Course on Direct and Indirect Speech - TOEIC® Preparation
Direct speech and indirect speech (or reported speech) are two ways to report someone's words.
- Direct speech involves repeating word for word what someone said, usually using quotation marks.
- Indirect speech involves reporting the idea of what was said, without necessarily using the same words.
This course aims to explain these two modes of enunciation in English, to illustrate their differences, and to present the fundamental rules for transforming direct speech into indirect speech.
Direct Speech
Direct speech in English involves reporting exactly what a person said. It is generally recognized by the use of quotation marks.
- John said, "I'm going to the store."
- She asked, "Are you coming with me?"
Characteristics of Direct Speech
- Use of quotation marks: Direct speech is placed between quotation marks : "..."
- Punctuation: Punctuation marks (period, comma, question mark...) are generally placed inside the quotation marks.
- Subject-verb inversion possible if it's a question: "Are you coming with me?"
- Verb tenses: The verb tenses in direct speech remain as they were spoken by the speaker.
Indirect Speech (Reported Speech)
Indirect speech (or reported speech) allows you to convey someone's words without quoting them verbatim. This form of speech is characterized by the absence of quotation marks and generally requires adaptations of pronouns, verb tenses, and expressions of time or place.
- Direct speech: Mary said, "I love reading books."
- Indirect speech: Mary said that she loved reading books.
In general, indirect speech allows you to:
- Summarize or report the essence of a message.
- Avoid the verbatim repetition of words.
- Naturally incorporate the words into a narrative.
In the next section, we will see how to transform a sentence from direct speech to indirect speech.
Transforming Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
To transform direct speech to indirect speech in English, you generally need to modify:
- The reporting verb (e.g., said, told, asked, etc.).
- Personal pronouns (I, you, we...) to adapt them to the new point of view.
- The verb tense (called backshift, which involves shifting back one tense).
- Expressions of time and place (now, today, tomorrow...).
Step 1: Changes in Pronouns
Personal pronouns must be adapted according to the person reporting the words:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| "I" | he / she (depending on the person being talked about) | I am hungry. → He said he was hungry. |
| "we" | they | We need more time. → They said they needed more time. |
| "you" | I / we (or he/she/they, depending on context and speaker) | You should come with me. → She told me I should come with her. (or) He told us we should go with him. |
Step 2: Changes in Tenses
In English, when reporting words in the present, they are generally transformed to the past, especially when the reporting verb is in the past (said, told...). Here is the scheme of tense transformations, also called backshift:
| Direct Speech (tense) | Indirect Speech (tense) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | Past simple - preterite | I play football. → He said he played football. |
| Present continuous | Past continuous | I am playing football. → He said he was playing football. |
| Present perfect | Past perfect | I have played football. → He said he had played football. |
| Past simple - preterite | Past perfect | I played football. → He said he had played football. |
| Past continuous | Past perfect continuous | I was playing football. → He said he had been playing football. |
| Future with will | Conditional with would | I will play football tomorrow. → He said he would play football the next day. |
| Modals: can / could | Modals: could | I can play football. → He said he could play football. |
| Modals: may / might | Modals: might | I may play football. → He said he might play football. |
| Modals: must | Modals: had to | I must play football. → He said he must play football. |
Exceptions and Special Cases
- If the reported situation is still true (general truth or situations still true at the time of speaking), you can keep the present.
- Direct: The teacher said, "The earth revolves around the sun."
- Indirect: The teacher said (that) the earth revolves around the sun.
- If the reporting verb is in the present (she says, he tells us), the tense remains the same.
- Direct: "I have a new car."
- Indirect: She says she has a new car.
- The modals could, might, should, would, and ought to remain unchanged in indirect speech.
- Direct: "I could play better."
- Indirect: He said he could play better.
Step 3: Changes in Time and Place Adverbs
When converting to indirect speech, you generally need to adapt adverbs and expressions of time or place:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| now | then, at that time | I am studying now. → He said he was studying then. |
| today | that day | I have an exam today. → She said she had an exam that day. |
| yesterday | the day before, the previous day | I saw him yesterday. → He said he had seen him the day before. |
| tomorrow | the next day, the following day | I will call you tomorrow. → She said she would call me the next day. |
| last week/month/year | the previous week/month/year | I went to Paris last year. → He said he had gone to Paris the previous year. |
| next week/month/year | the following week/month/year | We will start the project next week. → They said they would start the project the following week. |
| here | there | I am staying here. → She said she was staying there. |
| this | that | I like this book. → He said he liked that book. |
| these | those | I bought these shoes. → She said she had bought those shoes. |
| ago | before | I met her two years ago. → He said he had met her two years before. |
Reporting Verbs
In general, to form indirect or direct speech, the reporting verb "say" is used.
However, there are also other verbs presented in the table below. We have also added how to form the sentence, as some verbs are followed by an infinitive, others by a gerund...
| Reporting Verb | Structure Followed | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to tell | object + infinitive | She told me to finish my homework. |
| to ask | object + infinitive | He asked her to help him. |
| to advise | object + infinitive | The doctor advised me to rest for a few days. |
| to warn | object + infinitive | She warned us not to go into the forest. |
| to suggest | gerund (-ing form) | He suggested going to the park. |
| to explain | "that" + clause | She explained that she couldn't attend the meeting. |
| to say | "that" + clause | He said that he would arrive late. |
| to recommend | gerund (-ing form) | They recommended taking the earlier train. |
| to insist | gerund (-ing form) or "that" | She insisted on coming with us. She insisted that we leave immediately. |
| to agree | infinitive | He agreed to help me with my project. |
| to promise | infinitive | She promised to call me later. |
| to refuse | infinitive | He refused to apologize for his mistake. |
| to apologize | preposition + gerund (for + -ing) | He apologized for being late. |
| to admit | gerund (-ing form) or "that" | She admitted cheating in the exam. She admitted that she had made a mistake. |
| to deny | gerund (-ing form) or "that" | He denied stealing the money. He denied that he had stolen the money. |
| to encourage | object + infinitive | They encouraged me to apply for the position. |
| to forbid | object + infinitive | The teacher forbade us to use our phones during the exam. |
Difference between say and tell
There is an important nuance to know between these two reporting verbs:
- say is generally followed directly by the reported speech or "that".
- She said (that) she was tired.
- tell is always followed by an object (me, you, him, her...) before "that".
- She told me (that) she was tired.
Questions in Indirect Speech
Yes/No Questions
To transform a closed question into indirect speech, "if" or "whether" is used.
- He asked, "Do you like coffee?" → He asked if I liked coffee.
In this situation, the subject-verb inversion disappears (no more Do you).
Wh-Questions
To report a question starting with who, what, when, where, why, how, etc., you retain the interrogative word, but restore the normal subject-verb order.
- Why was he late? → She asked me why he was late.
- She asked, "Where are you going?" → She asked where I was going.
Imperatives in Indirect Speech
To report an order, a request, or advice, you generally use to + infinitive or expressions like "told someone to do something" or "asked someone to do something".
-
With "told someone to do something":
- Open the door! → He told me to open the door.
-
With "asked someone to do something":
- Please, sit down. → She asked me to sit down.
Conclusion
Direct speech and indirect speech are two fundamental methods for reporting words in English. Direct speech, easily identifiable by quotation marks, faithfully reproduces the original words. Indirect speech, on the other hand, requires adapting pronouns, verb tenses, and adverbs to convey the message.
These structures and nuances are frequently assessed in the TOEIC®, particularly in the grammar and reading comprehension sections.