reported speech rules with examples class 10

English Grammar
Reported Speech

Reported Speech - Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

Reported speech or indirect speech is the form of speech used to convey what was said by someone at some point of time. This article will help you with all that you need to know about reported speech, its meaning, definition, how and when to use them along with examples. Furthermore, try out the practice questions given to check how far you have understood the topic.

reported speech rules with examples class 10

Definition of reported speech, rules to be followed when using reported speech, table 1 – change of pronouns, table 2 – change of adverbs of place and adverbs of time, table 3 – change of tense, table 4 – change of modal verbs, tips to practise reported speech, examples of reported speech, check your understanding of reported speech, frequently asked questions on reported speech in english, what is reported speech.

Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message.

Now, take a look at the following dictionary definitions for a clearer idea of what it is.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

Reported speech is a little different from direct speech . As it has been discussed already, reported speech is used to tell what someone said and does not use the exact words of the speaker. Take a look at the following rules so that you can make use of reported speech effectively.

The first thing you have to keep in mind is that you need not use any quotation marks as you are not using the exact words of the speaker.
You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech.
You can use verbs like said, asked, requested, ordered, complained, exclaimed, screamed, told, etc. If you are just reporting a declarative sentence , you can use verbs like told, said, etc. followed by ‘that’ and end the sentence with a full stop . When you are reporting interrogative sentences, you can use the verbs – enquired, inquired, asked, etc. and remove the question mark . In case you are reporting imperative sentences , you can use verbs like requested, commanded, pleaded, ordered, etc. If you are reporting exclamatory sentences , you can use the verb exclaimed and remove the exclamation mark . Remember that the structure of the sentences also changes accordingly.
Furthermore, keep in mind that the sentence structure , tense , pronouns , modal verbs , some specific adverbs of place and adverbs of time change when a sentence is transformed into indirect/reported speech.

Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech

As discussed earlier, when transforming a sentence from direct speech into reported speech, you will have to change the pronouns, tense and adverbs of time and place used by the speaker. Let us look at the following tables to see how they work.

Here are some tips you can follow to become a pro in using reported speech.

Select a play, a drama or a short story with dialogues and try transforming the sentences in direct speech into reported speech.
Write about an incident or speak about a day in your life using reported speech.
Develop a story by following prompts or on your own using reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written. Check them out.

Santana said that she would be auditioning for the lead role in Funny Girl.
Blaine requested us to help him with the algebraic equations.
Karishma asked me if I knew where her car keys were.
The judges announced that the Warblers were the winners of the annual acapella competition.
Binsha assured that she would reach Bangalore by 8 p.m.
Kumar said that he had gone to the doctor the previous day.
Lakshmi asked Teena if she would accompany her to the railway station.
Jibin told me that he would help me out after lunch.
The police ordered everyone to leave from the bus stop immediately.
Rahul said that he was drawing a caricature.

Transform the following sentences into reported speech by making the necessary changes.

1. Rachel said, “I have an interview tomorrow.”

2. Mahesh said, “What is he doing?”

3. Sherly said, “My daughter is playing the lead role in the skit.”

4. Dinesh said, “It is a wonderful movie!”

5. Suresh said, “My son is getting married next month.”

6. Preetha said, “Can you please help me with the invitations?”

7. Anna said, “I look forward to meeting you.”

8. The teacher said, “Make sure you complete the homework before tomorrow.”

9. Sylvester said, “I am not going to cry anymore.”

10. Jade said, “My sister is moving to Los Angeles.”

Now, find out if you have answered all of them correctly.

1. Rachel said that she had an interview the next day.

2. Mahesh asked what he was doing.

3. Sherly said that her daughter was playing the lead role in the skit.

4. Dinesh exclaimed that it was a wonderful movie.

5. Suresh said that his son was getting married the following month.

6. Preetha asked if I could help her with the invitations.

7. Anna said that she looked forward to meeting me.

8. The teacher told us to make sure we completed the homework before the next day.

9. Sylvester said that he was not going to cry anymore.

10. Jade said that his sister was moving to Los Angeles.

What is reported speech?

What is the definition of reported speech.

What is the formula of reported speech?

You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech. Subject said that (report whatever the speaker said)

Give some examples of reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written.

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

Reported Speech /

Reported Speech For Class 10: Exciting Exercises with Answers [PDF]

Updated on
Jan 12, 2024

Reported speech plays an integral role in maintaining effective communication skills . It also ensures accuracy, objectivity, and clarity among the speakers. Reported Speech is an essential linguistic tool from everyday conversations to formal writing. It is important to teach reported speech to Class 10 to give them a wider scope of the English Language and vocabulary . Reported Speech is effective in conveying the thoughts and ideas of others accurately and without causing any misrepresentation.

This Blog Includes:

What is reported speech in english grammar, reported speech for class 10 exercise 1 – mcqs, exercise 2 – change the sentences from direct to indirect speech.

Reported Speech is often called Indirect Speech, which is not the exact words spoken by the speaker and is not written inside the quotation marks. It is the representation of the words spoken by the speaker in the past by another person. Reported Speech involves transforming verb tenses, pronouns, and sometimes other elements. The changes are important to accurately represent the reported information while integrating it into the speaker’s sentence structure.

Must Read! Reported Speech: Definition, Rules, Usage with Examples

Here are the MCQs on reported speech for class 10th students. Students have to select the correct option from the given options according to the statement asked based on Reported Speech.

Which sentence is in the reported speech?

a. She said, “I will be there soon.”

b. She says, “I will be there soon.”

c. She said, “She will be there soon.”

d. She says, “She will be there soon.”

What is the correct reported speech for: “I am studying for exams.”?

a. He said that he was studying for exams.

b. He says that he is studying for exams.

c. He says that he was studying for exams.

d. He said that he is studying for exams.

Which pronoun change is correct in reported speech?

a. “I” changes to “he.”

b. “They” changes to “we.”

c. “You” changes to “she.”

d. “He” changes to “it.”

What is the reported speech for: “Did you finish your homework?”?

a. She asked if she finished her homework.

b. She asked if I finished my homework.

c. She asked if I had finished my homework.

d. She asked if she had finished her homework.

Which tense change is required in reported speech?

a. Present simple changes to past simple.

b. Past simple changes to present continuous.

c. Present continuous changes to future perfect.

d. Future simple changes to past perfect.

Which sentence is correctly reported?

a. Sarah told me that she is leaving tomorrow.

b. Sarah told me that she was leaving tomorrow.

c. Sarah tells me that she will leave tomorrow.

d. Sarah told me that she leaves tomorrow.

What is the reported speech for: “I will call you later.”?

a. She said that she would call me later.

b. She said that she would call me later.

c. She says that she will call me later.

d. She says that she will call me later.

Which of the following is a reported speech question?

a. He said, “I am going to the store.”

b. She asked, “Have you seen my keys?”

c. They said, “We will arrive soon.”

d. She told me, “Don’t be late.”

What is the correct reported speech for: “Can you help me with this?”?

a. He asked if he could help me with that.

b. He asked if I can help him with this.

c. He asks if he can help me with this.

d. He asks if I could help him with that.

Which sentence represents reported speech?

a. “Stop!” she shouted.

b. She shouts, “Stop!”

c. She shouted to stop.

d. She shouted, “Stop!”

Also Read: Useful Idioms for IELTS Exams That Will Boost Your Score

Check Your Answers

Match your answers with the right answers given below:

1. c. She said, “She will be there soon.”

2. a. He said that he was studying for exams.

3. a. “I” changes to “he.”

4. c. She asked if I had finished my homework.

5. a. Present simple changes to past simple.

6. b. Sarah told me that she was leaving tomorrow.

7. b. She said that she would call me later.

8. b. She asked, “Have you seen my keys?”

9. a. He asked if he could help me with that.

10. c. She shouted to stop.

Also Read: 50 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech Interrogative Sentences

As candidates are well versed with the concept of reported speech it is time for the candidates to solve this exercise based on converting direct speech to indirect speech.

“I am reading a book,” she said.
“We will go to the beach tomorrow,” he announced.
“Can you help me with my homework?” she asked.
“I have already seen that movie,” he claimed.
“Please turn off the lights,” she requested.
“They are cooking dinner,” he mentioned.
“Why did you arrive late?” she inquired.
“I cannot solve this math problem,” he admitted.
“I will call you later,” she promised.
“Let’s meet at the park,” he suggested.
“She has been working all day,” he observed.
“Do you like chocolate ice cream?” she wondered.
“The concert starts at 8 PM,” he informed.
“We won the championship,” she exclaimed.
“I need more time to finish the project,” he confessed.
“The train departs in 15 minutes,” she reminded.
“Did you visit the museum?” he asked.
“I’m going to visit my grandparents next weekend,” she said.
“We should plant more trees,” he advised.
“Don’t forget to buy milk,” she reminded.

Must Read: Subject-Verb Agreement: Definition, 12 Rules & Examples

Answers

She said that she was reading a book.
He announced that they would go to the beach the next day.
She asked if I could help her with her homework.
He claimed that he had already seen that movie.
She requested to turn off the lights.
He mentioned that they were cooking dinner.
She inquired why I had arrived late.
He admitted that he couldn’t solve that math problem.
She promised that she would call later.
He suggested meeting at the park.
He observed that she had been working all day.
She wondered if I liked chocolate ice cream.
He informed me that the concert started at 8 PM.
She exclaimed that they had won the championship.
He confessed that he needed more time to finish the project.
She reminded me that the train departed in 15 minutes.
He asked if I had visited the museum.
She said she was going to visit her grandparents the following weekend.
He advised that they should plant more trees.
She reminded me not to forget to buy milk.

More Reads on Reported Speech for Class 10

What are the four types of reported speech?

The four types of reported speech are assertive, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory.

What are the two main types of reported speech?

The two main types of reported speech are direct and indirect speech.

Why do we use reported speech?

Reported Speech is effective in conveying the thoughts and ideas of others accurately and without causing any misrepresentation.

This was all about the Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 Students with Answers. Hope you understand the concept and where it’s used. Keep an eye on Leverage Edu for more exciting and informative blogs.

Amanpreet Kaur

📚✨ From Classroom Chats Entered Into The Wordy World ….. Yes , If you all Remember that teacher who kept you on your toes with pop quizzes and endless homework? YEP! THAT WAS Me ! 🌟 But with the blessings of almighty and the key motivation of my husband who came across the spark of writing in me has insisted me to pave my way away from chalk dust to creative burst!💫 Being in this new world of writing I can compose pun-tastic content, poetry full of emotions and humorous articles that can even make Shakespeare envious of me 📝🎭.Yippee! from teaching young minds to educating worldwide readers it's an epic career switch. From teaching grammar lessons to grammatically flawless copy, I'm todays' wordsmith on a mission! Let me spin literary magic all around and conquer my exact destination of proving myself as The Best Writer in The World.🚀🏆 My promise is to provide you with valuable insights, solutions to your questions, and a momentary escape from the routine. I believe in the power of words to create connections, provoke thought, and foster growth. Woods are lovely dark and deep But I have promises to keep and Miles to go before I sleep ……..🌳✨🌌

8 Universities with higher ROI than IITs and IIMs

Grab this one-time opportunity to download this ebook

Connect With Us

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

Reported Speech

Perfect english grammar.

Reported Statements

Here's how it works:

We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. ( Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell' .) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:

Direct speech: I like ice cream.
Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'. (As I'm sure you know, often, we can choose if we want to use 'that' or not in English. I've put it in brackets () to show that it's optional. It's exactly the same if you use 'that' or if you don't use 'that'.)

But , if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:

Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.

* doesn't change.

Direct speech: The sky is blue.
Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.

Click here for a mixed tense exercise about practise reported statements. Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

Reported Questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

Direct speech: Where do you live?
Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.
Direct speech: Where is Julie?
Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.
Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?
Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

Click here to practise reported 'wh' questions. Click here to practise reported 'yes / no' questions. Reported Requests

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

Direct speech: Close the window, please
Or: Could you close the window please?
Or: Would you mind closing the window please?
Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.
Direct speech: Please don't be late.
Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders

Direct speech: Sit down!
Reported speech: She told me to sit down.
Click here for an exercise to practise reported requests and orders.
Click here for an exercise about using 'say' and 'tell'.
Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

Hello! I'm Seonaid! I'm here to help you understand grammar and speak correct, fluent English.

Reported speech

Level: intermediate

Reporting and summarising

When we want to report what people say, we don't usually try to report their exact words. We usually give a summary , for example:

Direct speech (exact words) :

Mary : Oh dear. We've been walking for hours! I'm exhausted. I don't think I can go any further. I really need to stop for a rest. Peter : Don't worry. I'm not surprised you're tired. I'm tired too. I'll tell you what, let's see if we can find a place to sit down, and then we can stop and have our picnic.

Reported speech (summary) :

When Mary complained that she was tired out after walking so far, Peter said they could stop for a picnic.

Reporting verbs

When we want to report what people say, we use reporting verbs . Different reporting verbs have different patterns, for example:

Mary complained (that) she was tired . (verb + that clause) She asked if they could stop for a rest . (verb + if clause) Peter told her not to worry . (verb + to -infinitive) He suggested stopping and having a picnic . (verb + - ing form)

See reporting verbs with that , wh- and if clauses , verbs followed by the infinitive , verbs followed by the -ing form .

