1. Grade 6 English – Indirect Speech
The actual words spoken by a person are called direct speech. When we retell,
or report something which has been said, we use indirect speech.
“I am coming to see you this evening,” said Leila.
Leila said that she was coming to see me this evening.
Billy asked, “Am I too late to put my name down for the computer club?”
Billy asked if he was too late to put his name down for the computer club.
“Put your bicycle in the garage, Ali,” said his mother.
Ali’s mother told him to put his bicycle in the garage.
Remember:
1. No quotation marks are used in indirect speech.
2. We use extra words like that, asked if and told when reporting what has
been said.
3. The pronouns change, for example I became he in the first sentence.
4. When using indirect speech we usually change the verbs to past tense
because we are reporting something that has already been said.
