PRIMBON : DIRECT & INDRECT SPEECH

A. Direct speech
Direct speech refers to reproducing another person’s exact word oe saying exactly what someone has said(sometimes called quoted speech) here what a peson says appears within quotation marks (“….”) and should be word for word.
For example :
She said,”today’s lesson is on presentations.” Or
“Today’s lesson is on presentations,” she said.

B.Indirect speech
Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech),doesn’t use quotation marks to enclpse what the person said and it doesn’t have to be word for word.


For example :” I’m going to the cinema”,he said – he said he was going to the cinema.

Tense Change
When reporting speech the tense usually changes. Because when we use reported speech,we are usually talking about a time in the past. Note : the reporting verbs that are usually used to report imperative sentence are : Tell , other command , ask,warn remind

Simple present - Past tenses
Vita said” I eat fried rice” vita said that she ate fried rice

Simple past - Past perfect
Mother said” I went to market yesterday” - mother said (that) she had gone to market the day before.

Simple future - Past future
Dave said” I will buy an i-pod nexk week’ - Dave said (that) he would buy an i-pod the week after.

Present continuous - Past continuous
Gama said” I’m playing football” - Gama said he was playing football

Past continuous - Past perfect continuous
She said” I was teaching earlier” - she said she had been teaching earlier

-when report what someone said,don’t usually repeat their exact weords,use our words, we can use reporting words such as tell say as follow by”that clause”
example : my mother said that she got up at 4 o’clock.

In time expression and pronouns
Direct speech-----
-now
-today/tonight
-Yesterday
-tomorrow
-last week
-next week
-ago
-this/these
-here
-pronouns

Indirect speech-----
-then
-that day/that night
-the day before/the previous day
-the next/following day
-the previous week
-the following week/the week after
-before
-that/those
-there
-they changes according to the context

Modal verb froms also sometimes change :
Direct speech-----
Will
Can
Must
Shall
May

Indirect speech-----
would
could
had
should
might

Note – there is no change to;could,would,should,might and ought too.
Direct speech
“I might go to the cinema”, he said

Indirect speech
He said he might go to cinema.