GapFillDragAndDrop_MTY1NTE=

GapFillTyping_MTY1NTI=

Tenses in reported speech

When reporting what people say or think in English, we need to remember that the rules for tense forms in reported speech are exactly the same as in the rest of the language.

This is a letter that Andrew wrote ten years ago:

If we wanted to report what Andrew said in his letter, we might say something like this:

Andrew said that when he was 22, he was an engineering student in his last month at university. He wanted to travel abroad after he had finished his course at the university, but he would need to earn some money while he was abroad so he wanted to learn to teach English as a foreign language. A friend had recommended a course but Andrew needed more information, so he wrote to the school and asked them when their courses started and how much they were . He also wanted to know if there was an examination at the end of the course.

We would naturally use past tense forms to talk about things which happened ten years ago. So, tenses in reports and summaries in English are the same as in the rest of the language.

Sometimes we can choose between a past tense form and a present tense form. If we're talking about the past but we mention something that's still true , we can use the present tense:

John said he'd stayed at the Shangri-la because it' s the best hotel in town. Mary said she enjoyed the film because Robert de Niro is her favourite actor. Helen said she loves visiting New York.

or the past tense:

John said he'd stayed at the Shangri-la because it was the best hotel in town. Mary said she enjoyed the film because Robert de Niro was her favourite actor. Helen said she loved visiting New York.

If we're talking about something that everybody knows is true , we normally use the present tense :

Michael said he'd always wanted to climb Everest because it' s the highest mountain in the world. Mary said she loved visiting New York because it' s such an exciting city.

Hi! I found the following paragraph from a grammar site while I was studying the reported speech. Can you help me? It says; --> We can use a perfect form with have + -ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past: He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’)

And my question is: How do we understand if it is a hypothetical event in the past or not? We normally don't change 'might' in reported speech. (e.g. ‘It might snow tonight,’ he warned. --> He warned that it might snow that night.) But why do we say 'He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters.' instead of 'He said that the noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ What's the difference between these two indirect reported speeches? Could you please explain the difference? And I also found this example which is about the same rule above: --> He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: a) ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or b) ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’) Can you also explain why we report this sentence like that. How can we both change a) and b) into the same indirect reported speech? Thank you very much!

Hello Melis_06,

1. He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. 2. He said that the noise might be the postman delivering letters.

In sentence 1 it is clear that the noise has ended; it is a noise that 'he' could hear but it is not a noise that you can hear now. In sentence 2 the noise could have ended or it could be a noise that you can still hear now. For example, if the noise is one which is constant, such as a noise that comes from your car engine that you are still trying to identify, then you would use sentence 2. In other words, sentence 2 allows for a wider range of time possibilities - both past (ended) and present (still current).

Your second question is similar:

He said he would have helped us if we needed a volunteer - you no longer need a volunteer

He said he would help us if we needed a volunteer - this could still be relevant; you may still need a volunteer.

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello my friend : what are you doing now? me : I'm eating an apple now and My friend repeated his question now

my question

Can I repeat the sentence in the past ( I was eating an apple) and mean( I'm eating an apple now) ?

You can but it is unusual. If you say I was eating an apple (past continuous), it means that it was in the past. You already finished eating the apple and you are not eating it now. But if your friend asked you just a moment ago, I guess you are still eating the apple when she/he asks the second question, so I would say I'm eating an apple (because you are still doing it).

Alternatively, you can use a past tense reporting verb e.g. I said I was eating an apple (referring to the time of the first question), or I said I 'm eating an apple (to show that you are still eating it now, at the moment of speaking).

LearnEnglish team

Am I correct then? When someone wants us to repeat the sentence we have just said a moment ago we say 'I said I am doing...' if we are still doing that action. But if we are done with that action, then we say 'I said I was doing...' Did I get it right? Thanks!

Hello Meldo,

Yes, that's correct. Well done!

Hi. I wish to enquire if the verb tense used after a conjunction also changes in complex sentences as per tense transition rules, especially if it is already in simple past tense. In order to explain, could you please solve the following for me: 1. It has been quite a while since I last saw you. 2. Nevertheless, she has been quite desensitized to such perverse actions to the extent that it seldom ever seems obnoxious to her. 3. Let me keep this in my cupboard lest I misplace this. 4. I had arrived at the station before you even left your house. 5. I met my grandfather before he died.

Hi Aamna bluemoon,

The verb may or may not be backshifted, depending on whether the original speaker's point of view and the reporter's point of view are the same or not. For example:

She said it had been quite a while since she last saw me . (it seems relatively recent, for both the original speaker and the reporter)
She said it had been quite a while since she had last seen us . (a lot of time has passed between speaking and reporting this, or the situation has changed a lot since then e.g. they have met frequently since then)
She said she had met her grandfather before he died . (seems quite recent)
She said she had met her grandfather before he'd died . (a lot of time has passed between speaking and reporting this)

I hope that helps.

Hi, can you help me, please? How could I report this famous quotation: 'There's no such things as good news in America'.

Hi bri.q630,

First of all, the sentence is not grammatically correct. The phrase is 'no such thing' (singular), not 'things'.

How you report it depends. Using 'said' as the reporting verb we have two possibilities:

1. They said (that) there's no such thing as good news in America. 2. They said (that) there was no such thing as good news in America.

Sentence 2 tells that only about the time when 'they' said it. It does not tell us if it is still true or not.

Sentence 1 tells us that what 'they' said is still relevant today. In other words there was no good news (in their opinion) when they spoke, and there is still no good news now.

Thank you Peter,

All things are getting clear to me.

So, you mean, I can use both sentences depending on what I want to indicate, can't I?

then the possible indications are bellow, are those correct?

1-a I remembered the World War 2 ended in 1945. (This would be indicated the statement is still ture.)

1-b I remembered the World War 2 had ended in 1945. (This would be indicated I might missunderstand.)

2-a I felt time is money. (This would be indicated the statement is still ture.)

2-b I felf time was money. (This would be indicated I might not feel any more.)

3-a I knew the sun rises in the east. (This would be indicated the statement is still true.)

3-b I knew the sun rase in the east. (This would be indicated I might misunderstand or forget.)

4-a I guessed* that Darth Vader is Luke's father. (This would be indicated I still believe he is.*sorry for the typo)

4-2 I guessed that Darth Vader was Luke's father. (This would be indicated I might know he is not.)

Thank you in advance.

Hello again Nobori,

1-a I remembered the World War 2 ended in 1945. (This would be indicated the statement is still ture.) 1-b I remembered the World War 2 had ended in 1945. (This would be indicated I might missunderstand.)

Both forms are possible here. The 'ending' is a moment in the past; after this there is no war. By the way, we treat 'World War 2' as a name so there is no article before it.

2-a I felt time is money. (This would be indicated the statement is still ture.) 2-b I felf time was money. (This would be indicated I might not feel any more.)

That's correct. Remember that backshifting the verb does not mean something is no longer true; it simply does not tell us anything about the present. Here, it tells the reader how you felt at a given moment in time; you may

3-a I knew the sun rises in the east. (This would be indicated the statement is still true.) 3-b I knew the sun rase in the east. (This would be indicated I might misunderstand or forget.)

That's also correct. Again, remember that backshifting the verb does not mean something is no longer true; it simply does not tell us anything about the present.

4-a I guessed* that Darth Vader is Luke's father. (This would be indicated I still believe he is.*sorry for the typo) 4-2 I guessed that Darth Vader was Luke's father. (This would be indicated I might know he is not.)

Again, correct. In the second example it might still be true that he is Luke's father, or it might have turned out to be not true. The sentence does not tell us.

Hi Peter, Thank you for your thoughtful answer. Allthing is now very clear to me. Best

Hi, I am translating a fiction novel into English and need your help regarding the reporting speech as for few things I am not getting any clear understanding over the internet. As you know in fiction, we need to write in non-ordinary way to create unique impressions of the word and academic writing is different than speaking. Will be grateful if you could give your insight below, especially considering in the context of fiction/academic writing.

1) Let’s say If someone is giving a speech or presentation, I want to mix their speech, indirect-direct and past tense- present tense. Below are three examples:

-He said, their company makes excellent profit every year OR their company made excellent profit every year ( can both be correct? As the sentence)

- Roger had given his speech yesterday. He said, their company makes excellent profit every year and your company will sustain for next hundred years.(Can YOUR be used in the sentence)

- Roger said people wants to feel important OR Roger said people wanted to feel important (which will be correct as this is a trait which is true in past and present)

2) He thought why he is talking to her OR He thought why he was talking to her (are both write? As usually I see in novels the second example with WAS)

3) Gia was sitting with Jake and she told him she had met with her last year. Her mother had taken her to the dinner. Her mother had told her about her future plans. Her mother also had paid the bill for the dinner. (Do I need to use every time past perfect in this example though it doesn’t feel natural? As a rule of thumb I think past perfect needs to be used when we talk about another past event in the past )

Hello Alamgir3,

We're happy to help with a few specific grammar questions, but I'm afraid we can't help you with your translation -- I'd suggest you find an editor for that.

1) In the second clause, you can use present or past. We often use the present when it's still true now, but the past is not wrong. FYI we don't normally use a comma after 'said' in reported speech.

2) 'Why was he talking to her?' he thought.

3) This is really more of a question of style than grammar. Here I would suggest doing something like combining the four sentences into two and then leaving out 'had' in the second verb in each sentence. Even if it isn't written, it's understood to be past perfect.

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hello teachers, I'm sorry, I could not find where to new post. Could you tell me about the back-sifting of thoughts bellow? Which forms are correct?

1-a I remembered the World War 2 ended in 1945. 1-b I remembered the World War 2 had ended in 1945.

2-a I felt time is money. 2-b I felf time was money.

3-a I knew the sun rises in the east. 3-b I knew the sun rase in the east.

4-a I guess that Darth Vader is Luke's father. 4-2 I guessed that Darth Vader was Luke's father.

Do those questions have the same conclusion as indirect speech, such as say and tell?

Hello Nobori,

The verb form remains the same when we want to make it clear that the situation described by the verb is still true, and this works in the same way as indirect speech. For example:

She said she loves me. [she loved me then and she loves me still] She said she loved me. [she loved me then; no information on how she feels now]

Other than this rule, the choice is really contextual and stylistic (up to the speaker). Sometimes a choice implies something. For example, the saying 'time is money' is a general statement, so if you choose to backshift here the listener will know it is an intentional choice and suspect that something has changed (you no longer believe it).

Hi teachers, I've read almost the section of comments below and my summarize is the present tense only can be used if the statement is still true now and past simple only tells the statement was true in the past and doesn't tell the statement is true or not now. Just to make sure, I wanna ask, If I'm not sure whether the statement is still true or not now, can I choose backshift instead (this is still apply to past tense become past perfect)? Thank you

Hello rahmanagustiansyah,

It sounds to me as if you've got the right general idea. Could you please give a couple of example sentences that illustrate your question?

Thanks in advance, Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

For example, Steve said "Anna hates you." Then I wanna tell about that to my friend, but I'm not sure whether Anna still hates me or not now. What should I choose between these two options. Answer 1:Steve said Anna hates me or Answer 2 : Steve said Anna hated me. Thank you

Hi rahmanagustiansyah,

In that case, I would choose answer 2. I might even add "... but I don't know if she still does" to the sentence to clarify, if that is the key point you want to communicate.

Jonathan The LearnEnglish Team

Hello Natasa Tanasa,

Both sentences are grammatically possible.

The first sentence is only possible if when the person asks the original question the woman is no longer there (she has already gone). The second sentence can be used in this situation too, or in a situation in which the woman was still there when the original question was asked. As the past tense is used in the original question ( Who was... ), both sentences are possible.

Hello Ahmed Imam,

When the situation is still true at the time of reporting, we can leave the verb form unchanged. For example:

1. She told me she loved me.

2. She told me she loves me.

In sentence 1 we know she loved me when she told me but we don't know whether or not she loves me now. In sentence 2, we know she loved me when she told me and we know that she loves me now.

In your example, if the supermarket is still in the same place then we can use either form. If the supermarket has been closed down or moved to another location then we need to use was .

As for which is 'safer', you'll need to make your own mind up! Keeping the verb in the same form carries more specific information and that may be appropriate or even important.

Hello eugelatina87,

I'll give you a hint: a verb is missing from the question.

Does that help you complete it?

All the best,

The first two sentences are possible and they can both mean that he is still Mary's boyfriend now. The first one makes this more clear, but the second one doesn't only refer to the past.

Hello magnuslin

Regarding your first question, the most common way of saying it is the second one. In some very specific situation, perhaps the first option would be possible.

This also answers your second question. It is not necessary to always backshift using the tenses you mention.

As for your third question, no, it is not necessary. In fact, it is probably more common to use the past simple in the reported speech as well.

All the best

Hello manu,

Both forms are possible. If you use had been then we understand that he was there earlier but not when he said it - in other words, when he said it he had already left. If you use was then he may have left at the time of speaking, or he may have still been there.

Hello _princess_

I would recommend using answer a) because this is the general pattern used in reported speech. Sometimes the verb in the reported clause can be in the present tense when we are speaking about a situation that is still true, but the reported verb in the past tense can also have the same meaning. Since here the time referred to could be either past or present, I'd recommend using the past form.

