RULES OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| 1. Direct speech quotes the exact words of the speaker. | He said, "l am tired." |
| 2. Indirect speech reports the speaker's words without quotes. | He said that he was tired. |
| 3. Quotation marks are used in direct speech. | "l love music," she said. |
| 4. Quotation marks are removed in indirect speech. | She said that she loved music. |
| 5. In indirect speech, pronouns usually change. | He said, "l am ready." He said that he was ready. |
| 6. In indirect speech, verb tenses usually shift back. | She said, "l am happy." *She said that she was happy |
| 7. Present tense in direct changes to past in indirect. | He said, "1 play football." He said that he played football. |
| 8. Present continuous changes to past continuous. | She said, "l am cooking." She said that she was cooking. |
| 9. Present perfect changes to past perfect. | He said, "l have finished." + He said he had finished |
| 10. Past simple changes to past perfect. | She said, "l saw him." + She said that she had seen him. |
| 11. Past continuous changes to past perfect continuous. | He said, "l was reading." He said that he had been reading. |
| 12. Past perfect remains unchanged. | She said, "l had left." She said that she had left. |
| 13. Future "will" changes to "would." | He said, "l will call." He said that he would call. |
| 14. Future continuous "will be" changes to "would be." | She said, "l will be studying." -Y She said that she would be studying. |
| 15. Future perfect "will have" changes to "would have." | He said, "l will have finished." He said that he would have finished. |
| 16. Time words change in indirect speech. | today + that day, tomorrow + the next day |
| 17. Place words change in indirect speech. | here there, this that |
| 18. Reporting verb "say" often changes to "tell" when an object is present. | He told me that he was busy. |
| 19. If the reporting verb is in present or future tense, no tense change occurs. | He says, "l am tired." + He says that he is tired. |
| 20. "That" is often used to connect reported statements. | She said that she was happy. |
| 21. In modern English, "that" is sometimes omitted. | He said he was busy. |
| 22. Reported speech does not use quotation marks. | Direct: "l like tea." / Indirect: He said he liked tea. |
| 23. Yes/No questions use "if/whether" in indirect speech. | She asked, "Do you like coffee?" + She asked if I liked coffee. |
| 24. Wh-questions keep the question word in indirect speech. | He asked, "Where are you going?" * He asked where I was going. |
| 25. In indirect questions, word order becomes statement form. | Direct: "Where is she?" * Indirect: He asked where she was. |
| 26. Commands and requests use "to + verb" in indirect speech. | He said, "Sit down." + He told me to sit down. |
| 27. Negative commands use "not to + verb." | He said, "Don't run." * He told me not to run. |
| 28. Suggestions are reported using "should." | She said, "You should rest." * She suggested that I should rest. |
| 29. Advice is reported with "advise/tell." | He said, "Study hard." He advised me to study hard. |
| 30. Invitations are reported with "invite." | She said, "Come to my party." * She invited me to |
| 31. Offers are reported with "offer." | He said, "Shall I help you?" He offered to help me. |
| 32. Promises are reported with "promise." | She said, "l will help you." She promised to help me. |
| 33. Apologies are reported with "apologize." | He said, "Sorry." * He apologized. |
| 34. Exclamations are reported with "exclaim/say with emotion." | She said, "Wow!" + She exclaimed with joy. |
| 35. "Let's" in direct speech is reported with "suggest." | He said, "Let's go out." He suggested going out. |
| 36. "Let him/her" changes to "should be allowed." | She said, "Let him play." + She said he should be allowed to play. |
| 37. "Must" in indirect speech usually changes to "had to." | He said, "l must leave." He said he had to leave. |
| 38. "May" changes to "might." | She said, "l may come." * She said that she might come. |
| 39. "Can" changes to "could." | He said, "l can swim." He said that he could swim. |
| 40. "Shall" changes to "Should" | She said, "l shall return." + She said that she should return. |
| 41. Reporting verbs can express tone: ask, tell, suggest, advise. | He suggested that we rest. |
| 42. In indirect speech, sentences are statements, not questions. | "Where is he?" * He asked where he was. |
| 43. Use "whether" for indirect yes/no questions in formal style. | She asked whether I liked tea. |
| 44. In reported speech, pronouns must match the speaker/listener. | Direct: He said, "l love you." -9 Indirect: He said that he loved me. |
| 45. No tense change is needed for universal truths. | He said, "The sun rises in the east." He said that the sun rises in the east. |
| 46. Past Perfect usually stays unchanged. | She said, "l had seen him." She said that she had seen him. |
| 47. Conditional sentences keep their form in indirect speech. | He said, "If I were rich, I would travel." He said that if he were rich, he would travel. |
| 48. In conversation, indirect speech is common to summarize. | Direct: "l will call you later." Indirect: He said he would call later. |
| 49. Direct speech sounds more lively; indirect is more formal. | Direct: She said, "I'm happy." / Indirect: She said that she was happy. |
| 50. Mastering direct & indirect speech improves reporting skills. | Clear reporting makes communication stronger. |