Structure: Review of Direct and Indirect Speech – Basic 6 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

Direct Speech

Shows the exact words someone spoke, using quotation marks.

Formula: Speaker + reporting verb + “exact words”

Examples:

• John said, “I am going to school.”
• Mary asked, “Where is my book?”
• The teacher announced, “The test is tomorrow.”

Indirect Speech

Reports what someone said without using their exact words.

Formula: Speaker + reporting verb + that/if/wh-word + changed statement

Examples:

• John said that he was going to school.
• Mary asked where her book was.
• The teacher announced that the test was the next day.

Key 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/Place Changes:

• today → that day