Hello mwright,

This is an example of an indirect question. An indirect question reports a question, but is not a question itself, which is why we do not use a question mark at the end. Since it is not a question, we use the normal word order without inversion or auxiliary verbs. For example:

Indicative: He lives in Rome. Interrogative: Does he live in Rome? (Where does he live?) Reported: She asked if he lives in Rome. (She asked where he lives.)

Hello ahlinthit

There are different styles of punctuating direct speech -- in other words, you might find other sources that will disagree with me -- but what I would use here is something different: "The boss is dead!" said the doctor.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes

Hello Timmosky,

The form that comes after the auxiliary verb 'do' (or 'does' or 'did') is not the plural present simple verb, but rather the bare infinitive (also known as 'base form' or 'first form') of the verb. Does that make sense?

All the best, Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

Hello sky-high,

This is very formal language. The phrase 'to the effect that' means 'with the meaning that'. In this context it can be understood to mean 'with the result that'.

Best wishes,

The difference is quite logical. If we use 'said' then we are talking about a claim by Peter in the past which he may or may not still maintain. If we use 'says' then we are talking about an opinion expressed by Peter which he still holds.

The reported information (whether or not Rooney is in good shape) can refer to only the past or to the present as well and the statement (what Peter thinks) can separately refer to only the past or the present as well. Of course, all of this is from the point of view of the person reporting Peter's opinion, and whether or not they think that Peter still thinks now what he thought then.

Both are possible. If you use the present tense then it is clear that the statement is still true (i.e. the business was not growing when Mary spoke and is still not growing now). If you use the past tense then no information is given regarding the present (i.e. the business was growing when Mary spoke and may or may not be growing now).

Hello aseel aftab,

It should be 'if they had'. This is not from this page, is it? I don't see it anywhere here, but if I've missed it please let me know.

Online courses

Group and one-to-one classes with expert teachers.

Learn English in your own time, at your own pace.

One-to-one sessions focused on a personal plan.

Get the score you need with private and group classes.

7. Reported speech

CBSE Class 10
Writing Skills with Grammar
7. Reported speech Notes
Online English tutor English Book
Publication
Online English tutor

Direct and Indirect (reported) Speech

In our daily conversation many times we describe or report an event or action that happened, and very often that includes repeating what someone said.

In order to describe what people said there are two different types of speech –

Direct speech
Indirect speech (or reported speech)

What is Direct & Indirect Speech?

Direct speech – in this type of speech qwe report the message of the speaker in the exact words as spoken by him.

Direct speech example : Maya said ‘I am busy now’.

‘I am busy now’ are the exact words of the speaker.

Indirect speech : In this type of speech we report only the message of the speaker in our own words , we don’t report the exact words of that speaker.

Indirect speech example: Maya said that she was busy then. – only message is reported not the exact words of speaker

Reporting verb and reported speech

The speech of a person can be divided into two categories

Reporting verb (verb of the first clause)
Reported speech ( words within inverted commas

She said, “I will be late today.”

First clause is ‘She said’ where

Said = reporting verb

Words within inverted commas are

‘I will be late today ‘ = reported speech

Important points to convert direct speech into indirect speech

No punctuation marks are used except full stop.
Tense of the reported speech is changed if the reporting verb is in past tense.
No change in the tense of the reported speech if it expresses any universal truth, habitual action or historical facts.

Rules to change the reporting verb

Says – says

Says to – tells

Said – said

Said to- told

Rules to change the Pronouns of reported speech

First person i s change according to the subject of reporting verb
Second person is changed according to the object of the reporting verb
Third person is not changed

Rules to change the Direct speech into Indirect speech ( if the reporting verb is in past)

1. Simple present becomes simple past

Direct - He said, “She often hesitates while speaking in class”.

Indirect - He said that she often hesitates while speaking in class. ( Habitual action thus no change in tense)

Direct - He said, “I go to park”

Indirect - He said that he went to park. (Habitual action thus no change in tense)

Direct - He said, “my mother is in the hospital.”

Indirect - He said that his mother was in the hospital.

2. Present continuous becomes past continuous

Direct - He said, “She is watering the plants.”

Indirect - He said that she was watering the plants.

Direct - He said, “ I am looking for my purse”

Indirect - He said that he was looking for his purse.

3. Present perfect becomes past perfect

Direct - He said, “We have taken our meal.”

Indirect - He said that they had taken their meal.

Direct - He said, “you have won the match.”

Indirect - He said that I had won the match.

4. Present perfect continuous becomes past perfect continuous

Direct - He said, “I have been suffering with this disease since last week.”

Indirect - He said that he had been suffering with that disease since the previous week.”

Direct - He said, “My parents have been looking for new accommodation for two months. ”

Indirect - He said that his parents had been looking for new accommodation for two months.

5. Simple past becomes past perfect

Direct - He said, “We visited here a month ago.”

Indirect - He said that they had visited there a month before.

Direct - He said to us, “The police didn’t arrest the thief today.”

Indirect - He told us that the police had not arrested the thief that day.

6. Past continuous becomes past perfect continuous

Direct - He said, “These boys were quarrelling today”

Indirect - He said that those boys had been quarrelling that day”

Direct - He said, “you were sleeping when I came.”

Indirect - He said that I had been sleeping when he had come.

7. Past perfect remains unchanged

Direct - He said, “They had gone yesterday.”

Indirect - He said that they had gone a day before.

Direct - He said, “you had slept when I came.”

Indirect - He said that I had slept when he had come.

8. Past perfect continuous remains unchanged

Direct - He said, “I had been riding the bicycle since morning.”

Indirect - He said that he had been riding the bicycle since morning.

Direct - He said, “I had been swimming for a week”

Indirect - He said that he had been swimming for a week.

9. Shall/will/can/may get converted into should/ would/could/might

Direct - He said, “I shall drop you home.”

Indirect - He said that he would drop me home.( Shall is often converted into would )

Direct - He said, “My brother can be coming by bus.”

Indirect - He said that his brother could be coming by bus.

Direct - He said, “ He may have cleaned the home.”

Indirect - He said that he might have cleaned the home.

Direct - He said, “ Raman shall have been walking for an hour.”

Indirect - He said that Raman would have been walking for an hour.

Changes in time or place expressions in direct speech to indirect speech

Words showing nearness in time and place are changed into the words showing distance in time and place.

It depends on when we heard the direct speech and when we report speech. ( Generally at the time of speaking)

if it is Sunday

Mary says "My parents are arriving today ". If Mona tell someone on Sunday

Mona say "Mary said that her parents were arriving today ".

But on Tuesday,

Mona say " Mary said that her parents were arriving yesterday ".

In the same way,

on Wednesday

Mona say "Mary said that her parents were arriving on Monday ". after a week

Mona will say "Mary said that her parents were leaving that day " .

Place words ( should be changed according to the given situation )

When the speech is reported in the same place - no changes in place words
When the speech is reported in the different place - due changes in place words

If the speech is reported at the same place.

He said: "Sam has been here." → He said that Sam had been here.

If the speech is reported at the different place.

He said: "Sam has been here." → He said that Sam had been there .

Direct speech Indirect speech

Here → there, in Starbucks

This → that

this book → the book, that book,

in this room → in the room, in that room

Conversion Of Interrogative sentences into Indirect speech

‘Asked’ is used to introduce reported speech.
The interrogative form is changed into Assertive Forms

The auxiliary verbs is shifted back to the subject.

Direct speech : “Where are you going?” Reported speech : He asked me where I was going . ( Verb shifted back to the subject)

No auxiliary verb is used , except in negative questions.

Direct -I said to him,” Do you know how to dance.”

Reported - I asked him if he knew how to dance. (‘Do' is dropped)

Yes / no questions

structure :

'ask' + 'if / whether' + clause :

Direct speech : Sue said “Shall I ever forget her” Reported speech: Sue asked if she would ever forget her.
Direct speech : He said “Do you have a laptop?” Reported speech : He asked if I had a laptop.

Interrogatives with Question words

structure :

'ask' (or another verb like 'ask') + question word + clause .

Direct speech : Sam said “Why is he wandering here and there ?” Reported speech : Sam asked why he was wandering here and there .
Direct speech : She said “What do you want?” Reported speech : She asked me what I wanted .

Conversion Of Imperative sentences into Indirect speech

Reporting verb is changed into the verbs expressing command request or advise

Ordered, advised, requested, commended, urged, forbade, told, asked etc.

Imperative mood is changed into infinitive mood by putting ‘to" before the verb
In case of a negative imperative, the auxiliary ‘ do’ is dropped and ‘to’ is placed after ‘not’
No conjunction is to be used to introduce the Reported speech

Direct speech - He said to me, “do it.”

Reported speech -He asked me to do it.

Direct speech - The teacher said to the boys, “do not make a noise .”

Reported speech -He asked the teacher ordered the boys not to make a noise.

Direct speech - The teacher said to the boys, “do not waste your time.”

Reported speech – The teacher advised the boys not to waste their time.

Direct speech - The doctor said to the patient, “Do not have sweets, as there is cavity in the teeth.”

Reported speech – The doctor forbade the patient to have sweets as there was cavity in the teeth.

Conversion Of sentences beginning with ‘Let’ into Indirect speech

When Let expresses

A proposal – reporting verb changes into ‘proposed or suggested’ and ‘Let’ is replaced by ‘should’

Direct speech - Mohan said to me, “ Let us go to park .”

Reported speech – Mohan Proposed me that we should go to the park.

Direct speech - I said to my friends, “ Let us wait for the result.”

Reported speech – I proposed my friends that we should wait for the result.

A permission – it changes into ‘might be allowed ’ or simply into ‘ to Let'

Direct speech - He said to the peon, “ Let the visitor come in.”

Reported speech – He ordered the peon that the visitor might be allowed to come in.

Reported speech – He ordered the peon to let the visitor come in.

Conversion Of Optative sentences into Indirect speech

Reporting verb ‘ sa i d’ is changed into ‘ wished or prayed’
‘ That’ is used to introduce the reported speech
optative sentence changed into an assertive sentence and the sign of exclamation ‘!’ is replaced by a full stop.

Direct speech - He said to me, “May you be happy.”

Reported speech – He wished that I might be happy.

Direct speech - They said, “Would that I were rich.”

Reported speech – He wished that he had been rich.

Enter your mobile number to sign up in EduMple

Enter your mobile number.

Question and Answer forum for K12 Students

Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE

Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers

Reported speech is when we express or say things that have already been said by somebody else.

Basic English Grammar rules can be tricky. In this article, we’ll get you started with the basics of sentence structure, punctuation, parts of speech, and more.

We also providing Extra Questions for Class 10 English Chapter wise.

Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises For Class 10 Cbse With Answers PDF

Reporting of the words of a speaker in one’s own words is called Narration. There are two ways of reporting what people say: Direct Speech and Indirect Speech. Direct Speech. The actual words of the speaker using quotation marks are called Direct Speech. Indirect Speech. When we convey the speaker’s words in our own words it becomes Indirect Speech. It is the reporting of speakers’ words, using a saying or asking verbs. In indirect, verbs giving or asking for instructing are often used with a to-infinitive construction. Verbs expressing intention may also be followed by a to-infinitive.

There are basically four types of sentences in which we can convert direct speech into Indirect speech.

Assertive Sentences (Statements)
Interrogative Sentences (Questions)
Imperative Sentences (Commands and Requests)
Exclamatory Sentences (Strong Feelings)

To convert a Direct speech into an Indirect speech, we have to make some necessary changes. Change No.1. Remove the commas and inverted commas. Use any conjunction.

Change No.2. In Reported Speech, there are some words which show nearness, but they are always converted into words which show distance.

They are as follows:

Note. ‘Come’ is changed into ‘go’ only in that case when any word showing nearness is given with it. Change No. 3. Change of Person. There are three types of Person in English language which are as follows:

Change No. 4. If the reporting verb is in Present or in Future Tense, there is no change in the tense of the Reported Speech. If the reporting verb is in Past Tense, there is always a change in the tense of the Reported Speech, which is as follows:

Present Indefinite is changed into Past Indefinite
Present Continuous is changed into Past Continuous
Present Perfect is changed into Past Perfect
Present Perfect Continuous is changed into Past Perfect Continuous
Past Indefinite is changed into Past Perfect
Past Continuous is changed into Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous remain unchanged

In case of Future Tense, there are only four words which are changed, i.e.

Changes based on the types of sentences.

1. Assertive Sentences (Statements) Change No. 1. Remove the commas and inverted commas. Use conjunction ‘that’. Change No. 2. Change the reporting verb ‘say into tell’, ‘says into tell’, ‘said into told’, if the reporting object is given in the sentence. But do not change the reporting verb if the reporting object is not given in the sentence. Change No. 3. ‘Said to’ can be changed into told, replied, informed, stated, added, remarked, asserted, assured, reminded, complained, and reported, according to the meaning. Change No. 4. Always remove “to’ from the reporting speech, e.g.

He said to me, “I cannot help you in this matter.” He told me that he could not help me in that matter.
He said, “My sister’s marriage comes off next month.” He said that his sister’s marriage would come off the following month.

