Explain the concept of direct and indirect speech in grammar.

Direct and indirect speech, also known as reported speech, are two ways of conveying someone else's words or thoughts in a sentence. They are used to report what someone has said or thought in a different context or at a different time.

Direct speech refers to the exact words spoken by someone, enclosed within quotation marks. It is used to quote someone's speech or thoughts verbatim. For example:

Direct speech: "I am going to the park," said John.

In this example, the exact words spoken by John are reported using quotation marks.

On the other hand, indirect speech is used to report someone's speech or thoughts without using their exact words. It involves changing the tense, pronouns, and other elements to fit the context of the reporting sentence. Indirect speech does not require quotation marks. For example:

Indirect speech: John said that he was going to the park.

In this example, the words spoken by John are reported indirectly, without using quotation marks. The tense of the verb "am" changes to "was" to match the past tense of the reporting verb "said." Additionally, the pronoun "I" changes to "he" to reflect the change in perspective.

When reporting direct speech into indirect speech, there are certain changes that need to be made:

1. Verb tense: The tense of the reporting verb is usually changed to match the tense of the reported speech. For example, present tense changes to past tense, and future tense changes to conditional tense.

2. Pronouns: Pronouns referring to the speaker may need to be changed to reflect the perspective of the reporting sentence.

3. Time and place expressions: Time and place expressions may need to be adjusted to fit the context of the reporting sentence.

4. Reporting verbs: Different reporting verbs such as "said," "told," "asked," etc., can be used to introduce the reported speech.

It is important to note that when reporting questions, the word order changes from a question form to a statement form. For example:

Direct speech: "Where are you going?" asked Mary.
Indirect speech: Mary asked where I was going.

In this example, the question form "Where are you going?" changes to the statement form "Mary asked where I was going."

Overall, direct and indirect speech are essential tools in grammar that allow us to report someone's speech or thoughts accurately and effectively. They provide a way to convey information about what someone has said or thought in a different context or at a different time.