Narration:
Direct and Indirect
Speech
Narration is an essential part of English grammar, allowing us to report someone’s words effectively. Whether it’s quoting someone directly or paraphrasing their speech, mastering narration enhances communication skills. This student-friendly guide breaks down the rules, provides clear examples and includes practice exercises to help you excel in direct and indirect speech.
What is Narration?
Narration refers to the way we convey spoken words. It is divided into two forms:
- Direct Speech: Quoting the speaker’s exact words within inverted commas (e.g., She said, “I am happy.”).
- Indirect Speech: Paraphrasing the speaker’s words without quotation marks, adjusting tense, pronouns and adverbs (e.g., She said that she was happy.).
Types of Sentences in Narration
Understanding the type of sentence is key to converting narration correctly. The five main types are:
| Sentence Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Assertive | Statements conveying facts or opinions | “She was not sleeping.” |
| Interrogative | Questions | “Where was she sleeping?” |
| Imperative | Commands, requests or advice | “Please give me a glass of water.” |
| Optative | Wishes or prayers | “May you live long.” |
| Exclamatory | Expressions of strong emotion | “What a beautiful locket!” |
Note: Before changing the narration Interrogative, Optative and Exclamatory Sentences are first converted to assertive sentence.
Components of the Sentence in Narration
Example Sentence:
| Component | Example from Sentence |
|---|---|
| Reporting Speech | He says, |
| Reporting Verb | Says |
| Reported Speech | I am a student. |
| Reported Verb | Am |
Rules for Converting Direct to Indirect Speech
To change direct speech to indirect speech, follow these five key steps:
- Change the reporting verb based on the sentence type.
- Remove inverted commas and use appropriate conjunctions.
- Adjust pronouns in the reported speech.
- Modify adverbs of time and place.
- Change the tense of the reported verbaccordingly.
Detailed Conversion Rules
1. Changing the Reporting Verb
The reporting verb changes depending on the sentence type:
| Sentence Type | Direct Speech Verb | Indirect Speech Verb |
|---|---|---|
| Assertive | Say/Says, Say to/Says to, Said/Said to | Say/Says, Tell/Tells, Told |
| Interrogative | Said to | Asked, Inquired |
| Imperative | Said to | Ordered, Requested, Advised, Forbade |
| Optative | Said to | Wished, Prayed |
| Exclamatory | Said to | Exclaimed (with joy/sorrow) |
Direct: He said, “I am happy.”
Indirect: He said that he was happy.
2. Replacing Inverted Commas
Inverted commas are replaced with conjunctions:
| Sentence Type | Conjunction Used |
|---|---|
| Assertive | That |
| Interrogative (Yes/No) | If/Whether |
| Interrogative (Wh-type) | Same Wh-word (e.g., what, where) |
| Imperative | To/Not to |
| Optative | That |
| Exclamatory | That |
Direct: She said, “Do you know the way?”
Indirect: She asked if I knew the way.
3. Changing Pronouns
Pronouns in the reported speech change based on the speaker and listener:
| Nominative | Objective | Possessive | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Me | My/Mine | Myself |
| We | Us | Our/Ours | Ourselves |
| You | You | Your/Yours | Yourself/Yourselves |
| He | Him | His | Himself |
| She | Her | Her/Hers | Herself |
| They | Them | Their/Theirs | Themselves |
Rules:
- First person (I, We) changes to the subject of the reporting verb.
- Second person (You) changes to the object of the reporting verb.
- Third person (He, She, They) usually remains unchanged.
Direct: She said to me, “I love you.”
Indirect: She told me that she loved me.
Note: Note : ‘We’ does not change in the following cases :
When "We" used in general sense.
(Example- The saint said, “ We are mortals” )
When object "me" included in the subject. (Example- She said to me, “ We are to leave
for temple early” )
"We" changes into "it" when "We" is used by a newspaper or an organization.
(Example : The Pioneer said, “ We are not responsible for any error”)
4. Changing Adverbs
Adverbs of time and place are modified:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| Now | Then |
| Today | That day |
| Tomorrow | The next day |
| Yesterday | The day before |
| Here | There |
| This | That |
| These | Those |
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| Demonstratives | |
| This week | That week (used with time) |
| This book | The book (used as adjective) |
| This is a book | This ...... (used as subject/does not change.) |
| I shall do it tomorrow | used as pronoun/ changes into 'it' |
| Modals | |
| May | Might |
| Can | Could |
| Have to | Had to |
| Had to | Had to |
| Should | Should |
| Must | Had to (or Must for logical conclusions) |
Note: Adverbs like “today” or “tomorrow” remain unchanged if reported on the same day.
Direct: He says, “I shall leave today.”
Indirect: He says that he shall leave today.
5. Changing Tense
If the reporting verb is in the past tense, the reported verb’s tense shifts:
| Direct Speech Tense | Indirect Speech Tense |
|---|---|
| Present Indefinite | Past Indefinite |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
| Past Indefinite | Past Perfect |
| Past Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
| Past Perfect | No change |
| Past Perfect Continuous | No change |
| Future Tense | Shall/Will change into should/would |
Exceptions:
- Tense remains unchanged for universal truths (e.g., “The Earth is round.”).
- No tense change if the reporting verb is in the present/future tense.
Direct: She said, “I will go.”
Indirect: She said that she would go.
Special Cases
Sentences with “Let”
The word “let” has different meanings:
- Proposal/Suggestion: Use “proposed/suggested that” + “should.”
Example: Direct: “Let us go to market,” said Karim.
Indirect: Karim proposed that they should go to market. - Wish/Desire: Use “wished that” + “should.”
Example: Direct: “Let me go out,” said Arun.
Indirect: Arun wished that he should go out. - Request/Order: Use “requested/ordered to” + “allow/let.”
Example: Direct: “Let me go home,” he said.
Indirect: He requested to allow him to go home.
Exclamatory Sentences
Use "exclaimed with joy" for positive emotions, "exclaimed with sorrow" for negative ones.
"How" → "Very":
Replace "how" with "very" when it modifies an adjective or adverb.
Example: "How lovely this garden is!" → She exclaimed with joy that the garden was very lovely.
"What" → "It Was":
Replace "what" with "it was" when it emphasizes the degree or extent of an adjective or quality.
Example: "What a brilliant idea!" → He exclaimed with joy that it was a brilliant idea.
"What" → "Very":
Replace "what" with "very" when it introduces a noun phrase, rephrasing the noun as an adjective if needed.
Example: "What a wonderful surprise!" → She exclaimed with joy that the surprise was very wonderful.
Practice Exercises
- M. Hamel said, "My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you."
- Aditi asked Raju, "Is your sister at home?"
Aditi asked Raju if his sister was at home.
- My friend said to me, "Please, give me a glass of water."
My friend requested me to give him a glass of water.
- She said, "May you live long!"
She wished that you might live long.
- He said, "What a wonderful surprise!"
He exclaimed that it was a wonderful surprise.
Exam Preparation
Narration: Rules and Practice
[Simplifies narration rules with targeted exercises from past Assam HS Exam questions.]
Tips for Success
- Practice daily with real-life dialogues.
- Memorize pronoun, tense and adverb changes.
- Pay attention to sentence type and context.
- Use examples from books or movies for practice.
Conclusion
Narration is a vital skill for clear communication. With this guide, you can confidently convert direct and indirect speech, ace your exams and improve your English grammar. Keep practicing and you’ll master narration in no time!
