Direct and Indirect Speech

A. Direct speech
Direct speech refers to reproducing another person’s exact words or saying exactly what someone has said (sometimes called quoted speech).
Here what a person says appear within quotation (“…”) and should be word for word.

B. Indirect speech

Indirect speech reproducing the idea of another person’s words that doesn’t use question mark to enclose what the person said and it doesn’t have to be word for word. Indirect speech is sometimes called reported speech.

TENSE CHANGE

• When reporting speech the tense usually changes. This is because when we used reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.
• Note : the reporting verbs that are usually used to report imperative sentence are tell, other command, ask, warn, remind.

Direct speech Indirect speech
1. Imperative (+)

• Go away.
• Bring me a book.

2. Imperative (-)

• Don’t do that.
• Don’t clean it yourself. 
• He told me to go away.
• She asked her to bring him a book.
• He asked me (her, us, etc) not to do it.
• He told me not to clean it myself.

3. Statement

• I am very sorry.
• I lost my temper yesterday. 
• He said that he was very sorry.
• He told me that he had lost his temper the day before

4. ‘WH’ questions

• Where are you going ?
• How did you do this ?

5. Yes/no questions

• Are you enjoying yourself ?
• Can you hear me ? 
• He asked her where she was going.
• I wanted to know how you had done that.
• He asked me if/whether I was enjoying myself.
• She wanted to know if/whether I could hear her.

6. Exclamations 

• What a lovely house !
• Hello ! where are you going ? 
• She remarked what a lovely house it was.
• He greeted me and asked me where I was going.