Narration Notes – Direct & Indirect Speech Explained on Masterji.in
Understanding Direct & Indirect Speech is crucial for mastering English grammar. Whether you are preparing for school exams, competitive tests, or improving your language skills, learning narration rules is essential. Masterji.in provides comprehensive Narration Notes to help students grasp the concept easily.
What is Narration?
Narration refers to the way we report someone’s speech. It is of two types:
- Direct Speech (Direct Narration) → The exact words spoken by the speaker are quoted within inverted commas (” “).
- Example: He said, “I am happy.”
- Indirect Speech (Indirect Narration) → The speech is reported without using exact words and without inverted commas.
- Example: He said that he was happy.
Rules for Converting Direct Speech to Indirect Speech
1. Change of Reporting Verb
- The reporting verb (e.g., say, said, tell, told) is changed based on the sentence type.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| He said, “I like apples.” | He said that he liked apples. |
| He says, “I am tired.” | He says that he is tired. |
| He said to me, “You are late.” | He told me that I was late. |
- If the reporting verb is in Present or Future Tense (says, will say), no tense change is required.
- If the reporting verb is in Past Tense (said, told), the tense of the reported speech changes.
2. Change of Pronouns
- The pronouns are changed according to the speaker, listener, and object of the sentence.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| He said, “I am tired.” | He said that he was tired. |
| She said, “We love books.” | She said that they loved books. |
| He said to me, “You are my best friend.” | He told me that I was his best friend. |
🔹 Formula:
- First-person pronouns (I, we, my, our, me, us) → Change according to the subject.
- Second-person pronouns (you, your) → Change according to the object.
- Third-person pronouns (he, she, it, they) → No change.
3. Change of Tenses
- If the reporting verb is in the Past Tense (said, told), the verb in the reported speech is changed to its past form.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| He said, “I am happy.” | He said that he was happy. |
| She said, “I write a letter.” | She said that she wrote a letter. |
| They said, “We have finished our work.” | They said that they had finished their work. |
| He said, “She will go to school.” | He said that she would go to school. |
Tense Changes in Indirect Speech
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| Simple Present → Simple Past | “I eat an apple.” → He said that he ate an apple. |
| Present Continuous → Past Continuous | “She is reading a book.” → He said that she was reading a book. |
| Present Perfect → Past Perfect | “I have finished my work.” → He said that he had finished his work. |
| Simple Past → Past Perfect | “She wrote a letter.” → He said that she had written a letter. |
| Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous | “They were playing.” → He said that they had been playing. |
| Future (will, shall) → “Would” or “Should” | “I will go there.” → He said that he would go there. |
🔹 No Change in Tense if the Reporting Verb is in Present or Future
- He says, “I eat apples.” → He says that he eats apples.
- She will say, “I am tired.” → She will say that she is tired.
4. Change of Time and Place Words
- Words that indicate time and place in direct speech are changed accordingly in indirect speech.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| today → that day | “I met him today.” → He said that he met him that day. |
| yesterday → the previous day | “She called me yesterday.” → She said that she called me the previous day. |
| tomorrow → the next day | “I will go tomorrow.” → He said that he would go the next day. |
| now → then | “I am happy now.” → He said that he was happy then. |
| this → that | “I like this book.” → He said that he liked that book. |
| these → those | “I want these chocolates.” → She said that she wanted those chocolates. |
| here → there | “He is here.” → He said that he was there. |
5. Conversion Rules for Different Sentences
(a) Statements (Assertive Sentences)
🔹 Formula:
➡ said → said that
Example:
- Direct: She said, “I am happy.”
- Indirect: She said that she was happy.
(b) Questions (Interrogative Sentences)
- “Said” changes to “asked” or “inquired”.
- “If” or “whether” is used for Yes/No questions.
Examples:
✅ Yes/No Questions:
- Direct: He said, “Do you like pizza?”
- Indirect: He asked if I liked pizza.
✅ Wh- Questions:
- Direct: She said, “Where are you going?”
- Indirect: She asked where I was going.
(c) Commands & Requests (Imperative Sentences)
- “Said to” changes to “ordered,” “requested,” or “advised”.
- “To” + base form of the verb is used.
Examples:
✅ Orders:
- Direct: The teacher said, “Close the door.”
- Indirect: The teacher ordered to close the door.
✅ Requests:
- Direct: He said, “Please help me.”
- Indirect: He requested to help him.
✅ Advice:
- Direct: He said, “You should study hard.”
- Indirect: He advised to study hard.
(d) Exclamatory & Wish Sentences
- “Said” changes to “exclaimed,” “wished,” or “congratulated”.
Examples:
✅ Exclamatory Sentences:
- Direct: He said, “Wow! What a beautiful place!”
- Indirect: He exclaimed with joy that it was a beautiful place.
✅ Wishes:
- Direct: She said, “May you succeed!”
- Indirect: She wished that I might succeed.
Conclusion
✔ Change pronouns according to subject and object.
✔ Tense shifts to past if the reporting verb is in past tense.
✔ Change time and place words accordingly.
✔ Use appropriate reporting verbs (ask, order, advise, exclaim, etc.).
