Direct and indirect speech

There two ways to convey a message of a person, or the words spoken by a person to other person.
1. Direct speech
2. Indirect speech
Suppose your friend whose name is John tells you in school, “I will give you a pen”. You come to home and you want to tell your brother what your friend told you. There are two ways to tell him.

Direct speech: John said, “I will give you a pen”. Indirect Speech: John said that he would give me a pen.

In direct speech the original words of person are narrated (no change is made) and are enclosed in quotation mark. While in indirect speech some changes are made in original words of the person because these words have been uttered in past so the tense will change accordingly and pronoun may also be changed accordingly. In indirect speech the statement of the person is not enclosed in quotation marks, the word “that” may be used before the statement to show that it is indirect speech. Indirect speech is also called reported speech because reported speech refers to the second part of indirect speech in which something has been told by a person. Reporting verb: The verb first part of sentence (i.e. he said, she said, he says, they said, she says,) before the statement of a person in sentence is called reporting verb.
Examples:
In all of the following example the reporting verb is “said”.
He said, “I work in a factory”(Direct speech)
He said that he worked in a factory.(Indirect speech)
They said, “we are going to cinema”(Direct speech)
They said that they were going to cinema.(Indirect speech)

Reported Speech.
The second part of indirect speech in which something has been told by a person (which is enclosed in quotation marks in direct speech) is called reported speech. For example, a sentence of indirect speech is, He said that he worked in a factory. In this sentence the second part “he worked in a factory” is called reported speech and that is why the indirect speech as a whole can also be called reported speech.

Fundamental rules for indirect speech.
1. Reported speech is not enclosed in quotation marks.
2. Use of word “that”: The word “that” is used as a conjunction between the reporting verb and reported speech.
3. Change in pronoun: The pronoun (subject) of the reported speech is changed according to the pronoun of reporting verb or object (person) of reporting verb (first part of sentence). Sometimes the pronoun may not change. In following example the pronoun of reported speech is “I” which will be changed in indirect speech into the pronoun (Subject) of reporting verb that is “he”.

Example:
Direct speech: He said, “I am happy”
Indirect Speech: He said that he was happy.
Direct speech: I said to him, “you are intelligent”
Indirect Speech: I said him that he was intelligent. (“You” changed to “he” the person of object of reporting verb)

1. Change in time: Time is changed according to certain rules like now to then, today to that day, tomorrow to next day and yesterday to previous day.
Examples.
Direct speech: He said, “I am happy today”
Indirect Speech: He said that he was happy that day.

1. Change in the tense of reported speech: If the first part of sentence (reporting verb part) belongs to past tense the tense of reported speech will change. If the first part of sentence (reporting verb part) belongs to present or future tense, the tense of reported speech will not change.

Examples:
-Direct speech: He said, “I am happy”
-Indirect Speech: He said that he was happy. (Tense of reported speech changed)
-Direct speech: He says, “I am happy”
-Indirect Speech: He said that he is happy. (Tense of reported speech didn’t change)

http://www.studyandexam.com/direct-indirect-speech.html


Direct and Indirect Speech
Almost all of the rules governing the changes from direct speech to indirect speech will appear commonsensical once you understand the concept. Let us look at the major points:

1. When the reporting verb is in a present or future tense, the tense of the verb in the speech is not changed, because the idea can refer to any time: Ravi will say, "I was happy in that house." (Direct) Ravi will say that he was happy in that house. (Indirect)

2. When we are reporting what we heard in the past, we need to change the tense in the speech, as there is a difference in the time. Ravi said, "My uncle is busy today." (Direct) Ravi said that his uncle was busy that day. (Indirect)

3. When the reporting verb is in past tense, the tense of the verb in the speech undergoes change as follows:
• Present tense to past tense
• Present continuous to past continuous
• Present perfect to past perfect
• Present perfect continuous to past perfect continuous
• Past tense to past perfect
• Can to could
• Will to would
• Shall to would
• May to might

4. Words expressing nearness in time or place are generally changed into related words or phrases expressing distance:
• now - then
• here - there
• ago - before
• thus - so
• today - that day
• tomorrow - the next day
• yesterday - the previous day
• last night - the night before

1. Declarative sentences
When we change a declarative sentence from direct to indirect speech, the speech is introduced by ‘that'. The reporting verb is usually changed from ‘said' to ‘told'. This change is made only when the listener is mentioned, for 'tell', unlike 'say', requires that the object immediately follow it.

2. Interrogative sentences
When we change an interrogative sentence from direct to indirect speech, the reporting verb is usually ‘asked', as a question is being reported. Unlike the direct question, in which the subject follows the verb, the indirect question sets the subject before the verb. When we have a question in direct speech which requires 'yes' or 'no' for an answer, and the question is changed to indirect speech, 'if' or 'whether' introduces the indirect question

3. Imperative Sentences
When we change an imperative sentence from direct to indirect speech, the reporting verb is 'ordered' or 'requested' or another verb which best suits the situation. The reported speech is introduced with the 'to'-infinitive of the verb used in the request or command.

4. Exclamatory Sentences
When we change an exclamatory sentence from direct to indirect speech, the reporting verb is chosen so as to convey the intensity of the speaker's feelings. The speech, just as with declarative sentences, is introduced by 'that' and exhibits the same pattern. http://www.englishforums.com/content/lessons/indirect-reported-and-direct-speech.htm

Question :
Change direct speech into indirect speech from various types !
1. Sarah said to Adit, "My school is better than yours.
2. Maya may say, "Where is your uncle?"
3. John said to his father, ‘Please stop smoking’
4. The old woman said, "What a beautiful life it has been”
5. He said, “I am happy”
6. My teacher said, "I want to help you succeed, for your father is such a nice person”
7. Sunil said to David, "Where do you sleep at night?"
8. The man said to his son, "What a magnificent shot you have made”

Answer :
1. Sarah told Adit that his school was better than hers
2. Maya may ask you where your uncle is
3. John pleaded with his father to stop smoking
4. The old woman exclaimed that it had been a beautiful life
5. He said that he was happy.
6. My teacher says that he wants to help me succeed, for my father is such a nice person
7. Sunil asked David where he slept at night
8. The man said to his son, "What a magnificent shot you have made”