Direct And Indirect Speech Questions Long
When converting direct speech to indirect speech, there are several changes that occur in terms of punctuation. These changes are necessary to reflect the shift from quoting someone's exact words to reporting their speech indirectly. Here are the main punctuation changes that take place:
1. Quotation marks: In direct speech, the exact words spoken by someone are enclosed within quotation marks. However, in indirect speech, these quotation marks are removed as we are no longer directly quoting the speaker. Instead, we are reporting what was said. For example:
Direct speech: She said, "I love to read."
Indirect speech: She said that she loved to read.
2. Capitalization: In direct speech, the first letter of the reported speech is capitalized. However, in indirect speech, this capitalization is changed to lowercase as we are no longer quoting the exact words. For example:
Direct speech: He exclaimed, "I can't believe it!"
Indirect speech: He exclaimed that he couldn't believe it.
3. Punctuation within the reported speech: When converting direct speech to indirect speech, certain punctuation marks within the reported speech may need to be changed or removed. Here are some examples:
- Question marks: If the reported speech is a question, the question mark is changed to a full stop (period) in indirect speech. For example:
Direct speech: She asked, "Are you coming with us?"
Indirect speech: She asked if I was coming with them.
- Exclamation marks: If the reported speech includes an exclamation mark, it is changed to a full stop (period) in indirect speech. For example:
Direct speech: He shouted, "What a beautiful day!"
Indirect speech: He shouted that it was a beautiful day.
- Ellipsis: If the reported speech is incomplete or interrupted, ellipsis (...) may be used to indicate this in direct speech. However, in indirect speech, the ellipsis is usually removed. For example:
Direct speech: She said, "I was just... never mind."
Indirect speech: She said that she was just never mind.
It is important to note that these punctuation changes may vary depending on the specific context and the reporting verb used. However, the general principle is to remove quotation marks, change capitalization, and adjust punctuation within the reported speech to reflect the shift from direct to indirect speech.