Direct and Indirect Speech

There are two ways  to  convey a message of a person, or the words spoken by a person to other person. We  may quote the  actual  words  of the  speaker. This method  is called Direct Speech. We  may report what  he  said  without  quoting  his  exact  words. This method is called Indirect Speech or Reported Speech.

Rule For The Change of Pronouns

• Pronouns  of  the  First  Person  in  the  Reported Speech  are changed  in  indirect  Speech  to  the  same person  as  the subject of the Reporting Verb.
• Pronouns  of  the  Second  Person  in  the  reported  speech are  changed  in  Indirect  to  the  same  person  as  the  noun or pronoun coming after the Reporting Verb.   If the  objectof  the  reporting  verb  is  not  given,   the  sense  of  the Pronoun to be used should be carefully determined.
• Pronouns  of  the  Third  Person  in  the  Reported  Speech remain unchanged in Indirect Speech.

Rule of Changing the Tense

• PRESENT SIMPLE changes into PAST SIMPLE
• PRESENT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST CONTINUOUS
• PRESENT PERFECT changes into PAST PERFECT
• PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
• PAST SIMPLE changes into PAST PERFECT
• PAST CONTINUOUS changes into PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
• PAST PERFECT changes into PAST PERFECT (tense does not change)
• FUTURE SIMPLE TENSE : WILL changes into  WOULD
• FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE : WILL BE changes into  WOULD BE
• FUTURE PERFECT TENSE : WILL HAVE changes into  WOULD HAVE

The tense of reported speech may not change if reported speech is a universal truth though its reporting verb belongs to past tense.

Rule of Changing Words

Words indicating nearness of time or place in the Direct Speech are changed into those indicating distance when converted into Indirect Speech.

• Now becomes then
• Here becomes there
• Ago becomes before
• Thus becomes so
• Today becomes that day
• Tomorrow becomes the next day
• Yesterday becomes the day before
• Last night becomes the night before
• This becomes that
• These becomes those
• Hence becomes thence.

1. Statement

S + P + O :
- Julia said, “I need the money for the dictionary”

S + Reporting Verb + That + S :
- Julia said that she needed the money for the dictionary

2. Question word

QW + S + P + O ?:
- Sheila asked, “Why don’t you come to the party”

S + Reporting Verb + QW + S + To Be:
- Sheila asked me why I didn’t come to the party

3. Prohibition/ Command

( To be – not ) P + complement:
- Rani told me, “Don’t be late, or you’ll die”
- Andri told Yeyen, “Bring your camera, please!”

S + Reporting Verb + Not To + Complement:
- Rani told me not to be late, or I’ll die
- Andri told Yeyen to bring her camera

Keterangan:
Perubahan kata kerja tidak terjadi

4. Request
… Modal Aux + to be …
- Andi asked me, “Would you like to come”

S + Reporting Verb + Whether/If + S + …
- Andi asked me whether/if I would like to come

5. Yes/no

To be + S + P + O ?
- Rani asked me, “Do you understand the lesson?”

S + Reporting Verb + Whether/If + S + …
- Rani asked me whether/if understood the lesson