Direct to indirect speech conversation is very important section of English grammar. Every student should very careful when they are learning this lesson. In this article we have provided 100 examples of direct and indirect speech, divided into different types of sentences — statements, questions, commands/requests, exclamations, and modal sentences — to cover a variety of cases. Hope this examples will help you to understand the direct and indirect speech.
Direct and Indirect Speech Example
Assertive Sentences
- Direct: He said, “I am tired.”
Indirect: He said that he was tired. - Direct: She said, “I like chocolate.”
Indirect: She said that she liked chocolate. - Direct: They said, “We are going to the park.”
Indirect: They said that they were going to the park. - Direct: I said, “It is raining outside.”
Indirect: I said that it was raining outside. - Direct: John said, “I live in London.”
Indirect: John said that he lived in London. - Direct: She said, “He works hard.”
Indirect: She said that he worked hard. - Direct: He said, “She has finished her homework.”
Indirect: He said that she had finished her homework. - Direct: They said, “We have never been here before.”
Indirect: They said that they had never been there before. - Direct: Mary said, “I will come tomorrow.”
Indirect: Mary said that she would come the next day. - Direct: He said, “I can solve this problem.”
Indirect: He said that he could solve that problem.
Interrogative Sentences
- Direct: She asked, “Are you happy?”
Indirect: She asked if I was happy. - Direct: He said, “Do you like tea?”
Indirect: He asked whether I liked tea. - Direct: They asked, “Have you finished your homework?”
Indirect: They asked if I had finished my homework. - Direct: She asked, “Will you help me?”
Indirect: She asked if I would help her. - Direct: He said, “Did you see the movie?”
Indirect: He asked whether I had seen the movie. - Direct: They asked, “Can you play the piano?”
Indirect: They asked if I could play the piano. - Direct: He said, “Is it raining?”
Indirect: He asked if it was raining. - Direct: She asked, “Has he arrived?”
Indirect: She asked whether he had arrived. - Direct: I asked, “Are they coming with us?”
Indirect: I asked if they were coming with us. - Direct: He said, “Do you know the answer?”
Indirect: He asked if I knew the answer.
Wh- Questions
- Direct: She asked, “Where do you live?”
Indirect: She asked where I lived. - Direct: He asked, “What is your name?”
Indirect: He asked what my name was. - Direct: They asked, “When will the train arrive?”
Indirect: They asked when the train would arrive. - Direct: John said, “Why are you crying?”
Indirect: John asked why I was crying. - Direct: She asked, “How do you make this dish?”
Indirect: She asked how I made that dish. - Direct: He asked, “Whose bag is this?”
Indirect: He asked whose bag that was. - Direct: I said, “What time is it?”
Indirect: I asked what time it was. - Direct: She asked, “Why didn’t you come?”
Indirect: She asked why I hadn’t come. - Direct: He asked, “Which book did you choose?”
Indirect: He asked which book I had chosen. - Direct: They asked, “Where is the nearest ATM?”
Indirect: They asked where the nearest ATM was.
Optative Sentences
- Direct: She said, “Please help me.”
Indirect: She requested me to help her. - Direct: He said, “Open the window.”
Indirect: He told me to open the window. - Direct: They said, “Don’t make noise.”
Indirect: They told me not to make noise. - Direct: I said, “Shut the door.”
Indirect: I told him to shut the door. - Direct: She said, “Call me back.”
Indirect: She told me to call her back. - Direct: He said, “Don’t touch this wire.”
Indirect: He warned me not to touch that wire. - Direct: They said, “Bring your homework.”
Indirect: They told me to bring my homework. - Direct: The teacher said, “Do your work.”
Indirect: The teacher instructed us to do our work. - Direct: She said, “Never lie.”
Indirect: She advised me never to lie. - Direct: He said, “Take care of yourself.”
Indirect: He advised me to take care of myself.
Exclamatory Sentences
- Direct: She said, “What a beautiful dress!”
Indirect: She exclaimed that it was a beautiful dress. - Direct: He said, “How clever you are!”
Indirect: He exclaimed that I was very clever. - Direct: They said, “What a surprise!”
Indirect: They exclaimed that it was a surprise. - Direct: I said, “Alas! He is dead.”
Indirect: I exclaimed with sorrow that he was dead. - Direct: She said, “Hurrah! We won the game.”
Indirect: She exclaimed with joy that they had won the game. - Direct: He said, “Wow! What a shot!”
Indirect: He exclaimed with admiration that it was a great shot. - Direct: She said, “Oh! I forgot my keys.”
Indirect: She exclaimed with regret that she had forgotten her keys. - Direct: They said, “Bravo! You did well.”
