Direct vs indirect speech
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Direct and Indirect Speech
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Hedieh Najafi, Jennifer Carnevale, Amy Fredrickson
Read about direct and indirect speech. Find the differences between direct and reported speech, learn to convert direct to an indirect statement, and view examples. Updated: 11/11/2021
Table of Contents
Direct and Indirect Speech
What Is Direct Speech?
What Is Indirect Speech?
Converting Direct to Indirect Speech
Lesson Summary
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Direct and Indirect Speech
When writers write about phrases or sentences a source has said, they can use either direct speech or indirect speech. Direct speech is used to repeat what someone else has said, and indirect speech is used to report on what someone else has said.
The following sections cover topics such as direct and indirect speech, direct speech examples, and reported speech examples.
Background on Communication
Spoken and written communication is like one big game of telephone. Sometimes we hear the original tale, and other times we hear a retelling of the story. In this lesson, we're going to explore what that means by studying the difference between direct and indirect speech and learning proper grammar techniques for both.
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What Is Direct Speech?
What is direct speech? Direct speech, sometimes called quoted speech, is the speech that is repeated verbatim or quoted from the original source. Direct speech is always placed inside quotations. Direct speech can be a statement, a question, or a request.
Direct Speech Examples
The table below shows examples of direct speech. Direct speech is placed in quotations.
Examples of Direct Speech
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Both these examples are examples of direct speech. The sentences are placed between two quotations.
What Is Indirect Speech?
Indirect speech, also referred to as reported speech, is the interpretation or modification of the words of the original source. Since indirect speech reports on the words of another source, it cannot be a question; it is always a statement. Moreover, there are no quotation marks around an indirect statement.
Reported Speech Examples
The following table shows reported speech examples. The direct speech examples in the previous section are presented in indirect speech examples.
Reported Speech Examples
Martin Luther King, Jr. said their lives began to end the day they became silent about things that mattered.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said injustice anywhere was a threat to justice everywhere.
In these two examples, there are no quotations. The capital letter I in Injustice is replaced with lower case letter i: injustice in the indirect speech.
Converting Direct to Indirect Speech
When converting direct speech to an indirect statement, writers must remember a few points. The first point is that while direct speech is a repetition of what the original source has said, indirect speech is a modification of what the original source has said. Therefore, the first step in rendering direct speech to indirect speech is to remove the quotation marks. Since there are no quotation marks in indirect speech, only the first letter of the sentence must be written in capital letter.
Jane said, "The project is ready."
Jane said the project was ready.
In this example, the is written with capital T in the direct speech, but it is written in lower case in the indirect speech.
Next, the pronouns must agree with the antecedents in the indirect speech.
James cried, "I am tired."
James cried he was tired.
He agrees with James ; it is also written in lower case.
The following sections detail how tenses change in direct and indirect speech, and how questions and requests in direct speech change to statements in indirect speech.
Changes in Tense
When converting direct speech to indirect speech, writers must use a verb tense that is further back in the tense. This is called backshift. For example, if the verb in the direct speech is play, after applying backshift, it will change to played in the indirect speech.
The following table shows verbs in the direct speech, and their backshift in the indirect speech.
Direct Speech Verb Examples Indirect Speech Verb Examples (Backshift)
work/works: simple present worked: simple past
can: present could: past
is/are working was/ were working
was/were working had been working
worked: simple past had worked: past perfect
had worked: past perfect had worked: past perfect (No backshift is possible in this case.)
Direct and Indirect Questions
Indirect speech is also called indirect statement; therefore, indirect speech cannot be in the form of a question. Writers need to have the following points in mind when rendering direct questions to indirect statements.
1. An indirect statement needs to contain a verb such as to ask, to inquire, or to question. The use of such verbs shows that the direct speech had been in the form of a question.
2. Quotation marks must be removed.
3. For yes/no questions if must be inserted in the indirect speech.
4. For other kinds of questions, the question word should stay; however, the order of the sentence must become subject verb object.
5. Backshift must be applied to the verb to adjust the verb tense in the indirect speech.
6. The question mark must be removed.
Direct Speech
Direct speech, also known as quoted speech, consists of words or phrases that are taken directly from the source. These words are quoted or written exactly as the words were originally spoken.
With regard to direct speech, there is no interpretation or annotation; the words are taken directly from one source and repeated to another. In other words, we take the words directly from the speaker and repeat them exactly as they were originally stated.
Here are some examples of direct speech:
Jonah said, ''I don't like your hat.''
Jonah said, ''Please take off that Yankees hat.''
Jane said, ''It's not my fault that you are a Red Sox fan.''
In these examples, the direct speech is shown in quotations, which signifies that the speech is taken directly from the source with no alterations.
Indirect Speech
Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is when words or phrases are reported in our own words. The original words are modified and/or interpreted as opposed to being quoted.
When talking about indirect speech, we use words that refer to something that has already happened. To do so, we are speaking in the past tense and are summarizing, modifying, or synthesizing what has already been said.
Here are some examples of indirect speech:
Amy said it was cold.
He said he had been on Facebook since 2010.
She said she had been teaching college classes for two years.
Converting Direct to Indirect Speech
When we use direct speech, we are repeating what was said. When we use indirect speech, we're reporting what was said. Let's now look at some specific examples to learn how to change speech from direct to indirect. These examples will also reinforce the difference between direct and indirect speech.
1. Changing From Present Tense to Past Tense
When converting speech from direct to indirect, you must change the present tense verbs to the past tense and remove any quotation marks or commas.
