Willer Academy Notes

Topic: Narration (Direct & Indirect Speech)

Narration means reporting the words of a speaker. It helps us convey what a person said to someone else. Narration has two main forms:

• Direct Speech: Words are reported exactly as they were spoken, inside quotation marks.
• Indirect Speech (Reported Speech): Words are reported in our own way, without quotation marks, and some grammatical changes are necessary.

1. Direct Speech

In Direct Speech, we reproduce the exact words of the speaker inside quotation marks.

Example: Riya said, "I love reading books."

Rules:

• Quotation marks (" ") are used.
• No change in tense, pronoun, or words.
• A comma is placed before the quotation.

2. Indirect Speech

Indirect Speech is when we report what someone said without using their exact words. Quotation marks are removed and tense, pronouns, and words often change.

Example: Riya said that she loved reading books.

Important Rules of Conversion:

• Pronouns Change: According to the subject/object of reporting.
• Tenses Change: Present tense shifts to past tense.
• Words Change:
  • Now → then
  • Today → that day
  • Tomorrow → the next day
  • Yesterday → the previous day
  • Here → there
  • This → that / These → those
• Quotation marks are removed.
• Conjunction “that, if, whether” is used.

3. Changes in Tenses (Direct → Indirect)

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Simple Present	Simple Past
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
Simple Past	Past Perfect
Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
Will	Would
Shall	Should / Would
May	Might
Can	Could

4. Examples

• Direct: She said, "I am tired." Indirect: She said that she was tired.
• Direct: They said, "We are studying for exams." Indirect: They said that they were studying for exams.
• Direct: He said, "I will call you tomorrow." Indirect: He said that he would call me the next day.
• Direct: I said, "I bought a pen yesterday." Indirect: I said that I had bought a pen the previous day.
• Direct: She said, "Can you help me?" Indirect: She asked if I could help her.

5. Reporting Different Types of Sentences

(a) Statements

Rule: Use "that" as connector. Tense pronoun and words change.

Example: He said, "I am hungry." → He said that he was hungry.

(b) Questions

Rule: Replace question marks. Use "if" or "whether" for yes/no questions. For Wh-questions, keep the Wh-word.

Example: She asked, "Are you happy?" → She asked if I was happy.

Example: He asked, "Where do you live?" → He asked where I lived.

(c) Commands & Requests

Rule: Use "to" + verb. Reporting verb changes (say → tell, request, order, advise, etc.).

Example: The teacher said, "Open your books." → The teacher ordered them to open their books.

Example: She said, "Please help me." → She requested me to help her.

(d) Exclamatory Sentences

Rule: Use reporting verbs like exclaimed, wished, prayed, applauded depending on the emotion.

Example: She said, "What a beautiful flower!" → She exclaimed that it was a very beautiful flower.

6. Practice Exercise

Convert the following sentences into Indirect Speech:

1. Ravi said, "I play cricket."
2. She said, "I am going to the market now."
3. They said, "We have finished our homework."
4. He said, "I saw him yesterday."
5. The teacher said, "Do your work carefully."
6. She said, "Where are you going?"
7. He said, "Will you come with me?"
8. Rahul said, "Wow! What a game it was!"

Answer Key:

1. Ravi said that he played cricket.
2. She said that she was going to the market then.
3. They said that they had finished their homework.
4. He said that he had seen him the previous day.
5. The teacher told them to do their work carefully.
6. She asked where I was going.
7. He asked if I would come with him.
8. Rahul exclaimed with joy that it had been a wonderful game.

7. Quick Summary

• Direct Speech = Exact words of the speaker.
• Indirect Speech = Reported words, changes in tense, pronoun, and expressions.
• Always check the type of sentence (statement, question, command, exclamation).
• Learn the changes of time, place, tense, and pronouns carefully.

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