Bihar Public Service Commission Recruitment 2025 (BPSC AE)

Direct and Indirect Speech | English

***************************************************************************
Direct and indirect speech
When we want to share what someone has said, we have two main ways of doing it: direct
speech and indirect speech (also known as reported speech). Each serves a slightly different
purpose and follows specific grammatical rules.
Direct Speech: Quoting the Original Words
Imagine hitting the "play" button on someone's exact words. That's essentially what direct
speech does. It reproduces the original speaker's words verbatim, enclosed within quotation
marks.
Definition: Direct speech reports the exact words spoken, placed within quotation marks (" ").
It often includes a reporting verb (like said, asked, exclaimed) that indicates who is speaking
and sometimes how they are speaking.
Structure:
Reporting Verb + , + "Exact words spoken."
or
"Exact words spoken," + Reporting Verb.
Let's look at some examples:
• She said, "I am feeling tired."
• "What time is it?" he asked.
• "Wow, that's amazing!" she exclaimed.
Indirect Speech: Reporting in Your Own Words
Now, imagine summarizing what someone said instead of repeating it word-for-word. That's
indirect speech.
Definition: Indirect speech (or reported speech) reports what someone said but without using
their exact words. Instead, we paraphrase their message, often making changes to pronouns,
verb tenses, and time expressions to fit the context of our reporting.
Structure:
Reporting Verb + (that) + Reported clause (with necessary changes).
The word "that" is often used as a conjunction to introduce the reported clause, but it can
sometimes be omitted, especially in informal speech and writing.
Let's convert our direct speech examples to indirect speech:
• She said that she was feeling tired. (Pronoun "I" changed to "she," tense "am"
changed to "was.")

Use code DrSwati to get maximum discount on Unacademy Plus subscriptions.

 Bihar Public Service Commission Recruitment 2025 (BPSC AE)

Direct and Indirect Speech | English

• He asked what time it was. (Question form changes to a statement, pronoun "it"
remains the same, tense "is" changed to "was.")
• She exclaimed that it was amazing. (Exclamation changes to a statement, pronoun
"that" remains the same, tense "is" changed to "was.")
Key Transformations in Indirect Speech (with Past Reporting Verb)
Here's a summary of common changes when the reporting verb is in the past tense (e.g., said,
told, asked):
• Present Simple → Past Simple:
o Direct: He said, "I like pizza."
o Indirect: He said that he liked pizza.
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous:
o Direct: She said, "I am watching TV."
o Indirect: She said that she was watching TV.
• Present Perfect Simple → Past Perfect Simple:
o Direct: They said, "We have finished our work."
o Indirect: They said that they had finished their work.
• Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous:
o Direct: He said, "I have been waiting for an hour."
o Indirect: He said that he had been waiting for an hour.
• Past Simple → Past Perfect Simple:
o Direct: She said, "I went to the store."
o Indirect: She said that she had gone to the store.
• Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous:
o Direct: He said, "It was raining."
o Indirect: He said that it had been raining.
• Future Simple (will + verb) → Conditional Simple (would + verb):
o Direct: They said, "We will be there."
o Indirect: They said that they would be there.
• can → could, may → might, shall → should/would

Use code DrSwati to get maximum discount on Unacademy Plus subscriptions.

 Bihar Public Service Commission Recruitment 2025 (BPSC AE)

Direct and Indirect Speech | English

Note: If the reporting verb is in the present tense (e.g., says, asks), the tense of the verb in the
reported clause usually does not change:
• Direct: He says, "I am busy."
• Indirect: He says that he is busy.
• Direct: She asks, "Where is the library?"
• Indirect: She asks where the library is.
Examples
• Direct: "I am reading a fascinating book," she mentioned. Indirect: She mentioned that
she was reading a fascinating book.
• Direct: He asked, "Have you seen my keys anywhere?" Indirect: He asked if I had
seen his keys anywhere.
• Direct: They exclaimed, "What a beautiful sunset!" Indirect: They exclaimed what a
beautiful sunset it was. (Note the change in sentence structure for exclamations.)
• Direct: John said, "My sister is visiting next week." Indirect: John said that his sister
was visiting the following week.
• Direct: "I feel much better today," Mary explained. Indirect: Mary explained that she
felt much better that day.
• Direct: The teacher said, "You need to study harder." Indirect: The teacher said that
we needed to study harder.
• Direct: He inquired, "Where did you go on your vacation?" Indirect: He inquired
where I had gone on my vacation.
• Direct: She said, "I will finish the project by tomorrow." Indirect: She said that she
would finish the project by the next day.
• Direct: "Can you help me with this?" he requested. Indirect: He requested if I could
help him with that.
• Direct: They announced, "The train will be delayed." Indirect: They announced that
the train would be delayed.
• Direct: He remarked, "It is quite cold in here." Indirect: He remarked that it was quite
cold in there.
• Direct: She wondered, "Am I doing this correctly?" Indirect: She wondered if she was
doing that correctly.
• Direct: The doctor said, "You should get some rest." Indirect: The doctor advised that
I should get some rest.
• Direct: "I have never been to Europe," he admitted. Indirect: He admitted that he had
never been to Europe.
• Direct: She pointed out, "That building is very old." Indirect: She pointed out that that
building was very old.
• Direct: He shouted, "Look out!" Indirect: He shouted to look out. (Imperatives often
change to an infinitive structure.)

