Deepen your understanding with 123 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech with Answers. Each example comes with detailed, step-by-step guides to help you convert between direct and indirect speech. Improve your skills in maintaining accurate tense, pronoun, and modal usage. Explore these extensive examples to support and enhance your learning experience.
Contents showWhen a speech is quoted with exact words used by the speaker is called Direct speech or narration.
For examples,
The speech which is quoted above in actual words (“I am tired” is called the Reported Speech and the verb (“says“) that introduces speech is called the Reporting Verb. The above speech is called Direct Speech.
On the other hand, when the speech is reported in the form of a narrative, without quoting the speaker’s actual words, it is called Indirect speech or narration.
For examples,
The above speech is reported in the form of a narrative, without quoting the speaker’s actual words, but keeping the meaning the same. So, it is Indirect Speech.
People also ask
| Assertive Sentence direct to indirect Speech | Exclamatory Sentence direct to indirect Speech |
| Interrogative Sentence direct to indirect Speech | General Rules to Change Direct to Indirect Speech |
| Imperative Sentence direct to indirect Speech | Direct and Indirect Speech with Examples |
| Optative Sentence direct to indirect Speech | Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises & Answers |
Punctuating direct and indirect speech correctly is essential for clarity and grammatical correctness in writing. Let me provide examples of both with explanations:
For examples :
For examples,
Direct Speech: “I love reading,” she said.
Indirect Speech: She said that she loved reading.
Direct Speech: “What time is the meeting?” he asked.
Indirect Speech: He asked what time the meeting was.
Direct Speech: He said, “What a nice picture!”
Indirect Speech: He remarked that it was a nice picture.
In both direct and indirect speech, proper punctuation and verb tense agreement are crucial for accurately conveying the speaker’s words and maintaining grammatical correctness within the sentence.
In English grammar, examples of all tenses can be found in both direct and indirect speech, illustrating how verbs and structures change to reflect the shift in time.
Direct: “I love chocolate,” she says.
Indirect: She says that she lo ves chocolate.
Direct: “I am watching TV,” he says.
Indirect: He says that he is watching TV.
Direct: “I have finished my homework,” she says.
Indirect: She says that she has finished her homework.
Direct: “I have been studying for hours,” he says.
Indirect: He says that he has been studying for hours.
Direct: “I played cricket,” he says.
Indirect: He says that he played cricket.
Direct: “I shall visit New York,” he says.
Indirect: He says that he will visit New York.
Direct: He says, “You will make a good result.”
Indirect: He says that I shall make a good result.
Direct: They say, “We won the match.”
Indirect: They say that they won the match.
Direct: “I visited Paris last summer,” she said.
Indirect: She said that she had visited Paris last summer.
Direct: “I was reading a book when you called,” he said.
Indirect: He said that he had been reading a book when I called.
Direct: “I had already eaten dinner when she arrived,” she said.
Indirect: She said that she had already eaten dinner when I arrived.
Direct: “I had been working on this project for months,” he said.
Indirect: He said that he had been working on that project for months.
Direct: She said to me, “I am writing a letter now.”
Indirect: She told me that she was writing a letter then.:
Direct: He said to me, “I shall not do it.”
Indirect: He told me that he would not do it.
Direct: They said to us, “You make a mistake.”
Indirect: They told us that we made a mistake
Direct: The doctor said to me, “You have brought the patient in time.”
Indirect: The doctor told me that I had brought the patient in time.
Direct: Mother said, “I took tea.”
Indirect: Mother said that she had taken tea.
Direct: My friend said to me, “you were doing a good job.”
Indirect: My friend told me that I had been doing a good job.
Direct: The man said to me, “I had not seen you before.”
Indirect: The man told me that he had not seen me before.
Direct: “I will call you tomorrow,” she will say.
Indirect: She will say that she will call me tomorrow.
Direct: “I will be traveling to Europe next month,” he will say.
