ENGLISH : Indirect and Reported Speech

• What is Direct Speech?

  A direct speech is a sentence that gives a statement or thought in its original form according to how the original speaker said it. It carries the actual words of the speaker. The actual words of the speaker are inside the quotation marks.
• Let us look at the lines of Pare Crispin:

  "We hauled the ipil trees," the farmer said. "I did not eat this morning," the child stated.

  The words inside the quotation marks are the exact words of the farmer and the child.

  A comma is used before or after the reporting verb to separate it from the actual words of the speaker.
• What is Indirect Speech or Reported Speech?

  A reported speech or indirect speech is a sentence that expresses the content of a statement without quoting just like what is done in direct speech. The speech in reported without the actual words of a speaker but with its full meaning intact.
• Pare Crispin said that they had hauled the ipil trees. The child stated that he had not eaten that morning.

  In an indirect speech, the word "that" usually replaces the comma.

  Verbs like announce, answer, explain, ask, say, reply, suggest, tell, mention, warn, promise, etc., are used in indirect speech.

  When a question is asked in indirect speech, a question mark is never used. Instead, a period is used. The reporting verb changes to ask, inquire, etc.
• Direct Speech Reported Speech

  
• Examples

  
• Reported speech can also be converted to direct speech:

  Use the reporting verbs say, said, tell, ask, suggest, etc. in its correct tense.

  Remove the conjunctions "that, to, if or whether etc."

  Place the exact words of the speaker within the quotation marks.

  Put a comma before or after the statement.

  Insert quotations marks, question mark, exclamation, and full stop, whenever necessary.

  Examples: The doctor said I need enough sleep.

  The doctor said, "You need enough sleep."