Use code DrSwati to get maximum discount on Unacademy Plus subscriptions.

 Bihar Public Service Commission Recruitment 2025 (BPSC AE)

Direct and Indirect Speech | English

• Direct: She suggested, "Let's go for a walk." Indirect: She suggested going for a walk.
(Suggestions with "let's" often change to a gerund phrase.)
• Direct: He complained, "I am always the last to know." Indirect: He complained that
he was always the last to know.
• Direct: The sign read, "Keep off the grass." Indirect: The sign instructed people to
keep off the grass. (Directives often change to an infinitive structure with a general
subject.)
• Direct: She whispered, "I don't believe it." Indirect: She whispered that she didn't
believe it.
***************************************************************************
Active vs. Passive Voice
The voice of a verb shows if the subject acts or is acted upon. There are two main types:
Active Voice: Subject Does the Action
In active voice, the subject performs the verb's action. The structure is usually:
Subject + Verb + Object (optional)
• Example: The cat chased the mouse. (Cat did the chasing.)
• Benefit: Clear, direct, emphasizes the actor.
• Use When: You want to focus on who or what is doing the action (most common
writing).
Passive Voice: Subject Receives the Action
In passive voice, the subject receives the verb's action. The actor might be mentioned with
"by." The structure is usually:
Subject + Be (form) + Past Participle + (by + Actor)
• Example: The mouse was chased by the cat. (Mouse received the chasing.)
• Benefit: Emphasizes the action or receiver, useful when the actor is unknown or
unimportant.
• Use When: The action is more important than the actor, the actor is unknown, or in
formal/objective writing.
Switching Between Voices
1. Find the subject, verb, and object in the active sentence.
2. The active object becomes the passive subject.
3. Change the verb to "be" + past participle.
4. The active subject becomes the "by" phrase (optional).

Use code DrSwati to get maximum discount on Unacademy Plus subscriptions.

 Bihar Public Service Commission Recruitment 2025 (BPSC AE)

Direct and Indirect Speech | English

• Active: She painted the picture.
• Passive: The picture was painted by her.
***************************************************************************
Identify the grammatical error in each sentence.
1. The email was sent by did not include the attachment.
2. He inquired, "Do you know what time is it?"
3. The window was broken because a ball threw it.
4. She told to him that she would be late for the meeting.
5. "Where you are going?" she asked me.
6. The report said that the company is planning major restructuring.
7. The thief was caught by happened to be nearby police officers.
8. The instructions were read by the students did not understand them.
9. "I am very happy," he said to her smiled.
10. The cat sit on the table and then he jump off.
Solutions
1. Error: "by did not include" Corrected: "by the sender but did not include" or "but did
not include" (depending on the intended meaning). Explanation: The passive voice
construction "was sent by" needs a noun or pronoun to indicate the agent. "did not
include" is a verb phrase and doesn't function as the agent.
2. Error: "what time is it?" Corrected: "what time it was?" (in indirect speech)
Explanation: In indirect questions, the word order should be subject-verb, not the
interrogative order of a direct question. Also, there should be a tense shift if the
reporting verb ("inquired") is in the past.
3. Error: "a ball threw it" Corrected: "a ball broke it" or "someone threw a ball and broke
it." Explanation: The passive voice "was broken" indicates the subject received the
action. "a ball threw it" is active voice and doesn't fit the initial passive construction.
The sentence needs to be either fully passive with the agent ("The window was broken
by a ball") or active explaining how it was broken.
4. Error: "told to me" Corrected: "told me" Explanation: The verb "tell" usually takes
a direct object (the person being told) without the preposition "to."
5. Error: "Where you are going?" Corrected: "Where are you going?" (if it's direct
speech) Explanation: This is the incorrect word order for a direct question. It should
follow the auxiliary verb + subject + main verb pattern.

