Direct and Indirect Speech

We often have to give information about what people say or think. In order to do this you can use direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech

For example:

She said, "Today's lesson is on presentations."

or

"Today's lesson is on presentations," she said.

For example:

Direct speech Indirect speech "I'm going to the cinema", he said.

He said he was going to the cinema.

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Direct Speech / Quoted Speech

Saying exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called quoted speech)

Here what a person says appears within quotation marks ("...") and should be word for word.

Indirect Speech / Reported Speech

Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech), doesn't use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word.

When reporting speech the tense usually changes. This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.

Tense change

As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense: (the tense on the left changes to the tense on the right) :

Direct speech Indirect speech

Present simple She said, "It's cold."

› Past simple She said it was cold.

Present continuous She said, "I'm teaching English online."

› Past continuous She said she was teaching English online.

Present perfect simple She said, "I've been on the web since 1999."

› Past perfect simple She said she had been on the web since 1999.

Present perfect continuous She said, "I've been teaching English for seven years."

› Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching English for seven years.

Past simple She said, "I taught online yesterday."

› Past perfect She said she had taught online yesterday.

Past continuous She said, "I was teaching earlier."

› Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching earlier.

Past perfect She said, "The lesson had already started when he arrived."

› Past perfect NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had already started when he arrived.

Past perfect continuousShe said, "I'd already been teaching for five minutes."

› Past perfect continuous NO CHANGE - She said she'd already been teaching for five minutes.

Modal verb forms also sometimes change:

Direct speech   Indirect speech will She said, "I'll teach English online tomorrow."

› would She said she would teach English online tomorrow.

can She said, "I can teach English online."

› could She said she could teach English online.

must She said, "I must have a computer to teach English online."

› had to She said she had to have a computer to teach English online.

shall She said, "What shall we learn today?"

› should She asked what we should learn today.

may She said, "May I open a new browser?"

› might She asked if she might open a new browser.

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Direct speech Indirect speech "I might go to the cinema", he said.

He said he might go to the cinema.

You can use the present tense in reported speech if you want to say that something is still true i.e. my name has always been and will always be Lynne so:-

Direct speech Indirect speech "My name is Lynne", she said. She said her name was Lynne.

or

She said her name is Lynne.

You can also use the present tense if you are talking about a future event.

Direct speech (exact quote) Indirect speech (not exact) "Next week's lesson is on reported speech ", she said.

She said next week's lesson is on reported speech.

Time change

If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time of reporting.

For example we need to change words like here and yesterday if they have different meanings at the time and place of reporting.

Today + 24 hours - Indirect speech "Today's lesson is on presentations." She said yesterday's lesson was on

presentations.

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Note - There is no change to: could, would, should, might and ought to.

Expressions of time if reported on a different day

this (evening) › that (evening)

today › yesterday ...

these (days) › those (days)

now › then

(a week) ago › (a week) before

last weekend › the weekend before last / the previous weekend

here › there

next (week) › the following (week)

tomorrow › the next/following day

In addition if you report something that someone said in a different place to where you heard it you must change the place (here) to the place (there).

For example:-

At work At home

"How long have you worked here?" She asked me how long I'd worked there.

Pronoun change

In reported speech, the pronoun often changes.

For example:

Me You "I teach English online." She said she teaches English online.

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Reporting Verbs

Said, told and asked are the most common verbs used in indirect speech.

We use asked to report questions:-

For example: I asked Lynne what time the lesson started.

We use told with an object.

For example: Lynne told me she felt tired.

Note - Here me is the object.

We usually use said without an object.

For example: Lynne said she was going to teach online.

If said is used with an object we must include to ;

For example: Lynne said to me that she'd never been to China.

Note - We usually use told.

For example: Lynne told me that she'd never been to China.

There are many other verbs we can use apart from said, told and asked.

These include:-accused, admitted, advised, alleged, agreed, apologised, begged, boasted, complained, denied, explained, implied, invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied, suggested and

thought.

Using them properly can make what you say much more interesting and informative.

For example:

He asked me to come to the party:-

He invited me to the party.

He begged me to come to the party.

He ordered me to come to the party.

He advised me to come to the party.

He suggested I should come to the party.

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Use of 'That' in reported speech

In reported speech, the word that is often used.

For example: He told me that he lived in Greenwich.

However, that is optional.

For example: He told me he lived in Greenwich.

Note - That is never used in questions, instead we often use if.

For example: He asked me if I would come to the party.

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DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

Kalimat Langsung Dan Kalimat Tak Langsung

Bilamana reported speech menyatakan kata-kata yang sebenarnya, ini disebut direct speech (kalimat langsung). Kalimat-kalimat tersebut tidak dihubungkan oleh “that” melainkan harus ditandai dengan (tanda baca) koma.

Bilamana reported speech memberikan isi pokok kata-kata yang dipakai oleh si pembicara dan bukan kata-kata yang sebenarnya ini disebut indirect speech (kalimat tidak langsung). Dalam indirect speech kalimat-kalimat itu dihubungkan dengan kata “that”.

Bentuk waktu reporting verb tidak diubah, akan tetapi bentuk waktu reported speech harus diubah berdasarkan atas bentuk waktu reporting verb.

Dua cara perubahan bentuk waktu pada reported speech :

Peraturan I

Kalau reporting verb itu past tense, bentuk waktu kata kerja dalam reported speech itu harus diubah ke dalam salah satu dari empat bentuk past tense.

