Understanding the Basics
* Direct speech: Quotes the exact words someone said, using quotation marks.
* Example: "I love pizza," she said.
* Indirect speech: Reports what someone said without using quotation marks. It uses a reporting verb (like "said," "told," "asked") and often changes the tense and pronouns.
* Example: She said that she loved pizza.
Key Transformations
1. Reporting Verb: Choose an appropriate reporting verb like "said," "told," "asked," "replied," "explained," etc.
2. Tense Shift:
* Present tense in direct speech becomes past tense in indirect speech.
* "He said, 'I am tired.'" => "He said that he was tired."
* "She said, 'I will go.'" => "She said that she would go."
* Past tense remains past tense, but is often put into the past perfect.
* "She said, 'I went to the store.'" => "She said that she had gone to the store."
3. Pronoun Changes:
* First-person pronouns (I, me, my, we, us, our) change to reflect the speaker's perspective.
* "I am happy," she said. => She said that she was happy.
* "We are leaving," they said. => They said that they were leaving.
4. Time and Place References:
* "I will meet you tomorrow," he said. => He said that he would meet me the following day.
* "I'm going to the park now," she said. => She said that she was going to the park then.
5. Other Changes:
* "This is my favorite book," she said. => She said that that was her favorite book. (Demonstrative pronouns change)
* "Do you like this?" she asked. => She asked if I liked it. (Interrogative sentences become declarative)
Examples
* Direct: "I'm going to the movies tonight," she said.
* Indirect: She said she was going to the movies that night.
* Direct: "Where is the library?" he asked.
* Indirect: He asked where the library was.
* Direct: "Have you finished your homework?" she asked.
* Indirect: She asked if I had finished my homework.
Remember: Practice makes perfect! The more you work with direct and indirect speech, the more comfortable you'll become with the transformations.