What is reported speech? What are its rules? Here is the complete explanation.

Reported Speech, Unit 18, Class 11, English

Reported Speech: Rules

Reporting in general words refers to the transformation of direct speech into indirect speech.
Eg: Aryan said, “I am from Janakpur.” (Direct Speech)
Aryan said that he was from Janakpur. (Indirect Speech)

In such transformation, we change the following.
a. Tense
b. Time and place expression
c. Pronoun
 
a. Tense:
If the reporting verb is in the past tense, then only tense changes:

Direct Speech                          Indirect Speech

Present Tense                          Past Tense
V1/V5                                      V2
Is/am/are                                  was/were
Do not /does not                     did not

Past Tense                               Past Perfect
V2                                            had+ V3
Was/were                                 had been
Did not                                    had not + V3

Modals:
Will/shall/may/can                 would/should/might/could

Note:
– In the case of universal truth or scientific facts and time clauses, tense doesn’t change.
b. Time and Place Expressions

Direct Speech                            Indirect Speech
Yesterday                                the day before/the previous day
Today                                       that day
Tomorrow                               the next day/ the following day
Now                                        then
Here                                         there
c. Pronouns
 
a. First person changes according to subject.
Eg: Ram said to Sita, “I can do my work myself”
Ram told Sita that he could do his work himself.

b. Second person changes according to object.
Eg: Ram said to Sita, “You can do your work yourself”
Ram told Sita that she could do her work herself.

c. Third person does not change.
Eg: Ram said to Sita, “Ravan is a villain”
Ram told Sita that Ravan was a villain.
Reported Speech of Interrogative:

a. Wh- Question with auxiliary:
Ram said Sita, “Where are you going?”
Ram asked Sita where she was going.
Structure:
…wh+sub+aux+V….


b. Wh-questions with do/did/does
-remove do/did/does
Do: V1: use V2
Did: V2: use had + V3
Does: V5: use V2

Example:
Ram said to Sita, “ Where did you go?”
Ram asked Sita where she had gone.
Structure:
….wh + sub + V2/had+V3…..


Yes/No Questions
The same rule of wh-question applies but just add if/whether.
Example:
Ram said to Sita, “Are you coming?”
Ram asked Sita if she was coming.
Ram said to Sita, “Do you like mo: mo?”
Ram asked Sita if she liked mo: mo. 
Imperative/Request/Suggestion
Imperative sentence: ..ordered to…/ ordered not to…
Ram said to Sita, “Open the door”
Ram ordered Sita to open the door.
Ram said to Sita, “Don’t make noise”
Ram ordered Sita not to make noise.

Request Statement: requested to../requested not to…
Ram said to Sita, “Could you open the door?
Ram requested Sita to open the door.

Suggestion: suggested to/ suggested not to
Ram said to Sita, “You should not watch TV a lot”
Ram suggested Sita not to watch TV a lot.

Exercise:

Change the following into indirect speech.

a. She said, “While I was having dinner, the phone rang.”

She said that while she was having dinner, the phone had rung.

b. My friend said, “Where are they staying?”

My friend asked where they were staying.

c. Jamila said, “I travel a lot in my job.”

Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job.

d. She said to me, “We lived in China for five years.”

She told me that they had lived in China for five years.

e. He said to me, “Do you like ice-cream?”

He asked me if I liked ice-cream.

f. They said, “Hurray! We’ve won the match.”

They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.

g. He said, “I’d tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.”

He said that he’d tried everything without success, but that new medicine was great.

h. Sony said, “I go to the gym next to your house.”

Sony said that she went to the gym next to my house.

i. He said, “Be quiet after 10 o’clock.”

He told me to be quiet after 10 o’clock.

j. He said, “I don’t want to go to the party unless he invites me.”

He said that he didn’t want to go to the party unless he invited him.

k. He said to me, “I will see you tomorrow if you meet me.”

He told me that he would see me the following day if I met him.

l. She said, “If I were you, I would give up the work.”

She suggested me to give up the work.

Reading Suggestion:

Used to, Unit 16, Class 11, English

YouTube Video: