Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for SSC CGL: The Short Answer
Direct speech gives a speaker's exact words inside inverted commas; indirect (reported) speech reports the meaning without them. To convert, you change four things: the reporting verb (said to → told / asked / ordered), the tense (one step back into the past when the reporting verb is in the past), the pronouns (to match the reporter), and time and place words (now → then, here → there). If the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, the tense of the reported speech does not change.
Key takeaway for SSC: SSC CGL, CHSL and MTS ask 1 or 2 narration questions: "Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect (or direct) speech." Learn the backshift chart, the time-word table and the patterns for questions, orders and exclamations. Most wrong options keep the wrong tense, use "said to" in indirect speech, or keep a question mark.
All examples in this note are original sentences. Narration pairs naturally with our active and passive voice rules for SSC CGL, since both appear in the same part of the paper.
What Is Direct and Indirect Speech? (Narration Meaning)
- Direct: Ravi said, "I am busy today."
- Indirect: Ravi said that he was busy that day.
Parts of a narration sentence:
- Reporting verb: said, said to, asked, told.
- Reported speech: the words inside the inverted commas.
- Reporter: the person converting the sentence (usually treated as a third person).
Rules for Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech (Step by Step)
- Change the reporting verb to match the sentence type (said to → told for statements; asked for questions; ordered, requested or advised for commands).
- Remove the inverted commas and add the right connector: that (statements), if / whether (yes/no questions), the wh-word (wh- questions), to + verb (orders).
- Change the pronouns following the SON rule below.
- Change the tense if the reporting verb is in the past.
- Change time and place words (now, today, here, this).
- Fix word order and punctuation: questions become statements, so the question mark goes.
Tense Change Rules in Indirect Speech (Backshift Chart)
When the reporting verb is in the past tense (said, told, asked), shift the reported verb one step back.
| Direct speech tense | Indirect speech tense | Example (direct → indirect) |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present | Simple past | She said, "I like tea." → She said that she liked tea. |
| Present continuous | Past continuous | He said, "I am reading." → He said that he was reading. |
| Present perfect | Past perfect | They said, "We have won." → They said that they had won. |
| Present perfect continuous | Past perfect continuous | She said, "I have been waiting." → She said that she had been waiting. |
| Simple past | Past perfect | He said, "I lost my keys." → He said that he had lost his keys. |
| Past continuous | Past perfect continuous | She said, "I was cooking." → She said that she had been cooking. |
| Past perfect | No change | He said, "I had eaten." → He said that he had eaten. |
| Will / shall | Would / should | She said, "I will call you." → She said that she would call me. |
| Can | Could | He said, "I can swim." → He said that he could swim. |
| May | Might | She said, "I may come." → She said that she might come. |
| Must | Had to (obligation) / must (deduction) | He said, "I must leave." → He said that he had to leave. |
When the tense does NOT change
| Case | Example |
|---|---|
| Reporting verb in present or future (says, will say) | He says, "I am tired." → He says that he is tired. |
| Universal truth or scientific fact | The teacher said, "Water boils at 100 °C." → The teacher said that water boils at 100 °C. |
| Habitual action still true | She said, "I go for a walk every morning." → She said that she goes for a walk every morning. (also accepted: went) |
| Historical fact (simple past stays) | He said, "Akbar ruled for almost fifty years." → He said that Akbar ruled for almost fifty years. |
| Could, would, should, might, ought to, used to | No change |
SSC usually gives the backshifted option as the answer unless the sentence is clearly a universal truth.
Pronoun Change Rules (SON Rule)
Remember SON = 1-2-3:
| Person in reported speech | Changes according to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| First person (I, we, my) | Subject of the reporting verb | Asha said, "I am late." → Asha said that she was late. |
| Second person (you, your) | Object of the reporting verb | He said to me, "You are right." → He told me that I was right. |
| Third person (he, she, they) | No change | She said, "He is honest." → She said that he was honest. |
Time and Place Word Changes in Indirect Speech
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the previous day / the day before |
| last week | the previous week / the week before |
| next month | the following month |
| ago | before |
| here | there |
| this / these | that / those |
| thus | so / in that way |
| hence | thence |
Indirect Speech of Questions (Interrogative Sentences)
Yes/No questions → if / whether
- Reporting verb: asked (or enquired of).
