Components of Indirect Speech

The Grammar HELP!  Student Handbook - Online!

In today's Grammar HELP! Student Handbook - Online! lesson we continue our unit on Indirect Speech (also known as Reported Speech). 

Please keep in mind that all the examples you see below were contributed by ESL students in their writing and reading classes. We bring you only authentic writing.

Main Components

 

Inside an indirect speech sentence, you can place:

  •  a declarative statement

  •  a command, and

  • a question

For a declarative statement, the words of the speaker are placed in a subordinate clause that begins with the word "that".  (Sometimes the word "that" can be omitted.)

Indirect speech may or may not include the exact words a person spoke, wrote or thought.

  • Direct speech:     My father said, "You have to go to college."

  • Indirect speech:  My father told me that I had to go to college.
                               My father said that I had to go to college.

1) Change of Punctuation

An indirect speech sentence will always require a change of punctuation.

  1. Do not use quotation marks.

  2. End the sentence with a period. Even when you are restating a question, end the sentence with a period.

Indirect (Reported) Speech Questions

An indirect speech question is now embedded within a declarative statement so the sentence must end with a period.

2) Change of Pronouns and Demonstrative Adjectives

Change the pronouns and the demonstrative adjectives if necessary so that the new sentence makes sense with the new point of reference.

Demonstrative Adjectives: 
this ⇒ that             these ⇒ those

  • Direct:     Miriam said, "I have seen this before."

  • Indirect:  Miriam said that she had seen that before.

3) Change of Verb Tenses

 

You may also need to change the tense of any verbs in the subordinate clause.

The next section, Sequence of Tenses, will tell you which tenses to use for indirect speech.

  • Miriam said, "I have seen this before."   Miriam said that she had seen that before.

4)  Change of Word Order

For a reported information question, the word order will also change and will follow a standard declarative statement word order, S-V.  

  • Direct Question:  Why is it so cold?

  • Reported Question: I asked them why it was so cold.
                                    S   V          dependent clause (S,V)

Next Lesson... Learning Activities

Please continue with our next lesson, "Learning Activities with Components of Quoted and Indirect Speech"

All material is copyrighted, Software for Students.  Copying for PERSONAL USE ONLY. All others must contact Software for Students for permission to use in schools or other educational institutions.