2. Interrogative Sentences (Questions)

Change No. 1. Change the reporting verb ‘said ‘or ‘said to’into‘ asked’ or ‘inquired of’. In case of a single question, change it into ‘asked’ but in case of more than one question, change it into “inquired of’. Change No. 2. Use conjunction ‘if’ or ‘whether’ if the reported speech starts with a helping verb. But do not use any conjunction if the reported speech starts with an interrogative word. Change No. 3. Change the Interrogative sense into an Assertive sense. Change No. 4. Remove ‘?’ question mark and use ‘ . ‘full stop, e.g.

She said to her servant, “Is tea ready for me?” She asked her servant if tea was ready for her.
She asked me, “Who teaches you English?” She asked me who taught me English.

3. Imperative Sentences (Commands and Requests)

Change No. 1. Change the reporting verb‘said’ or ‘said to’ into ordered, commanded, requested, advised, warned, forbade, suggested, encouraged, persuaded, begged, etc. according to the sense. Change No. 2. Remove the commas and inverted commas, use conjunction ‘to’. Change No. 3. Change the Imperative sense into Infinitive sense. Change No. 4. Remove ‘do not and use ‘not to’ in case of Negative Imperative sentences, e.g.

The teacher said to me, “Stand up on the bench.”. The teacher ordered me to stand up on the bench.
The General said to the soldiers, “March forward and attack the foe.” The General ordered the soldiers to march forward and attack the foe.
The gardener said to the boys, “Do not pluck the flowers.” The gardener forbade the boys from plucking the flowers.

4. Exclamatory Sentences (Strong Feelings)

Change No. 1. Change the reporting verb ‘said’ or ‘said to’ into “exclaimed with joy’ or ‘exclaimed with sorrow’, ‘cry out, “pray’, etc., according to the sense, i.e.

Exclaimed with joy–in case of Aha! Ha! Hurrah!
Exclaimed with sorrow–in case of Ah! Alas!
Exclaimed with surprise–in case of Oh! What! How!
Exclaimed with regret–in case of Sorry!
Exclaimed with contempt–in case of Pooh! Pshaw!
Applauded with saying–in case of Bravo! Hear!

Change No. 2. Use very or great by removing what or how. Change No. 3. Use conjunction ‘that. Change No. 4. Remove exclamatory word and exclamation sign ‘!’ The student must select the verb best suited to the sense or context, e.g.

They said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.” They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
She said, “Alas! I have lost my bridal ring.” She exclaimed with sorrow that she had lost her bridal ring.
She said, “How charming the scenery is!” She exclaimed with surprise that it was a very charming scenery.

Reported Speech Exercises Solved Example With Answers for Class 10 CBSE

Diagnostic Test – 29

Mother: Why are you looking so worried? Daughter: My exams are approaching. Mother: When will they start? Daughter: Next month, Mother.

Mother asked her daughter (a) …………………… The daughter replied that (b) …………………… Mother further asked (c) …………………… The daughter told her mother that they would start in the following month.

Answer: (a) why she was looking very worried (b) her exams were approaching. (c) when they would start.

Reported Speech: Rules, Examples, Exceptions

👉 Quiz 1 / Quiz 2

Advanced Grammar Course

What is reported speech?

“Reported speech” is when we talk about what somebody else said – for example:

Direct Speech: “I’ve been to London three times.”
Reported Speech: She said she’d been to London three times.

There are a lot of tricky little details to remember, but don’t worry, I’ll explain them and we’ll see lots of examples. The lesson will have three parts – we’ll start by looking at statements in reported speech, and then we’ll learn about some exceptions to the rules, and finally we’ll cover reported questions, requests, and commands.

Reported Speech: Rules, Examples, Exceptions Espresso English

So much of English grammar – like this topic, reported speech – can be confusing, hard to understand, and even harder to use correctly. I can help you learn grammar easily and use it confidently inside my Advanced English Grammar Course.

In this course, I will make even the most difficult parts of English grammar clear to you – and there are lots of opportunities for you to practice!

Backshift of Verb Tenses in Reported Speech

When we use reported speech, we often change the verb tense backwards in time. This can be called “backshift.”

Here are some examples in different verb tenses:

Reported Speech (Part 1) Quiz

Exceptions to backshift in reported speech.

Now that you know some of the reported speech rules about backshift, let’s learn some exceptions.

There are two situations in which we do NOT need to change the verb tense.

No backshift needed when the situation is still true

For example, if someone says “I have three children” (direct speech) then we would say “He said he has three children” because the situation continues to be true.

If I tell you “I live in the United States” (direct speech) then you could tell someone else “She said she lives in the United States” (that’s reported speech) because it is still true.

When the situation is still true, then we don’t need to backshift the verb.

He said he HAS three children

But when the situation is NOT still true, then we DO need to backshift the verb.

Imagine your friend says, “I have a headache.”

If you immediately go and talk to another friend, you could say, “She said she has a headache,” because the situation is still true
If you’re talking about that conversation a month after it happened, then you would say, “She said she had a headache,” because it’s no longer true.

No backshift needed when the situation is still in the future

We also don’t need to backshift to the verb when somebody said something about the future, and the event is still in the future.

Here’s an example:

On Monday, my friend said, “I ‘ll call you on Friday .”
“She said she ‘ll call me on Friday”, because Friday is still in the future from now.
It is also possible to say, “She said she ‘d (she would) call me on Friday.”
Both of them are correct, so the backshift in this case is optional.

Let’s look at a different situation:

On Monday, my friend said, “I ‘ll call you on Tuesday .”
“She said she ‘d call me on Tuesday.” I must backshift because the event is NOT still in the future.

Review: Reported Speech, Backshift, & Exceptions

Quick review:

Normally in reported speech we backshift the verb, we put it in a verb tense that’s a little bit further in the past.
when the situation is still true
when the situation is still in the future

Reported Requests, Orders, and Questions

Those were the rules for reported statements, just regular sentences.

What about reported speech for questions, requests, and orders?

For reported requests, we use “asked (someone) to do something”:

“Please make a copy of this report.” (direct speech)
She asked me to make a copy of the report. (reported speech)

For reported orders, we use “told (someone) to do something:”

“Go to the bank.” (direct speech)
“He told me to go to the bank.” (reported speech)

The main verb stays in the infinitive with “to”:

She asked me to make a copy of the report. She asked me make a copy of the report.
He told me to go to the bank. He told me go to the bank.

For yes/no questions, we use “asked if” and “wanted to know if” in reported speech.

“Are you coming to the party?” (direct)
He asked if I was coming to the party. (reported)
“Did you turn off the TV?” (direct)
She wanted to know if I had turned off the TV.” (reported)

The main verb changes and back shifts according to the rules and exceptions we learned earlier.

Notice that we don’t use do/does/did in the reported question:

She wanted to know did I turn off the TV.
She wanted to know if I had turned off the TV.

For other questions that are not yes/no questions, we use asked/wanted to know (without “if”):

“When was the company founded?” (direct)
She asked when the company was founded.” (reported)
“What kind of car do you drive?” (direct)
He wanted to know what kind of car I drive. (reported)

Again, notice that we don’t use do/does/did in reported questions:

“Where does he work?”
She wanted to know where does he work.
She wanted to know where he works.

Also, in questions with the verb “to be,” the word order changes in the reported question:

“Where were you born?” ([to be] + subject)
He asked where I was born. (subject + [to be])
He asked where was I born.

Reported Speech (Part 2) Quiz

Learn more about reported speech:

Reported speech: Perfect English Grammar
Reported speech: BJYU’s

If you want to take your English grammar to the next level, then my Advanced English Grammar Course is for you! It will help you master the details of the English language, with clear explanations of essential grammar topics, and lots of practice. I hope to see you inside!

I’ve got one last little exercise for you, and that is to write sentences using reported speech. Think about a conversation you’ve had in the past, and write about it – let’s see you put this into practice right away.

Master the details of English grammar:

More Espresso English Lessons:

About the author.

Shayna Oliveira

Shayna Oliveira is the founder of Espresso English, where you can improve your English fast - even if you don’t have much time to study. Millions of students are learning English from her clear, friendly, and practical lessons! Shayna is a CELTA-certified teacher with 10+ years of experience helping English learners become more fluent in her English courses.

CBSE Class 10 English Grammar – Direct And Indirect Speech

CBSE Class 10 Science CBSE Class 10 Social Science CBSE Class 10 Maths

(Statements, Commands, Requests, and Questions) The words spoken by a person can be reported in two ways—Direct and Indirect. When we quote the exact words spoken by a person, we call it Direct Speech.

Sohan said to Mohan, “I am going to school.”

The exact words spoken by Sohan are put within inverted commas. But when we give the substance of what Sohan said, it is called the Indirect Speech.

Direct and Indirect Speech

Sohan told to Mohan that he (Sohan) was going to school.

1. Reporting Clause and Reported Speech: Sohan told Mohan that he was going to school. The words which generally come before the inverted commas are called the reporting clause, i.e. Sohan said to Mohan and the verb ‘said’, is called the reporting verb. The words spoken by Sohan and put within inverted commas are called the reported speech, i.e. “I am going to school.”

2. Rules for Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech:

In the Indirect speech, no inverted commas are used.
The conjunctions that, if, whether, are generally used after the reporting verb.
The first word of the reported speech begins with a capital letter.
The tense of the reporting verb is never changed.
The reporting verb changes according to sense: it may be told, asked, inquired

3. Rules for the Change of Pronouns:

The first person pronouns (I, me, my, we, us, our) in the reported speech change according to the subject of the reporting verb.
The pronouns of the second person (you, your, yourself) in the reported speech change according to the object of the reporting verb.
The pronouns of the third person do not change.

For example:

He said, “I like the book.” He said that he liked the book.
He said to me, “Do you like the book?” He asked me if I liked the book.
He said, “He likes the book.”a He said that he liked the book.

If the reporting verb is in the present or the future tense, the tense of the reported speech is not changed: Satish says, “I am flying a kite.” Satish says that he is flying a kite. Satish will say, “I want a glass of milk.” Satish will say that he wants a glass of milk.

If the direct speech expresses a historical fact, universal truth, or a habitual fact, then the tense of the direct speech will not change: Direct: He said, “Honesty is the best policy.” Indirect: He said that honesty is the best policy. Direct: He said, “The sun rises in the east.” Indirect: He said that the sun rises in the east. Direct: Rakesh said, “I am an early riser.” Indirect : Rakesh said that he is an early riser. Direct: She said, “God is omnipresent.” Indirect: She said that God is omnipresent. Direct: The teacher said, “The First World War started in 1914.” Indirect: The teacher said that the First World War started in 1914.

6. Changing Statements into Indirect Speech:

The reporting verb ‘said to’ is changed-to ‘told’, ‘replied’, ‘remarked’,
The reporting verb is not followed by an object, it is not changed.
The inverted commas are removed. The conjunction is used to connect the reporting clause with the reported speech.

The rules for the change of pronouns, tenses, etc. are followed.

Direct: Ramu said, “I saw a lion in the forest.” Indirect: Ramu said that he had seen a lion in the forest.
Direct: Satish said to me, “I am very happy here.” Indirect: Satish told me that he was very happy there.
Direct: He said, “I can do this work.” Indirect: He said that he could do that work.
Direct: Renu said to me, “I was washing the clothes.” Indirect: Renu told me that she had been washing the clothes.
Direct: She said, “I am not well.” Indirect: She said that she was not well.
Direct: He said to Sita, “I have passed the test.” Indirect: He told Sita that he had passed the test.
Direct: I said to my friend, “He has been working very hard.” Indirect: I told my friend that he had been working very hard.
Direct: My friend said to me, “I shall go to Delhi tomorrow.” Indirect: My friend told me that he would go to Delhi the next day.
Direct: I said, “I agree to what he said.” Indirect: I said that I agreed to what he had said.
Direct: The student said to the teacher, “I am sorry that I am late.” Indirect: The student told the teacher that he was sorry that he was late.

7. Rules for the Change of Interrogative (Questions) sentences:

The reporting verb “say’ is changed into ask, inquire,

The interrogative sentence is changed into a statement by placing the subject before the verb and the full stop is put at the end of the sentence.

If the interrogative sentence has a wh-word (who, when, where, how, why, etc) the wh-word is repeated in the sentence. It serves as conjunction.

If the interrogative sentence is a yes-no answer type sentence (with auxiliary verbs am, are, was, were, do, did, have, shall, etc), then ‘if or ‘whether’ is used as a conjunction.

The auxiliaries do, does, did in a positive question in the reported speech are dropped.

The conjunction is not used after the reporting clause.

Direct: I said to him, “Where are you going?” Indirect: I asked him where he was going.
Direct: He said to me, “Will you go there?” Indirect: He asked me if I would go there.
Direct: My friend said to Deepak, “Have you ever been to Agra?” Indirect: My friend asked Deepak if he had ever been to Agra.
Direct: I said to him, “Did you enjoy the movie?” Indirect: I asked him if he had enjoyed the movie.
Direct: I said to her, “Do you know him?” Indirect: I asked her if she knew him.
Direct: He said to me, “Will you listen to me?” Indirect: He asked me if I would listen to him.
Direct: I said to him, “When will you go there?” Indirect: I asked him when he would go there.
Direct: He said to me, “How is your father?” Indirect: He asked me how my father was.
Direct: I said to him, “Are you happy?” Indirect: I asked him if he was happy.
Direct: He said to her, “Do you like apples?” Indirect: He asked her if she liked apples.

