1. Direct and Indirect Speech

2. Direct Speech Repeats or quotes the exact words of the speaker
Indicated by double inverted commas (“ “)
A new paragraph is used for each speaker
Eg: The supporters shouted, “Come on, Liverpool!”
Eg: “You guys are excellent,” exclaimed the teacher, “and I am very proud of you!”

3. Indirect Speech Remove the inverted commas
Eg: Mom asked, “Suzi, where are your school books?”
= Mom asked Suzi where her school books were.
Indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past and so we usually have to change the tense of the words.
Pronouns will change to ensure the sentence maintains its meaning.
Insert the word that to link the introductory verb (e.g.: ‘said’) to the spoken words
Gabriel said, “My family and I are going to the seaside tomorrow.”
Gabriel said that he and his family would be going to the seaside the next day.

4. Indirect Speech continued
Question words:
Insert ‘if’ or ‘whether’ after question verbs (asked, enquired, questioned)
The students enquired, “Will our tests be marked soon?”
The students enquired whether their tests would be marked soon.
If the first word of a question is a question word, then use this as the connecting word.
“Why can’t I go to the party?” asked Suzi.
Suzi asked why she could not go to the party.

5. Indirect speech continued
Tense of the introductory verb:
If the introductory verb is in the PRESENT TENSE, then you report the speech as if it has just been said.
Eg: Katie says, “I am going to enjoy school today.”
Katie says that she is going to enjoy school today.
If the introductory verb is in the PAST TENSE and what is being said has already happened, then report the words in the past tense. This means you put the words one step back in terms of tense.
Eg: Katie said, “I am going to enjoy school today.”
Katie said that she was going to enjoy school that day.

6. tenses PRESENT FUTURE PAST Present simple: Past simple: Future simple:
eg: I ate
Past continuous/progressive:
eg: I was eating
Past perfect/Pluperfect:
eg: I had eaten.
PRESENT
Present simple:
eg: I eat (everyday)
Present continuous/progressive:
eg: I am eating (right now)
Present perfect:
eg: I have eaten chocolate before OR I have never eaten chocolate before
FUTURE
Future simple:
eg: I will eat
Future continuous/progressive
eg: I will be eating
Future perfect:
eg: I will have eaten

8. Now practice…
Change the following from direct speech to indirect speech:
Liz said, “I used to be shy.”
“Why are you wearing such a hat?” he asked me.
Terrence said, “I wouldn’t do it if I were you.”
“Don’t open the door please!” she said.
The girls asked, “Will the test be hard?”
Amber says, “I am so excited for today!”
He said, “I have gone to school everyday.”