Direct and Reported Speech
~10 min read
- Direct: Exact words inside inverted commas: He said, 'I am tired.'
- Reported (indirect): Reporting the words without quotes, with backshifted tenses: He said (that) he was tired.
- Three rules: Backshift tenses one step into the past; change pronouns to match speaker/listener; change time-and-place words (now → then, here → there, today → that day).
Direct-to-indirect transformation is a staple of CDS Sentence Improvement. The trickiest parts are reporting questions, imperatives, and time/place markers. The full table below covers every CDS pattern.
Three Basic Rules
Rule 1 - Tense backshift (if reporting verb is in past tense):
| Direct tense | Reported tense |
|---|---|
| Simple Present | Simple Past |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
| Simple Past | Past Perfect |
| Past Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
| Past Perfect | Past Perfect (no change) |
| will | would |
| can | could |
| may | might |
| shall | should / would |
| must / ought to / should / used to | no change |
Rule 2 - Pronoun change: First person becomes that of the speaker; second person becomes that of the listener; third person stays as is.
Rule 3 - Time/place markers:
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the previous day / the day before |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| last week / month | the previous week / month |
| next week / month | the following week / month |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| ago | before |
Statements
Use 'said that' or simply 'said'. Drop quotes, apply rules.
- Direct: He said, "I am happy." Reported: He said (that) he was happy.
- Direct: She said, "I have completed my work." Reported: She said (that) she had completed her work.
- Direct: They said, "We went to Delhi yesterday." Reported: They said (that) they had gone to Delhi the previous day.
Universal truths and habitual facts: Do NOT backshift.
- Direct: The teacher said, "The sun rises in the east." Reported: The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
Questions
Reporting verb changes: 'said' → 'asked / enquired / wanted to know'.
Yes/No questions (no question word): introduce with 'if' or 'whether'. Word order becomes statement order.
- Direct: He said, "Are you coming?" Reported: He asked if I was coming.
- Direct: She said, "Have you finished?" Reported: She asked whether I had finished.
WH-questions (with what, where, when, why, how, who): keep the WH-word; word order becomes statement order.
- Direct: He said, "Where do you live?" Reported: He asked where I lived. (NOT 'where did I live')
- Direct: She said, "What is your name?" Reported: She asked what my name was.
Commands, Requests and Advice
Reporting verb changes based on intent: order, command, tell, request, advise, beg, forbid. Use to + infinitive (not 'should').
- Direct: He said, "Close the door." Reported: He ordered me to close the door. / He told me to close the door.
- Direct: She said, "Please help me." Reported: She requested me to help her.
- Direct: He said, "Don't waste time." Reported: He advised me not to waste time. / He forbade me to waste time.
- Direct: She said, "Let us go." Reported: She suggested that we should go. / She proposed going.
Exclamations and Wishes
Reporting verb changes: exclaim, cry, wish, pray, etc. Drop the exclamation; convert to a statement.
- Direct: He said, "Hurrah! We have won." Reported: He exclaimed with joy that they had won.
- Direct: She said, "Alas! I have failed." Reported: She exclaimed with sorrow that she had failed.
- Direct: They said, "May you live long!" Reported: They wished/prayed that he might live long.
- Direct: He said, "What a beautiful flower it is!" Reported: He exclaimed that it was a very beautiful flower.
Common CDS Errors
- Wrong: He asked me where do I live. Correct: He asked me where I lived. (statement word order, backshift)
- Wrong: She said that she will come. Correct: She said that she would come.
- Wrong: He told to me that... Correct: He told me that... ('tell' takes no 'to')
- Wrong: She said me good morning. Correct: She wished me good morning. (greetings use 'wish/greet')
- Wrong: He told that he was busy. Correct: He said that he was busy. OR He told me that... ('tell' needs an indirect object)
CDS/OTA PYQ Examples
Q: Reported form of: She said, 'I am writing a letter now.'
(a) She said that she is writing a letter now (b) She said that she was writing a letter then (c) She said that she had been writing a letter then (d) She said that she wrote a letter
Answer: (b) Present continuous → past continuous; 'now' → 'then'.
Q: Reported form of: He said to me, 'Where do you live?'
(a) He asked me where do I live (b) He asked me where I live (c) He asked me where I lived (d) He asked me where did I lived
Answer: (c) WH-question: keep WH-word, statement order, backshift 'do you live' → 'I lived'.
Q: Reported form of: The teacher said, 'The sun rises in the east.'
(a) The teacher said that the sun rose in the east (b) The teacher said that the sun rises in the east (c) The teacher said the sun had risen in the east (d) The teacher said the sun is rising in the east
Answer: (b) Universal truth - do NOT backshift.
Q: Reported form of: He said, 'Don't smoke in the room.'
(a) He said don't smoke in the room (b) He told me that I should not smoke in the room (c) He forbade me to smoke in the room (d) Both (b) and (c)
Answer: (d) Both forms are accepted - negative imperative converts to 'forbade to + V1' or 'told not to + V1'.
Q: Reported form of: She said, 'May you succeed!'
(a) She said that I would succeed (b) She wished that I might succeed (c) She prayed that I should succeed (d) Both (b) and (c)
Answer: (d) Wishes use 'wished / prayed that... might / should'.
Q: Identify the error: My sister asked me / if I will be willing / to go abroad for studies. / No error
(a) My sister asked me (b) if I will be willing (c) to go abroad for studies (d) No error
Answer: (b) 'will' must backshift to 'would' in reported speech: 'if I would be willing'.
Drill Direct and Reported Speech for CDS/OTA
CDS/OTA-pattern items on Direct and Reported Speech with answer keys and explanations.
Start Free Mock TestFrequently Asked Questions
When do we NOT backshift?
(1) When the reporting verb is in present/future ('He says that he is busy' - no shift). (2) When reporting universal truths, scientific facts, habitual actions. (3) When the original past tense remains true at the time of reporting (optional).
'Said' vs 'told' - what's the difference?
'Said' is followed directly by 'that' clause - no object needed. 'Told' requires an indirect object (told me, told him, told them) - 'He told me that...'. Never 'He told that...' or 'He said to me that...' (use 'said to me' only with direct quote).
How to report a question that has a question tag?
Convert to indirect using 'if' and the verb of the main clause. Direct: 'You are coming, aren't you?' he said. Reported: He asked (somewhat doubtfully) if I was coming.
Why does 'must' not backshift?
'Must' has no past form. It stays 'must' in reported speech, or can change to 'had to' for past obligation. 'He said, 'I must go.' → He said he had to go / he must go.'
What about reporting questions in the present?
If the reporting verb is in the present, no tense backshift is needed. 'He asks if you are coming.' (no past shift because 'asks' is present.)