Courses

Courses for Kids

Free study material

Store

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

CBSE

Class 7

English Grammar

Direct And Indirect Speech

Class 7 English Grammar: Direct and Indirect Speech Made Easy

Q: 7. What is the most common mistake students make in 'Direct and Indirect Speech' questions and how can it be avoided?

The most common mistake is forgetting to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech when the reporting verb is in the past tense (like 'said' or 'told'). For example, changing 'He said, "I am unwell"' to 'He said that he was unwell'. To avoid this, always check the tense of the reporting verb first. If it's in the past, you most likely need to backshift the tense of the dialogue, unless it's a universal truth.

Practice Direct and Indirect Speech for Class 7 - Free PDF With Solutions 2025-26

In simple terms, we can understand direct speech as the precise words that a speaker or writer uses. The spoken words are enclosed in inverted commas in a direct speech. On the other hand, indirect speech entails summarising another person’s words using our own language. In indirect speech, we do not write someone else’s precise words, and we do not use inverted commas. Learning direct and indirect speech in Class 7 is an integral part of their overall grammar syllabus, and having a firm grasp on the topic is essential to score good marks in exams.

In today’s day and age, solely sticking to NCERT textbooks and exercises is not enough. Some extra hand holding goes a long way, and students need some ancillary academic support in the form of revision notes, sample papers, etc. Teachers and parents should go the extra mile to provide children with additional study material from credible sources.

English Grammar Class 7 Direct And Indirect Speech - PDF will be uploaded soon

Importance of Learning Direct and Reported Speech Class 7

Having a firm grasp on direct and reported speech in Class 7 is integral to building the foundation of English grammar for young minds.

Knowing when and how to use direct and indirect speech can help students form grammatically correct sentences.
The essay writing and answer composition skills of young minds improve significantly when they know the nitty-gritty of direct and indirect speech.
Learning the rules of changing speech from direct to indirect enables students to summarise texts more aptly.
Lastly, indirect and direct speech introduces young students to the fundamentals of quoting, which is an aspect of grammar that they will need for years on end.

Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech for Class 7 Students

Riya said, “I am going on a long vacation.” – Direct Speech
Riya said that she was going on a long vacation. – Indirect Speech
The stranger asked me, “Where is your house?” – Direct Speech
The stranger asked me where my house was. – Indirect Speech
Rina asked Steve if he had overheard her conversation. – Indirect Speech
Rina asked Steve, “Did you overhear my conversation?” – Direct Speech

The direct and indirect speech exercises for Class 7 with answers PDF should include simple and relatable examples like the ones stated above.

Interesting Facts about Direct and Indirect Speech for Class 7 Students

While changing a sentence from direct to indirect speech, we use the conjunction ‘that.’
Likewise, while changing a sentence from direct to reported speech, the tense of the verb is changed from present to past.
Direct speech helps in defining the character of a person.
The prolonged use of direct speech in an essay can slow its pace. However, the use of indirect speech smoothens the pace of a writeup.
If the reported speech expresses some universal truth, then we do not have to change the tense of the sentence.

All direct and indirect worksheets with answers in Class 7 ought to be an amalgamation of examples, definitions, and interesting facts to make learning more interesting for young minds.

Important Topics of Direct and Indirect Speech Class 7

The 17th Chapter of the Class 7 NCERT grammar book is on direct and indirect speech. Below are the topics students will learn from this chapter.

Understanding direct speech
Understanding indirect speech
Rules for changing direct speech into indirect speech
Exceptions to rules

Therefore, all direct and indirect speech exercises for Class 7 with answers PDF should encompass the following topics.

Learn English Grammar Direct and Indirect Speech with PDFs

Meticulously designed by the subject matter experts of Vedantu, the English grammar PDFs for Class 7 students on direct and indirect speech are the one-stop destination for all young minds keen on expanding their horizons. The PDFs include reported speech exercises for Class 7 CBSE with answers, tips and tricks to learn grammar faster, sample question papers, etc.

The PDFs of Vedantu are downloadable from the comfort of your homes.
They are free.
The content is regularly updated by Vedantu’s subject matter experts.
The PDFs contain more than 50 examples of direct and indirect speech exercises.

So, do not wait any longer and download Vedantu’s PDFs now to watch your child reach new academic zeniths.

FAQs on Class 7 English Grammar: Direct and Indirect Speech Made Easy

1. What types of questions are most important from Direct and Indirect Speech for the Class 7 English exam?

For the CBSE Class 7 exam for the year 2025-26, the important questions on Direct and Indirect Speech typically focus on converting different sentence types. Students should expect questions that test their ability to:

Convert assertive (statement) sentences.
Change interrogative (question) sentences to statements.
Transform imperative (command/request) sentences.
Handle sentences with universal truths or habitual facts where the tense does not change.

2. Why is changing pronouns correctly in indirect speech so critical for getting full marks?

Changing pronouns (like 'I' to 'he/she' or 'my' to 'his/her') is critical because indirect speech reports what someone said from an outsider's point of view. Not changing the pronoun alters the entire meaning. For example, converting 'She said, "I will call you"' to 'She said that she would call me' is correct. A common mistake is leaving the pronouns unchanged, which is a key area examiners check for and deduct marks.

3. How are marks typically awarded for a question on converting a sentence to indirect speech?

In exam questions, marks are awarded for the correct application of multiple rules within a single sentence. For full marks, you must ensure:

The reporting verb is appropriate (e.g., 'told', 'asked').
The tense is correctly backshifted (e.g., simple present to simple past).
Pronouns and words denoting time/place (e.g., 'now' to 'then', 'today' to 'that day') are changed.
The correct conjunction (like 'that', 'if', or 'whether') is used.

Missing even one of these steps can result in a loss of marks.

4. Why does the verb tense not change when reporting a universal truth in an exam question?

The verb tense does not change when reporting a universal truth because the fact remains true at all times, regardless of when it was spoken. For example, the sentence 'The teacher said, "The Earth revolves around the Sun"' becomes 'The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.' Changing 'revolves' to 'revolved' would incorrectly imply that this fact is no longer true. This is an important exception frequently tested in exams.

5. What is an important rule to remember when converting questions (interrogative sentences) to indirect speech?

A crucial rule is that the interrogative structure must be changed to a declarative (statement) structure, and the question mark must be removed. The reporting verb changes to 'asked' or 'enquired'. For yes/no questions, the conjunction 'if' or 'whether' must be used. For example, 'He said to me, "Do you know the answer?"' correctly becomes 'He asked me if I knew the answer.'.

6. How does the choice of reporting verb (e.g., said, told, requested) affect the final answer and marks?

The reporting verb is vital as it sets the tone and grammatical structure of the indirect sentence. Using the wrong one is a common error. Key points to remember for exams are:

'Told' must be followed by an object (e.g., 'He told me...'). Using 'told' without an object is incorrect.
'Asked' is used specifically for questions.
'Ordered', 'requested', or 'advised' are used for imperative sentences and are followed by an object and an infinitive ('to' + verb). Selecting the most accurate verb demonstrates a higher level of understanding.

7. What is the most common mistake students make in 'Direct and Indirect Speech' questions and how can it be avoided?

The most common mistake is forgetting to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech when the reporting verb is in the past tense (like 'said' or 'told'). For example, changing 'He said, "I am unwell"' to 'He said that he was unwell'. To avoid this, always check the tense of the reporting verb first. If it's in the past, you most likely need to backshift the tense of the dialogue, unless it's a universal truth.