Direct & Indirect Speech

Direct Speech

Direct speech records the exact words someone said, placed inside quotation marks.

• She said, "I am tired."
• "Where are you going?" he asked.

Key punctuation rules:

• Use a comma to introduce the quote: She said, "…"
• The full stop or comma goes inside the closing quotation mark.
• Capitalise the first word of the speech.

Indirect (Reported) Speech

Indirect speech (reported speech) conveys the meaning of what was said, without using the exact words. No quotation marks are needed.

• She said that she was tired.
• He asked where I was going.

Tense Shifts in Reported Speech

When the reporting verb is past tense (said, told, asked), the tense usually shifts back:

Direct	Indirect
"I am happy."	She said she was happy.
"I will come."	He said he would come.
"I have finished."	She said she had finished.

Reporting Questions

Use asked + if/whether for yes/no questions:

• "Are you ready?" → He asked if I was ready.

Use asked + question word for wh-questions:

• "Where do you live?" → She asked where I lived.