Content updated on 24 April 2026
Have you ever had to repeat what someone else said, but in your own words? That's reported speech — the art of conveying someone's exact words indirectly. This lesson for Class 9 and 10 students teaches you how to transform direct quotations into indirect narration. You'll master the changes in tense, pronouns, time expressions, and sentence structure for statements, questions, and commands. By the end, you'll be able to accurately report conversations, a skill heavily tested in board exams and essential for clear communication.
✅ Recommended for: Class 9–10 (Reported Speech Basics & Exam Focus) | CBSE & UP Board
(Click any topic to jump straight to that section)
1. What is Direct & Indirect Speech?
Direct speech quotes a speaker's exact words, enclosed in quotation marks. Indirect speech (also called reported speech) reports the meaning without quoting word-for-word, and no quotation marks are used.
- Direct: She said, "I am learning French."
- Indirect: She said that she was learning French.
When converting from direct to indirect, three major changes occur: changes in tense, changes in pronouns, and changes in time and place words.
2. Rules for Reporting Statements
For statements, the reporting verb 'said' is often changed to 'said that' or 'told + object'. The tense of the reported verb changes according to the rules of backshift.
- Simple Present → Simple Past: He said, "I love pizza." → He said that he loved pizza.
- Present Continuous → Past Continuous: She said, "I am writing a letter." → She said that she was writing a letter.
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect: He said, "I have finished my work." → He said that he had finished his work.
- Simple Past → Past Perfect: She said, "I bought a new dress." → She said that she had bought a new dress.
- Will → Would: He said, "I will call you." → He said that he would call me.
3. Rules for Reporting Questions
For questions, the reporting verb 'said' changes to 'asked' (or 'enquired', 'wanted to know'). The question structure is removed; it becomes a statement.
- Yes/No questions: Use 'if' or 'whether'.
Direct: He said, "Are you coming?"
Indirect: He asked whether I was coming. - Wh‑questions: The question word itself becomes the connector.
Direct: She said, "Where do you live?"
Indirect: She asked where I lived.
4. Rules for Reporting Commands & Requests
For commands, requests, and advice, the reporting verb 'said' is changed to 'ordered', 'requested', 'advised', 'told', etc., and the verb in the reported speech is changed to an infinitive (to + V1). Negative commands use 'not to'.
- Direct: The teacher said, "Be quiet."
Indirect: The teacher ordered the students to be quiet. - Direct: He said to me, "Please help me."
Indirect: He requested me to help him.
5. Changes in Tense, Time & Place Words
Certain words change when shifting from direct to indirect speech:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the previous day / the day before |
| next week/month | the following week/month |
| last week/month | the previous week/month |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| ago | before |
If the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, no backshift of tense occurs in the reported speech. Also, universal truths remain unchanged.
6. Solved Examples (5)
Show Solution
Explanation: Present Continuous 'am going' backshifts to Past Continuous 'was going'. Pronoun 'I' changes to 'she'. Comma and quotes removed, 'that' added.
Show Solution
Explanation: Reporting verb 'said to' becomes 'asked'. Wh‑word 'Where' joins the clauses. Simple Past 'bought' backshifts to Past Perfect 'had bought'. 'This' changes to 'that'. Pronoun 'you' becomes 'I'.
Show Solution
Explanation: Yes/No question uses 'whether/if'. 'Will' changes to 'would'. 'You' becomes 'I'. Interrogative structure becomes statement order.
Show Solution
Explanation: Reporting verb 'said to' is replaced by 'advised'. The imperative 'Take' becomes the infinitive 'to take'. 'Your' changes to 'his'.
Show Solution
Explanation: 'Said to' becomes 'ordered'. Negative command uses 'not to' + V1. The direct speech "Do not make noise" becomes the infinitive phrase "not to make noise".
7. Practice Questions (5)
Show Answer
Show Answer
Show Answer
Show Answer
Show Answer
Why Accurate Narration Sharpens Your Communication
Being able to report someone's words correctly is a skill you use every day — whether you're telling a friend what your teacher said, or writing a formal report that includes witness statements. Mastering reported speech shows clarity of thought and grammatical control. It forces you to think about time sequences, pronouns, and the relationship between speaker and listener. Keep practising with newspaper articles: take a quote and rewrite it as indirect speech. You'll soon find the rules become second nature.
- Voice & Speech Hub — Overview of voice and narration.
- Report Writing Worksheet — Apply reported speech in formal reports.
- Hindi Grammar Hub — เคช्เคฐเคค्เคฏเค्เคท เคเคฐ เค เคช्เคฐเคค्เคฏเค्เคท เคเคฅเคจ।
- Worksheets Master Hub — Every worksheet you need.
๐ Direct & Indirect Speech Worksheet – Class 9 & 10
This worksheet provides rigorous practice in converting direct speech to indirect for statements, questions, and commands. It includes sentence‑by‑sentence transformations, error correction, and mixed exercises. Includes 50 questions.
Direct & Indirect Speech Worksheet »Answer key included • Aligned with CBSE & UP Board curriculum
