FSc Notes ICS FA ICom Class 11 English Direct and Indirect Speech

FSc Notes ICS FA ICom Class 11 English Direct and Indirect Speech 1st Year English Notes Online Taleem Ilmi Hub Class 11th

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Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct Speech

Direct speech is that form of narration in which the actual words of a speaker are reported. It may be divided into two parts: the reported speech, i.e. the actual words of the speaker; and the reporting speech, i.e., the introductory words added to the reported speech. The reported speech comes before or after commas.

Indirect Speech

Indirect speech is that form of speech in which what one speaker says is reported by another with utmost accuracy but without using his actual words.

Rules

For correct transcription from direct speech to indirect speech, the following rules should be carefully studied.

1. Elimination of Inverted Commas

1. In the indirect speech the commas are omitted
2. The conjunction that, except in certain cases which will be discussed later, is used to join the reporting speech and the reported speech.
3. The capital letter of the first word of the reported speech is replaced by a small letter.

Najma says, “The fat dog is barking.” Where (Najma says) is a reporting speech and (The fat dog is barking) is a reported speech.

In the indirect speech this sentence will read as:

Najma says that the fat dog is barking.

2. Change of Pronouns

The pronouns in the reported speech are to be changed when necessary.

• Pronouns of the first person are changed to the person of the subject of the reporting speech. For example: He(subject of reporting speech) says, “I have(pronoun of first person) no money with me(pronoun of first person).”

As the subject of the reporting speech is in the third person, the pronouns of the first person will change accordingly. The sentence will read:

He says that he has no money with him.

• Pronouns of the second person are changed to the person of the noun/pronoun to whom the reported speech is addressed. For example:

You said to Zain, “I would be happy to welcome you in my house.”

The pronoun of the second person in the reported speech is you. It is to be changed to the object of the reported speech, which is Zain, i.e. third person. The sentence will read as:

You told Zain that you would be happy to welcome him in you house.

3. Change of Tense

• If the verb of the reporting speech is in the present or future tense, the tense of the verbs of the reported speech does not change.

Direct: He says, “I am a poor but honest man, and will not pick anybody’s pocket.”

Indirect: He says that he is a poor but honest man, and will not pick anybody’s pocket.

• If the verb of the reporting speech is in the past tense the verbs of the reported speech are changed to past tense:

1. Present Indefinite to Past Indefinite
2. Present Continuous to Past Continuous
3. Present Perfect to Past Perfect
4. Present Perfect Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous
5. Past Indifinite to Past Perfect/Past Indefinite
6. Will/shall to would/should
7. Can/may to could/might

Note: If the reported speech expresses a universal truth, its tense will not change.

4. Question

• When a question with why, what, how etc., is to be changed into indirect speech, the verb of the reporting speech is replaced by inquired, demanded or asked and the conjunction that is not used. The question changes into a statement.

Direct: I said to him, “What is you next plan?”

Indirect: I asked him what his next plan was.

Direct: He said to the little boy, “Why are you weeping?”

Indirect: He inquired of the little boy why he was weeping.

• When questions beginning with an auxiliary verb are to be changed into indirect speech, if or whether is used to join the reporting speech and the reported speech, and the question is converted into a statement.

Direct: He said to the teacher. “Do you think my essay is good?”

Indirect: He asked the teacher if the though his essay was good.

5. Commands and Requests

In direct speech, commands and requests are introduced with an infinitive and the reporting verb is replaced by told, ordered commanded, requested, etc., according to the sense of the sentence.

Direct: He said to his servant, “Fetch me a glass of water.”

Indirect: He ordered his servant to fetch him a glass of water.”

Direct: I said to him, “Please sit down.”

Indirect: I requested him to sit down.

6. Desires and Exclamations

When desires and exclamations are changed into indirect speech, the reporting verb is replaced by wished, desired, exclaimed, cried, etc., and that is used as conjunction to join the reporting speech and the reported speech.

Direct: He said, “Alas! I have done what cannot be undone.”

Indirect: He exclaimed with sorrow that he had done what could not be undone.

7. Change o Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives

The words showing nearness in time and space are changed to words showing distance unless the sense requires otherwise.

Direct: He said, “I wandered here and there.”

Indirect: We cannot replace here by there.