Reported Speech
Direct to Indirect SpeechLearn to report what someone said without using exact words!
📖 Let’s Learn Reported Speech!
In Grade 3, you learned direct speech — writing the exact words someone said in quotation marks. Now in Grade 4, let’s learn reported (indirect) speech — telling what someone said without using their exact words!
Direct: He said, “I am happy.” → Indirect: He said that he was happy. Notice: the tense changes, pronouns change, and quotation marks disappear!
💡 The Rule
Direct Speech: He said, “I am happy.” (exact words in ” “)
Reported Speech: He said that he was happy. (no quotes, tense shifts back)
Key changes: am→was, is→was, will→would, I→he/she, my→his/her
🎯 Key Concept
💬 Direct: She said, “I am going.”
💬 Indirect: She said that she was going.
📋 Changes: “I” → she, “am” → was, quotes removed, “that” added
📋 Reported Speech Rules
No more ” ” — add “that” instead
am/is→was, are→were, will→would, can→could
I→he/she, my→his/her, we→they, our→their
today→that day, tomorrow→the next day, yesterday→the day before
said (no object): He said… / told (+ person): He told me…
“Where are you?” → asked where he was (no ? in reported)
💬 Examples & Practice
Learn with organized examples and sentences!
Statements: Direct → Indirect
Tense Change Rules
Questions: Direct → Indirect
Pronoun & Time Changes
📢 Read Direct → Indirect Pairs
Say both versions and notice the changes!
✏️ Convert to Reported Speech
Choose the right answer!
1. He said, “I am tired.” → He said that he ___ tired.
2. She said, “I will help.” → She said she ___ help.
3. “I” in direct speech becomes ___ in reported speech.
4. In reported questions, we use ___ for yes/no questions.
5. “Today” in direct becomes ___ in reported speech.
🎯 Direct or Indirect?
Click each — is it Direct or Indirect speech?
Click any to check!
📝 Transformation Practice
Each pair shows direct → indirect conversion!
Direct: Rahul said, “I am going to school.” → Indirect: Rahul said that he was going to school.
Direct: She said, “I will finish tomorrow.” → Indirect: She said that she would finish the next day.
Direct: “Where do you live?” he asked. → Indirect: He asked where I lived.
Direct: “Can you help me?” she asked. → Indirect: She asked if I could help her.
Direct: Mum said, “We are going today.” → Indirect: Mum said that they were going that day.
Direct: “I have finished my homework,” he said. → Indirect: He said that he had finished his homework.
Memory Trick
Remember the Backshift Chain:
am/is → was
are → were
will → would
can → could
have/has → had
Everything moves one step back in time!
🎮 Reported Speech Quiz
Test what you’ve learned!
In reported speech, “am” becomes…
In reported speech, “will” becomes…
“I” in direct becomes ___ in indirect.
Reported speech removes…
For yes/no questions, we add…
“Today” becomes ___ in reported speech.
“She said, I can swim” → indirect?
Reported speech is also called…
🎉 Quiz Complete!
0/8Fun Facts
Reported speech is used in newspapers every day! Journalists rarely quote exact words — they report: “The PM said that the economy was growing.” This is indirect speech!
The shift from present to past in reported speech is called “backshift”. It happens because you are reporting something said in the PAST, so the tenses move one step back in time.
🧠 Tips for Parents
Report Conversations
After someone speaks, ask child to report: “What did Papa say?” → “Papa said that he would be late.” Real-life indirect speech!
Daily Conversion
Write 3 direct sentences, child converts to indirect. 5 minutes daily builds this complex skill gradually.
Newspaper Exercise
Read a news article together. Find reported speech: “The minister said that…” Circle and discuss the changes.