Lesson 67 – Indirect → Direct Speech (Statements & Questions)

📘 Lesson 67 – Indirect → Direct Speech (Statements & Questions)

🎯 Learning Objectives

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

1. Convert indirect speech back to direct speech accurately.

2. Apply proper punctuation, quotation marks, and tense adjustment.

3. Handle both statements and questions in direct speech.

4. Practice speaking and writing using direct speech.

5. Use examples from daily life, stories, and past exam questions.

📖 Introduction (5–7 minutes)

• Indirect speech reports someone’s words without quoting them exactly:

  • Example: She said that she was tired.

• Direct speech quotes the exact words of the speaker:

  • Example: She said, “I am tired.”

Importance:

• Direct speech is essential in storytelling, dialogues, letters, and news reporting.

• Commonly tested in HSC English Paper II grammar sections.

🔎 Board Work – Rules for Conversion (10 minutes)

1. Add Quotation Marks

• Every direct speech sentence must be enclosed in “ ”.

2. Tense Adjustment

• Restore the original tense if backshifted in indirect speech.

  • Example: Indirect: He said that he was tired.

    • Direct: He said, “I am tired.”

3. Pronoun Adjustment

• Replace reporting pronouns appropriately.

  • Example: Indirect: She said that she was happy.

    • Direct: She said, “I am happy.”

4. Time/Place Words

• Adjust expressions to original context:

  • that day → today

  • the day before → yesterday

  • the next day → tomorrow

  • then → now

  • there → here

📝 Extended Examples (25+ sentences)

Statements

1. Indirect: He said that he was tired.
   Direct: He said, “I am tired.”

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

3. Indirect: She said that she had finished her homework.
   Direct: She said, “I have finished my homework.”

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

5. Indirect: Mina said that she liked apples.
   Direct: Mina said, “I like apples.”

6. Indirect: He said that he could swim.
   Direct: He said, “I can swim.”

7. Indirect: They said that they were playing football.
   Direct: They said, “We are playing football.”

8. Indirect: Rafiq said that he had visited Dhaka.
   Direct: Rafiq said, “I have visited Dhaka.”

9. Indirect: Tanvir said that he had never been to Chittagong.
   Direct: Tanvir said, “I have never been to Chittagong.”

10. Indirect: Farhana said that she was reading a book.
    Direct: Farhana said, “I am reading a book.”

Questions (Yes/No and WH)

11. Indirect: He asked me if I liked tea.
    Direct: He asked me, “Do you like tea?”

12. Indirect: She asked where I was going.
    Direct: She asked, “Where are you going?”

13. Indirect: They asked if we had finished our homework.
    Direct: They asked, “Have you finished your homework?”

14. Indirect: He asked when the train would arrive.
    Direct: He asked, “When will the train arrive?”

15. Indirect: She asked why I was late.
    Direct: She asked, “Why are you late?”

16. Indirect: They asked whether I could help them.
    Direct: They asked, “Can you help us?”

17. Indirect: He asked if I was coming to the party.
    Direct: He asked, “Are you coming to the party?”

18. Indirect: She asked how I solved the problem.
    Direct: She asked, “How did you solve the problem?”

19. Indirect: The teacher asked whether we had understood the lesson.
    Direct: The teacher asked, “Have you understood the lesson?”

20. Indirect: He asked if I had completed the project.
    Direct: He asked, “Have you completed the project?”

📝 Class Activity (15 minutes)

1. Convert 10 indirect statements to direct speech.

2. Convert 5 indirect questions to direct questions.

3. Pair work: Students speak an indirect sentence aloud, partners convert to direct speech.

Additional Practice Sentences:

• Indirect: She said that she was going shopping.

• Indirect: He said that he had lost his pen.

• Indirect: They asked whether we were ready.

• Indirect: She asked why I was crying.

• Indirect: He said that he would join the meeting tomorrow.

🗣 Speaking Practice (5–10 minutes)

• Students take turns reporting indirect sentences orally and converting them to direct speech.

• Encourage intonation and punctuation awareness.

• Example:

  • Indirect: She said that she was hungry.

  • Direct: She said, “I am hungry.”

📚 Homework

1. Convert 10 indirect statements from a story or conversation to direct speech.

2. Convert 5 indirect questions to direct questions.

3. Optional: Write a short dialogue using 5 direct speech sentences.