8. Changing Commands and Requests into Indirect Speech:

In imperative sentences having commands, the reporting verb is changed into command, order, tell, allow, request,etc.
The imperative mood is changed into the infinitive mood by putting ‘to’, before the verb. In case of negative sentences, the auxiliary ‘do’ is dropped and ‘to’ is placed after ‘not’:
Direct: She said to me, “Open the window.” Indirect: She ordered me to open the window.
Direct: The captain said to the soldiers, “Attack the enemy.” Indirect: The captain commanded the soldiers to attack the enemy.
Direct: I said to him, “Leave this place at once.” Indirect: I told him to leave that place at once.
Direct: The teacher said to the students, “Listen to me attentively.” Indirect: The teacher asked the students to listen to him attentively.
Direct: The Principal said to the peon, “Ring the bell.” Indirect: The Principal ordered the peon to ring the bell.
Direct: The master said to the servant, “Fetch me a glass of water.” Indirect: The master ordered the servant to fetch him a glass of water.
Direct: I said to him, “Please bring me a glass of water.” Indirect: I requested him to bring me a glass of water.
Direct: I said to my friend, “Please lend me your book.” Indirect: I requested my friend to lend me his book.

9. Sentences with ‘Let’.

‘Let’ is used in various meanings.

(i) ‘Let’ is used to make a proposal.

First change the reporting verb into ‘proposed’ or ‘suggested’.
Use ‘should’ instead of ‘let’. Example: Direct: He said to me, “Let us go home.” Indirect: He suggested to me that we should go home.

(ii) ‘Let’ is used as ‘to allow’.

In Indirect Speech, we change the reporting verb to ‘requested’ or ‘ordered’.
We start Reported Speech with ‘to’. Direct: Ram said to Mohan, “Let him do it.” Indirect: Ram ordered Mohan to let him do that. Or Ram told Mohan that he might be allowed to do that.

10. Sentences with Question Tags (i) In the indirect speech the question-tag is usually left. (ii) In indirect speech these words are removed and the word ‘respectfully’ is used in the reporting clause. Direct: Mahesh said, “Sir, may I go home?” Indirect: Mahesh respectfully asked his sir if he might go home.

11. Sentences with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ Direct : He said, “Can you dance?” And I said, “No.” Indirect: He asked me if I could dance and I replied that I couldn’t. Direct : My mother said, “Will you come home on time?” And I said, “Yes.” Indirect: My mother asked me if I would come home on time and I replied that I would.

Note : ‘Yes’ of ‘No’ hides a complete sentence. Therefore, change yes/no into a short answer.

Direct : She said to me, “You didn’t break the window, did you?” Indirect: She asked me if/whether I had broken the window. Direct : He said to Geeta, “You are going to the station, aren’t you?” Indirect: He asked Geeta if/ whether she was going to the station.

12. Sentences with ‘have to’ or ‘had to’ (i) Change ‘have to’ according to the rules. (ii) But change ‘had to’ into ‘had had to’ in the indirect speech. Direct : Hari said, “I have to work a lot.” Indirect: Hari said that he had to work a lot. Direct : Hari said, “I had to work a lot.” Indirect: Hari said that he had had to work a lot.

13. Sentences with ‘Sir’, ‘Madam’ or ‘Your Honour’ etc.

Generally such words are used to show respect to the person concerned.

You can master in English Grammar of various classes by our articles like Tenses, Clauses, Prepositions, Story writing, Unseen Passage, Notice Writing etc.

14. Exclamations and Wishes Sometimes Exclamatory sentences contain exclamations like Hurrah!, Alas!, Oh!, Heavens!, Bravo, etc. Such exclamatory words are removed in the indirect speech and we use ‘exclaimed with sorrow’, exclaimed with joy, exclaimed with surprise, etc. instead of ‘said’. Examples:

Direct : Rohan said, “Hurrah! We won the match.” Indirect: Rohan exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
Direct : Reema said, “Alas! Karina’s mother is suffering from cancer.” Indirect: Reema exclaimed with sorrow that Karina’s mother was suffering from cancer.
Direct : The captain said to Kapil, “Bravo! You scored 89 runs.” Indirect: The captain exclaimed with praise that he (Kapil) had scored 89 runs.

(a) Look at these sentences.

Direct : My mother said, “May God bless you!” Indirect: My mother prayed to God for my well being.
Direct : She said, “May God save the country!” Indirect: She prayed to God to save the country.
Direct : They said to the king, “Long live!” Indirect: They blessed the king for his long life.

(b) Look at these sentences.

Direct : Mohan said, “What a pity!” Indirect: Mohan exclaimed that it was a great pity.
Direct : I said, “How stupid he is!” Indirect: I exclaimed that it was a very stupid of him.
Direct : “What a terrible sight it is!” said the traveller. Indirect: The traveller exclaimed that it was a very terrible sight. All the sentences in inverted commas are exclamatory sentences.

(i) Use ‘exclaimed’ in place of ‘said’ in the reporting verb in the indirect speech. (ii) In Indirect sentences, we use exclamatory sentences as statements. (iii) Indirect speech begins with that and full stop (•) is used instead of the exclamation mark (!). Exercise (Solved)

Change the following sentences into Indirect Speech:

(i) He said, “I will do it now.” Answer: He said that he would do it then.

(ii) He says, “Honesty is the best policy.” Answer: He says that honesty is the best policy.

(iii) Ramesh says, “I have written a letter.” Answer: Ramesh says that he has written a letter.

(iv) She said, “Mahesh will be reading a book.” Answer: She said that Mahesh would be reading a book.

(v) She said, “Where is your father?” Answer: She inquired where his father was.

(vi) He said to me, “Please take your book.” Answer: He requested me to take my book.

(vii) The Principal said to the peon, “Let this boy go out.” Answer: The Principal ordered the peon to let that boy go out.

(viii) He said to me, “May you live long!” Answer: He prayed that I might live long.

(ix) She said, “Goodbye friends!” Answer: She bade goodbye to her friends.

(ix) The student said, “Alas! I wasted my time last year.” Answer: The student regretted that he had wasted his time the previous year. Exercise (Unsolved)

The captain said, “Bravo! well done, my boys.”
He said to her, “Why do you read this book?”
He said to her, “Does your cow not kick?”
He said to his brother, “Shailesh has broken my glass.”
Our teacher said, “The earth revolves around the sun.”
He said to me, “Why have you come here?”
Usha said, “Father, you are very kind to me.”
The teacher said to the boys, “Do not make a noise.”
He said to his friend, “May you prosper in business!”
The officer said to the peon, “Let the visitor come into my office.”

When we want to tell somebody else what another person said, we can use either direct speech and reported speech. When we use direct speech, we use the same words but use quotation marks, For example: Scott said, “I am coming to work. I will be late because there is a lot of traffic now.”

When we use reported speech, we usually change the verbs, specific times, and pronouns. For example: Scott said that he was coming to work. He said that he would be late because there was a lot of traffic at that time.

Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers

This grammar section explains English Grammar in a clear and simple way. There are example sentences to show how the language is used. NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English will help you to write better answers in your Class 10 exams. Because the Solutions are solved by subject matter experts.

Rules for Reported Speech While changing direct speech into reported speech or vice-versa the following changes occur:

1. Changes In Reporting Verb Affirmative sentences: said, told (object), asserted, replied, assured, informed, responded, whispered, alleged, believed, assumed, thought Interrogative sentences: asked, enquired, wanted to know Imperative sentences: ordered, begged, pleaded, implored, advised, demanded

2. Change Of Pronouns Direct Speech: Johnny said, ‘I am playing.’ Indirect Speech: Johnny said that he was playing. First-person generally changes to third person {depending upon the subject of the reporting verb).

3. Change Of Tenses

In general, present tense becomes past tense; past tense and present perfect become past perfect.

4. Change of situations Example: Nagesh said, ‘I read this book last week. (direct speech) Nagesh said that he had read that book the previous week, (indirect speech)

‘this’ becomes ‘that’
‘last week’ becomes ‘the previous week’
here – there
today – that day
yesterday – the day before/the previous day
tomorrow – the next day/the coming day
last week – the week before/the previous week
next month – the next month/the coming month

5. In case of questions and answers Examples:

Nagesh asked, ‘Have you read this book?’ (direct speech)
Nagesh asked if’ whether I had read that book, (indirect speech)
Nagesh asked, ‘Where is the book?’ (direct speech)
Nagesh asked where the book was. (indirect speech)

(a) For yes/no questions – use if/whether (b) For wh- questions – use the wh-word

Word Order:

Nagesh asked, ‘What’s the matter?’
Nagesh asked what the matter was. (what + the matter + was)
Nagesh asked what was the matter, (what + was + the matter)
The word order can be either:
who/which/what + complement + be or ‘
who/which/what + be + complement

6. Reported Speech using present and future tenses Examples:

Nagesh said, ‘The sun rises in the east.’ (direct speech)
Nagesh said that the sun rises in the east, (indirect speech)
Nagesh said, ‘I will read this book.’ (direct speech)
Nagesh said that he will read that book, (indirect speech)
If the original speaker’s present and future is still present and future, the tense remains unchanged.

7. In case of modal verbs can becomes could

will – would
shall – should
may – might

would, should, could, might, ought to and must are unchanged. Example:

Nagesh said, ‘I can solve this sum.’ (direct speech)
Nagesh said that he could solve that sum. (indirect speech)

Reported Speech Solved Examples Exercises for Class 10 CBSE

Read the dialogue given below and then complete the passage that follows.

Question 1. Read the dialogue and complete the passage given below.

Interviewer: So, why do you want to be a computer programmer? Ravi: Well, I have always been interested in computers. Interviewer: I see. Do you have any experience? Ravi: No, but I’m a fast learner. Interviewer: What kind of a computer do you use? Ravi: Computer? Uhm, let me see. I can use a Mac. I also used Windows 10 once. Interviewer: That’s good.

Ravi recently attended an interview for the selection of a computer programmer. At the interview, he was asked (a) ……………………….. To this question he replied that he wanted to change his job because (b) ……………………….. When the interviewer asked him (e) ………………………. he replied that he (d) ……………………….. Finally, the interviewer wanted to know (e) ………………………. . Ravi replied that he could use a Mac and had also used Windows 10 once in the,.past. The interviewer seemed to be pleased with his answers. Answer: (a) why he wanted to be a computer programmer (b) he had always been interested in computers (c) whether he had any experience (d) didn’t but that he was a fast learner (e) the kind of computer he used

Question 2. Manu: Where are you going to? Annu: I am going to the market. Do you want anything?

Manu asked Annu (a) …………………… Annu replied (b) …………………… Annu replied (b) …………………… and she further asked (C) …………………… Answer: (a) where she was going. (b) that she was going to the market (c) if/whether she wanted anything.

Question 3. Sunita: Tomorrow is your birthday, what do you want as a gift? Neetu: That is a lovely thought but I don’t want anything.

Sunita asked Neetu since the next day was her birthday, (a) …………………… Neetu replied that (b) …………………… but (C) ………………….. . Answer: (a) what she wanted as a gift (b) that was a lovely thought (c) she did not want anything.

Question 4. Gardener: Did you water the plant today? Dev: No, but I will, today. Gardener: Then tomorrow I will get a sapling of sunflower.

The Gardener asked Dev (a) …………………… Dev replied negatively but (b) …………………… Then the gardener said that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) if/whether he had watered the plant that day. (b) said he would that day. (c) he would get a sapling of a sunflower the next day.

Question 5. Mr. Harish: Can you polish my shoes? Cobbler: Yes sir. But I will take 10 for each shoe.

Mr. Harish: I will not mind as long as it is done. Mr. Harish asked the cobbler (a) …………………… The cobbler replied affirmatively but (b) …………………… Mr. Harish said that (C) ……………………. Answer: (a) if/whether he could polish his shoes. (b) said that he would take 10 for each shoe (c) he would not mind as long as it was done.

Question 6. Electrician: When did your electricity go? Mohan: It is not working since evening. Electrician: Sorry sir, in this case, I will have to check the fuse now.

The electrician asked Mohan (a) …………………… Mohan replied that (b) …………………… The electrician apologetically said that in that case (c) …………………… Answer: (a) when his electricity had gone. (b) it was not working since evening. (c) he would have to check the fuse then.

Question 7. Teacher : Children, let us all pledge to save trees. Children : Yes, mam, we all pledge to save our trees as the trees are the lungs of the city. Teacher : Let us start today by planting a sapling.

The teacher asked all the children to pledge to save trees. The children replied affirmatively (a) …………………… as the (b) …………………… Then the teacher said that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) saying that they all pledged to save trees (b) trees are the lungs of the city. (c) they should start by planting a sapling that day.

Question 8. Buddha : Honesty is the best policy. Disciple : Does honesty always pay? Buddha : It may or may not, but at least you will never feel guilty.

Buddha in his preaching said that (a) …………………… the best policy. A disciple asked him if (b) …………………… always pays, Buddha replied (c) …………………… but at least he would never feel guilty. Answer: (a) Honesty is (b) honesty (c) that it might or might not

Question 9. Doctor : You should take this medicine every day. Patient : Should I take it before dinner or after dinner? Doctor : No, you should take it after breakfast.

