Lesson 66 – Direct → Indirect Speech (Statements)

📘 Lesson 66 – Direct → Indirect Speech (Statements)

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Understand the difference between direct and indirect speech.

2. Convert direct statements into indirect speech accurately.

3. Apply tense changes, pronoun changes, and time/place adjustments correctly.

4. Use indirect speech in both writing and speaking.

5. Practice through numerous examples and exercises to improve fluency.

📖 Introduction (10 minutes)

• Direct speech quotes the speaker’s exact words:

  • Example: She said, “I am tired.”

• Indirect speech reports the speaker’s words without quoting exactly:

  • Example: She said that she was tired.

• Importance:

  • Used in formal writing, reporting, academic work, and everyday conversation.

  • Common in HSC board exams, especially in grammar and composition sections.

Key Points to Remember:

1. Remove quotation marks.

2. Adjust pronouns according to context.

3. Change the tense of verbs (backshift) if the reporting verb is in the past.

4. Adjust time and place expressions:

   • today → that day

   • tomorrow → the next/following day

   • here → there

   • now → then

🔎 Board Work – Rules and Examples (15 minutes)

1. Reporting Verb

• Common reporting verbs: said, told, asked, replied, explained.

• Example:

  • Direct: “I am studying,” said Rahim.

  • Indirect: Rahim said that he was studying.

2. Tense Change Table

3. Pronoun Changes

• Direct: “I am happy,” said Ali.

• Indirect: Ali said that he was happy.

• Direct: “You are clever,” said Shefali.

• Indirect: Shefali said that I was clever.

4. Time/Place Words

• today → that day

• yesterday → the day before

• tomorrow → the next day

• here → there

• now → then

📝 Extended Examples (20 sentences)

1. Direct: “I am tired,” said Mina.
   Indirect: Mina said that she was tired.

2. Direct: “We are going to Dhaka,” said they.
   Indirect: They said that they were going to Dhaka.

3. Direct: “I will help you,” said Ahmed.
   Indirect: Ahmed said that he would help me.

4. Direct: “I have finished my homework,” said Ali.
   Indirect: Ali said that he had finished his homework.

5. Direct: “She is reading a book,” said Rahim.
   Indirect: Rahim said that she was reading a book.

6. Direct: “I can swim,” said the boy.
   Indirect: The boy said that he could swim.

7. Direct: “I was born in 2005,” said Farhana.
   Indirect: Farhana said that she was born in 2005.

8. Direct: “I like apples and oranges,” said Rafiq.
   Indirect: Rafiq said that he liked apples and oranges.

9. Direct: “We are having lunch now,” said the children.
   Indirect: The children said that they were having lunch then.

10. Direct: “I am going to school today,” said Karim.
    Indirect: Karim said that he was going to school that day.

11. Direct: “I saw the movie yesterday,” said Samina.
    Indirect: Samina said that she had seen the movie the day before.

12. Direct: “I must finish my project,” said Rakib.
    Indirect: Rakib said that he had to finish his project.

13. Direct: “I like this song,” said Jannat.
    Indirect: Jannat said that she liked that song.

14. Direct: “I am learning English,” said Hasan.
    Indirect: Hasan said that he was learning English.

15. Direct: “I will come tomorrow,” said Leena.
    Indirect: Leena said that she would come the next day.

16. Direct: “We are playing football now,” said the boys.
    Indirect: The boys said that they were playing football then.

17. Direct: “I enjoy reading novels,” said Shakil.
    Indirect: Shakil said that he enjoyed reading novels.

18. Direct: “I have visited the museum,” said Tanvir.
    Indirect: Tanvir said that he had visited the museum.

19. Direct: “I am cooking dinner,” said Fatema.
    Indirect: Fatema said that she was cooking dinner.

20. Direct: “I will meet you at the park,” said Rashed.
    Indirect: Rashed said that he would meet me at the park.

📝 Class Activity (15 minutes)

1. Convert 10 direct sentences from the board to indirect speech.

2. Peer correction and discussion.

Additional Practice Sentences:

• “I don’t like spicy food,” said Anika.

• “We are leaving for the market,” said the boys.

• “I will finish my homework by evening,” said Arif.

• “She is very intelligent,” said Rahim.

• “I have never been to Chittagong,” said Farida.

🗣 Speaking Practice (5–10 minutes)

• Students form pairs.

• One student says a direct sentence, the partner reports it in indirect speech.

• Encourage using different tenses, pronouns, and time expressions.

• Example:

  • Direct: “I am watching TV.”

  • Indirect: He said that he was watching TV.

📚 Homework

1. Write 10 direct statements from daily conversations and convert to indirect speech.

2. Identify and underline the pronoun, tense, and time changes.

3. Optional: Read a short story or dialogue and convert 5 direct sentences to indirect.