Use code DrSwati to get maximum discount on Unacademy Plus subscriptions.

 Bihar Public Service Commission Recruitment 2025 (BPSC AE)

Direct and Indirect Speech | English

6. Error: "is planning" Corrected: "was planning" Explanation: When the reporting
verb ("said") is in the past tense, the verb in the reported clause usually shifts back in
tense. "is planning" (present continuous) should become "was planning" (past
continuous).
7. Error: "by happened to be" Corrected: "by police officers who happened to be" or "by
nearby police officers." Explanation: "happened to be" is a verb phrase describing the
police officers, not the agent performing the action in the passive voice. The structure
after "by" should be the agent.
8. Error: "were read by the students did not understand them" Corrected: "were read by
the students, but they did not understand them" or "The students read the instructions
but did not understand them." Explanation: The sentence awkwardly combines a
passive construction with an active clause without proper conjunction. It needs to be
separated into two clauses or restructured entirely.
9. Error: "said to her smiled" Corrected: "said to her and smiled" or "said to her with a
smile." Explanation: The sentence incorrectly joins two independent verb phrases
("said to her" and "smiled") without a proper conjunction. It needs a conjunction or a
restructuring to show the relationship between the actions.
10. Corrected: The cat sits on the table and then jumps off.
*************************************************************************
Spotting the error
1. The valuable painting, which was displayed in the museum for many years, was stolen
by someone during the night but the police has not yet identified the culprit.
2. He inquired from the witness if she has seen the suspect leaving the building around
the time of the incident that was reported.
3. The new software program is very expensiver than the one our company is currently
using for all its data analysis.
4. They have been working on this complex project for almost six months, and they expect
to finally complete it in the next few week.
5. The ancient manuscript, which was believed to be lost for centuries, was discovered in
a hidden chamber but its authenticity is still being investigated by the scholars.
6. She told to her colleagues that she would not be able to attend the important conference
because of a prior engagement which she could not reschedule.
7. Every employee are required to attend the mandatory safety training session if they
want to continue their employment with the company.
8. I have been waiting for the delivery of my new furniture since last Tuesday, and the
customer service representative promised it will arrive today.
9. "Did you remember to bring the important documents with you from the office that I
asked you about yesterday?" he questioned.
10. The climate in this region is much more hotter and drier this year compared to what it
was in the previous years.

Use code DrSwati to get maximum discount on Unacademy Plus subscriptions.

 Bihar Public Service Commission Recruitment 2025 (BPSC AE)

Direct and Indirect Speech | English

11. The children excitedly climbed in the old oak tree that stood in the middle of the park
near their school.
12. He has just finished writing his final exam, which was very challenging, and now he
feels completely exhaust.
13. She offered me a very good advice regarding my career options after graduation from
the university.
14. These kind of problems require careful analysis and a systematic approach in order to
find a suitable solution.
15. He is very skilled on playing several musical instruments, including the guitar, piano,
and violin.
16. The scientist explained that the planet Mars is revolving around the Sun in an elliptical
orbit since billions of years ago.
17. One of the main reason for the company's recent decline in profits are the increased
competition from overseas markets.
18. Despite the heavy rain, I prefer to walk to work than taking the crowded bus every
morning and evening.
19. The award-winning film was directed by who, and it received numerous accolades from
various international film festivals?
20. Although he studies diligently every night, he don't seem to be making much progress
in learning the new language.
Answer key
1. Error: "the police has not yet identified" Corrected: "the police have not yet
identified" Explanation: "Police" is generally treated as a plural noun in British and
often in American English when referring to the force as a whole. Therefore, it takes a
plural verb.
2. Error: "if she has seen" Corrected: "if she had seen" Explanation: When the main
verb of the sentence ("inquired") is in the past tense, the verb in the reported clause
usually shifts back in tense. "has seen" (present perfect) should become "had seen" (past
perfect).
3. Error: "very expensiver" Corrected: "much more expensive" or "far more expensive"
or "more expensive" Explanation: The comparative form of the adjective "expensive"
is "more expensive." We don't typically add "-er" to longer adjectives and also use
"more" or other intensifiers, not "very" with the "-er" form.
4. Error: "next few week" Corrected: "next few weeks" Explanation: The determiner
"few" indicates a plural number, so the noun "week" should also be plural.
5. Error: "its authenticity is still being investigated by the scholars" Corrected: "its
authenticity is still being investigated by scholars" Explanation: While "the scholars"
isn't strictly wrong, using the plural noun "scholars" without the definite article is more
general and often preferred when referring to a group in this way.