The Doctor advised the patient that (a) …………………… The patient further asked (b) …………………… The doctor replied negatively and then said (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) he should take that medicine every day. (b) if/whether he should take it before dinner or after dinner. (c) that he should take it after breakfast

Question 10. Reena : Do you know how to swim? Surbhi : Yes I know. I have learnt it during this summer vacation.

Reena asked Surbhi (a) …………………… Then Surbhi replied (b) …………………… and also added that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) if/whether she knew how to swim (b) in affirmative (c) she had learnt it during the summer vacation.

Reported Speech

Reported Speech: Whenever you are quoting someone else’s words , you use two kinds of speeches – Direct or Indirect speech . In this chapter, we will learn all about Direct and Indirect speech and how to convert one into another.

Browse more Topics under Transformation Sentences

Active and Passive Voice
Parts of Speech
Types of Sentences

Reported speech- Play of the tenses:

Learn more about Parts of Speech here in detail

This is a summary table that will be crystal clear to you as you read further. Just come back to this table after this section and use this as a summary table:

Some word transitions from direct to reported speech that will come in handy:

Will becomes would
Can becomes could
would stays would
should stays should
must stays must or had to(matter of choice)
shall becomes should

Exception : A present tense in direct speech may not become a past tense in the reported speech if it’s a fact or something generic we are talking about in the sentence. For example-

Direct speech: The sun rises from the East.

Reported speech: She said that the sun rises/rose from the East.

Reported speech- Handling questions:

What happens when the sentence we are trying to report was actually a question? That’s something we are going to deal with in this section. Reported questions- It’s quite interesting. let’s get into it:

Well the good news is that the tense change you learnt above stays the same in reported speech for questions. The only difference is that when you report a question, you no more report it in the form of a question but in the form of a statement. For example:

Direct speech: Where do you want to eat?

Reported speech: She asked me where I wanted to eat.

Notice how the question mark is gone from the reported speech. The reported speech is a statement now. Keep that in mind as you read further.

Remember the tense change? Let’s apply that to a few questions now.

Now these are questions that have wordy answers to them. What about the questions that has yes/no answers to them? In these type of questions just add “if” before asking the question. For example:

Direct speech: Would you like to eat some cupcakes?
Reported speech: He asked me if i would like to eat some cupcakes.
Direct speech: Have you ever seen the Van Gogh paintings?
Reported speech: She asked me if I had ever seen the Van Gogh paintings.
Direct speech: Are you eating your vegetables?
Reported speech: She asked if I was eating my vegetables.

Reported speech- Reported requests:

Well not all questions require answers. Some questions are polite requests. Remember? Could you please try to remember? And then there are request statements. Let’s see how do we convert these into reported speech.

Reported request = ask me + to + verb or requested me + to +verb

Just add this rule to your reported speech and you have what is called a reported request.

Reported speech- Reported orders:

Well, not everyone is going to be polite. Sometimes, we get orders. Now how will you report them? Unlike the request, the reporting verb isn’t ask but told or tell. Also, when in orders, sometimes subjects are omitted but while reporting we have to revive the subjects. Let’s see a few examples:

Direct speech: Sit down!
Reported speech: She told me to sit down.
Direct speech: don’t worry!
Reported speech: She told me not to worry.

Reported speech- Time transitions:

With that, you have everything it takes to understand reported speech. you are all se to change the direct to reported speech. Go ahead and try a few examples. All the best!

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

Transformation of Sentences

Active and Passive voice

37 responses to “Active and Passive voice”

Simple but very nice explanation and helpfull too.

What is the voice change of ” I have endeavoured to understand the fundamental truths.”

ENDEAVOUR HAS BEEN MADE BY ME TO UNDERSTAND THE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH.

The fundamental truths have been endeavoured to be understood by me

The fundamental truths to understand had been endeavoured by him

The fundamental truths have endeavoured to be understood by me

The fundamental truths has been understood endeavoured to by me

How to change the voice for the following sentence – the books will be received by tomorrow

By whom? We need a subject. If the subject was for example “The library”, then the sentence in active voice would read “The library will receive the books by tomorrow”.

You will receive the books by tomorrow.

Tomorrow you will receive the book

You will receive the books (by) tomorrow.

Someone will receive the books by tomorrow

Tomorrow will be receive the books

HE WILL RECEIVE THE BOOKS BY TOMORROW.

By tomorrow the books will be received.

By tomorrow, you will receive the books

Tomorrow received the book

Change this “take right and turn left” into passive voice

Let the right be taken amd left be turned

‘amd’ is “and” 😅

You are advised to take right and turn left

Very helpful information thanks

Very well explained all basics that can lead to gain further knowledge very easily

What is in this box change into passive

what is the voice change of,” some people think nuclear is the best, because it doesnt add to global warming “….

Brilliant stuff!! – Rishabh

A kite was made by Ravi . What is the active form of this statement???

how to change into passive this sentence “when they were shifting the patient to the I.C.U.,he died

change into passive voice this sentence “when they were shifting the patient to I.C.U.,he died .

May you tell us tense conversion in voice.

Sentences without action like…. Jim is a doctor . Is it active or passive and if any how would you decide without having a main verb ?

It is named after the name of its principal tree ‘sundari'(passive)

how can ocean be object 🙄???

They made a bag

Download the App

SpeakUp resources

Reported speech rules in english.

By Matthew Jones

Talking about what someone else has already said, also known as reported speech, involves a few special grammar rules in English.

How you form reported speech will largely depend on what was said and when it was said. Unfortunately, you can’t always repeat back what you hear verbatim (using exactly the same words)!

So, how should you report speech in English? What are the grammar rules that dictate these indirect speech patterns? Finally, what are some examples of reported speech? We will answer all of these questions and more, but first, let’s take a look at exactly what is meant by “reported speech.”

Prefer to watch this lesson on video? Here’s our full length tutorial on Reported Speech Rules in English:

Reported Speech Rules in English:

What is reported speech?

Reported speech simply refers to statements that recount what someone else has already said or asked. For example, let’s say that you and your two friends went to the movies. As you’re leaving the movie theater, the following conversation takes place:

Friend #1: That movie was really scary!

You: I know, right?

Friend #2: What did he say?

You: He said that the movie was really scary.

The last sentence is what is known as “reported speech,” because you reported something that someone else said. In most cases, a statement of reported speech uses verbs like “say” or “tell,” though you can also use verbs like “state,” “proclaim,” or “announce,” depending on the context of the original statement.

In any case, this is just one example of reported speech in the simple past tense. Different rules apply based on the verb tense and the content of the statement. First, let’s look at how reported speech statements work in the simple present tense:

Reporting Statements in the Simple Present Tense

If you report a statement using the simple present tense (say, tell, etc), then you can also leave the original statement in the present tense. Here are a few examples:

I like basketball -> They say that they like basketball.
He wants to visit Paris -> He tells me that he wants to visit Paris.
I watch TV every day -> She says she watches TV every day.

As you can see, both the reporting verb and the reported verb remain in the simple present tense. It is also important to note that, regardless of the tense, the word “that” is completely optional in reported speech. The meaning stays the same with or without it.

Reporting Statements in Other Tenses

Generally, when the reporting verb is in the simple past tense, we change the reported verb as well. For example:

Statement: I feel sad.
Reported Speech: He said he felt sad.

Since reported speech is reported after the fact, the reporting verb is usually in the simple past tense. This means that you will usually need to change the tense of the second clause. For example:

How to Change Tenses in Reported Speech

As you can see, the rules governing how to report speech can vary based on the tense of the original statement. Generally, you can’t go wrong if you follow these guidelines (from the original statement to reported speech):

Simple Present -> Simple Past
Present Continuous -> Past Continuous
Present Perfect -> Past Perfect
Simple Past -> Simple Past OR Past Perfect
Past Continuous -> Past Perfect Continuous
Simple Future -> “will” becomes “would”
Future Continuous -> “will” becomes “would”
Future Perfect -> “will” becomes “would”
Present Perfect Continuous -> Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous -> Past Perfect Continuous
Future Perfect Continuous -> Future Perfect Continuous

That said, there are some exceptions in the present tense. For example, if the original statement is comprised of general information that is unchanging, you don’t need to report it in the past tense. Here are a few examples:

Simple Present : Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius. -> He said that water freezes at zero degrees Celcius.
Present Continuous : The planet is rotating around the sun. -> She said that the planet is rotating around the sun.
Present Perfect : Human beings have always liked dogs. -> He said that human beings have always liked dogs.

Reporting Questions

Reporting statements is relatively straightforward, as it usually just requires the second clause to change tense (sometimes not even that). However, reporting questions is more complex. First of all, when you report a question, you cannot just repeat the original question. Instead, you must turn it into a statement. Here’s an example question:

Do you have a lighter?

If you want to report this question later, you’ll need to change it, like so:

They asked me if I had a lighter.

Thankfully, once you learn the guidelines for reporting statements, you can apply many of the same rules to reporting questions. All of the tense changes are the same:

Note: For “Yes/No” questions, we change “do” or “does” to “if.”
Present Continuous : Are you running errands today? -> She asked if I was running errands today.
Present Perfect : Have you spoken to her? -> He asked if I had spoken to her.
Simple Past : Did you believe the story? -> She asked if I believed the story.
Past Continuous : How were you behaving? -> He asked me how I was behaving.
Simple Future : Will you go shopping later? -> She asked me if I would go shopping later.
Future Continuous : Will you be cooking tonight? -> He asked me if I would be cooking tonight.
Future Perfect : Will you have received your diploma by then? -> She asked if I would have received my diploma by then.
Present Perfect Continuous – Have you been doing your homework? -> He asked me if I had been doing my homework.
Past Perfect Continuous – How long had you been sleeping? -> She asked me how long I had been sleeping.
Future Perfect Continuous – Will you have been travelling? -> He asked if I would have been travelling.

Requests and Demands

To keep things simple, requests are treated the same as questions when reported to someone else. For example:

Please sit down . -> He asked me to sit down.
Could you open the door for me? -> She asked if I could open the door for her?
Would you mind holding my bag? -> He asked if I would mind holding his bag.

However, if someone demands something, we generally report the speech using “told” instead of “asked” or “said.” Here are some commands in reported speech:

Be quiet! -> She told me to be quiet.
Don’t touch that! -> He told me not to touch that.
Brush your teeth. -> She told me to brush my teeth.

Finally, when reporting speech, you must always consider the time in which the original statement was made. If a time is mentioned within the statement, you will also have to consider how that time relates to the current moment.

You have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday.

For example, let’s say that the statement above was reported to you a few days prior, but you reported it to someone else on Monday (the day before the appointment). You could say either of the following:

She told me that I have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday , or

She told me that I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.

Here are a few more time conversions to help you with reported speech:

Call your father right now. -> She told me to call my father right then.
I saw you at the movies last night. -> He said he saw me at the movies the night before .
Were you at school last week? -> She asked if I had been at school the week prior .
Can I talk to you tomorrow? -> He asked if he could talk to me the next day .

Reported Speech Exercises

Now that you have a better understanding of reported speech in English, it’s time to practice! Fortunately, there are a number of ways to practice reported speech in daily conversation. So, here are a few free online resources to help you get the hang of it:

Reported Speech Statements
Reported Speech Questions
B1 Grammar Reported Speech Quiz
B2 Grammar Reported Speech Quiz

Lastly, if you’d like to learn more about reported speech or find a highly qualified English tutor online to help guide you, visit Magoosh Speaking today!

Matthew Jones

Free practice (Facebook group)

Phone: +1 (510) 560-7571

Company Home

Reported Speech - English Grammar Class 10 - Class 10 - Notes, Videos & Tests

Part of the course, reported speech study material.

Videos for Reported Speech - English Grammar Class 10 | Class 10

Notes for reported speech - english grammar class 10, online test for reported speech - english grammar class 10, extra questions for reported speech - english grammar class 10, other chapters in english grammar class 10, frequently asked questions on class 10 preparation.

What are the questions asked in Class 10 examinations? As per the CBSE exam pattern for Class 10 2021, the type of questions asked in the examination are Very Short Answer (VSA) type, Short Answer(SA) type, and Long Answer (LA) type. There will be CBSE internal marks for Class 10 2022 of 20 marks for both the terms.

Top Courses for Class 10

Importance of Reported Speech Class 10

Reported speech notes free pdf download, important questions for reported speech, reported speech practice questions, welcome back, create your account for free.

Forgot Password

Unattempted tests, change country.

Syllabus 2024-25
CBSE Class X SQP 2023-24
CBSE Class XII SQP 2023-24
Class X SQP 2022-23
Class XII SQP 2022-23
Request Answers

Reported Speech: Dialogue Writing Practice Questions CBSE Class 10 Grammar

Post last modified: 25 February 2024
Post category: Grammar Exercises / School Grammar

Reporting the narration is done two ways – Direct or Indirect. The CBSE Class 10 Gramar syllabus includes this reporting in dialogue forms. After that an exercise with blanks to be filled to transform the whole conversation in indirect form. Here are given practice exercises to help practice Dialogue reporting.

