3. Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

When we change Direct Speech into Indirect Speech, it is necessary to: change all Present and Future Tenses in the Direct Speech into the Past Tenses in the Indirect Speech when the main verb (e.g., said, told) is in the Past Tense. EXAMPLE: – Direct: "Write carefully!" he said to me. (Present Tense) Indirect: He told me to write carefully. (Past Tense) EXAMPLE: – Direct: He said, "I am eating." (Present Continuous Tense) Indirect: He said that he was eating. (Past Continuous Tense) EXAMPLE: – Direct: He said, "I have found the keys." (Present Perfect Tense) Indirect: He said that he had found the keys. (Past Perfect) EXAMPLE: – Direct: He said, "I shall call you tonight." (Future Tense) Indirect: He said that he would call me tonight. (Future in Past Tense) change the pronoun from first person and second person to third person. EXAMPLE: – Direct: "I have finished my homework." Indirect: He said that he had finished his homework. (First person to third person) EXAMPLE: – Direct: "You have finished your homework early." Indirect: He told them that they had done their homework early. (Second person to third person) sometimes we use more than one "speech" verb if the direct speech contains more than one sentence. EXAMPLE: – Direct: "Don't fight with your sister," my mother said. "Get on with your school homework." Indirect: My mother told me not to fight with my sister. She told/asked me to get on with my school homework. In most cases, we do not change the tense of the verbs in the indirect speech when: the reporting verb is in the simple present tense (he says), the present perfect tense (she has told us) or the simple future tense (I will tell him). EXAMPLE: – Direct: "I'm tired," he says every evening. (present tense) "They are late," she has already told us.(present perfect) I will tell him, "The shop is shut." (future tense) Indirect: Every evening he says (that) he is tired. She has already told us (that) they are late. I will tell him (that) the shop is shut. We do not change the tense of verbs in indirect speech if they make a statement which is always true or if the action is still continuing and a change of tense would give the wrong meaning. EXAMPLE: – Direct: He told us, "The world is round." Indirect: He told us that the world is round. Direct: She said, "My brother is living in Australia." Indirect: She said that her brother is living in Australia. (She said that her brother was living in Australia – would indicate her brother is no longer living in Australia which is not true.)