What are Rules for Direct and Indirect Speech? - Meaning, Types, Rules, Examples and Exercises with Answers

Various factors such as reporting verbs, time, modals, place, pronouns, tenses, punctuations, etc. are considered while changing sentences from direct to indirect ones. Let us discuss each of them below.

Also read: English Nouns

In cases where the verb is in past tense, backshifting is done, which means that the tense is shifted back one step. Thus, words like ‘today’ become ‘that day’, ‘here’ become ‘there’ ,etc.

Questions in indirect form are changed to statements without question marks, using if/whether for yes/no questions and keeping wh-words for information questions.

Let us go through some examples shared below:

1. Questions

Direct: He asked, "Where is your office?"

Indirect: He asked where my office was.

2. Exclamation

Direct: She said, "Oh no! I missed the plane"

Indirect: She exclaimed with sorrow that she had missed the plane.

3. Command/Request

Direct: Saloni said to her, “Please complete it.”

Indirect: Saloni requested her to complete it.

4. Question (Y/N)

Direct: They asked, "Do you like basketball?"

Indirect: They asked if I liked basketball.

5. Advice

Direct: “Sit down,” she said

Indirect: She told me to sit down.

6. Statement

Direct: “I am unwell,” She said.

Indirect: She said that she was unwell.

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English adverbs	Prepositions in English
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Students must know that there are certain rules to follow while using Direct and Indirect speech. Let us read about them below:

Rules for Statements

The rules for statements in direct and indirect speech mainly involve changes in pronouns, verb tenses, reporting verbs, and time expressions to ensure the meaning remains the same. In indirect speech, the reporting verb ‘said’ is often followed by the conjunction that, removing the quotation marks. Pronouns are adjusted according to the subject and object of the reporting sentence. If the reporting verb is in the past tense, the verb in the reported speech usually shifts one tense back.

However, universal truths or habitual facts do not undergo tense changes, and if the reporting verb is in present or future tense, the original tense is retained. Time and place expressions like today, tomorrow, or here are also modified. Also, when a statement is addressed directly to someone, ‘said to’ is replaced with ‘told’. By carefully applying these rules, a direct statement can be accurately converted into indirect speech without changing its intended meaning.

For instance:

Direct: Shalini said, "I am happy."

Indirect: Shalini said that she was happy.

Rules of Questions

While applying the rules of questions in direct and indirect speech, the sentence structure changes from a question to a statement. In indirect speech, question marks are removed since the sentence becomes a statement. For yes/no questions, the words if or whether are used to introduce the reported speech. For WH-questions (what, where, why, how, etc.), the question word is retained, but the word order changes to that of a statement rather than a question. Pronouns, tenses, and time/place expressions are also modified according to the standard rules of indirect speech, and 'said to' is replaced with asked or inquired to suit the question format. These adjustments ensure that the meaning of the original question is conveyed clearly while converting into indirect speech.

For example:

Direct: Vikrant asked, "Where are you going?"

Indirect: Vikrant asked where I was going.

Direct: She asked, "Where are you going?"

Indirect: She asked where I was going.

Rules for Commands & Requests

In sentences where the tone is commanding or a request is made, a direct statement is turned to an indirect one by changing the verb to ordered, requested, or asked depending on the speaker’s tone. In case of negative commands, ‘not to’ plus the verb is used.

Examples:

Direct: The judge said, “Hands up."

Indirect: The judge ordered him to get his hands up.

Direct: She said, “Could you please open the window?”

Indirect: She asked him to open the window.

Rules for Advice and Suggestions

When reporting advice or suggestions, verbs like advised, suggested, recommended, or urged are used instead of said. The imperative form of the verb is generally replaced with an infinitive (to + verb), while negative imperatives use not to + verb. Similarly, suggestions are often reported using suggested that + subject + should + verb structure. For instance, She said, 'We should go for a run' changes to She suggested that we should go for a run. In this way, reporting verbs and sentence restructuring help convey the sense of guidance or recommendation from the original speech accurately in indirect form.