Indirect: They applauded me saying that I had done well. - Direct: He said, “Ah! That hurts.”
Indirect: He exclaimed that it hurt. - Direct: I said, “Oh no! We lost the match.”
Indirect: I exclaimed with sadness that we had lost the match.
Modal Verbs - Direct: He said, “I should study more.”
Indirect: He said that he should study more. - Direct: She said, “I must leave now.”
Indirect: She said that she had to leave then. - Direct: They said, “We may come tomorrow.”
Indirect: They said that they might come the next day. - Direct: He said, “I would help you.”
Indirect: He said that he would help me. - Direct: She said, “I could swim well when I was young.”
Indirect: She said that she could swim well when she was young. - Direct: He said, “I might be late.”
Indirect: He said that he might be late. - Direct: They said, “We ought to help the poor.”
Indirect: They said that they ought to help the poor. - Direct: She said, “I dare not speak.”
Indirect: She said that she dared not speak. - Direct: He said, “I need to rest.”
Indirect: He said that he needed to rest. - Direct: I said, “I used to play cricket.”
Indirect: I said that I used to play cricket.
Miscellaneous
- Direct: She said, “I saw him yesterday.”
Indirect: She said that she had seen him the day before. - Direct: He said, “I am writing a letter.”
Indirect: He said that he was writing a letter. - Direct: They said, “We had finished our lunch.”
Indirect: They said that they had finished their lunch. - Direct: I said, “She will have reached by now.”
Indirect: I said that she would have reached by then. - Direct: He said, “I was watching TV.”
Indirect: He said that he had been watching TV. - Direct: She said, “They were playing.”
Indirect: She said that they had been playing. - Direct: I said, “I shall go now.”
Indirect: I said that I should go then. - Direct: He said, “You look tired.”
Indirect: He said that I looked tired. - Direct: She said, “This is my pen.”
Indirect: She said that that was her pen. - Direct: He said, “These apples are fresh.”
Indirect: He said that those apples were fresh. - Direct: She said, “I know the answer.”
Indirect: She said that she knew the answer. - Direct: He said, “We met last week.”
Indirect: He said that they had met the previous week. - Direct: They said, “We will visit next year.”
Indirect: They said that they would visit the next year. - Direct: I said, “I am tired of this.”
Indirect: I said that I was tired of that. - Direct: He said, “I love my job.”
Indirect: He said that he loved his job. - Direct: She asked, “What do you want?”
Indirect: She asked what I wanted. - Direct: He asked, “Why are you angry?”
Indirect: He asked why I was angry. - Direct: They said, “Don’t disturb us.”
Indirect: They told me not to disturb them. - Direct: She said, “Can I come in?”
Indirect: She asked if she could come in. - Direct: He asked, “Where did you go?”
Indirect: He asked where I had gone. - Direct: I said, “Let’s go shopping.”
Indirect: I suggested that we should go shopping. - Direct: She said, “Let me try.”
Indirect: She requested to try. - Direct: The teacher said, “Read the lesson.”
Indirect: The teacher instructed us to read the lesson. - Direct: He said, “We were watching a movie.”
Indirect: He said that they had been watching a movie. - Direct: She said, “You must listen carefully.”
Indirect: She said that I had to listen carefully. - Direct: They asked, “Shall we begin now?”
Indirect: They asked if they should begin then. - Direct: He said, “What a mess you made!”
Indirect: He exclaimed that I had made a mess. - Direct: I said, “Oh! I lost my phone.”
Indirect: I exclaimed with regret that I had lost my phone. - Direct: She said, “I baked a cake.”
Indirect: She said that she had baked a cake. - Direct: He said, “We enjoyed the trip.”
Indirect: He said that they had enjoyed the trip. - Direct: She said, “I am not feeling well.”
Indirect: She said that she was not feeling well. - Direct: He asked, “How old are you?”
Indirect: He asked how old I was. - Direct: They said, “We can help you.”
Indirect: They said that they could help me. - Direct: She said, “I may go there.”
Indirect: She said that she might go there. - Direct: He said, “I’m going to the market.”
Indirect: He said that he was going to the market. - Direct: She asked, “Is this your book?”
Indirect: She asked if that was my book. - Direct: I asked, “Have you ever seen a tiger?”
Indirect: I asked whether he had ever seen a tiger. - Direct: She said, “I need some rest.”
Indirect: She said that she needed some rest. - Direct: He said, “Let us start the meeting.”
Indirect: He suggested that we should start the meeting. - Direct: The doctor said, “Take your medicine daily.”
Indirect: The doctor advised me to take my medicine daily.