Direct Speech – Indirect Speech

Simple present – menjadi – Simple past

He said ” The woman comes “ He said that the woman came

Dari contoh di atas dapat disimpulkan perubahan untuk bentuk waktu dari reported speech sebagai berikut :

Direct Speech

Simple present

Present continuous

Present perfect

Present perfect continuous

Simple past

Past continuous

Future

Present

Indirect Speech

Simple past

Past continuous

Past perfect

Past perfect continuous

Past perfect

Past perfect continuous

Past

Past

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Kekecualian :

Kalau reported speech berhubungan dengan kebenaran umum atau fakta yang sudah menjadi

kebiasaan, present indefinite atau simple present dalam reported speech tidak diubah ke dalam

bentuk lampau yang sesuai, melainkan tetap persis sebagaimana adanmya, contoh :

Direct Speech – Indirect Speech

He said, “The sun rises in the east” – He said that the sun rises in the east

Dalam reported speech, bila present tense diubah ke dalam past tense dengan peraturan I, kata sifat, kata kerja atau kata keterangan umumnya diubah:

Direct Speech

this = ini

these = ini

come = datang

here = di sini, ke sini

hence = dari sini

hither = ke tempat ini

ago = yang lalu

now = sekarang

today = hari ini

tomorrow = besok

yesterday = kemarin

last night = tadi malam

next week = minggu depan

thus = begini

contoh :

He said, “I will come here”.

Indirect Speech

that = itu

those = itu

go = pergi

there = di sana, ke sana

thence = dari sana

thither = ke tempat itu

before = lebih dahulu

then = pada waktu itu

that day = hari itu

next day = hari berikutnya

the previous day = sehari sebelumnya

the previous night = semalam sebelumnya

the following week = minggu berikutnya

so = begitu

He said that he would go there

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Akan tetapi kalau this, here, now dan sebagainya menunjukan pada benda, tempat atau waktu ketika berbicara, maka tidak dilakukan perubahan.

Agus said, “This is my pen”. – Agus said that this was his pen

(ketika berbicara pena berada di tangan pembicara)

Peraturan II

1) Bila reported speech kalimat berita

Dengan peraturan ini reporting verb dianggap dalam present atau future tense tertentu dan kapan saja ini terjadi, bentuk waktu dari kata kerja dalam reported speech tidak diubah sama sekali dalam mengubah direct menjadi indirect speech.

Reporting verb – Reported speech

Present tense – Any tense (bentuk waktu apapun)

Direct : She says to her friend, ” I have been writing “.

Indirect : She says to her friend that he has been writing. (tidak berubah)

Direct : She has told you, ” I am reading “.

Indirect : She has told you that he is reading. (tidak berubah)

Direct : She will say, ” You have done wrongly “.

Indirect : She will tell you that you have done wrongly. (tidak berubah)

Direct : She will say,” The boy wasn’t lazy “.

Indirect : She will tell them that the boy wasn’t lazy. (tidak berubah)

2) Bila reported speech merupakan kalimat tanya

a) Reporting verb say atau tell diubah menjadi ask atau inquire. Dengan mengulangi kata tanya dan mengubah tenses jika pertanyaannya dimulai dengan kata tanya diberitakan.

Direct

He said to me, “Where are you going?”

He said to me, “What are you doing?”

Indirect

He asked me where I was going

He inquired of me what I was doing

b) Dengan menggunakan if atau whether sebagai penghubung antara reporting verb dan reported speech dan mengubah tenses, jika pertanyaannya dimulai dengan kata kerja diberitakan :

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Direct

He said to me, “Are you going

away today?”

He asked me , “can you come along?”

Indirect

He asked me whether I was

going away that day.

He asked me if I could come along.

3) Kalimat perintah (imperative sentences)

Bila reported speech merupakan kalimat perintah, reporting verb say atau tell harus diubah menjadi kata kerja tertentu yang menandakan :

command (perintah), misalnya ordered, commanded, dsb yang berarti menyuruh, memerintahkan.

precept (petunjuk, bimbingan, didikan), misalnya advised yang berarti menasehati.

request (permohonan), misalnya asked yang berarti meminta, memohon.

entreaty (permohonan yang sangat mendesak), misalnya begged yang berarti meminta, memohon (dengan sangat).

prohibition (larangan), misalnya forbade yang berarti melarang.

Dalam perubahannya dari kalimat langsung menjadi kalimat tidak langsung, modus imperatif harus diganti dengan infinitif. Tegasnya, reported verb (kata kerja yang diberitakan atau kata kerja dalam reported speech) harus diubah menjadi infinitive with to.

a) Command :

Direct: He said to his servant, “Go away at once!”

Indirect:He ordered his servant to go away at once

b) Precept :

Direct: She said to her son, “Study hard!”

Indirect: He advised her son to study hard

c) Request :

Direct: He said to his friend, “Please lend me your pen!”

Indirect: He asked his friend to be kind enough to lend him his pencil

d) Entreaty :

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Direct: He said to his master, “Pardon me, sir”

Indirect: He begged his master to pardon him.

e) Prohibition :

Direct: She said to her daughter, “Don’t go there”

Indirect: She forbade her daughter to go there

Kalau reporting verb say atau tell diubah menjadi reported verb ask, order, command dsb (tapi jika bukan forbid), predikatnya diubah ke dalam infinitive with to yang didahului oleh not atau no + infinitive with to.

Direct: She said to her daughter, “Don’t go there”

Indirect: She asked herdaughter not to go there.

4) Kalimat seru (exclamatory sentences)

Bilamana reported speech terdiri dari kalimat seru atau kalimat optatif, reporting verb say

atau tell harus diubah menjadi kata kerja tertentu yang semacam itu seperti exclaim, cry out,

pray dsb.

a) Exclamatory sentences

Direct: He said, “Hurrah! My old friend has come”

Indirect: He exclaimed with joy that his old friend had come.

b) Optative sentences (kalimat yang menyatakan harapan, pujian, dsb)

Direct: He said, “God bless you, my dear son “

Indirect: He prayed that God would bless his dear son

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