Example:

Direct: She said, “You should eat healthy."

Indirect: She advised me to eat healthy.

Rules for Exclamations and Wishes

The rules for exclamations and wishes in direct and indirect speech involve changing the emotional tone of the sentence into a statement while preserving its meaning. Since exclamatory sentences express feelings like joy, sorrow, surprise, or wishes, the reporting verb is usually replaced with words such as exclaimed with joy, exclaimed with sorrow, wished, prayed, or cried out depending on the emotion. Quotation marks and exclamation marks are removed, and the sentence is changed to a statement, often using that.

For wishes and prayers, words like wished or prayed are used. This transformation ensures that the emotional essence of the original sentence is conveyed accurately in indirect speech.

For example:

Direct speech: The man said, “What an intelligent brain he has.”

Indirect speech: The man exclaimed that he had a very intelligent brain.

Rules for Tense Changes (Backshifting)

If a sentence is in past tense, the verb usually shifts a step back while changing it to indirect speech. Sentences in Present Simple change to Past Simple, Present Continuous change to Past continuous and the likes. Future tense sentences also change, for instance ‘will’ becomes ‘would’ etc.

Here are some examples:

Direct: She said, "I like apples."

Indirect: She said that she liked apples.

Direct: Pops said, "I am reading a magazine."

Indirect: Pops said that he was reading amagazine.

Rules for Time & Place Expressions

In Indirect Speech, time and place expressions change to fir the new point of reference. These changes are made only when the reporting verb is in the past tense. If the tense of the verb is in future or present, there is no change usually made in time and place expressions.

For example:

Direct: He said, "It’s raining now."

Indirect: He said it was raining then.

Direct: “I am busy now.”

Indirect: He said he was busy then.

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Let us read about certain special cases and exceptions while using Direct and Indirect Speech.

No Change of Tense with Universal Truths or Facts

The rule of no change of tense with universal truths or facts in direct and indirect speech states that when the statement is always true, a scientific fact, or a general truth, the tense of the verb remains unchanged, even if the verb is in the past tense. This is because universal truths do not depend on time and remain valid irrespective of when they are reported. In such cases, only pronouns or time/place references (if any) are adjusted, but the tense of the main verb is kept the same. This rule helps maintain the accuracy of factual or universally accepted statements while converting them from direct to indirect speech.

For example:

Direct: My grandfather said, “Humans are mammals.”

Indirect: My grandfather said that Humans are mammals.

Direct: Rohit said, ‘We cannot live without water.

Indirect: Rohit said that we cannot live without water. 

No Backshift if Verb is in Present/Future Tense

When the verb in a sentence is in the present or future tense, no change is made in the tense of the reported speech. This is because the situation is ongoing or upcoming, so no backshift is required.

Examples include:

Direct speech: She says, "I am learning to make clay pots."

Indirect speech: She says that she is learning to make clay pots.

Direct: Kanishka says, “she is busy."

Indirect: Kanishka says that she is busy.

No Change in Past Perfect Tense

In past perfect tense, there is no change while converting direct sentences to indirect speech sentences, as it already expresses the earliest past action. The verb reported here remains in past perfect irrespective of the its tense.

For example:

Direct speech: He said, "I had already eaten."

Indirect speech: He said that he had already eaten.

Direct: The student said, “I had never seen such a big library.”

Indirect: The student said that he had never seen such a big library.

Modal Verbs Exceptions

In Indirect Speech, some English modal verbs change, while others remain the same. ‘Will’ changes to ‘would’, ‘shall’ to ‘should’, ‘may’ to ‘might’ etc. However, modals like could, should, might, must usually are not changed.

Examples:

Direct: He said, "I can swim."

Indirect: He said that he could swim.

Direct: She said, "I may be sleepy."

Indirect speech: She said that she might be sleepy.

Reporting Questions without Backshift

In Indirect Speech, when reporting questions, no backshift of tense is needed if the reporting verb is in the present or future tense or if the information is still true. The question mark is removed and the sentence is turned into a statement.