Use code DrSwati to get maximum discount on Unacademy Plus subscriptions.

 Bihar Public Service Commission Recruitment 2025 (BPSC AE)

Direct and Indirect Speech | English

6. Error: "told to her colleagues" Corrected: "told her colleagues" Explanation: The
verb "tell" usually takes a direct object (the person being told) without the preposition
"to."
7. Error: "Every employee are required" Corrected: "Every employee is required"
Explanation: The determiner "every" makes "employee" singular, so the verb should
also be singular ("is").
8. Error: "promised it will arrive today" Corrected: "promised it would arrive today"
(referring to the past promise) or "promises it will arrive today" (if the promise is
recent/ongoing and the main verb were present tense). Given the context of waiting
since Tuesday, past tense is more likely. Explanation: Following a past tense reporting
verb ("promised"), the future tense "will" often changes to the conditional "would" in
indirect speech.
9. Error: "Did you remember to bring the important documents with you from the office
that I asked you about yesterday?" he questioned. Corrected: "Did you remember to
bring the important documents with you from the office that I asked you about
yesterday?" he questioned. (No grammatical error in the direct speech itself, but the
punctuation could be slightly improved for flow, perhaps ending the quote before "he
questioned" with a question mark and then the attribution.) However, if the intent was
indirect speech, it would be: "He questioned if I had remembered to bring the important
documents with me from the office that he had asked me about the day before."
10. Error: "much more hotter" Corrected: "much hotter" or "far hotter" or "much warmer"
Explanation: "Hotter" is already the comparative form. We don't typically use "more"
with the "-er" comparative form. "Much" or "far" can be used to intensify the
comparative.
11. Error: "climbed in the oak tree" Corrected: "climbed up the oak tree" Explanation:
The preposition "on" is usually used when referring to being on a surface. "In" would
imply being inside something enclosed.
12. Error: "completely exhaust" Corrected: "completely exhausted" Explanation:
"Exhaust" is a verb. To describe how he feels (an adjective), we need the past participle
form "exhausted."
13. Error: "a advice" Corrected: "some advice" or "a piece of advice" Explanation:
"Advice" is an uncountable noun and does not take the indefinite article "a." We use
"some" for an unspecified quantity or "a piece of" to make it countable.
14. Error: "These problems are" Corrected: "This problem is" Explanation:
"Information" is an uncountable noun and does not have a plural form. Therefore, it
takes a singular verb and the singular demonstrative pronoun "this."
15. Error: "good in mathematics" Corrected: "good at mathematics" Explanation: The
correct preposition to use with "good" when referring to a skill or subject is "at."

Use code DrSwati to get maximum discount on Unacademy Plus subscriptions.

 Bihar Public Service Commission Recruitment 2025 (BPSC AE)

Direct and Indirect Speech | English

16. Error: "since centuries ago" Corrected: "for centuries" or "since centuries ago" (less
common but grammatically structured), or "for billions of years." Explanation:
"Since" is used with a specific point in time, while "for" is used with a duration.
"Centuries ago" already indicates a time in the past, so "since" is less natural here.
However, the main tense issue is with "is revolving" with "since billions of years ago."
It should be "has been revolving" or "revolved." Given the scientific fact, "has been
revolving" is better. Corrected full sentence: "The scientist explained that the planet
Mars has been revolving around the Sun in an elliptical orbit for billions of years."
17. Error: "One of the main reason is" Corrected: "One of the main reasons is"
Explanation: "One of" is followed by a plural noun but takes a singular verb.
18. Error: "prefer than" Corrected: "prefer to" Explanation: The correct preposition to
use with "prefer" when comparing two things is "to," not "than."
19. Error: "directed by who?" Corrected: "directed by whom?" Explanation: "Whom" is
the objective case of the pronoun "who" and is correct when it functions as the object
of a preposition ("by").
20. Error: "He don't like" Corrected: "He doesn't like" Explanation: The third-person
singular present tense of "do not" is "does not" or "doesn't."

नालंदा : Batch for BPSC 2025 - ( Technical + Non Technical ) -

https://unacademy.com/store/batch/nalnda-batch-for-bpsc-2025-technical-non-
technical/0YBOB4UW

नालंदा : Batch for BPSC 2025 - Non Technical - https://unacademy.com/store/batch/nalnda-

batch-for-bpsc-2025-non-technical/EC435V6L

नालंदा : Batch for BPSC 2025 - Technical - https://unacademy.com/store/batch/nalnda-batch-

for-bpsc-2025-technical/8QDODZ1U

Use code DrSwati to get maximum discount on Unacademy Plus subscriptions.