Convert Assertive Sentences into Indirect Speech
Convert Assertive Sentences into Indirect Speech :
When you convert an assertive direct speech statement into an indirect….
The reporting verb SAID should be changed to TOLD if you know whom the direct speech is addressed to.
For example :
Neena said, ‘I am very tired.’
Neena said that she was very tired.
Neena said, ‘Jinesh, I am very tired.’
Neena told Jinesh that she was very tired.
In the first pair of sentences, the verb SAID does not change in the indirect speech. This is because Neena is just making a statement and we do not know whom she is talking.
In the second pair of sentences, the verb said changes to TOLD because Neena is speaking to Jinesh. We know whom she is talking to.
The word THAT is added to the indirect speech statement.
For example :
Neena said, ‘I am very tired.’
Neena said that she was very tired.
Tenses, pronouns, possessive adjectives, possessive pronouns undergo the changes mentioned above.
You should not add and change the meaning or leave out any important part of the direct speech statement while converting it into the indirect.
When the direct speech statements contain two or more sentences, they should be separately introduced or properly linked in the indirect speech.
For example :
The Prince said to the town dwellers, ‘I want to meet the king of your land. I know how to kill the dragon. Take me to the king at once.’
The Prince told the town dwellers that he wanted to meet the king of their land as he knew how to kill the dragon. He ordered them to take him to the king at once.
Some other words that can be used as a reporting verb in place of SAID are…
1. Accept
2. Add
3. Admit
4. Agree
5. Answer
6. Argue
7. Assert
8. Assure
9. Boast
10. Claim
11. Complain
12. Declare
13. Deny
14. Explain
15. Insist
16. Moan
17. Mumble
18. Mutter
19. Object
20. Point out
21. Promise
22. Rejoin
23. Remark
24. Remind
25. Reply
26. Suggest
27. Warn
28. Whine
29. Whisper
Convert the following direct speech assertive sentences into indirect speech statements.
1. Vanitha said, ‘I saw the movie - The Sound of Music, today.”
2. The shopkeeper said to Mrs. Lai, ‘Madam, all the items in my shop are fresh.”
3. Tarun said, ‘Ojas, remember to bring your book tomorrow.”
4. Karan said to his mother, ‘I didn’t break this glass. It fell off the shelf when the curtain blew against it.”
5. Bhola said, ‘Granny, please give me some money. I know you keep all your money under your pillow.’
6. ‘I want to tell you a secret,’ said Rarna, ‘you should not tell anybody else. Otherwise I will never talk to you.”
7. Lakhan said, ‘I am the only person in this village who owns a car.’
8. ‘Don’t add water to that blue powder,’ said Naina, ‘you will cause an explosion.’
9. Satish said, ‘I will definitely follow your advice and give you the speech tomorrow morning.’
10. ‘First pour the mixture into the bowl then stir it with a metal spoon,’ said Mrs. Mehta, ‘then your cake will be fluffy.’
Convert the following indirect speech statements into direct speech assertive sentences.
1. Chitra told Abhay that she had to complete her homework.
2. Umang complained that Utsav was not letting him play with his toys.
3. Baiju whispered that they would have to keep very quiet as there was a tiger behind the tree.
4. The fox promised the crane that he would not harm her if she helped him.
5. Birbal assured the poor man that he would help him get justice.
6. The fairy godmother ordered Cinderella to come back when the clock struck twelve.
7. The news reporter added that both the trains had been driven by experienced drivers.
8. Mr. Das pointed out that he was the first person in the queue and so the cashier had listen to him first.
9. The zoo authorities assured the children that the snakes in that room were not poisonous.
10. The little boy mumbled that he was the one who had broken the vase.
Convert Assertive Sentences into Indirect Speech
The Sentences Index