- Connector: if or whether.
- Word order: statement order (subject + verb), no question mark.
He said to me, "Are you coming?" → He asked me if I was coming. She said to him, "Did you call the bank?" → She asked him whether he had called the bank.
Wh- questions → keep the wh-word
The officer said to me, "Where do you live?" → The officer asked me where I lived. Meena said to Ravi, "Why are you late?" → Meena asked Ravi why he was late.
Common trap: "asked me where did I live" is wrong. After the wh-word, use statement order: where I lived.
Indirect Speech of Orders, Requests and Advice (Imperative Sentences)
Use a reporting verb that shows the mood, and to + verb (or not to + verb for negatives).
| Mood | Reporting verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Order | ordered, commanded, told | The captain said to the soldiers, "March forward." → The captain ordered the soldiers to march forward. |
| Request | requested, begged | She said to me, "Please help me." → She requested me to help her. |
| Advice | advised | The doctor said to him, "Take rest." → The doctor advised him to take rest. |
| Negative order | forbade / told … not to | He said to me, "Don't touch the wire." → He told me not to touch the wire. |
| Suggestion with "Let's" | suggested / proposed that … should | He said to us, "Let's go for a walk." → He suggested to us that we should go for a walk. |
Note: "please" is dropped in indirect speech because "requested" already carries it.
Indirect Speech of Exclamations and Wishes
| Type | Reporting verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Joy / surprise | exclaimed with joy / surprise | She said, "What a lovely garden!" → She exclaimed with joy that it was a very lovely garden. |
| Sorrow | exclaimed with sorrow | He said, "Alas! I have failed." → He exclaimed with sorrow that he had failed. |
| Wish / prayer | wished / prayed | They said, "May you live long!" → They prayed that I might live long. |
| Greeting | wished / bade | He said to me, "Good morning." → He wished me good morning. |
| Thanks | thanked | She said to me, "Thank you." → She thanked me. |
How to Solve Narration Questions Quickly (SSC Trick)
- Check the reporting verb tense. Past → backshift; present → no change.
- Delete options that keep "said to" in indirect speech; it should be told, asked, ordered or requested.
- Delete options with a question mark or question word order in reported questions.
- Check the pronoun with SON.
- Check time words (tomorrow → the next day).
- For direct-speech answers, reverse every step: told → said to; that day → today; past → present.
Common Mistakes in Direct and Indirect Speech
- Writing "said to me that". Use told me that.
- Keeping question order after asked: asked where was he going → where he was going.
- Forgetting to backshift simple past to past perfect.
- Changing the tense of a universal truth.
- Using "that" before to + verb in orders: ordered that to go is wrong.
- Keeping "please" after "requested".
- Changing now → this time instead of then.
Quick Revision Table: Narration Rules
| Sentence type | Reporting verb | Connector | Word order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | said / told + object | that | Statement |
| Yes/No question | asked | if / whether | Statement |
| Wh- question | asked | wh-word | Statement |
| Order / request / advice | ordered / requested / advised | to + V1 | — |
| Negative order | told / forbade | not to + V1 | — |
| Let's (suggestion) | suggested / proposed | that … should | Statement |
| Exclamation | exclaimed with joy / sorrow | that | Statement |
| Wish / prayer | wished / prayed | that … might | Statement |
Direct and Indirect Speech Questions for SSC CGL (with Answers)
Select the correct indirect (or direct) form.
- He said to me, "I am going to Delhi tomorrow." (a) He told me that I was going to Delhi the next day. (b) He told me that he was going to Delhi the next day. (c) He said to me that he is going to Delhi tomorrow. (d) He told me that he had gone to Delhi the next day. Answer: (b). I → he (subject); am → was; tomorrow → the next day.
