What is narration?(Direct & Indirect)

 

Complete and Details of Direct-indirect

First Person- In this point of view, a character (typically the protagonist, but not always) is telling the story.

Second Person- In this point of view, the author uses a narrator to speak to the reader

Third Person - In this point of view, an external narrator is telling the story.



Example:
Direct: Ram says "I'm in Class."
Indirect: Ram says that he is in class.

 

(in both Direct and indirect)

the reporting verb is - ram says

and reporting speech is - I'm in class / He is in class

direct - (id)

indirect - that / whether/because/......(id)

Change " " - that/whether

Direct- Ravi said "Im not sure about rain today"

                  -----R.V.---   -------------R.S. ----------

Indirect- Ravi suspected whether it would rain that day" 

        -------R.V.------ joining--------R.S. ----

he says (Reporting verb)

"you're in the jams class now" (Reporting verb)

ram says -

-

-

-

ram said

-

-

-

ram  will say 

-

-

-

Ravi says "you are playing the game"

1-Subjective change

I- you, he

You- I

He- he

she- she

we- they,you

        it - there

2-Time change

today - that day

tomorrow- next day

yesterday- privious day

now - then

        

3- Objective change

you- me, us

Them- you, them

Me- him/you

        He - he

        She - she

e.g.

Direct- Ravi says "you are playing the game"

Indirect- Ravi says that I'm playing the game.

Rule 1- No change in tense of Reported Speech

(When the reporting verb is in present and future)

e.g.

Direct:- Ram will say "Do you want come to home?"

Indirect:- Ram will ask if I want to come to home.

Direct-Ankit says "You are playing well today."

Indirect- Ankit says that I'm playing well that day"

Direct:- You will say to Geeta "When have I disturbed you?"

Indirect:- You will ask to Geeta for the time when you have disturbed her.

Direct:- He says to me "Did you complete your homework?"

Indirect:- He interrogates to me if I completed my homework.

Direct:- Anuj says to his mother "You are my beautiful mom"

Indirect:- Anuj tells his mother that she is his beautiful mom.

Rule 2- Corresponding change in tense of Reported Speech

(When the reporting verb is in past tense)

Like: 

Present indefinite into Past indefinite

e.g.

Direct:- Anuj said to his sister "Do you copy in exam?"

Indirect:- Anuj interrogated his sister if she copied in exam.

Present continuous into past continuous

e.g.

Direct:- They said  "Why is it raining now?"

Indirect:- They questioned why there was raining then"

Present perfect into past perfect

e.g.

Direct:- You said  "They have blamed us"

Indirect:- You said that They had blamed you.

Present P.C. into Past P.C.

e.g.

Direct:- We said to you "You have been playing well since now."

Indirect:- We told you that you had been playing well since then.

Past Indefinite into Past Perfect

e.g.

Direct:- You said  "She stared me"

Indirect:- You said that she had stared you.

Past continuous into Past P.C.

e.g.

Direct:- I said to Ravi "You were going to Srinagar."

Indirect:- I told Ravi that he  had been going to Srinagar.

Past perfect Continuous into (Unchanged)

e.g.

Direct:- Agrita said to her mother "I had been playing on field since yesterday"

Indirect:- Agrita told her mother that she had been playing on field since previous day"

Future Indefinite - Future in past (change - will into would and shall into should)

e.g.

Direct:-  He said to her "I shall play cricket tomorrow."

Indirect:- He told her that he would play cricket next day.

Future Continuous- Future continuous in past (change  will be into would be and shall be into should be)

e.g.

Direct:-  you said to us "you will play cricket tomorrow."

Indirect:- He told us that we should play cricket next day.

Future Perfect - Future perfect in past(change - will have into would have and shall have into should have)

e.g.

Direct:-  You said to us "you will play cricket tomorrow."

Indirect:- You told us that we should play cricket next day.

Future perfect continuous- Future perfect continuous(change - will have been into   would have been and shall have been into   should have been)

e.g.

Direct:-  Radha said to her teacher "My mother will have been cooking recipe tomorrow."

Indirect:- Radha told her teacher that her mother would have been cooking recipe next day.

Rule 3- When reporting verb keeps an object then the verb of reporting verb changes 

say - tell

says - tells

said - told

Rule 3 and Rule 1-(applied herein below lines)

Direct- I shall say to you "I'm going to school now."

Indirect- I shall tell to you that I'm going to school then.

Rule 4- when there is a question/interrogative word in reporting speech

says- asks, inquires, investigates, remands

said - asked, inquired, investigated, warned, 

Direct - Asha says to me "Why are you running fast?"

Indirect- Asha asks me that why I am running fast?

Direct- Reena said "I am going to dance"

Indirect-  Reena said that she was going to dance.

Rule-5 If there is an interrogative sentence in reporting speech then instead of "that" use "whether" or "if".

that - whether/if

(Whether comes when the matter is not very clean)

(If comes when the matter is exact and clear)

Direct-Asha says to me "Will it rain today?"

Indirect- Asha asks me whether it will rain that day.

Direct- Ankit says to me "Did you go to the temple yesterday?

