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WEEK 8: (A) DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH and (B) PRACTICE ON CHANGING DIRECT TO INDIRECT SPEECH
WEEK 8
Topics- (A) DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
(B) PRACTICE ON CHANGING DIRECT TO INDIRECT SPEECH
Specific Objective: By the end of this lesson, the students should be able to change given sentences to indirect speech.
PERIOD 1
Topic- DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
Direct speech specifies the exact words of the speaker and is enclosed in quotation marks. Examples-
(A) "When I got home", said the girl, "my mother beat me severely."
(B) "What is the time?" Jonathan asked Isaac.
Direct speech is separated from the reporting verb by a pause, indicated by a comma as shown in the above sentences. A reporting verb simply means one used by the speaker or writer to report the words of direct speech; the verb "say" in its past simple tense for "said" is the most common. Others are tell, observe, maintain, mention, deny, allege, ask, enquire, wonder etc.
Step 2- Indirect Speech:
Indirect speech also called reported speech, reports the fact that the speaker uttered the words. No quotation marks are needed and there is no comma to mark off the exact words.
Examples-
(A) The girl said that when she got home her mother beat her severely.
(B) The teacher told them to be quite.
(C) Jonathan asked Isaac what the time was.
Step 3- Points to Note about Direct and Indirect Speech:
(1) Direct speech is separated from the reporting verb by a pause, indicated by a common.
(2) Indirect speech follows the reporting verb without any pause at all, therefore no comma is inserted.
(3) Direct speech always begins with quotation marks and a capital letter. Quotation marks enclose the exact words of a speaker.
(4) Indirect speech starts with a small letter and has no quotation marks whatsoever.
(5) In indirect speech, there is often a change in pronoun e.g 'I' changes to 'he' or 'she.'
(6) When the reporting verb is in the past, the rule of the sequence of tense is normally obeyed- the present simple tense becomes past simple, the past simple tense becomes past perfect. Examples (A) "I can swim."
He said that he could swim.
(B) "You are pretty."
He told her she was pretty.
(C) "The fire took place in 2005."
He said that the fire had taken place in 2005.
(D) "The problem will soon be dealt with."
She said the problem would soon be dealt with.
Note the changes that happen to modal verbs:
May becomes might. "Must" can change to "had to"; ought and should do not change. There are also some changes affecting adjectives and adverbs:
Direct speech / Indirect speech
now, here then,there
this, these that,those
today that day
tomorrow the next day
yesterday the previous day
last week the previous week
two days ago two days earlier
(7) Indirect speech expressing a universal truth or habitual fact is not changed. Example -
My father said, "Honesty is the best policy."
My father said that honesty is the best policy.
PERIOD 2
Topic - PRACTICE ON CHANGING DIRECT TO INDIRECT SPEECH
STEP 1 – STATEMENT:
Direct Speech-
(A) Chidi said, "Ice floats in water."
(B) Ngozi shouted, "You were rude to me yesterday."
(C) " I am at home!" exclaimed Veronica.
(D) "I reported the matter immediately ", the girl claimed.
(E) "Toyin should be more careful", said Teju.
Indirect Speech-
(A) Chidi said that ice floats in water.
(B) Ngozi shouted that I had been rude to her the previous day.
(C) Veronica exclaimed that she was at home.
(D) The girl claimed that she had reported the matter immediately.
(E) Teju said that Toyin should be more careful.
STEP 2- QUESTIONS:
Generally, a direct - speech question uses the question form of a verb, but in indirect speech this becomes a statement form. The reporting verb is ask, sometimes enquire, wonder.
There are two types of questions:
(1) yes/ no questions
(2) wh – questions
We begin with wh - questions.
Direct speech-
(A)"Who helps your mother in the house ?"
Mrs Pam asked me.
(B) "Why do you look sad?" Wale asked the boy.
(C) "When was Yakubu Gowon the head of state?" the teacher asked.
(D) "Where were you last night?" my father asked.
(E) "Who helped you to complete the form?" asked Nathan.
Indirect speech-
(A) Mrs Pam asked me who helped my mother in the house.
(B) Wale asked the boy why he looked sad.
(C) The teacher asked when Yakubu Gowon had been the head of state.
(D) My father asked me where I had been the previous night.
(E) Nathan asked (me) who had helped me to complete the form.
Yes / No Questions - The rules are the same as for statements and for wh - questions. In addition, however, 'if' (sometimes whether, in more formal speech or writing)
Is introduced before the indirect speech clause.
Direct speech-
(A) "Do you sometimes have toothache?" I asked her.
(B) "Does Nigeria have resources apart from crude oil?" the foreigner asked me.
(C) "Will the ceremony take place tomorrow?" he enquired.
Indirect Speech-
(A) I asked her if she sometimes had toothache.
(B) The foreigner asked me if Nigeria had resources apart from crude oil.
(C) He enquired whether the ceremony would take place the following day.
STEP 3- COMMANDS;
Here, reporting verbs like order, command and tell (when this is in fact used to give an order) are used.
Direct Speech-
(A) "Give me back my book," Innocent told me.
(B) "Don't cry", he told the boy.
Indirect Speech-
(A) Innocent told me to give him back his book.
(B) He told the boy not to cry.
From the above examples, it can be seen that we use to + infinitive when we are reporting a positive command and we use not to + infinitive to report negative command.
STEP 4 – REQUESTS:
We also use to + infinitive when we are reporting a positive request, and we omit 'please' or any other polite expression, and name.
Direct Speech-
(A) The secretary said to Mrs Njoku, "Please sit down, Mrs Njoku."
(B) Shehu said to Amina, "Would you shut the window please,Amina?"
Indirect Speech-
(A) The secretary told Mrs Njoku to sit down.
(B) Shehu asked Amina to shut the window.
Not to + infinitive is used to report negative request.
Direct Speech-
(A) She said to Audu," Please don't wait for me".
(B) Fatima said to me, "Please don't be angry with me."
Indirect Speech-
(A) She asked Audu not to wait for her.
(B) Fatima told me not to be angry with her.
Evaluation Questions:
Change the following sentences to indirect speech.
(1) "I will bring it tomorrow," said Murtala.
(2) "Ten people are here'', observed the chairman.
(3) "Have you ever seen a crocodile?" She asked the pupils.
(4) "Shall I open all the bottles?" he asked.
(5) Festus said to Victor, "Please lend me your bicycle, Victor."
(6) Mary said to Grace, "Please don't leave me here."
(7) The teacher said to them “Stand still."
(8) Aisha said to her sister, “I can't find mine."
(9) Deji said, "Akin was playing football."
(10) Mrs Nweke said, "We have been staying here since yesterday."
Assignment
Write each of the following sentences in
(A) direct speech and (b) indirect speech, beginning in each case with Ifeoma said or Ifeoma asked.
(1) My birthday is next week and I'll be thirty.
(2) Can I use your book? (to Ngozi)
(3) Don't believe anything this old man tells you.
(to a friend)