Direct Speech (Present Tense) Indirect Speech (Past Tense)
Jenn says, ''I love watching TV.'' Jenn said she loved watching TV.
2. Changing From Simple Past Tense to Past Perfect Tense
What if the direct speech is already written in the past tense? If the sentence is written in simple past tense, you just remove the punctuation and change the verb to past perfect to make it indirect speech.
Direct Speech (Simple Past Tense) Indirect Speech (Past Perfect Tense)
Lana said, ''I saw him at the mall.'' Lana said she had seen him at the mall.
3. Changing Speech in the Form of a Question
What if direct speech is in the form of a question? For example: ''Do you want to go on a trip to Europe?'' To make a direct question indirect, follow the same tense change rules as before, add ''asked me'' to signify reporting a question, and keep the question word.
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Video Transcript
Background on Communication
Spoken and written communication is like one big game of telephone. Sometimes we hear the original tale, and other times we hear a retelling of the story. In this lesson, we're going to explore what that means by studying the difference between direct and indirect speech and learning proper grammar techniques for both.
Direct Speech
Direct speech, also known as quoted speech, consists of words or phrases that are taken directly from the source. These words are quoted or written exactly as the words were originally spoken.
With regard to direct speech, there is no interpretation or annotation; the words are taken directly from one source and repeated to another. In other words, we take the words directly from the speaker and repeat them exactly as they were originally stated.
Here are some examples of direct speech:
Jonah said, ''I don't like your hat.''
Jonah said, ''Please take off that Yankees hat.''
Jane said, ''It's not my fault that you are a Red Sox fan.''
In these examples, the direct speech is shown in quotations, which signifies that the speech is taken directly from the source with no alterations.
Indirect Speech
Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is when words or phrases are reported in our own words. The original words are modified and/or interpreted as opposed to being quoted.
When talking about indirect speech, we use words that refer to something that has already happened. To do so, we are speaking in the past tense and are summarizing, modifying, or synthesizing what has already been said.
Here are some examples of indirect speech:
Amy said it was cold.
He said he had been on Facebook since 2010.
She said she had been teaching college classes for two years.
Converting Direct to Indirect Speech
When we use direct speech, we are repeating what was said. When we use indirect speech, we're reporting what was said. Let's now look at some specific examples to learn how to change speech from direct to indirect. These examples will also reinforce the difference between direct and indirect speech.
1. Changing From Present Tense to Past Tense
When converting speech from direct to indirect, you must change the present tense verbs to the past tense and remove any quotation marks or commas.
Direct Speech (Present Tense) Indirect Speech (Past Tense)
Jenn says, ''I love watching TV.'' Jenn said she loved watching TV.
2. Changing From Simple Past Tense to Past Perfect Tense
What if the direct speech is already written in the past tense? If the sentence is written in simple past tense, you just remove the punctuation and change the verb to past perfect to make it indirect speech.
Direct Speech (Simple Past Tense) Indirect Speech (Past Perfect Tense)
Lana said, ''I saw him at the mall.'' Lana said she had seen him at the mall.
3. Changing Speech in the Form of a Question
What if direct speech is in the form of a question? For example: ''Do you want to go on a trip to Europe?'' To make a direct question indirect, follow the same tense change rules as before, add ''asked me'' to signify reporting a question, and keep the question word.
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Activities
FAQs
Direct v. Indirect Speech: Activities
Lesson Comprehension Questions
Which of the following is not an attribute of direct speech?
Direct speech reports exactly what was said.
Direct speech includes the writer's interpretation or paraphrase of what someone has said.
Direct speech includes quotation marks.
Which of the following is not an attribute of indirect speech?
Indirect speech is also called reported speech.
Indirect speech usually includes the past tense indicating that something has previously happened.
Indirect speech is necessarily biased.
Which of the following is not the correct shift in tense from direct speech to indirect speech?
Simple present tense --> simple past tense
Simple past tense --> past perfect tense
Simple present tense --> simple future tense
Answer Key
Direct speech includes the writer's interpretation or paraphrase of what someone has said. (Not an attribute of direct speech)
Indirect speech is necessarily biased. (Not a necessary attribute of indirect speech)
Simple present tense --> simple future tense (Not a correct shift in tense from direct speech to indirect speech)
Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
Change the sentences including direct speech below to indirect speech.
Caroline said, ''I enjoyed birdwatching.''
Tyler reports, ''Los Angeles continues to suffer from a severe drought.''
She asked, ''Can you help me inflate the tire in my bicycle.''
(Request from Jeremy to Susan) ''Pick up the trash.''
I asked, ''Do you like chocolate milk?''
She explained, ''He already read Jane Eyre.''
(Avery asks Rebecca) ''Are there any good hiking trails?''
Selected Answers:
Caroline said she had enjoyed birdwatching.
Jeremy told Susan to pick up the trash.
Avery asked Rebecca if there were any good hiking trails.
How do you write indirect speech?
The quotation and question marks must be removed from the direct speech. The pronouns must change, and agree with their antecedents. Also, backshift must be applied to the verbs. For example, He said, " I finished my homework." will change to He said he finished his homework.
What is an example of indirect speech?
This is an example of indirect speech:
Maria told me that every night she had dreams about strange creatures that sang to her.
How can you tell the difference between direct and indirect speech?
The direct speech always contains quotation marks, and by extension the quotation marks are followed by capital letters. However, indirect speech does not contain quotation marks.
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