Indirect- Ankit asked me whether I went to the temple previous day.

Direct- You will say "When will you complete your work?

Indirect- You will ask when I shall complete my work.

Direct- Ankit and you say to us "Who had exploded the crackers in Diwali last year?"

Indirect- Ankit and you ask us who had exploded the crackers in Diwali previous year?

Rule-6 Universal truth - No change in tense and subject as well

Direct- The teacher says " Sun rises in the east.

Indirect- The teacher says that the sun rises in the east.

Direct- The teacher said " Sun rises in the east.

Indirect- The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.

Direct- Sheela said, "You don't go there."

Indirect- Sheela said that I didn't go there.

Direct- I said to Ravi "You have scored well."

Indirect- I told Ravi that he had scored well.

Direct- Vijay said to his mother "Are you ok?"

Indirect- Vijay asked his mother if she was ok.

Direct- Sita said to her mother "Why did Ram come late?"

Indirect- Sita asked her mother that why Ram had come late.

Direct- The teacher said to a student "How many books are you having in your bag?"

Indirect- The teacher asked a student how many books he was having in his bag.

Direct- Police said to me " Do you know this candle/criminal?"

Indirect- Police asked me whether I knew the chandler/criminal.

Rule - 7- When the reporting verb is in past tense and reported speech contains any command, then the sentence will totally changed according to modal verbs in reported speech in indirect.

Direct- Ankit said to his parents "You talk to my  teacher regarding exam details."

Indirect- Ankit requested to his parents they should have talked to his teacher regarding exam details.

Direct- Rita said to the teacher "Will the sunrise in the east?"

Indirect- Rita asked her teacher whether the sun will have arisen in the east.

Direct- Savita said to me "Why will you not join our party?"

Indirect- Savita asked me why I should not join their party.

Command-

Direct- Children said to their parents "Please give us lunch now."

Indirect- Children requested their parents that they should have given the lunch then"

Rule 8 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Interrogative Sentences

• No conjunction is used, if a sentence in direct speech begins with a question (what/where/when) as the “question-word” itself acts as a joining clause.

Direct to indirect speech example

Direct: “Where do you live?” asked the boy.

Indirect: The boy enquired where I lived.

• If a direct speech sentence begins with an auxiliary verb/helping verb, the joining clause should be if or whether.

Direct to indirect speech example

Direct: She said, ‘Will you come for the party’?

Indirect: She asked whether we would come for the party.

• Reporting verbs such as ‘said/ said to’ changes to enquired, asked, or demanded.

Direct to indirect speech example

Direct: He said to me, ‘What are you wearing’?

Indirect: He asked me what I was wearing.

Candidates can also check the links given below to understand the concept of word formation in English and to learn the common words in English Language that appear in most of the competitive exams-

Rule 9 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Changes in Modals

While changing direct speech to indirect speech, the modals used in the sentences change like:

1. Can becomes could
2. May becomes might
3. Must becomes had to /would have to 

Check the examples:

• Direct : She said, ‘She can dance’.
• Indirect: She said that she could dance. 
• Direct: She said, ‘I may buy a dress’.
• Indirect: She said that she might buy a dress.
• Direct: Rama said, ‘I must complete the assignment’.
• Indirect: Rama said that he had to complete the assignment.

There are modals that do not change – Could, Would, Should, Might, Ought to

• Direct: She said, ‘I should clean the house’
• Indirect: She said that she should have cleaned the house.

Rule 10 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Pronoun

1. The first person in direct speech changes as per the subject of the speech.

Direct speech to indirect speech examples-

Direct: He said, “I am in class Twelfth.”

Indirect: He said that he was in class Twelfth.

1. The second person of direct speech changes as per the object of reporting speech.

Direct speech to indirect speech examples –

Direct: She says to them, “You have done your work.”

Indirect: She tells them that they have done their work.

1. The third person of direct speech doesn’t change.

Direct speech to indirect speech examples –

Direct: He says, “She dances well.”

Indirect: He says that she dances well.

Rule 11 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Request, Command, Wish, Exclamation

• Indirect Speech is supported by some verbs like requested, ordered, suggested and advised. Forbid-forbade is used for negative sentences. Therefore, the imperative mood in the direct speech changes into the Infinitive in indirect speech.

Direct: She said to her ‘Please complete it’.

Indirect: She requested her to complete it.

Direct: Hamid said to Ramid, ‘Sit down’.

Indirect: Hamid ordered Ramid to sit down.

1. In Exclamatory sentences that express grief, sorrow, happiness, applaud, Interjections are removed and the sentence is changed to an assertive sentence.

Direct: She said, ‘Alas! I am undone’.

Indirect: She exclaimed sadly that she was broke.

Aspirants are well aware that English is an important component of the syllabus of various competitive exams and it is important to be clear with the basic concepts. Therefore, given below are a few articles to clarify the confusion between usage of common but confusing words in the English Language.

Rule 12 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Punctuations

1. In direct speech, the words actually spoken should be in (‘’) quotes and always begin with a capital letter.

Example: She said, “I am the best.”

