DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

Lesson

Direct and Indirect speech

Direct/Quoted speech is saying exactly what someone has said. It appears within quotation marks ("...") and should be word for word.

Direct speech repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in writing, we put the words spoken between inverted commas ("___") and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's being said NOW, or telling someone later about a previous conversation

 

Indirect/Reported speech is enclosing what the person said. It doesn't use quotation marks and doesn't have to be word for word.

Indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past. When we use indirect speech, we don’t use inverted comas. We should change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs for example say, ask, and we may use the word that to introduce the reported words.

 

Example

Ø  Hopes, Intentions, Promises

When we report an intention, hope or promise, we use an appropriate reporting verb followed by a that-clause or a to-infinitive:

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
He said, "I'll pay you the money tomorrow."	He promised to pay me the money the next day. He promised that he would pay me the money the next day.

Other verbs used in this pattern include: hope, propose, threaten, guarantee, and swear.

 Ø  Orders

When we want to report an order, we can use a verb like tell with to-clause:

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
The doctor said to me, "Stop smoking!"	The doctor told me to stop smoking.
"Get out of the car!" said the policeman.	The policeman ordered him to get out of the car.

Other verbs used are: command, order, warn, ask, invite, advise, beg, teach, and forbid. <<See also section on Verbs followed by infinitive and Verbs followed by gerund>>

 Ø  Requests

When we want to report a request, we can use a verb like ask with for-clause:

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
The child asked, "Can I have a car?"	The child asked for a car.

 Ø  Suggestions

Suggestions are usually reported with a that-clause. That and should are optional in these clauses.

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
“I think you should go to the dentist", said my mother	My mother suggested that I should go to the dentist.

Other verbs used are: insist, recommend, demand, request, and propose. Note: Suggest can also be followed by a gerund: I suggested postponing the visit to the dentist.

 Ø  Questions

-          Question words are reported by using ask (or another verb like ask) + question word + clause. <<see also section on Tense Change>>

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
She asked me, “Where do u live?”	She asked me where I lived.
He asked me, "What is your name?"	He asked me what my name was.

-          Yes/No questions: This type of question is reported by using ask + if / whether + clause:

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
He asked me, "Are you Eastern or Western?"	He asked me whether I was Eastern or Western.