Indirect: He will say that he will be traveling to Europe next month.
Direct: “I will have finished the project by Friday,” she will say.
Indirect: She will say that she will have finished the project by Friday.
Direct: “I will have been studying for five hours by then,” he will say.
Indirect: He will say that he will have been studying for five hours by then.
Direct: He will say, “I shall be there within an hour.”
Indirect: He will say that he will be there for an hour.
Direct: Mother will say, “I made the fish curry.”
Indirect: Mother will say that She made the fish curry.
Direct: Sarah said, “I am going to the store.”
Indirect: Sarah said that she was going to the store.
Direct: “The meeting starts at 9 AM,” announced the manager.
Indirect: The manager announced that the meeting started at 9 AM.
Direct: Tom asked, “Did you finish your homework?”
Indirect: Tom asked if I had finished my homework.
Direct: “I love watching movies,” she exclaimed.
Indirect: She exclaimed that she loved watching movies.
Direct: “Don’t touch that!” shouted Mark.
Indirect: Mark shouted not to touch that.
Direct: He said, “You are intelligent.”
Indirect: He said that I was intelligent.
Direct: You will say, “I am right.”
Indirect: You will say that you are right.
Direct: Rita said, “She is my favourite player.”
Indirect: Rita said that she was her favourite player.
Direct: I said to you, ‘I wish to start a business next year.’
Indirect: I told you that I wished to start a business in the following years.
Direct: Mother said to her, “Are you feeling feverish?”
Indirect: Mother inquired of her if she was feeling feverish.
Direct: She said to him, ‘Which of the books do you want to buy?’
Indirect: She asked him which of the books he wanted to buy.
Direct: The teacher said, “Boys, go to your classes.”
Indirect: The teacher ordered the boys to go to their classes.
Direct: Mother said, ‘May you be happy.’
Indirect: Mother wished that I might be happy.
Direct: He said to me, “You may go. ”
Indirect: He told me that I might go.
Direct: “I can swim,” she said. (can)
Indirect: She said that she could swim. (can)
Direct: “You will attend the meeting tomorrow,” he said to me.
Indirect: He told me that I would attend the meeting the next day.
Direct: You will attend the meeting tomorrow,” I said to him.
Indirect: I told him that he would attend the meeting the next day.
Direct: “You should study harder,” he advised. (should)
Indirect: He advised that I should study harder. (should)
Direct: “ May I borrow your pen?” she asked. (may)
Indirect: She asked if she might borrow my pen. (may)
Direct: “We must finish this project by Friday,” he insisted. (must)
Indirect: He insisted that we must finish the project by Friday. (must)
Direct: “You might want to consider that option,” she suggested. (might)
Indirect: She suggested that I might want to consider that option. (might)
Direct: “I will help you with your homework,” she promised. (will)
Indirect: She promised that she would help me with my homework. (will)
Direct: “You ought to apologize for your mistake,” he scolded. (ought to)
Indirect: He scolded that I ought to apologize for my mistake. (ought to)
Direct: “ Can you lend me some money?” she requested. (can)
Indirect: She requested if I could lend her some money. (can)
Direct: “You need to finish your chores before you go out,” he reminded. (need to)
Indirect: He reminded me that I needed to finish my chores before going out. (need to)
Direct: “You are allowed to leave early today,” she informed. (are allowed to)
Indirect: She informed that we were allowed to leave early that day. (are allowed to)
Direct: He said to me, “I am ill.”
Indirect: He told me that he was ill.
Direct: They will say to you, “We have made it.”
Indirect: They will tell you that they have made it.
Direct: You said to him, “You are not like me.”
Indirect: You told him that he was not like you.
Direct: He said to me, “My name is John.”
Indirect: He tells me that his name is John.
Direct: They said to me, “This is our playground.”
Indirect: They told me that that was their playground.
Direct: He says to me, “Elders give us blessings.”
Indirect: He tells me that elders give them blessings.
