indirect direct

Direct and Indirect Speech, we are also familiar with another term that is Reported Speech. Direct Speech is the sentence pronounced by the speaker directly and if the sentence is written will be quoted. While Indirect Speech is a phrase that we report to others indirectly and without any commas.

Tense Change

As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense: (the tense on the left changes to the tense on the right):

Direct speech		Indirect speech
Present simple  She said, "It's cold."	›	Past simple  She said it was cold.
Present continuous  She said, "I'm teaching English online."	›	Past continuous  She said she was teaching English online.
Present perfect simple  She said, "I've been on the web since 1999."	›	Past perfect simple She said she had been on the web since 1999.
Present perfect continuous  She said, "I've been teaching English for seven years."	›	Past perfect continuous  She said she had been teaching English for seven years.
Past simple  She said, "I taught online yesterday."	›	Past perfect  She said she had taught online yesterday.
Past continuous  She said, "I was teaching earlier."	›	Past perfect continuous  She said she had been teaching earlier.
Past perfect  She said, "The lesson had already started when he arrived."	›	Past perfect  NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had already started when he arrived.
Past perfect continuous She said, "I'd already been teaching for five minutes."	›	Past perfect continuous  NO CHANGE - She said she'd already been teaching for five minutes.

Modal verb forms also sometimes change:

Direct speech		Indirect speech
will She said, "I'll teach English online tomorrow."	›	would She said she would teach English online tomorrow.
can She said, "I can teach English online."	›	could She said she could teach English online.
must She said, "I must have a computer to teach English online."	›	had to  She said she had to have a computer to teach English online.
shall She said, "What shall we learn today?"	›	should She asked what we should learn today.
may She said, "May I open a new browser?"	›	might She asked if she might open a new browser.

TIME CHANGE

If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time of reporting.

For example we need to change words like here and yesterday if they have different meanings at the time and place of reporting.

Expressions of time if reported on a different day
this (evening)	›	that (evening)
today	›	yesterday ...
these (days)	›	those (days)
now	›	then
(a week) ago	›	(a week) before
last weekend	›	the weekend before last / the previous weekend
here	›	there
next (week)	›	the following (week)
tomorrow	›	the next/following day

EXAMPLE DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH :

1.       D : She says to her friend, “ I have been reading “

I : She says to her friend that he has been reading

2.       D : He will say, “ The girl wasn’t ugly “

I : He will tell them that the girl wasn’t ugly

3.       D : Reza said, “ I’m very sleepy “

I : Reza said that he was very sleepy

4.       D : He has told you, “ I am writing “

I : He has told you that he is writing

5.       D : Mother said to her son, “ study hard “

I : Mother advised her son to study hard

6.       D : My friend said to me, “ I don’t like football “

I : My friend said to me that he didn’t like football

7.       D : She said, “ I didn’t go to campus

I : She said that she hadn’t gone to campus this morning

8.       D : Rikza says, “ I have seen that movies “

I : Rikza says that she has seen that movies

9.       D : Mother asked her, “ Don’t go there alone “

I : Mother asked her not to go there alone

10.     D : Father asked robi, “ Don’t smoke too much “

I : Father asked robi not to smoke too much