Explanation:
Reported Speech
There are two ways of reporting what people say: direct speech and indirect speech. If the words spoken are repeated exactly as they were spoken and they are written within inverted commas, the way of reporting is called direct speech.
He said to me, “I’ll come to you.”
If the words spoken are not repeated exactly as they were spoken and are reported making some necessary changes in tenses, pronouns, adverbs, etc., the way of reporting is called indirect speech.
He told me that he’d come to me.
Change of Persons:
We have to change the persons in the indirect form to show who was being reported.
1st person – (I, we, me, our, my, ours)- Change according to the subject.
2nd person- (you, your, yourself)- change according to the object.
3rd person- (he, she, they, them) – Do not change.
Change of Verbs:
The tenses of direct speech are changed into indirect speech as follows:
[V1/ V5 – V2] [V2- had+ V3] [has/ have – had] [is/am/are- was/were] [was/were- had been] [shall- should] [will- would] [must- had to] [may- might] [can- could]
Change of Adverbs/ Adverbial Phrases/ Other Words:
[today- that day] [yesterday- the day before] [the day before yesterday- two days before] [tomorrow- the following day] [the day after tomorrow- in two days’ time]
[next day/week/ month- the following day/ week/ month] [last day/ week/ month- the previous day/ week/ month] [ago- before] [now / just- then] [hence- thence] [thus- so]
[here- there] [this- that] [these- Â those]
(Time adverbials do not change if the reporting verb is in present or future tense.)
Assertive Sentences:
Raju says, “He died an hour ago.”- Raju says that he died an hour ago.
Rajesh said, “I’m living in Kathmandu now.”-  Rajesh said that he was living in Kathmandu then.
She said to me, “You will play tomorrow.”-  She told me that I would play the following day.
Father said, “The sun is very hot.”- Father said that the sun is very hot.
Interrogative Sentences:
She said to me, “Does he help you?”- She asked me if/whether he helped me.
He said to me, “When will you sleep?”- He asked me when I would sleep.
Imperative Sentences:
He said to me, “Sit down.”- He told me to sit down.
The teacher said to me, “Don’t make a noise.”- The teacher told me not to make a noise.
Optative sentences:
He said to him, “May you both be happy!”- He wished him that they both might be happy.
Sangita said to me, “Good night.”- Sangit wished me good night.
Exclamatory Sentences:
He said, “What a dreadful creature!”- He said that it was a dreadful creature.
Bhim said, “Alas! I am ruined.”- Bhim exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.