Direct: He said to me, “You are not smart .”
Indirect: He told me that I was not smart.
Direct: She said to him, “I am not your friend.”
Indirect: She told him that she was not his friend.
Direct: He said to us, “I shall give you money.”
Indirect: He told us that he would give us money.
Direct: You said, “He is right.”
Indirect: You said that he was right.
Direct: I said, “They will be late.”
Indirect: I said that they would be late.
Direct: He said to me, “This is my house.”
Indirect: He told me that that was his house.
Direct: She said to him, “These are golden flowers.”
Indirect: She told him that those were golden flowers.
Direct: He said, “I have done it today.”
Indirect: He said that he had done it that day.
Direct: She said to him, “I bought the book yesterday.”
Indirect: She said that she had the book the previous day.
Direct: They said, ‘We will play now.‘
Indirect: They said that they would play then.
Direct: You said, ‘Here lives a lion.’
Indirect: You said that there lived a lion.
Direct: She always says, ‘I like these flowers.’
Indirect: She always says that she likes those flowers.
Direct: He said, ‘I will come here tomorrow.‘
Indirect: He said that he would go there the next day.
Direct: I said, ‘You will get it today or tomorrow.’
Indirect: I said that you would get it that day or the next day.
Direct: He said to me, ‘Come here.’
Indirect: He told me to go there.
Direct: He said, ‘I shall go there the day after tomorrow.’
Indirect: He said that he would go there in two day’s time.
Direct: He said to me, ‘I saw your sister two years ago.‘
Indirect: He told me that he had seen my sister two years before.
But if ‘now’, ‘here’, and ‘this’ refers to things present before the speaker at the time of reporting, no change is required.
Direct: He said to me, “I have no friend here.”
Indirect: He told me that he had no friends here.
Direct: I said, ‘We cannot be happy in this world.
Indirect: I said that we could not be happy in this world.
Direct: Peter says, “My mother teaches me English.”
Indirect: Peter says that his (Peter’s) mother teaches him English.
Direct: Shyam will say, “I have done this work.
Indirect: Shyam will say that he has done that work.
Direct: Bappa said to him, “I am ten years old.”
Indirect: Bappa told him that he was ten years old.
Direct: Laltu said, “I am watching television now.
Indirect: Laltu said that he was watching television then.
Direct: He said to me, “My mother is now sleeping.’
Indirect: He told me that his mother was sleeping then.
Direct: I said, “The teacher has taken me to the task.
Indirect: I said that the teacher had taken me to the task.
Direct: Mother said to me, “I have taken the medicine twice today.”
Indirect: Mother told me that she had taken the medicine twice that day.
Direct: My sister said to me, “The bird flew away.
Indirect: My sister told me that the bird had flown away.
Direct: Namrata said, “They came here yesterday.’
Indirect: Namrata said that they had come there the previous day.
Direct: Jamuna said, “Lalan was listening to my words.
Indirect: Jamuna said that Lalan had been listening to her words.
Direct: He said, “I shall take rice.”
Indirect: He said that he would take rice.
Direct: They said, “We shall leave for Goa tomorrow.”
Indirect: They said that they would leave for Goa the next day.
Direct: Ashisbabu said, “Now we shall start the ceremony.’
Indirect: Ashisbabu said that they should start the ceremony then.
Direct: The teacher said to us, “Oil floats on water.”
Indirect: The teacher told us that oil floats on water
Direct: Lopa said, “God is almighty.”
Indirect: Lopa said that God is almighty.
Direct: Father said, “God is good.”
Indirect: Father said that God is good.
Direct: Keats said, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.”
Indirect: Keats said that beauty is truth, truth beauty.
Direct: The teacher said, “The earth moves round the sun.”
Indirect: The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun.
Direct: My grandfather said, “Honesty is the best policy.”
Indirect: My grandfather said that honesty is the best policy.
Direct: Father said, “The sun rises in the east.”
