Level 10 – Step 02 : Direct and Reported Speech (Tom said that he would go. She told him not to run.)
/Level 10 – Step 02 : Direct and Reported Speech (Tom said that he would go. She told him not to run.)
🚪 Let’s Begin
/🚪 Let’s Begin
🦉Professor Owl: Today we will learn how to change direct speech into reported (indirect) speech and back again.
/🦉Professor Owl: Today we will learn how to change direct speech into reported (indirect) speech and back again.
🐧Igupen: What is the difference between direct and reported speech?
/🐧Igupen: What is the difference between direct and reported speech?
🦉Professor Owl: Direct speech repeats exact words with quotation marks, and reported speech tells what someone said without using the exact words.
/🦉Professor Owl: Direct speech repeats exact words with quotation marks, and reported speech tells what someone said without using the exact words.
Listen to the examples and try the changes yourself.
/Listen to the examples and try the changes yourself.
📚 Lesson
/📚 Lesson
What is direct speech?
/What is direct speech?
Direct speech uses quotation marks to show the speaker’s exact words.
/Direct speech uses quotation marks to show the speaker’s exact words.
Example: Tom said, “I will go.”
/Example: Tom said, “I will go.”
What is reported speech?
/What is reported speech?
Reported speech tells what someone said without quotation marks and often changes words and tense.
/Reported speech tells what someone said without quotation marks and often changes words and tense.
Example: Tom said that he would go.
/Example: Tom said that he would go.
Basic changes when reporting
/Basic changes when reporting
1. Remove quotation marks and use that after verbs of saying for statements.
/1. Remove quotation marks and use that after verbs of saying for statements.
2. Change present tense to past tense (He says “I am tired” → He said that he was tired).
/2. Change present tense to past tense (He says “I am tired” → He said that he was tired).
3. Change will to would, can to could, and may to might when the reporting verb is in the past.
/3. Change will to would, can to could, and may to might when the reporting verb is in the past.
4. For commands and requests, use verbs like told, asked, or ordered plus to + base verb (She said “Close the door” → She told him to close the door).
/4. For commands and requests, use verbs like told, asked, or ordered plus to + base verb (She said “Close the door” → She told him to close the door).
🦉Professor Owl’s one-point tip
/🦉Professor Owl’s one-point tip
Find the reporting verb first and check its tense, then change the original speaker’s verb tense one step back in time if the reporting verb is past.
/Find the reporting verb first and check its tense, then change the original speaker’s verb tense one step back in time if the reporting verb is past.
Quick checks inside the lesson
/Quick checks inside the lesson
Direct: “I will come,” he said.
/Direct: “I will come,” he said.
Reported: He said that he would come.
/Reported: He said that he would come.
Direct: “Don’t run,” she said to him.
/Direct: “Don’t run,” she said to him.
Reported: She told him not to run.
/Reported: She told him not to run.
🌼 Sample Sentences
/🌼 Sample Sentences
No.01 Tom said, “I will go.”
/No.01 Tom said, “I will go.”
No.02 Tom said that he would go.
/No.02 Tom said that he would go.
No.03 She said, “I am tired.”
/No.03 She said, “I am tired.”
No.04 She said that she was tired.
/No.04 She said that she was tired.
No.05 He asked, “Can you help me?”
/No.05 He asked, “Can you help me?”
No.06 He asked if I could help him.
/No.06 He asked if I could help him.
No.07 “Close the window,” the teacher said.
/No.07 “Close the window,” the teacher said.
No.08 The teacher told the students to close the window.
/No.08 The teacher told the students to close the window.
No.09 Mary said, “I may come tomorrow.”
/No.09 Mary said, “I may come tomorrow.”
No.10 Mary said that she might come the next day.
/No.10 Mary said that she might come the next day.
🎓 Practice exercises
/🎓 Practice exercises
Note: Think first, then check the answers.
/Note: Think first, then check the answers.
Q1: Change to reported speech: He said, “I am hungry.”
/Q1: Change to reported speech: He said, “I am hungry.”
Q2: Change to reported speech: She said, “I will help you.”
/Q2: Change to reported speech: She said, “I will help you.”
Q3: Change to reported speech: “Close the door,” the guard said.
/Q3: Change to reported speech: “Close the door,” the guard said.
Q4: Change to direct speech: He said that he had finished his work.
/Q4: Change to direct speech: He said that he had finished his work.
Q5: Choose the correct reported form: “I can swim,” she said. A) She said that she can swim. B) She said that she could swim.
/Q5: Choose the correct reported form: “I can swim,” she said. A) She said that she can swim. B) She said that she could swim.
Q6: Change to reported speech: John said, “Don’t touch the paint.”
/Q6: Change to reported speech: John said, “Don’t touch the paint.”
Q7: Change to reported speech: They asked, “Where is the station?”
/Q7: Change to reported speech: They asked, “Where is the station?”
Q8: Change to direct speech: She told him to study harder.
/Q8: Change to direct speech: She told him to study harder.
Q9: True or False: When the reporting verb is past, “will” often becomes “would.”
/Q9: True or False: When the reporting verb is past, “will” often becomes “would.”
Q10: Correct the sentence if needed: He said that he will come yesterday.
/Q10: Correct the sentence if needed: He said that he will come yesterday.
◆ Answers
/◆ Answers
A1: He said that he was hungry.
/A1: He said that he was hungry.
A2: She said that she would help me.
/A2: She said that she would help me.
A3: The guard told them to close the door.
/A3: The guard told them to close the door.
A4: He said, “I have finished my work.”
/A4: He said, “I have finished my work.”
A5: B is correct: She said that she could swim.
/A5: B is correct: She said that she could swim.
A6: John told them not to touch the paint.
/A6: John told them not to touch the paint.
A7: They asked where the station was.
/A7: They asked where the station was.
A8: She said, “Study harder.”
/A8: She said, “Study harder.”
A9: True.
/A9: True.
A10: Correction: He said that he would come yesterday is still odd; better: He said yesterday that he would come.
/A10: Correction: He said that he would come yesterday is still odd; better: He said yesterday that he would come.
🦉 Closing
/🦉 Closing
🦉Professor Owl: Good job today, keep practicing changing from direct to reported speech and back.
/🦉Professor Owl: Good job today, keep practicing changing from direct to reported speech and back.
🐧Igupen: I will try to notice reporting verbs and tense changes every time I hear someone speak.
/🐧Igupen: I will try to notice reporting verbs and tense changes every time I hear someone speak.
🦉Professor Owl: Excellent, write five direct sentences and then turn them into reported speech to build confidence.
/🦉Professor Owl: Excellent, write five direct sentences and then turn them into reported speech to build confidence.
