🟦 Introduction

Hi super-learner! 👋
Have you ever told a friend what someone else said?
Maybe you said, “Mom said, ‘Do your homework.'”
Or you said, “Mom told me to do my homework.”

Guess what? You were already using Direct Speech and Reported (Indirect) Speech!

Today, we will learn:

• What Direct and Reported Speech are

• How to recognize and change them

• The important rules (like changing tenses and pronouns!)

• Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Let’s sharpen your speaking and writing skills! ✨

🟩 Key Concepts and Explanations

1. What is Direct Speech?

Direct Speech shows the exact words spoken by a person, inside quotation marks (“…”).

Examples:

• Kwame said, “I am tired.”

• She asked, “Where are you going?”

🎯 Important:

• Always use quotation marks (“…”).

• Use a comma before the quotation marks.

2. What is Reported (Indirect) Speech?

Reported Speech tells what someone said without using their exact words.
We often make changes to pronouns, tenses, and time words.

Examples:

• Kwame said he was tired.

• She asked where I was going.

🎯 Important:

• No quotation marks are used.

• The sentence flows naturally into the report.

3. Differences Between Direct and Reported Speech

4. How to Change from Direct to Reported Speech

a. Change the Pronouns

Example:

• Direct: She said, “I love my cat.”

• Reported: She said she loved her cat.

b. Change the Tenses (Backshift)

When reporting speech in the past, usually shift tenses one step back.

Example:

• Direct: He said, “I am studying.”

• Reported: He said he was studying.

c. Change Time and Place Words

Example:

• Direct: She said, “I will see you tomorrow.”

• Reported: She said she would see me the next day.

🔵 Structure of Sentences: Direct vs Reported Speech

🟩 Types of Reporting Verbs

Common reporting verbs include:

🟨 Sample Problem Walkthroughs

Walkthrough 1:

Change to Reported Speech:
“Peter said, ‘I am going to Accra today.’“

• Step 1: Peter said → no change.

• Step 2: I → he (pronoun change)

• Step 3: am going → was going (tense change)

• Step 4: today → that day (time word change)

✅ Reported: Peter said he was going to Accra that day.

Walkthrough 2:

Change to Reported Speech:
“The teacher said, ‘You must finish your homework now.’“

• Step 1: The teacher said → no change.

• Step 2: You → I/he/she depending on context

• Step 3: must finish → had to finish (modal change)

• Step 4: now → then (time word change)

✅ Reported: The teacher said I had to finish my homework then.

🟨 Practice Exercises

✏️ Exercise A: Change to Reported Speech

1. She said, “I am reading a book.”

2. John said, “We will meet you tomorrow.”

3. Father said, “Be careful!”

4. The boy said, “My mother is baking a cake.”

5. They said, “We have finished our work.”

✏️ Exercise B: Correct the Errors

Each sentence below has a mistake. Rewrite them correctly.

1. She said she is busy yesterday.

2. He told that he will coming tomorrow.

3. They said they has eaten.

4. Ama said that she was going now.

5. The teacher told the students that they has pass the test.

✏️ Exercise C: Identify the Speech

Decide if the sentence is Direct (D) or Reported (R):

1. “I love English,” she said. ( )

2. He said that he would help me. ( )

3. My mother said, “You must tidy your room!” ( )

4. She told me she was tired. ( )

5. “We are playing football,” said the boys. ( )

✅ Answers and Explanations

Exercise A:

1. She said she was reading a book.

2. John said they would meet me the next day.

3. Father told me to be careful.

4. The boy said his mother was baking a cake.

5. They said they had finished their work.

Exercise B:

1. She said she was busy yesterday.

2. He told me that he would come tomorrow.

3. They said they had eaten.

4. Ama said that she was going then.

5. The teacher told the students that they had passed the test.

Exercise C:

1. Direct (D)

2. Reported (R)

3. Direct (D)

4. Reported (R)

5. Direct (D)

🔁 Recap

Today you learned:

• Direct Speech = quoting exact words.

• Reported Speech = reporting without exact words.

• Changes in pronouns, tenses, and time words.

• Rules for statements, questions, and commands.

👉 Key Tip: Always look carefully at pronouns, verbs, and time words when reporting!

🪞Reflection Prompt

Think about a conversation you had yesterday.

• Pick one sentence you said.

• Write it in Direct Speech.

• Then rewrite it in Reported Speech.

🌟 Example:

• Direct: I said, “I will study harder.”

• Reported: I said that I would study harder.