Direct and Indirect Speech — SSC CGL English Comprehension
Reporting speech is a checklist, not a judgement. When you convert direct ("I am busy," he said) to indirect (He said that he was busy), four things change on schedule: the reporting verb, the tense (backshifted if the reporting verb is past), the pronouns, and the time/place words. Statements, questions and commands each have a fixed template. Nail the templates and the whole topic is mechanical.
1. What SSC actually asks
Tier 1: 1–2 Q · Tier 2: 1–2 Q. Format: a sentence in direct speech (or indirect) with four options in the other form. Errors in the options are planted in the tense backshift, the pronoun, the question/command pattern, or the time-word change.
2. The four standard changes
- Reporting verb: "said to X" → "told X"; questions → "asked"; commands → "ordered/told"; requests → "requested".
- Remove quotes, add "that" for statements (drop "that" for questions/commands).
- Backshift the tense if the reporting verb is past (see the table).
- Change pronouns to match the reporter's viewpoint (first person → subject of reporting; second person → object).
3. Tense backshift table (reporting verb in past)
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| Present simple (write) | Past simple (wrote) |
| Present continuous (am writing) | Past continuous (was writing) |
| Present perfect (have written) | Past perfect (had written) |
| Past simple (wrote) | Past perfect (had written) |
| will / shall | would / should |
| can / may / must | could / might / had to |
No backshift when the reporting verb is present/future, or when reporting a universal truth/habitual fact: The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
4. Time and place shifts
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tomorrow | the next day |
| yesterday | the previous day |
| here | there |
| this / these | that / those |
| ago | before |
| next week | the following week |
5. Questions, commands, exclamations
- Yes/No question: "asked … if/whether" + statement word order (no do/does/did, no "?"). "Do you like coffee?" → He asked me whether I liked coffee.
- Wh-question: keep the wh-word, statement order. "Where are you going?" → She asked where I was going.
- Command/request: reporting verb + to + base verb; negative → "not to". "Sit down." → He told the boy to sit down. "Don't smoke." → He advised me not to smoke.
- Exclamation: "exclaimed with joy/sorrow that…". "What a beautiful sight!" → She exclaimed that it was a very beautiful sight.
6. Solved PYQ-style examples
Q1. He said, "I am busy." Solution. He said that he was busy.
Q2. She said, "I will come tomorrow." Solution. She said that she would come the next day.
Q3. He said to me, "Do you like coffee?" Solution. He asked me whether I liked coffee.
Q4. The teacher said to the boy, "Sit down." Solution. The teacher told the boy to sit down.
Q5. She said, "I have finished my work." Solution. She said that she had finished her work.
Q6. The teacher said, "The sun rises in the east." Solution. The teacher said that the sun rises in the east (universal truth — no backshift).
7. Exam protocol
- Set the reporting verb (told/asked/ordered/requested) by sentence type.
- Backshift the tense only if the reporting verb is past — and never for universal truths.
- Change pronouns to the reporter's perspective.
- Apply time/place shifts (tomorrow → the next day, here → there).
- Use the right template: if/whether for yes-no, wh-word kept, "to + verb" for commands.