Indirect: Father said that the sun rises in the east.
Direct: Saurav said, “My grandfather recites the Geeta every morning.”
Indirect: Saurav said that his grandfather recites the Geeta every morning.
Direct: Arindam’s uncle said, “I walk for half an hour every afternoon.”
Indirect: Arindam’s uncle said that he walks for half an hour every afternoon.
Direct: He said, “Man is mortal.”
Indirect: He said that man is mortal.
Direct: The old man said, “God is merciful.”
Indirect: The old man said that God is merciful.
Direct: The teacher said, “Ashoka was a great emperor.”
Indirect: The teacher said that Ashoka was a great emperor.
Direct: The student answered, “Lord Buddha died in his eightieth year.”
Indirect: The student answered that Lord Buddha died in his eightieth year.
Direct: He said, “Babar was the first emperor of the Mughal empire.”
Indirect: He said that Babar was the first emperor of the Mughal Empire.
Direct: The boy said to me. “Is the mango sweet?”
Indirect: The boy asked me whether(or, if) the mango was sweet.
Direct: Tanmay said to me, “Are you ill?”
Indirect: Tanmay asked me whether (or, if) I was ill.
Direct: I said to him, “Do you know him?”
Indirect: I asked him whether he knew him.
Direct: Rabin said to me, “Is there any problem?”
Indirect: Rabin enquired of me if there was any problem.
Direct: I said to my brother, “Are you going to school?”
Indirect: I asked my brother whether he was going to school.
Direct: The teacher said to the student. Did you come to school yesterday?”
Indirect: The teacher enquired of the student whether he (the student) had come to school the day before.
Direct: I said to Binay, “Did you see Palash?”
Indirect: I asked Binay whether he (Binay) had seen Palash.
Direct: His mother angrily said to him, “Do you know better than your elder brother?”
Indirect: His mother asked him angrily whether he supposed that he knew better than his elder brother.
Direct: The judge said to the accused, “Have you anything to say in justification of your action?”
Indirect: The judge wanted to know from the accused if he had anything to say in justification of his action.
Direct: Sadhan said to Nabin, “Have you read the letter?”
Indirect: Sadhan asked Nabin if he had read the letter.
Direct: Santosh said to Seema, “Can you lend me a pen?”
Indirect: Santosh asked Seema if she could lend him (Santosh) a pen.
Direct: The trainer said to Tarun, “Can you swim?”
Indirect: The trainer asked Tarun whether he (Tarun) could swim.
Direct: The poet said, “Real happiness is only a dream.”
Indirect: The poet said that real happiness is only a dream.
Direct: He said to me, “What are you doing?”
Indirect: He asked me what I was doing.
Direct: I said to him, “What is your name?”
Indirect: I asked him what his name was.
Direct: The passerby said to me, “What is the time now by your watch?”
Indirect: The passerby asked me what time it was then by my watch.
Direct: I said to Basu, “Where do you live?”
Indirect: I asked Basu where he (Basu) lived.
Direct: Dinu said to Manu, “Where are you going?”
Indirect: Dinu asked Manu where he (Manu) was going.
Direct: I said to Gopal, “Where is your pencil box?”
Indirect: I enquired of Gopal where his (Gopal’s) pencil box was.
Direct: The passenger asked, “When will the train start?”
Indirect: The passenger asked (or, wanted to know) when the train would start.
Direct: Ratan said to me, “How are you?”
Indirect: Ratan wanted to know from me how I was.
Direct: Suman said to me, “How did you know this?
Indirect: Suman enquired (asked) me how I had known that.
Direct: I said to the policeman, “Why did you strike the boy?”
Indirect: I wanted to know from the policeman why he had struck the boy.
Direct: The teacher said to the students, “Sit down.”
Indirect: The teacher told the students to sit down.
Direct: The commander-in-chief said to the soldiers, “March forward.”
Indirect: The commander-in-chief ordered the soldiers to march forward.