1. Full stop, comma, exclamation or question mark, are placed inside the closing inverted commas.

Example: They asked, “Can we sing with you?”

1. If direct speech comes after the information about who is speaking, a comma is used to introduce the speech, placed before the first inverted comma.

Direct speech example: He shouted, “Shut up!”

Direct speech example: “Thinking back,” he said, “she didn’t expect to win.” (Comma is used to separate the two direct speeches and no capital letter to begin the second sentence).

Rule 13 – Direct Speech to Indirect Speech Conversion – Change of Time

1. In direct speeches, the words that express nearness in time or place are changed to words that express distance in indirect speech. Such as :

• Now becomes then                  
• Here becomes there
• Ago becomes before                
• Thus becomes so
• Today becomes that day         
• Tomorrow becomes the next day
• This becomes that                 
• Yesterday becomes the day before
• These become those              
• Hither becomes thither
• Come becomes go                     
• Hence becomes thence
• Next week or month becomes following week/month

Examples:

Direct: He said, ‘His girlfriend came yesterday.’

Indirect: He said that his girlfriend had come the day before.

1. The time expression does not change if the reporting verb is in the present tense or future tense.

Examples: 

Direct: He says/will say, ‘My girlfriend came yesterday.’

Indirect:  He says/will say that his girlfriend came the day before.

Rules of converting Indirect Speech into Direct Speech

The following rules should be followed while converting an indirect speech to direct speech:

1. Use the reporting verb such as (say, said to) in its correct tense.
2. Put a comma before the statement and the first letter of the statement should be in capital letter.
3. Insert question mark, quotation marks, exclamation mark and full stop, based on the mood of the sentence.
4. Remove the conjunctions like (that, to, if or whether) wherever necessary.
5. Where the reporting verb is in past tense in indirect, change it to present tense in the direct speech.
6. Change the past perfect tense either into present perfect tense or past tense, as necessary.

Check the examples:

• Indirect: She asked whether she was coming to the prom night.
• Direct: She said to her, “Are you coming to the prom night?”
• Indirect: The girl said that she was happy with her result.
• Direct: The girl said. “I am happy with my result.”

Practice

Q.1. Find out the correct indirect speech for the given sentence.

She said,’ I have baked a cake’

1. She said that she baked a cake
2. She said that she had baked a cake.
3. She said that I baked a cake.
4. She said that she had bake a cake.

Answer (2) She said that she had baked a cake.

Q.2. Choose the correct sentence. 

Aviral said, ‘What a beautiful rainbow it is’.

1. Aviral exclaimed wonderfully that the scenery was very beautiful.
2. Aviral said with wonder that the scenery was very beautiful.
3. Aviral exclaimed with wonder that the scenery is very beautiful.
4. Aviral exclaimed with wonder that the scenery was very beautiful.

Answer (4) Aviral exclaimed with wonder that the scenery was very beautiful.

Q.3. The correct indirect speech for ‘This world’, she said, ‘is full of sorrow. Wish that I were dead’. is?

1. She observed that the world is full of sorrow. She wished to be dead.
2. She said that the world was full of sorrow. She wished to be dead.
3. She observed that the world was full of sorrow. She wished to be dead.
4. She observed that the world was full of sorrow. She wished to die.

Answer (1) She observed that the world is full of sorrow. She wished to be dead

Q.4. The policeman said, ‘Where are the weapons?’

1. The policeman inquired where was the weapons.
2. The policeman enquired where are the weapons.
3. The policeman enquired where were the weapons.
4. The policeman questioned where were the weapon.

Answer (3) The policeman enquired where were the weapons.

Q.5. The man said, ‘Ah! I am ruined.’

1. The man cried that he was in ruined.
2. The man exclaimed in grief that he was ruin.
3. The man said that Ah, he is ruined.
4. The man exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.

Answer (4) The man exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.

Some practice Narrations

dinesh kahta hai "main kal college jaunga"

direct- Dinesh says "I'll go to college tomorrow"

Indirect-Dinesh says that he will go to college the next day.

kapil ne mujhse kaha "tum in logo se baat mat karo"

Direct- Kapil said to me "Don't talk to these people"

Indirect- Kapil told me that I should have not talked to them.

aasha ne kaha "mami ko yaha aane me itna samay kyu lag gaya?"

Direct- Aasha said, "Why did mama take too much to reach here."

Indirect- Aasha asked that Why mama had taken too much time to reach there.

hamare guruji kahte the "prithwi ek grah hai"

Direct- Our teacher said "Earth is a planet"

Indirect- Our teacher said that Earth is a planet.

Direct-Aarti said to the teacher "Why are you going to be delayed for class plz?"

Indirect- Aarti requested to the teacher that why he was being delayed for class.

Direct- Rita said to the teacher "Will the sunrise in the east?"

Indirect- Rita asked her teacher whether the sun will have arisen in the east.

Direct- Savita said to me "Why will you not join our party?"

Indirect- Savita asked me that why I shall not have joined their party.

Direct- Children said to their parents "Please give us lunch now."

Indirect- Children asked their parents that they should have given the lunch that time"

Assignment on narration 

For practice Click: Translate Hindi into English

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