First and foremost, we do not use inverted commas in reported speech which must be clear from the example given above.
Now let us take a look at the rules for changing the direct speech to indirect or reported speech – The words which are written within the inverted commas is known as the Reported speech, in the above example, the reported speech is “I am going to bake a cake”.įigures of Speech Rules for Changing Direct Speech to Indirect or Reported Speech
The words that come before the inverted commas is known as the reporting clause, in the example given above, the reporting clause will be – Rita said to Seema, where ‘said’ is the verb and is known as the reporting verb. In this case, we haven’t used the exact words of Rita but conveyed her message. Rita told Seema that she is going to bake a cake So, we use this form of speech to talk about the past.
Here we are using the exact words spoken by Rita, however reported or Indirect speech is used when we are reporting something said by someone else but we do not use the exact words. When we use the exact words spoken by someone, it is known as Direct Speech.įor example: Rita said to Seema, “ I am going to bake a cake” Register for Leverage Live Classes to Improve Your English Grammar What is Reported Speech?