Direct: The master said to his servant, Polish my shoes,”
Indirect: The master ordered his servant to polish his master’s shoes.
Direct: Ratanbabu said to the man, “Leave the house at once,”
Indirect: Ratanbaby ordered the man to leave the house at once.
Direct: The teacher said to his pupils, “Go out.”
Indirect: The teacher told his pupils to go out.
Direct: Mother said to me, “Go to school at once.”
Indirect: Mother ordered/urged me to go to school that very moment.
Direct: He said to Sujay. “Let’s have a cup of tea.
Indirect: He invited Sujay to have a cup of tea with him.
Direct: Sunillbabe said to Sistab. Please lend me some money.”
Indirect: Sunilbabe requested Sisibaba to lend him (Sababu) some money.
Direct: Father said, “Go on, apply for the job.”
Indirect: Father advised/encouraged me to apply for the job.
Direct: The teacher said to the boy, “Don’t spit on the floor.
Indirect: The teacher forbade the boy to spit on the floor.
Direct: I said to my brother, “Do not run in the sun.”
Indirect: I advised my brother not to run in the sun.
Or I forbade my brother to run in the sun.
Direct: The teacher said to me, “Do not waste time.”
Indirect: The teacher advised me not to waste time.
Direct: He said to his sons, “Do not quarrel among yourselves.”
Indirect: He advised his sons not to quarrel among themselves.
Direct: Mukti said, “Let’s go for a walk.”
Indirect: Mukti suggested that they should go for a walk.
Direct: The inspector said to the constable, “Let the man go.”
Indirect: The inspector ordered the constable to let the man go.
Direct: Rama said, “Let’s arrange a musical party.”
Indirect: Rama suggested that they should arrange a musical party.
Direct: The clergyman said, “The nations of the world should forget their differences and work together for peace.”
Indirect: The clergyman suggested that the nations of the world should forget their differences and work together for peace.
Direct: Ramen said, “I must not delay any longer.”
Indirect: Ramen said that he ought not to delay any longer.
Direct: He said, “I must return before 5 in the evening.”
Indirect: He said that he must (or, would have to) return before 5 in the evening.
Direct: Rima said to me, “You ought to be careful when driving.”
Indirect: Nima advised me to be careful when driving.
Direct: My father said, “You ought not to trust a man who is a habitual liar.”
Indirect: My father warned me against trusting a man who was a habitual liar
Direct: Father said, “You should not be late in reaching school.”
Indirect: Father advised me not to be late in reaching school.
Or, Father said that I should not be late in reaching school.
Direct: Somen said, “It might rain tonight.”
Indirect: Somen said that it might rain that night,
Or Somen said that there was the possibility of rainfall that night,
Direct: He said, “May God bless you.’
Indirect: He prayed that God might bless him (or, me).
Direct: The priest said to the accused, “May God pardon your sins.”
Indirect: The priest prayed to God that He might pardon his sins (or, the sins of the accused).
Direct: We said, “May Mother Teresa’s soul rest in peace.”
Indirect: We prayed that Mother Teresa’s soul might rest in peace.
Direct: The retiring teacher said to his pupils, “I bid all of you goodbye.”
Indirect: The retiring teacher bade goodbye (or, farewell) to all his pupils.
Direct: They said, “Long live Netaji.”
Indirect: They prayed for Netaji’s long life.
Direct: My grandfather said to me, “May you be happy.”
Indirect: My grandfather blessed me wishing that I might be happy.
Or. My grandfather blessed me by wishing me a happy life.
Or, My grandfather wished that I might be happy.
Direct: His father said to him, “May you prosper.”
Indirect: His father wished him prosperity.
Or. His father wished that he might prosper.
Direct: Ajay said to his brother, “Welcome home.”
Indirect: Ajay bade his brother welcome.
Direct: Rahul said to his playmates, “Good morning, I hope you are quite well.”
