Grammar: Review of Indirect Speech Basic 6 English Studies Lesson Note

Direct vs Indirect Speech Review

Direct Speech uses exact words with quotation marks:

• John said, “I am tired.”
• Mary asked, “Where is the book?”

Indirect Speech reports what was said without quotation marks:

• John said that he was tired.
• Mary asked where the book was.

Changes in Indirect Speech:

1. Pronoun Changes:

• I → he/she
• you → he/she/they
• we → they

2. Tense Changes:

• Present → Past
• Past → Past Perfect
• Future → Conditional

3. Time and Place Changes:

• today → that day
• yesterday → the day before
• tomorrow → the next day
• here → there
• this → that

Exercise F – Indirect Speech Practice

Part 1: Change to indirect speech:

1. The principal said, “All students must wear uniforms.” → The principal said that _________________________________
2. “Where did you put my pen?” asked Kemi. → Kemi asked _________________________________
3. The teacher said, “I will mark your books tomorrow.” → The teacher said that _________________________________
4. “We are going to Abuja next week,” they announced. → They announced that _________________________________

Part 2: Change to direct speech:

1. The doctor said that the patient was getting better. → The doctor said, “_________________________________”
2. She asked if I had finished my homework. → She asked, “_________________________________”
3. They told us that the meeting would start at 2 o’clock. → They told us, “_________________________________”

Exercise G – Reporting Statements

Report what these people said:

1. Nurse: “Take this medicine twice daily.” → The nurse advised _________________________________
2. Driver: “I cannot find the car keys.” → The driver complained that _________________________________
3. Student: “May I go to the toilet?” → The student requested _________________________________
4. Mother: “Don’t forget your lunch box.” → Mother reminded me _________________________________