Click here for more such grammar study materials

Dialogue Reporting Practice Questions

Q. read the conversation between a teacher and student and complete the passage that follows. (cbse set 2, 2022) .

Neha: I’m really looking forward to the class picnic tomorrow. Namita: Yes, after a long time we will be meeting our friends and teachers.

Neha told Namita (1) ______________ looking forward to the class picnic _____________. Namita agreed that after a long time (2) ______________ friends and teachers.

(1) that she was really, the next day (2) they would be meeting their

Q. Read the conversation and complete the passage that follows: (OD 2022)

Ritika: Can I borrow your Math book for a couple of days? Mohit: Yes certainly, I have already studied for the test tomorrow. Ritika asked Mohit (1) ……………. for a couple of days. Mohit agreed and said that (2) ……………. .

(1) if she could borrow his Math book (2) he had already studied for the test the next day.

Q. Read the conversation between a teacher and student and complete the passage that follows. (Term 2 SQP 2021-22)

Biology Teacher: I instructed you to draw the diagram of bacteria. Why did you submit a blank sheet? Sameer: Sir, I had drawn the diagram of bacteria, but you can’t see it because it is not visible to the naked eye

The biology teacher had instructed Sameer to draw the diagram of a bacterial cell and asked him (a) ……..… a blank sheet. Sameer respectfully answered that he had drawn the diagram but (b) …….…. to the naked eye.

(a) why he had submitted (b) he/ the teacher couldn’t see it because it is not visible

Q. Read the following dialogue between a mother and her son. Complete the paragraph that follows by filling in the gaps appropriately. (2012)

Marie: Did you see my new umbrella? Isn’t it fine? Tony: Yes, it is! Did you buy it from the mall? Marie: No, your father has brought it for me.

Marie asked her son Tony (a) …………… and she wanted to know whether it was a fine one. Tony agreed and asked his mother (b) …………… His mother replied in the negative and added that (c) ……………

(a) if he had seen her new umbrella (b) if she had bought it from the mall (c) his father had brought it for her.

Note: A sentence in Simple Past (verb 2nd form or Did + Verb 1st form) need not always be converted to Past Perfect (had + Verb 3rd form) . But it is safe to convert to Past Perfect as others (evaluators) may not be knowing it. Even CBSE marking schemes seem to follow the safe rule i.e. Changing Past Tense to past Perfect tense. An example is given below.

Direct: He said, “I saw the thief myself.”

Indirect: he said that he had seen the thief himself. (The safe rule to follow) OR He said that he saw the thief himself. (It is also correct – but mostly not followed)

Q. Read the following dialogue between Garima and Karan. Complete the paragraph that follows by filling in the gaps appropriately. [AI 2011]

Garima: So, after a decade in the industry, are you truly ‘satisfied’? Karan: I love the film industry. It has its flaws though. Garima: What do you mean by this statement? Karan: We are a bunch of competitive, ambitious, sometimes petty people. But the passion cements us together.

Garima asked Karan if after a decade in the industry (a) _________. Karan told her (b) _________ although it had its flaws. Garima then enquired (c) _________. Karan explained that they were a bunch of competitive, ambitious, sometimes petty people but the passion cemented them together.

(a) he was truly ‘satisfied’ (b) that he loved the film industry (c) what he meant by that statement

Q. Choose the correct options to fill in the blanks to complete Venu’s narration. [SQP 2020]

I saw Supanddi standing in the field. When I -(A)- doing there, he -(B)- he was trying to win a Nobel prize. I was confused and enquired how standing in the rice field would help him do so. He stumped me by saying that he -(C)- won Nobel prizes had all been outstanding in their fields!

(A) (a) exclaimed what he was (b) told him what he was (c) asked him what he was (d) says to him about what (B) (a) ordered that (b) refused that (c) questioned that (d) replied that (C) (a) has heard that people who has (b) was hearing that people who were (c) had heard that people who had (d) did hear that people who had

(A) – (c) (B) – (d) (C) – (c)

Q. Choose the correct options to fill in the blanks to complete the narration of Patty’s conversation with Charlie. [SQP 2020]

Charlie: Dear Santa, here is a list if what I want. Patty: How do you suppose Santa Claus can afford to give away all those toys? Charlie: Promotion! Don’t kid yourself……Everything these days is promotion! I will bet if the truth were brought about, you will find that he’s being financed by some big eastern chain!

While making the list of what Charlie wanted from Santa Claus, he asked Patty how …..(A)….. all those toys. She said that …..(B)….. and that it was possible as Santa …..(C)….. big eastern chain.

(A) (a) Santa Claus could afford to give away (b) will give away (c) gave away (d) giving away

(B) (a) everything these days were promotion (b) everything these days was promotion (c) everything those days was promotion (d) everything these days was going to be promotion

(C) (a) was financing by some big eastern chain (b) had been financed by some big eastern chain (c) was being financed by some big eastern chain (d) will be financed by some big eastern chain

(A) – (a) (B) – (c) (C) – (c)

Click the next pages for more questions

want to share! Share this content

Opens in a new window

Modals: class 10 practice exercises, discursive comprehension passages for practice grammar class 9 and 10, unseen comprehension passages practice cbse questions: grammar for schools, editing error corrections: practice exercises grammar for school classes cbse/icse/state boards, this post has 66 comments.

Thank you for question These were excellent and also improved my spech

It’s speech not spech

clapings it is speech

thank you it will help with my exam preparation

Thanks. New questions are also added from time to time.

Thanks a lot for these questions it helped me to be thorough with the exam pattern.

Are you from India:)

thanks for those questions

Why are there so many mistakes in the given questions?The names of the people in the conversation and the names of the people in the related question are completely different.Pls chk and rectify.It is confusing the kids and the purpose of these practice questions is totally defeated.

Thank you for informing us of the mistakes. We have done the required corrections. I hope all is well now.

page 2 question 3 there is a name error plz rectify it as soon as possible to avoid more confusion

Thank you for informing us of the mistake. The required correction has been done- ‘Mohan’ has been replaced by ‘Vinnet’ in the last line of the question.

Please add more questions

In the second question (page 1) , answer to the first part is wrong as Did changes to had + verb’s 3rd form.

Thank you for referring to the issue. We have updated the post and added a ‘note’ section.

Thanks a lot! These were truly of great help! Excellent questions!

It was very helpful ☺️. Thanks ncert tutorials

Really, it was very helpful.

Sir, i wanted to know where “it” is changed to “that” . I have this confusion as there are many questions where it is changed to that..but in many questions there is “it” only.

Sir, In Question no. 4 , please check the answers of option (c) , (f) , (h) why there is “been”

‘Had been’ is used in place ‘was and were’.

Sir, In question 7 (a), How could ‘may’ change into ‘could’?

Thanks for pointing out the error. We have made the required correction.

It was nice to have such a exercise to practice….

Sir, In question 8(d), It should be ‘ she had been talking’ instead of ‘ she has been talking’

The correction done. Thank You Ayush for sparing time to help us clean the exercises out of mistakes.

Why are you using Wrong English ?

Why are you using Wrong English ? Please use correct English to teach. Thank you.

Please give proper reference. I would do required corrections or elaborate upon your issue.

Thank you for this. Please add more. And I think there are some mistakes please do check and correct them. Thanks again🙌

thank you, Elena, and after reports of some errors corrections also have been done. If future reports received, required corrections will be done.

in the fifth page 4th ques there will be what he had been reading as past progressive changes to past perfect progressive

Thank you Sarthak for informing us of the error. Corrections done and the question has also been modified with one more filling gap (d).

thank u for giving a lot of questions this was useful for my class 10 board term 2 exam

thank you so much

Tomorrow is board

Yess all the bestt

I have my english board exam tomorrow, and this helped me a lot

thank you soo much. this site is the only one that consists of grammar questions based on the format of the board exams

it helped me a lot to prepare for my term 2 board exam of english. LOOKING FORWARD TO SCORE 40/40

Best of Luck Aishwarya 👍👍

best of luck to me to plz saaaayyyyy Subscribe to Jonja hi Jonja

Ok, Best of luck to you also 👍👍

Thank you sir , Your questions on reported speech have helped me a lot to study for my exam.

EXCELLENT QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KEEP IT UP………………..

Sir in question no. 3(b) the past tense of buy should be bought and not brought.Pls make the changes.

Correction done 😊.

I love the lessons for they are smart enough to learn personally.

I would like to show my gratitude …….this website was really good and helpful 👍 and more comfortable

Very nice examples They helped me a lot in my exam preparation

thanks for sharing this information

Questions were very helpful and amazing also… Thanks for such practice question..

Good questions thank you

sir on page 1 Q 2 it should be “for tomorrow’s test” instead of “the test tomorrow”.

Hi Arnav, it is written as ‘for the test tomorrow’ so no problem.

Thanks too much this is awesome for my test this help me more

Thank you admin blog. Very good

Please add longer questions

there some questions with mistakes arun and rohit question pls rectrfy the mistakes thanks it helped me a lot because it was my todays homework i referred and completed it Thank you

We revisited the question mentioned by you but did not find any error. May be you have any doubt. Feel free to ask us about that.

Pls take a look at the first question Isnt ‘will’ supposed to be changed to ‘would’

Correction done

THANKS, IT WAS AWESOME…

Reported Speech: How to Use Reported Speech | Useful Rules

One of the most common mistakes when becoming familiar with this type of grammar is not knowing the difference between direct speech and reported speech and the changes related to these types of sentences.

Reported Speech

The reported speech reproduces the words of another person by adapting certain temporal and local references of the original speech to the situation of the speaker, for example, personal pronouns, demonstratives, verb tenses, and adverbs of place or time.

It is characterized by introducing the message that is reproduced with a speaking verb followed by conjunctions that or if. The speaking verb reveals the intention of the speaker to convey what another person has said.

The most frequent speaking verbs are: say, affirm , count, explain, ask, warn, suggest, order, etc.

Direct Speech vs. Reported Speech

Both are the two different ways to transmit what someone has said.

With direct speech, the message is reproduced as we have heard it, in quotes and after a color meanwhile with reported speech the message is reproduced with our words, without commas but using that or if after the verb.

Different Types of Sentences

Reported statements : use that before the statement and the reporting verb said or told.
Reported questions : use reported verbs like asked, requested, or wanted to know and omit the question mark. Remember that the order in reported questions changes. In the case of yes-no questions use whether or if.
Reported requests or commands : use to or not to before the sentence and use verbs like asked, told, ordered, urged, advised, and begged.

Changes When Using Reported Speech

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

In short, the tense changes in the reported speech are made taking into account the verb in the direct speech. The tense changes are:

Simple present -> simple past
Present continuous -> past continuous
Simple past -> past perfect simple
Past continuous -> past perfect continuous
Past perfect simple -> past perfect simple
Past perfect continuous -> past perfect continuous
Present perfect -> past perfect simple
Present perfect continuous -> past perfect continuous
Future simple -> would
Future perfect -> would have
Present passive -> past passive
Present passive continuous -> past passive continuous
Can -> could/would be able to
May -> might
May -> could/ would be allowed to
Must -> must/ had to/ would have to
Needn’t -> didn’t have to /didn’t need to /wouldn’t have to
Shall -> would/should
Will -> would

Place, Demonstratives, and Time Expressions

Just as there are certain changes in the verb tenses, you have to make changes in the demonstratives, pronouns , and expressions of time and place.

Here -> there
There -> there
This -> that

Time Expressions

Today -> that day
Tomorrow -> the next day/ the following day
Now -> at that moment/ then
At the present -> At the time
Present, current -> existing current
In one hour -> one hour later
Next year -> the following year
Days ago -> days before
Tonight -> that night
In two week’s time -> two weeks later
Ago -> before

Pronouns and Demonstratives

I -> he, she
Me -> him, her
My -> his, her, the
Mine -> his, hers
We -> they
Us -> them
Our -> their, the
Ours -> theirs
You -> they, them, their, the
Yours -> theirs
This -> that, the
These -> those, the
This book -> that book

Reported Speech | Infographic

Other Changes in Reported Speech

Last Updated on October 25, 2023

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Chart: A Guide for Class 10

There are times when you need to recall a recent incident or action. Then you need to tell in that particular scenario what someone has said. To state this perfectly, Direct and Indirect speech is very useful.

In this blog, we are going to state before you the definition of Direct and Indirect speech, the Direct and Indirect speech rules chart, Direct and Indirect speech examples, and other important matters.

Table of Contents

What is Direct and Indirect speech?

In English grammar, ‘Narration’ is an important part. It is divided into 2 sections; Direct speech and Indirect speech.

Direct speech

When you use someone’s exact speech for reporting purposes, it comes under Direct speech. Direct speech simply duplicates or excerpts the exact speech spoken. Direct speech always needed to be put under quotation. It is the actual speech spoken by someone to a person.

Example: Nikhil says, “I am a software developer.”

Here, in the present tense, Nikhil is saying that he is a software developer.

Indirect speech

Indirect speech is also known as Reported speech. It is used to convey what was said by someone at a point of time. Usually, Past tense is associated with Indirect speech. It is usually a third-person view of what someone said.

Example: Nikhil says that he is a software developer.

In indirect speech, in the present tense, it is the answer.

Rules for converting Direct speech to Indirect speech

While you are converting Direct speech to Indirect speech, you need to follow a few simple rules.

