Narration

Interrogative Sentence

a) Change the reporting verb into ask or enquire.

b) Then Whether or If is to be added if the answer of the question is in Yes/No. But do not add whether or if,

if the question is introduced by interrogative pronoun or adjective or adverb like who, which, what, when,

where, how, etc.

c) Change the interrogative form into statement.

Eg: Direct- Ram said to me, “Will you go”?

Indirect- Ram asked me if I would go.

Direct- He said to you, “Why have you failed”?

Indirect- He asked me why I had failed.

Imperative Sentence

a) In case of imperative sentence, the verb should be changed into the Infinitive form, and the reporting verb

into some words like 'tell, request, command, entreat, beg' as the sense of the speech may require.

b) When the introductory verb is in the past tense, would, could, might, should, and must, do not change

normally.

c) When Let is used in the direct speech for suggestion or proposal, should may be used, and the reporting

verb should be changed into proposal or suggestion. But when it does not express proposal, might or might

be allowed should be used.

Eg: Direct- Ram said to me, “Go to your class”.

Indirect- Ram told me to go to my class .

Direct- He said to you, “Study hard”.

Indirect- He suggested you to study hard.

Direct- Ram said to me, “let us go”.

Indirect- Ram proposed or suggested to me that we should go.

Direct- He said, “Let him do whatever he likes”.

Indirect- He said that he might do whatever he liked.

Optative Sentence

In optative sentence, verb is changed into wish or pray, and the optative form is changed into statement.

Eg: Direct- Ram said to me, “May you be happy”.

Indirect- Ram wished or prayed that I might be happy.

Direct- He said to you, “May God bless you”.

Indirect- He prayed that God might bless you.

Exclamatory Sentence

In case of exclamatory sentence, the reporting verb is changed to some verb as „exclaim, cry out, pray, wish‟,

and the exclamation is turned into statement.

Eg: Direct- Ram said, “Alas! I am undone”.

Indirect- Ram cried out in sorrow that he was undone.

Direct- He said, “Good morning!”

Indirect- He greeted a good morning.

* Change of words from direct to indirect speech:

• Now becomes then
• Thus becomes that way, so
• Here becomes There
• Today becomes that day, the same day
• This becomes that
• Ago becomes before
• These becomes those
• Hence becomes thence
• Come becomes go
• Tomorrow Becomes the next/following day,
• Yesterday becomes the previous day, the day before
• Last night becomes the previous night
• Last week/month becomes the week before/ the previous week.
• Next week/month becomes The week after/ the following week.