NARRATION PART-I THEORY

• There are 2 ways of reporting a speech: (1) Direct Speech and (2) Indirect Speech. Direct Speech: If the sentence spoken by the speaker is  written without any change, the sentence is said to be in a

Direct speech.

• Example.: Ram says, “I work hard.”

• Indirect  Speech:  If  the  sentence  spoken  by  the  speaker  is  changed  by  the  narrator  following  certain  rules,  it  is

• called an indirect speech.

• Example.

Ram says that he works hard. When  the  reporting  verb  is  in  the  present  or  future  tense  there  is  no  change  in  the  tense  of  the  reported  clause. 

For example,

• Direct: Saraswati says, “I like sweets”. Indirect:  Saraswati says that she likes sweets. Direct: Hemant says, “I will learn English”. Indirect:  Hemant says that he will learn English.

• When the reporting verb is in the past tense the verb of the reported clause is changed into the corresponding past
• tense. For example,
• Direct: Ramu said, “I have written a novel”. Indirect:  Ramu said that he had written a novel. Direct: Seeta said, “I waited for Ramu till 10 o’clock”. Indirect:  Seeta said that she had waited for Ramu till 10 o’clock.

When  the  direct  speech  expresses  universal  truth  (fundamental  truths  of  science)  sayings/  proverbs/  habitual
action, the tense does not change.

• For example,

• Direct: He said, “The earth moves round the sun”. Indirect:  He said that the earth moves round the sun. (not, moved) Direct: They said, “A bad carpenter quarrels with his tools”. Indirect:  They said that a bad carpenter quarrels with his tools. (not, quarreled) mperative with had   better (advice)

• An  imperative  with  you  +  better  /  had  better  expressing  advice  is  turned  into  Indirect  Speech  like  an  ordinary

• imperative. For example,

• (i)  reporting verb is changed into advice + object. (ii)  better/ had better is left out. (iii)   full infinitive (to + verb) is used instead of bare infinitive. For example, Direct: He said, “You better/ had better see a doctor”. Indirect:  He advised me to see a doctor. (better/ had better left out). Direct:  The doctor said, “You had better not work hard”. Indirect:  The doctors advised me not to work hard. (had better left out). Imperative with might (request)

• An imperative with you + might expressing request is turned into Indirect Speech like an ordinary imperative:

• (i)  reporting verb is changed into request + object.

• (ii)  might is left out. (iii)   full infinitive (to + verb) is used instead of bare infinitive.

• Direct: She said, “You might attend the meeting on my behalf”. Indirect:  She requested me to attend the meeting on her behalf. Imperative + question tag

• A  question  tag  at  the  end  of  an  imperative  is  left  out,  when  the  sentence  is  converted  into  reported  speech.  For

• Example,

• Direct:  “Shut the door, will you”? I said to her. Indirect:  I asked/ requested her to shut the door. (question tag left)

• An imperative with let + first/ third person expressing permission is turned into Indirect Speech like an ordinary

• imperative:

• (i)  reporting verb is changed into ask/ request + object. (ii)  imperative verb ‘let’ is changed into a full infinitive (to + let + object) For example, Direct: “Let me drive the car”. I told the driver. Indirect:  I asked the driver to let me drive the car. Direct:  “Let them play in the park”, she told the watchman. Indirect:  She asked the watchman to let them play in the park.

• Change of Modals  

• Shall/will  → should/would  May   → might  Can    → could  

• Change in time and place  

• Today   →  That day tomorrow  →  the next day  yesterday  → the previous day/ the day before tonight   → that night,  last     → the previous here   → there, this    → that  these   → those ago    → before now   → then  

INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES

• Question

•  He said to me, “Are you coming?”    He said to me, “when are you coming?”  He asked me whether I was coming     he asked me when I was coming  

• ?  Rules  for interrogative sentences to be converted to indirect from direct speech  

• 1. Change ‘said to’ into asked, questioned, inquired or interrogated.

• 2. ‘Question Mark (?) should be changed into ‘full stop’. 3. The sentence will not be in interrogative form in indirect speech . This means that helping verb is  used after the

• subject.  4. Tense and pronoun shall be changed according to the rules.  5. if the question can be answered in yes/no, conjunction if/ whether will be used. If the question is of ‘wh family’ no

• conjunction will not be used. Examples  1.  He said to me, “Do you know me?”  He asked me if I knew him. 2. She said to him, “what are you doing now?”  She asked him what he was doing then.  3. He said to him, “Did you intend to come with me?”  He asked him if he had intended to come with him. 4. He said to her, “Haven’t you seen this movie?”  He asked her if she hadn’t seen that movie.  

• Explanation of Sentence  5 :  

• ? If  we  use  sir/  madam/  your  honour  or  any  other  word  of  respect  in  the  Direct  Speech,  such  word  should  be

• replaced by word’ respectfully’ in the Indirect Speech.

• ? If  we  use  Darling  /dear/  my  beloved  or  any  other  word  of  affection  in  the  Direct  Speech,  such  word  should  be

• replaced by word ‘lovingly/ affectionately’ in the Indirect Speech.

• ? If the answer is in ‘yes’ or ‘no’, they must be changed into ‘answered in the affirmative/ answered in the negative

• respectively.

• Rules for imperative sentences to be converted to indirect speech from direct speech :  

• 1. Change ‘Said to’ into ordered/ respected/ forbade/ suggested etc

• 2. Conjunction ‘to’ will replace comma and inverted commas. 3. ‘To’ is followed by ‘V1’.  4. Tense and pronoun change according to rules.

• Examples-  

• 1. She said to me, “Do not come here”  She forbade me to come there    or  

•    She ordered me not come there  2. He said, “call the first witness how.”  He ordered them to call the first witness then 3. She said, “spread the clothes in the sunlight and do not wash anything else.”  She ordered him to spread the clothes in the sunlight and not to wash anything else.

• Exclamatory sentences:   She said, “Alas! I am undone”.  She exclaimed with sorrow that she was undone

• Rules for changing Exclamatory Sentences from Direct to Indirect Speech  

• 1. Said + Alas !  → exclaimed with sorrow.  Said + Hurray ! →  exclaimed with joy   Said + Fi / Ugh! → exclaimed with despise/ disgust  Said + Wow !  → exclaimed with joy.  Said + Oh!  → exclaimed with surprise/ regret  2. Conjunction ‘that’ will replace comma and inverted commas. 3. Tense and pronoun change according to rules  

• Examples :  1. She said, “Hurray! We have won this match.”  she exclaimed with joy that they had won that match. 2. She said, “How beautiful is the rain!”  She exclaimed with joy that the rain was very beautiful. 3. He said, “Bravo ! you have done well.”  He applauded him saying that he had done well 4. She said, “What a pleasant surprise!”  She exclaimed that it was a pleasant surprise.

• Optative Sentences  

•  He said, “May God bless you.”  He prayed that God might bless me  

• Rules for optative sentences to be converted to indirect speech from direct speech:  

• 1. Change ‘said is’ into ‘wished’ or ‘prayed’ 

• 2. Conjunction ‘that’ is used. 

• 3. Tense and pronoun are changed according to rules.

• Examples : 

• 1. She Said, “May, God pardon him.”  She prayed that God might pardon him.

• 2. They said, “Long live the king.”  They prayed that the king might live long