- She said, "I have finished my work." (a) She said that she has finished her work. (b) She said that she had finished her work. (c) She said that I had finished my work. (d) She told that she finished her work. Answer: (b). Present perfect → past perfect.
- The teacher said, "The sun rises in the east." (a) The teacher said that the sun rose in the east. (b) The teacher said that the sun had risen in the east. (c) The teacher said that the sun rises in the east. (d) The teacher told that the sun rises in the east. Answer: (c). Universal truth: no change.
- He said to her, "Are you ready?" (a) He asked her if she was ready. (b) He asked her that was she ready. (c) He said to her if she is ready. (d) He asked her was she ready? Answer: (a). Yes/No question → asked + if + statement order.
- The manager said to the clerk, "Why did you leave early?" (a) The manager asked the clerk why did he leave early. (b) The manager asked the clerk why he had left early. (c) The manager told the clerk why he left early. (d) The manager asked the clerk that why he had left early. Answer: (b). Simple past → past perfect; statement order.
- She said to me, "Please lend me your book." (a) She requested me to lend her my book. (b) She requested me to please lend her my book. (c) She told me that lend her my book. (d) She ordered me to lend her my book. Answer: (a). Request → requested + to; drop "please".
- The coach said to the players, "Don't waste time." (a) The coach told the players not to waste time. (b) The coach told the players to not wasting time. (c) The coach said to the players don't waste time. (d) The coach told the players that do not waste time. Answer: (a). Negative order → told … not to.
- He said, "Let's start the meeting." (a) He said let us start the meeting. (b) He suggested that they should start the meeting. (c) He ordered to start the meeting. (d) He suggested that let's start the meeting. Answer: (b).
- Direct speech of: She told me that she would meet me the next day. (a) She said to me, "I will meet you tomorrow." (b) She said to me, "I would meet you tomorrow." (c) She said to me, "I will meet you the next day." (d) She said, "She will meet me tomorrow." Answer: (a). told → said to; would → will; the next day → tomorrow.
- They said, "We were playing cricket." (a) They said that they were playing cricket. (b) They said that they had been playing cricket. (c) They said that we had been playing cricket. (d) They told that they had played cricket. Answer: (b). Past continuous → past perfect continuous.
For timed practice, try the SSC CGL English Mini Mock Test 01 and the SSC CHSL English Language Sectional Mock Test 02.
Direct and Indirect Speech FAQs
What are the rules of direct and indirect speech?
Change the reporting verb, remove the inverted commas and add a connector (that, if, whether, a wh-word or to), change pronouns using the SON rule, backshift the tense when the reporting verb is in the past, and change time and place words like now → then and here → there.
When does the tense not change in indirect speech?
When the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, when the reported speech is a universal truth or fact, and when the verb is already could, would, should, might, ought to or used to.
What is the SON rule in narration?
First-person pronouns change according to the Subject of the reporting verb, second-person pronouns according to the Object, and third-person pronouns do Not change.
How do you change questions into indirect speech?
Use "asked", add "if" or "whether" for yes/no questions or keep the wh-word, and write the rest in statement order without a question mark: He asked me where I lived.
What does "tomorrow" change to in indirect speech?
"The next day" or "the following day". "Yesterday" becomes "the previous day" or "the day before", and "today" becomes "that day".
How many narration questions come in SSC CGL?
Usually 1 or 2 questions in the English section of SSC CGL Tier 1, and similar questions appear in SSC CHSL and MTS. The same rules also help in error spotting and sentence improvement.
Practice Next
- Mock tests: SSC CGL English Mini Mock Test 01, SSC CGL English Comprehension Sectional Mock Test 02 and SSC CHSL English Mini Mock Test 01.
- Related notes: active and passive voice rules for SSC CGL, sentence improvement rules for SSC CGL, error spotting rules for bank exams and idioms asked in SSC CGL.
- Exam details: SSC CGL 2026 and SSC CHSL 2026.
- Browse all study notes.