CBSE Class 10 English Assignment - Speech Direct and Indirect. Students are advised to refer to the attached assignments and practice them regularly. This will help them to identify their weak areas and will help them to score better in examination. Parents should download and give the assignments to their children for practice.

SPEECH-DIRECT AND INDIRECT

What is a Direct Speech? In a Direct Speech, the speaker’s own words are quoted

without making any change. For example,

Ravi said, “Mohit has gone to Delhi.”

What is an Indirect Speech? in an Indirect Speech, the essence of the Speaker’s

words is given. For Example,

Ravi said that Mohit had gone to Delhi.

Some Important Points

1. In a Direct Speech-

(a) The Speaker’s actual words are placed within inverted commas (“).

(b) His actual words start with a capital letter.

(c) There is a comma after the reporting verb.

(d) At the end of his actual words, a full stop or a question mark or a sign of

exclamation is put according to the need of the sentence.

(e) The tense of the speaker’s words remains the same.

2. In an Indirect Speech-

(a) Inverted commas are not used.

(b) Only the first letter of the sentence starts with a capital letter.

(c) There is no comma after the reporting verb.

(d) Conjunctions like that, to, if/whether are used to link the reporting verb and the

reported speech.

(e) At the end of the sentence, only a full stop is put. Question marks are not allowed.

(f) The tense of the speaker’s words undergoes a change.

Note: Ifthe speaker’s words express a habitual action, a universal truth, a scientific

statement, a proverb or a permanent truth, the tense of the speaker’s words remain the

same.

Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

1. Tense And Verb Forms

(a) Simple Present-Simple Past

Direct: Rahul said to me, “I am your friend.”

Indirect: Rahul told me that he was my friend.

(b) Present Continuous-Past Continuous

Direct: Rahul said, “I am playing.”

Indirect: Rahul said that he was playing.

(c) Present Perfect- Past Perfect

Direct: Rahul said, “I Have done my work.”

Indirect: Rahul said that he had done his work.

(d) Present Perfect Continuous – Past Perfect Continuous

Direct: Rahul said, “I have been playing since morning.”

Indirect: Rahul said that he had been playing since morning.

(e) Simple Past – Past perfect

Direct: Rahul said, “I did my work.”

Indirect: Rahul said that he had done his work.

(f) Past Continuous- Past perfect Continuous

Direct: Rahul said, “I was doing my work.”

Indirect: Rahul said that he had been doing his work.

2. Change of Time, Place

Words showing nearness of time and place change into words showing distance,

time and place.

Now-then

Ago-before

This-that

These- those

Here- there

Today- that day

Tomorrow- the following day/the next day

Yesterday-the previous day/ the day before

Last night- the previous night

Last week- the previous week

Will- would

May- night

Can- could

3. Change of Pronouns

S - First person according to subject

O - Second person according to object.

N - Third person no change.

4. Change of Different Kinds of Sentences

(a) Questions

(I) ‘Wh’ questions: The questions beginning with which, when, where, why, how,

whose, etc. do not need any conjunction. For example,

He said to me, “which book were you reading last night?” (Direct)

He asked me which book I had been reading the previous night. (Indirect)

(II) Yes/No questions: The question that begin with helping verbs like is, am, are,

was, were, will, shall, do, does, it, has, have, had, etc, that the conjunction ‘if or

‘whether’. For example,

The teacher said to children, “Have you finished your work?” (Direct)

The teacher asked the children it they had finished their work. (Indirect)

(b) Commands :

(i) The imperative sentences or commands take the conjunction ‘to’.

(ii) The reporting verb ‘said’ or ‘said to’ changes into ordered, commanded, advised

or requested. For example:

The doctor said to the patient, “Take this tablet daily.” (Direct)

The doctor advised to patient to take that tablet daily. (Indirect)

The master said to the servant, “Bring me a glass of milk.” (Direct)

The master ordered the servant to bring him a glass of milk. (Indirect)

(c) Exclamations :

(i) The reporting verb ‘said’ is changed into exclaimed, exclaimed with joy exclaimed

with sorrow, exclaimed with wonder, wished or prayed etc.

(ii) The conjunction ‘that’ is used to introduce the reported speech. For example,

He said, “What a beautiful painting!” (Direct)

He exclaimed with wonder that it was a beautiful painting. (Indirect)

The boys said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.” (Direct)

The boys exclaimed with joy that they had won the match. (Indirect)

(d) Sentences beginning with “Let” :

(i) The man said to the servant, “let the children play.” (Direct)

The man asked the servant to let the children play. (Indirect)

(ii) She said to her friend, “Let us go for a picnic.” (Direct)

She proposed to her friends that they should go for picnic. (Indirect)

(iii) The Principal said to the peon, “Don’t let the children enter my study.”

The Principal ordered the peon not to let the children enter his study. (Indirect)

Solved Example

Read the conversation below and complete the report that follows.

Lady : What a beautiful painting! Is it for sale?

Shopkeeper : No, ma’am. This painting is not for sale.

The lady exclaimed with appreciation (a)………………………… and inquired the

shopkeeper (b) ………………………….. . The shopkeeper answered in the negative

informing the lady that(c)………………………………

Ans. (a) that was a beautiful painting

(b) if that was for sale

(c) that painting was not for sale

Practice Questions

1. Rearrange the following sentences to make meaningful sentences.

(a) Friends/Archie/movie/the/asked his / what / of they / thought /

(b) preferred /said/book/had/the/his/friend/he

(c) his/was/same/Ram/answer//always/said/the

2. Read the dialogue given below an report it by filling in the blanks

Traffic police : You are going too fast. You have exceeded the speed limit.

Raena : I am late for my work. Please let me go this time.

Traffic Police : Don’t worry. You have to report at the Police Station only

tomorrow.

The Traffic Police stopped Raena and told her that she was going very fast and that

she (a) ………………………………………………Raena pleaded with the policemen and said

that (b) …………………………………………………the traffic Police asked her not to worry

and said that (c) ………………………………………………………… .

Please click the link below to download CBSE Class 10 English Assignment - Speech Direct and Indirect