Indirect: Rahul wished his playmates a good morning and expressed his hope that they were quite well.
Direct: The students said, “Hurrah! Our school won the match.”
Indirect: The students shouted with delight (exclaimed with joy) that their school had won the match.
Direct: He said, “Alas! I am ruined.”
Indirect: He lamented that he was ruined.
Direct: He said, “What a fool I am !”
Indirect: He reproached (feata lucuíba) himself for being such a big fool.
Direct: The audience said to the actor, “How wonderful is your acting !”
Indirect: The audience expressed to the actor their appreciation of his fine acting.
Direct: Returning from the place of the accident, he said, “What a ghastly sight it was!”
Indirect: Returning from the place of the accident he expressed his disgust at the ghastliness of the sight.
Direct: Looking at the Tajmahal the tourist said, “What an exquisitely beautiful creation !”
Indirect: Looking at the Tajmahal the tourist exclaimed in wonder that it was indeed an extremely beautiful creation.
Direct: The youth said, “Alas! I am undone by the death of my father.”
Indirect: The youth lamented that he was undone by his father’s death.
Direct: The coach of the team said to his players, “Bravo! You have played extremely well.”
Indirect: The coach of the team cheered the players and said that they had played extremely well indeed.
Direct: Nabinbabu said to Sajal, “What a pity you could not succeed in spite of such great efforts !”
Indirect: Nabinbabu expressed his sympathy for Sajal for not being successful in spite of his great efforts.
Direct: Sanu said to Sushama over the telephone, “I have got the tickets. Meet me at the station at 6.30 p.m.”
Indirect: Sanu informed Sushama over the telephone that he had got the tickets and suggested that she meet him at the station at 6.30 p.m.
Direct: The supervisor of the examination said to the candidates, “Do not forget to put your names at the top of the page. Write down also the roll and the number.”
Indirect: The supervisor of the examination advised the candidates not to forget to put their names at the top of the page and also reminded them to write down their roll and number therein.
Direct: Surabhi said to Mohan, “Let’s buy some flour. We will prepare bread at home.’
Indirect: Surabhi suggested to Mohan that they buy some flour and make bread themselves at home.
Direct: My assistant said to me, “You look tired. Why don’t you take a rest for a couple of days?”
Indirect: My assistant told me that I looked tired, and suggested that I should take a rest for a couple of days.
Direct: My friend said to me, “Why don’t you open a bank account? I have opened one.”
Indirect: My friend advised me to open a bank account and he also informed me that he had opened one.
Q: What are the 10 examples of direct and indirect speech?
Ans:
Ans: When a sentence is quoted with the exact words used by the speaker, it is called a sentence in Direct Speech.
When the sentence is spoken or written in the form of a narrative without quoting the speaker’s actual words but keeping the meaning the same, it is called a sentence in Indirect Speech.
(1) I said to him that I had once seen him before.
Ans: I said to him, “ I once saw you ago.”
(2) She said that she had a dream that night.
Ans: She said, “I have a dream tonight.”
(3) The boy said. “We were playing.”
Ans: The boy said that they had been playing.
(4) He told me that I should obey my parents.
Ans: He said to me, “You will obey your parents.”
(5) Amal said to Bimal, “I gave you, my pen.”
Ans: Amal told Bimal that he had given him his pen.
Q: What is the example of direct and indirect speech Class 9?
Ans: Direct: You say, ‘I am always busy.’
Indirect: You say that you are always busy.
Direct: The child will say, ‘Mum knows everything.’
Indirect: The child will say that Mum knows everything.
Direct: He said, ‘I need some money.’
Indirect: He said that he needed some money,
Direct: She said, ‘I am waiting for him.’
Indirect: She said that she was waiting for him.
Q: What are the 5 rules of indirect speech?
Ans: The five rules of indirect speech consist of Assertive sentences, Interrogative Sentences, Imperative Sentences, Optative Sentences, and Exclamatory sentences.
