Convert a simple statement
Direct: Anna said, "I am learning Kiswahili."
Indirect: Anna said that she was learning Kiswahili.
Changes: removed quotation marks, "I" → "she", "am learning" → "was learning".
Grade 7English
Direct and Indirect Speech
How to convert between direct ("...") and indirect (reported) speech — rules, tense shifts and common KJSEA pitfalls.
📖 4 min read · 5 worked examples · 7 practice questions
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The lesson
In English, there are two ways to report what somebody said:
- Direct speech quotes the exact words the speaker used, inside quotation marks ("..."). Example: Wanjiru said, "I am going to the market."
- Indirect speech (also called reported speech) reports what was said without using the exact words. Example: Wanjiru said that she was going to the market.
Knowing how to convert between the two is a major KJSEA English skill, and it's also essential for writing reports, news articles, and formal narratives.
Key changes when moving from direct to indirect speech:
1. Remove the quotation marks and add the word "that" (often optional). Direct: Juma said, "I am tired." Indirect: Juma said that he was tired.
2. Change pronouns to match the new perspective. Pronouns that originally referred to the speaker shift to third person if the reporter is not the speaker. Direct: Mary said, "I love mangoes." Indirect: Mary said that she loved mangoes.
3. Backshift the tense if the reporting verb (said, told, asked) is in the past tense. This is the trickiest rule:
| Direct speech tense | Indirect speech tense |
|---|---|
| Present simple (eat) | Past simple (ate) |
| Present continuous (am eating) | Past continuous (was eating) |
| Present perfect (have eaten) | Past perfect (had eaten) |
| Past simple (ate) | Past perfect (had eaten) |
| Will (will go) | Would (would go) |
| Can (can swim) | Could (could swim) |
| May (may come) | Might (might come) |
| Must (must leave) | Had to (had to leave) |
If the reporting verb is in the present tense (says, tells), tense does NOT change.
4. Change time and place words:
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the previous day / the day before |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| tonight | that night |
| next week | the following week |
| last week | the previous week |
5. Reporting questions:
For yes/no questions, use "if" or "whether". Change the order back to statement order (subject + verb). Direct: He asked, "Are you ready?" Indirect: He asked if I was ready.
For wh-questions, keep the question word (what, when, where, why, how, who). Change to statement order. Direct: She asked, "Where do you live?" Indirect: She asked where I lived.
6. Reporting commands or requests:
Use the verb pattern: told / asked / ordered / requested + object + to + verb. Drop the imperative form. Direct: The teacher said, "Open your books." Indirect: The teacher told us to open our books.
Direct: "Please help me," she said. Indirect: She asked me to help her.
For negative commands: told + object + not + to + verb. Direct: "Don't shout," the teacher said. Indirect: The teacher told us not to shout.
Common student mistakes to avoid:
- Forgetting to backshift the tense. Direct: He said, "I am tired." → Indirect: He said that he WAS tired (not is tired).
- Mixing pronouns. Always think: from whose perspective am I reporting?
- Keeping quotation marks in indirect speech. Indirect speech NEVER uses quotation marks.
- Forgetting to remove the question form. Indirect questions follow statement order: He asked where I lived (NOT He asked where did I live).
- Using "told" without an object. "Said" can stand alone (He said that...); "told" needs someone receiving the message (He told me that...).
When tense does NOT shift:
If the original statement expresses an eternal truth or fact, the tense often stays in the present even when the reporting verb is in the past.
- The teacher said that the Earth rotates around the Sun. (Eternal truth — present stays.)
- She said that water boils at 100°C. (Scientific fact — present stays.)
CBC Grade 5 introduces quotation marks and direct speech; Grade 6 introduces basic reported speech; Grade 7 covers all rules of direct/indirect conversion including tense shifts, questions, commands, and time/place changes — the foundation for narrative writing in KJSEA and beyond.
Worked examples
Convert with tense backshift
Direct: Mwangi said, "I have finished my homework."
Indirect: Mwangi said that he had finished his homework.
Present perfect ("have finished") backshifts to past perfect ("had finished"); "my" → "his".
Convert a yes/no question
Direct: The teacher asked, "Are you coming to school tomorrow?"
Indirect: The teacher asked if I was coming to school the next day.
Changes: "Are you" → "if I was" (statement order, backshift), "tomorrow" → "the next day".
Convert a wh-question
Direct: She asked, "Where did you go yesterday?"
Indirect: She asked where I had gone the previous day.
Changes: question word kept ("where"), question order → statement order, past simple → past perfect, "yesterday" → "the previous day".
Convert a command
Direct: Mother said, "Don't play in the rain."
Indirect: Mother told us not to play in the rain.
Pattern: "told + object + not + to + verb". Imperative dropped.
Practice questions
- Convert to indirect: 'She said, "I am going home."'
- Convert to indirect: 'Juma said, "I will visit you tomorrow."'
- Convert to indirect: 'The teacher asked, "Are you ready?"'
- Convert to indirect: 'Mary said, "I saw the lion yesterday."'
- Convert to indirect: 'He shouted, "Don't touch that!"'
- Convert to direct: 'She told me that she would come the next day.'
- Why does the tense not change in: 'He said that the sun rises in the east.'?
Ask the tutor
- Explain direct and indirect speech with examples.
- What are the rules for changing tense in reported speech?
- How do I report a question?
- Give me 10 KJSEA-style direct/indirect speech transformations.
- When does the tense NOT change in indirect speech?
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