DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

 

ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR POINT: DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH AND  KEY ANSWER

            When we want to restate what exactly a speaker uttered, we use indirect speech. In this type of speech, which is also called reported speech, we use no quotations marks and we frequently change the pronouns and possessive adjectives from one person to another. To make the restatement remain logical, we have to follow the rule of sequence of tenses. Observe the following examples to get better understanding.

a.       Tony said,”I am getting tired of working in this company.”

Tony said that he was getting tired of working in that company.

b.       “It had been raining so hard yesterday that I could not go anywhere,”Wildan said.

Wildan said that it had been raining so hard the day before that he had been unable to go anywhere.

c.       They said,”We really appreciate your help Greg.”

They told Greg that they appreciated his help.

When the direct speech is in the form of question, we normally use if not or whether to introduce the noun clause in the reported speech. When a question word is present in the direct speech, neither if nor whether is needed.

a.       Ramona asked,” Anton, are you really going to fly to Vancouver tomorrow?”

Ramona asked Anton if he was really going to Vancouver the next day.

b.       Farida and Cliff wondered,”Why did the major refuse to visit our village.”

Farida and Cliff wondered why the mayor had refused to visit our village.

 

Below are other details we need to concern with.

Sequence of Tenses

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Simple Present Tense	Simple Past Tense
Present Continous Tense	Past ContinuousTense
Present Perfect Tense	Past Perfect Tense
Past Perfect Tense	Past Perfect Tense
Simple Future Tense	Past Future Tense

 

Change in Adverbs

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Here	There
Now	Then
Ago	Before/earlier
Today/Tonight	That day/ that night
Yesterday	The day before/ the previous day
Tomorrow	The following day/ the next day
Last week/ Last Month	The week before/ the month before
Tomorrow moring/ afternoon	The following morning/afternoon
Next week/month	The following week/ month

However, we do not follow the rule of tense sequence when we are dealing with the following context.

a.       A universal truth

The little boy said that five and four are nine.  

b.       A customary event

Ivan told me that the bus arrives in every fifteen minutes.

c.       A famous quotation or a familiar saying

Franklin Delano Roosevelt said that we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

To set examples of indirect speech in the form of command, pay attention to the sentences below.

a.       Janette shouted aloud,”Mark, give the ball back to me!”

Janette should a loud to Mark to give the ball back to her.

b.       Rio’s mother always told Rio,”Do not forget to drop a few lines when you are abroad.”

Rio’s mother always told Rio not to forget to drop a few lines when he was abroad.

Now, change the following sentences into indirect speech

Direct Speech

1.       Jullya said,”I need the money for the dictionary.”

2.       Shella asked,”Why don’t you want to come to the meeting?”

3.       Oshine told me,”Don’t be late, or you’ll miss the class!”

4.       Saphira told Dion,”Bring your camera, please.”

5.       Febriaza asked me,”Would like to me to my house?”

6.       Febby asked me,”Do you understand that I love you?”

7.       “I am going to move to Ohio,”Said Bruce.

8.       Bob said,”I’ll help you.”

9.       “She may be late for the class,” said Mike.

10.   Sam asked,”Where is Amanda?”

11.   Tina asked,”What are you talking about?

12.   Brendan asked,”Why did you come late this morning?”

13.   Sinta asked me,”Can you help me with this homework?”

14.   Felix asked,”Where did you meet your girlfriend for the first time?”

15.   Carmila asked,”Do you want to buy that dictionary?”

16.   Saphira asked me,”Did you come to class on Saturday?”

17.   Bella asked me,”Are you busy tonight?

18.   “Don’t come to my house on Saturday,”asked Cony

19.   “Get me something to drink, please!” Bella told Sinta

20.   Mike told Clara,”Please go to the hospital. Your uncle is in the hospital. He has a medical check up.”

 

Key Answer:

1.       Jullya said that she needed the money for the dictionary.

2.       Shella asked me why I did not want to come to the meeting.

3.       Oshine told me not to be late, or I would miss the class.

4.       Saphira told Dion to bring his camera.

5.       Febriazha asked me whether I would like to come to her house.

6.       Febby asked me whether I understood that she loved me.

7.       Bruce said that he was going to move to Ohio.

8.       Bob said that he would help me.

9.       Mike said that she might be late for the class.

10.   Sam asked where Ananda was.

11.   Tina asked what we were talking about.

12.   Brendah asked/wanted to know why I had come late that morning.

13.   Sinta asked me whether I could help her with the homework.

14.   Felix asked me where I had met my girlfriend for the first time.

15.   Carmila asked me whether/if I wanted to buy that dictionary.

16.   Saphira asked me whether/ if I had come to class on Saturday.

17.   Bella asked whether/if I was busy that night.

18.   Cony told me not to come to her house on Saturday.

19.   Bella told Sinta to get her something to drink.

20.   Mike told Clara to go to the hospital. Her uncle was in the hospital. He had a medical check up.