Page 136 - New Grammar with a Smile 7
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Difference between Direct and Indirect Speech
Let us study the difference between direct and indirect speech.
♦ Indirect speech is not enclosed in quotation marks.
♦ The word that is used as a conjunction between the reporting verb and reported
speech.
♦ Change in pronoun:
a) The first person pronouns (I, we, me, us, mine, ours) and possessive adjectives
(my, our) change according to the subject of the reporting verb.
b) The second person pronouns (you, yours) and possessive adjectives (your)
change according to the object of the reporting verb.
c) The third person pronouns don’t change at all.
For example,
He said, ‘I am happy.’ (direct speech)
He said that he was happy. (indirect speech)
I said to him, ‘You are intelligent.’ (direct speech)
I told him that he was intelligent. (indirect speech)
She said to me, ‘He has gone.’ (direct speech)
She told me that he had gone. (indirect speech)
♦ Change of tenses
Direct speech Indirect speech
simple present simple past
She said, ‘I want to play.’ She said that she wanted to play.
present continuous past continuous
Rana said, ‘I am studying.’ Rana said that he was studying.
simple past past perfect
Poonam said, ‘I worked hard.’ Poonam said that she had worked hard.
present perfect past perfect
He said, ‘I have finished my work.’ He said that he had finished his work.
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