For example:

Direct: Smita asks, "Where do you live?"

Indirect: Smita asks where I live.

Direct speech: Rohit will ask, "What day is it?"

Indirect speech: Rohit will ask what day is it.

Mixed Conditionals and Hypotheticals

The rules for mixed conditionals and hypotheticals in direct and indirect speech focus on preserving the sense of imagination, possibility, or unreal situations expressed in the original statement. When reporting such sentences, the tense structure of conditionals is generally maintained because altering them could change the intended meaning. In hypothetical or unreal situations, modal verbs like would, could, might, or should usually remain unchanged. Unlike simple tense backshifts, mixed conditionals and hypotheticals require careful handling to retain their imaginary or contrary-to-fact meaning in indirect speech.

For example:

Direct: Stuti said, "Wish that I were rich."

Indirect: Stuti wished she were rich.

Direct speech: She said, "I may go to Diljit Dosanjh’s concert."

Indirect: She said that she might go to Diljit Dosanjh’s concert.

Also Read: Improve your English vocabulary

Understand the table below to know the clear comparison of Rules for Direct and Indirect speech:

Particular	Direct speech	Indirect speech
Meaning	Involves speaker’s exact words quoted within quotes	Involves reporting speaker’s words without the quotation marks.
Quotation marks	Always used (“ ”).	Not used
Reporting verbs	Commonly said, asked, told.	These verbs are changed based on context (said that, asked if, told to, exclaimed with etc.).
Pronouns	Remain the same as spoken.	Changed according to the perspective of the reporter.
Tense	Stays the same as spoken	Often backshifted (present to past, past to past perfect), except in exceptions.
Time & Place Words	Used as spoken (now, today, here).	Changes made to fit context (then, that day, there).
Sentence Type	Remains the same as the original (statement, Q).	Converted to a statement without question mark or interjections.
Example	She said, “I am busy now.”	She said that he was busy then.

Mastering the rules for direct and indirect speech requires consistent practice, careful observation, and a strong grasp of grammar fundamentals. The first step is to understand the difference between direct and indirect speech, especially how statements, questions, commands, advice, exclamations, and wishes are transformed. Pay attention to changes in pronouns, verb tenses, and time/place expressions, since these are the most common areas where students make mistakes.

One effective preparation tip is to create a personal chart or table of common tense changes (e.g., present changes to past, past simple to past perfect) and practice rewriting sentences using those rules. Regular exercises on different sentence types will strengthen your understanding, while comparing your answers with correct versions will help identify weak areas. Read and listen to reported speech in newspapers, stories, or conversations as they sharpen your sense of usage. Another useful strategy is to practice converting your own spoken sentences into indirect speech, which reinforces learning in a practical way.

Lastly, focus on special cases such as universal truths, modal verbs, and conditionals, as these often cause confusion. With steady practice, self-checking, and exposure to real examples, you can confidently apply the rules and avoid common errors in exams or writing.

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When changing direct speech sentences to indirect ones, students often make common mistakes that can change their meaning. One frequent error is incorrect tense shifting, which implies to forgetting that verbs usually move one step back in time, except when the verb used in statement is in present or future tense or talks about universal truth, such as failing to adjust I, you, we to match and listener and speaker in context.

Mistakes also occur in reporting questions and commands, where students often use direct speech instead of using asked if/whether or ordered/told to.

Careful attention to these details helps ensure accuracy and fluency in reported speech.

Aspirants of various Government exams, such as SSC, RRB, IBPS, Insurance, etc. should read and practice the rules of direct and indirect speech thoroughly. These exercises test a student’s grammar accuracy and communication skills.

Questions on reported speech often appear in error detection, fill-in-the-blanks and sentence transformation exercises. Students should be careful while answering them as even a minor mistake in tense, pronoun or word order can change the intended meaning of the sentence.

Thorough practice of these rules can help avoid common traps set in exams and ensure clarity in expression, which is essential for both objective and subjective sections.

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