In Direct speech, the conversation will be written under inverted commas. In the indirect speech, the inverted commas won’t be there.
Before the indirect statement starts, you need to put the conjunction ‘that’ before the statement.
In Direct speech, First Person Singular and Plural or Second Person Singular and Plural are in use; in Indirect speech, Third Person Singular and Plural will be in use.

Here, you can look at the table to understand it well.

The tense of the verb in the reported speech will not change if the reporting verb is in the Present or Future tense.

Direct speech: Praveen says, “I am playing cricket.”

Indirect speech: Praveen says that he is playing cricket.

Here you can notice the tense of the verb in both Direct and Indirect speech is in the present tense.

The tense of the verb in the reported speech will change if the reporting verb is in the past tense.

Direct speech: Sireesha said, “I am eating dinner.”

Indirect speech: Sireesha said that she was eating dinner.

One point to notice here is that as the Reporting verb is in past tense, the verb in the Reported speech will be changed into past tense.

Here one important point is that English Tenses are an important part related to ‘Narration change’; you can revise the chapter well along with Direct speech and Indirect speech.

Rules for converting Indirect speech to Direct speech

Usually, when you are converting Indirect speech to Direct speech, you are simply reversing the rules that you have learned while changing from Direct to Indirect speech.

You need to know the proper use of punctuation marks when you are converting Indirect speech to Direct speech.

For example:

Indirect speech: Sravan said that he was watching TV.

Direct speech: Sravan said, “I am watching TV.”

Here the noticeable point is in Direct speech a ‘comma’ has been included after ‘said’ and an inverted comma has been used for the quoted speech, “I am watching TV.”

We use conjunctions, ie. ‘that, if, whether’ in the Indirect speech which is a part of Figures of Speech .

For example:

Indirect speech: Bhavya asked if I was fine after the thunderstorm.

Direct speech: Bhavya said, “Are you fine after the thunderstorm?”

In this example, you can notice the conjunction ‘if’ is used in the Indirect speech but it has been omitted from the Direct speech.

While changing from Indirect speech to Direct speech, the tense of the reported clause changes. It is redirected to the tense in which the original speaker has spoken.

Indirect speech: Ramya said that she was watching the cricket match.

Direct speech: Ramya said, “I am watching the cricket match.”

You can notice the change occurred in the tense of the reported clause. It is again changed into the present tense.

While a sentence is in Indirect speech it always ends with a full stop. While you are converting it into Direct speech, the sentence does not need to always end with a full stop. It can end with a Question mark or an Exclamation mark.

Indirect speech: Madhavi asked Shravani what she was doing.

Direct speech: Madhavi asked Shravani, “What are you doing?”

Here you can notice the full stop in the Indirect speech has been changed to a question mark in the Direct speech.

These are the 4 rules usually associated with changing Indirect speech to Direct speech. Practicing Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises with question-and-answer sets will strengthen your grasp on narration change.

Chart of Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

If a sentence is inside a quote in Direct speech and it is in Present tense, the sentence is going to change in the past tense when it will change into Indirect speech.

Along with tense, when you are changing Direct speech to Indirect speech, the word related to time is also going to change.

Examples of Direct and Indirect speech

Till now, we have discussed the rules of changing Direct speech to Indirect speech. Now, we can have a look at the examples:

How to Use Reporting Verbs in Direct and Indirect Speech

Reporting verbs are those verbs that serve to report what someone else has said. In Direct speech and Indirect speech, the verb that is used to convey the speech of the speaker is known as the Reporting verb.

‘Say’, ‘Tell’, and ‘Ask’ are the three commonly used Reporting verbs.

Direct speech: Rajaram says to Ranjit, “I cherish a peaceful world.”

Indirect Speech: Rajaram tells Ranjit that he cherishes a peaceful world.

Direct speech: My mother tells me, “Always be honest.”

Indirect Speech: My mother advises me to always be honest.

Direct speech: Stephen asked Maria, “Is the baby alright?”

Indirect Speech: Stephen asked Maria if the baby was alright.

This is the use of three primary Reporting verbs in Direct and Indirect speech.

It is expected from tenth standard students that they would improve their communication skills. To improve communication skills, both Direct and Indirect speech play an important role.

It can improve their writing skills, it can enhance their critical thinking skills. It is beneficial for students if they learn Direct and Indirect speeches.

Telangana Class 10 Time Table blog feature image

TS 10th Class Exam Time Table – 2024 | Download PDF

Best Summer Programs For High School Students In India | 2024

Uses of Convex Mirror: Definition, Applications and Characteristics

Lets Connect!

Program Interested In MPC + SAT + PB MEC + SAT + PB SAT + Profile Building(PB) UG in Abroad

COMMENTS

Reported Speech
Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message. Q2.
CBSE Class 10 English Grammar
RD Sharma Class 10 Solutions; 3. Rules for the Change of Pronouns: The first person pronouns (I, me, my, we, us, our) in the reported speech change according to the subject of the reporting verb. The pronouns of the second person (you, your, yourself) in the reported speech change according to the object of the reporting verb.
Reported Speech For Class 10: Exciting Exercises with Answers [PDF]
Reported Speech: Definition, Rules, Usage with Examples. Reported Speech For Class 10 Exercise 1 - MCQs . Here are the MCQs on reported speech for class 10th students. Students have to select the correct option from the given options according to the statement asked based on Reported Speech. Which sentence is in the reported speech? a.
Reported Speech
Reported speech is used when someone says a sentence, like, "I'm going to the movie tonight". Later, we want to tell a 3rd person what the first person is doing. It works like this: We use a reporting verb i.e 'say' or 'tell'. In the present tense, just put in 'he says. Direct Speech: I like burgers.
Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers
2. Change Of Pronouns. Direct Speech: Johnny said, 'I am playing.'. Indirect Speech: Johnny said that he was playing. First-person generally changes to third person {depending upon the subject of the reporting verb). 3. Change Of Tenses. Direct Speech. Indirect Speech.
Reported Speech
Watch my reported speech video: Here's how it works: We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. ( Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell' .) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence: Direct speech: I like ice cream. Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.
Reported speech
When reporting what people say or think in English, we need to remember that the rules for tense forms in reported speech are exactly the same as in the rest of the language. ... This is an example of an indirect question. An indirect question reports a question, but is not a question itself, which is why we do not use a question mark at the ...
7. Reported speech Notes NCERT Solutions for CBSE Class 10 ...
The speech of a person can be divided into two categories. Reporting verb (verb of the first clause) Reported speech ( words within inverted commas. For ex. She said, "I will be late today.". Here, First clause is 'She said' where. Said = reporting verb. Words within inverted commas are.
Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers
Change No. 1. Change the reporting verb 'said 'or 'said to'into' asked' or 'inquired of'. In case of a single question, change it into 'asked' but in case of more than one question, change it into "inquired of'. Change No. 2. Use conjunction 'if' or 'whether' if the reported speech starts with a helping verb.
Reported Speech: Rules, Examples, Exceptions
When we use reported speech, we often change the verb tense backwards in time. This can be called "backshift.". Here are some examples in different verb tenses: "I want to go home.". She said she wanted to go home. "I 'm reading a good book.". She said she was reading a good book. "I ate pasta for dinner last night.".
Reported Speech
To change an imperative sentence into a reported indirect sentence, use to for imperative and not to for negative sentences. Never use the word that in your indirect speech. Another rule is to remove the word please. Instead, say request or say. For example: "Please don't interrupt the event," said the host.
Reporting
Reported Speech (Direct and Indirect Narration) for Classes of CBSE/ICSE and Different State Exam Boards. Here are given rules with examples to change a direct narration into an Indirect narration. Especially Class 9 and 10 CBSE Syllabus is covered and…
Reported Speech: Important Grammar Rules and Examples • 7ESL
Reported speech: He asked if he would see me later. In the direct speech example you can see the modal verb 'will' being used to ask a question. Notice how in reported speech the modal verb 'will' and the reporting verb 'ask' are both written in the past tense. So, 'will' becomes 'would' and 'ask' becomes 'asked'.
CBSE Class 10 English Grammar
There are example sentences to show how the language is used. NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English will help you to write better answers in your Class 10 exams. Because the Solutions are solved by subject matter experts. Rules for Reported Speech While changing direct speech into reported speech or vice-versa the following changes occur: 1.
Reported Speech: Direct and Indirect speech
Whenever you report a speech there's a reporting verb used like "say" or "tell". For example: Direct speech: I love to play football. Reported speech: She said that she loves to play football. (Note 1 : Assume a gender if not mentioned already. Note 2: Using "that" is optional.
Reported Speech Rules in English
Brush your teeth. -> She told me to brush my teeth. Finally, when reporting speech, you must always consider the time in which the original statement was made. If a time is mentioned within the statement, you will also have to consider how that time relates to the current moment.
Reported Speech
Extra questions for Reported Speech - English Grammar Class 10. Worksheet questions are the type of Extra questions related to Reported Speech. These worksheet questions are designed by the experts for the preparation point of view. It is important for the students of Class 10 to go through and practice these questions.
Reported Speech: Dialogue Writing Practice Questions CBSE Class 10
Dialogue Reporting Practice Questions. Q. Read the conversation between a teacher and student and complete the passage that follows. (CBSE Set 2, 2022) Neha: I'm really looking forward to the class picnic tomorrow. Namita: Yes, after a long time we will be meeting our friends and teachers.
Direct and Indirect Speech Class 10 CBSE English
The Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises for Class 10 with Answers PDF are completely reliable to practice for exams as they have been curated by the subject matter experts based on the latest syllabus. The Vedantu's teachers have given all the rules and directions for converting direct to indirect speeches with many examples.
Reported Speech: How to Use Reported Speech
Reported statements: use that before the statement and the reporting verb said or told. Reported questions: use reported verbs like asked, requested, or wanted to know and omit the question mark. Remember that the order in reported questions changes. In the case of yes-no questions use whether or if. Reported requests or commands: use to or not ...
PDF English Grammar Class 10 Direct and Indirect speech
Class X English Grammar Direct and Indirect Speech English Grammar www.vedantu.com 3 • The pronouns of the third person don't change. Examples Direct: Jon said, " I saw a king in the timber. Indirect: Jon said that he'd seen a king in the timber. Direct: I said to my friend, "He is working hard". Indirect: I told my friend that he is working hard.
Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Chart: A Guide for Class 10
In Direct speech, the conversation will be written under inverted commas. In the indirect speech, the inverted commas won't be there. Before the indirect statement starts, you need to put the conjunction 'that' before the statement. In Direct speech, First Person Singular and Plural or Second Person Singular and Plural are in use; in ...

Reported Speech - Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

Table of Contents

Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech

What is reported speech?

What is the formula of reported speech?

Give some examples of reported speech.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Reported Speech For Class 10: Exciting Exercises with Answers [PDF]

This Blog Includes:

Amanpreet Kaur

8 Universities with higher ROI than IITs and IIMs

Connect With Us

Need help with?

Country Preference

Which English test are you planning to take?

When are you planning to take the exam?

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

What is your budget to study abroad?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

Essex Direct Admission Day

Reported Speech

Reported speech

Reporting and summarising

Reporting verbs

Tenses in reported speech

Online courses

7. Reported speech

Enter your mobile number to sign up in EduMple

Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers

Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises For Class 10 Cbse With Answers PDF

Reported Speech Exercises Solved Example With Answers for Class 10 CBSE

Reported Speech: Rules, Examples, Exceptions

What is reported speech?

Backshift of Verb Tenses in Reported Speech

Reported Speech (Part 1) Quiz

No backshift needed when the situation is still true

No backshift needed when the situation is still in the future

Review: Reported Speech, Backshift, & Exceptions

Reported Requests, Orders, and Questions

Reported Speech (Part 2) Quiz

Master the details of English grammar:

More Espresso English Lessons:

Shayna Oliveira

CBSE Class 10 English Grammar – Direct And Indirect Speech

Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers

Reported Speech Solved Examples Exercises for Class 10 CBSE

Suggested Videos

Browse more Topics under Transformation Sentences

Reported speech- Play of the tenses:

Reported speech- Handling questions:

Reported speech- Reported requests:

Reported speech- Reported orders:

Reported speech- Time transitions:

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Transformation of Sentences

37 responses to “Active and Passive voice”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Download the App

SpeakUp resources

Reported Speech Rules in English:

What is reported speech?

Reporting Statements in the Simple Present Tense

Reporting Statements in Other Tenses

How to Change Tenses in Reported Speech

Reporting Questions

Requests and Demands

Reported Speech Exercises

Matthew Jones

Reported Speech - English Grammar Class 10 - Class 10 - Notes, Videos & Tests

Videos for Reported Speech - English Grammar Class 10 | Class 10

Top Courses for Class 10

Importance of Reported Speech Class 10

Forgot Password

Reported Speech: Dialogue Writing Practice Questions CBSE Class 10 Grammar

Dialogue Reporting Practice Questions

Q. Read the conversation and complete the passage that follows: (OD 2022)

Q. Read the conversation between a teacher and student and complete the passage that follows. (Term 2 SQP 2021-22)

Q. Read the following dialogue between a mother and her son. Complete the paragraph that follows by filling in the gaps appropriately. (2012)