late. "
Indirect Speech: She said she might arrive late.

Direct Speech: Seema said, "I am residing in London. "
Indirect Speech: Seema said that she was residing in London.

Direct Speech: He said, "Shall we begin? "
Indirect Speech: He asked if we should begin.

Direct Speech: He said, "I must leave. "
Indirect Speech: He said he had to go.

Direct Speech: He said, "I will be there are 3 pm. "
Indirect Speech: He said he would be there at 3 pm.

Direct Speech: Shalini said, "I have completed the project. "
Indirect Speech: Shalini said that she had completed the project.

Direct Speech: Aradhna said, "I can carry all the books. "
Indirect Speech: Aradhna said she could carry all the bags.

Direct Speech: Reema said, "I drove the bike. "
Indirect Speech: Reema said she had driven the bike.

Direct Speech: Simar said to her buddies, "please have lunch with us tomorrow at 7 pm. "
Indirect Speech: Simar requested her buddies to have lunch with her the next day at 7 pm.

Direct Speech: Hari said, "I will come tomorrow. "
Indirect Speech: Hari said he would come the next day.

Direct Speech: I haven't seen Jessica.
Indirect Speech: He said he hadn't seen Jessica.

So, these were the examples of direct and indirect speech. Conversion of direct to indirect speech includes change in tenses, pronouns and time expression.

You'll want to utilize both direct and indirect speech on a regular basis, so be sure you're comfortable with both and can utilize them properly. Direct speech does not always accurately portray what someone has spoken. Try utilizing a verb like "to construct," "to state," or "to explain" rather than "to tell." Whereas "to say" is commonly used, you may wish to use "to tell" to express something that's been communicated to you. Also, inverted commas are usually used in case of direct speech and removed in case of indirect speech.