Key Rules & Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech for Class 8 Exam Prep (2025-26)
Today we will study an exciting topic “Reported speech”. Reported speech refers to how we have interpreted the words of the speaker.
English Grammar
Definition of Reported Speech
In simple terms, Reported speech refers to reporting the speech of the speaker i.e. whether conveying directly the words of the speaker or indirectly conveying after altering the words of the speaker. For good understanding and idea clarity, practice questions and solved examples are provided throughout the article. Let's start our journey on this pretty topic.
The Convey of Speech
Parts of reported speech in a sentence
Reported verb
Reported speech,
For example, Ram said to me,” he wants to eat pizza”.
Here in the sentence, Ram said to me is the reporting verb,
And the sentence in inverted commas “he wants to eat pizza” is the reported speech.
The reported verb refers to the simple sentence at the starting of the sentence and reported speech refers to the sentence in inverted commas that defines someone else.
Reporting Verb
The part of the sentence which is not in the inverted commas is called the reported verb.
When we change a direct speech into indirect speech then there are 3 types/ forms of changes that take place.
Change of person
Change of tense and
Change of other parts of speech
For example, Priya said to the class,” keep quiet teacher is coming”.
Here in the sentence, Priya said to the class is the reporting verb.
Reporting Speech
The part of the sentence which is under inverted commas is called reporting speech.
The second part of the sentence refers to some other person, universal facts, imaginary parts, historical facts, happening events, etc.
For example, Shyam said,” taj mahal was built by Shahjahan”
Here the sentence “taj mahal was built by Shahjahan” is the reported speech.
Basically, there are two types of speech.
Direct speech
Indirect speech
Direct Speech
Direct Speech
It refers to reporting the exact words spoken by the speaker. There is no change in the verb or the sentence.
For example, Ram said to Riya, “go to school”
Priya asked Ram, “where is her bag”
Ratan enquired Raman,” why was he not picking up her call”.
Rules of Direct Speech
Speech should be opened with quotations or inverted commas.
The word said is used to connect two sentences.
Reporting clause should be used at the end of the sentence.
At the end of the sentence full stop should be placed.
Indirect Speech
Indirect Speech
It is the speech that tells what someone has said but it does not explain the actual words spoken by the person. It just conveys the basic narration of what is being said to the third person.
For example, Ram asked Riya to go to school.
Priya asked Ram where was her bag.
Ratan enquired Raman why was he not picking up her call.
Rules of Indirect Speech
Past tense is used when the situation is uncertain
The present tense of the sentence is changed to the past tense in indirect speech.
Universal facts tense remains the same.
The use of the word “that” connects the reported verb and reported speech.
Difference Between Direct Speech and Indirect Speech
Difficult Words Meaning
Practice Question
Rewrite the following sentence converting from direct speech to indirect speech.
He asked me “ what is your mother’s name”.
Riya said to the shopkeeper, “ what is the price of the item?”
Ram said, “How is the weather”.
Commander said to militarians, “practice well”.
Honey told his mother, “I am not feeling well”.
The Doctor said, “Health is your wealth”.
Traffic police said, “Don't rush”.
Answers
He asked me what my mother's name is.
Riya asked the shopkeeper what the price of the items was.
Ram asked how the weather was.
Commander ordered militarians to practice well.
Honey told he mother that he was not feeling well.
The Doctor advised that health is wealth.
Traffic police asked the public not to rush.
Importance of Learning Direct and Reported Speech Class 8
Having a firm grasp on direct and reported speech in Class 8 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 8 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 8 with answers PDF should include simple and relatable examples like the ones stated above.
Interesting Facts about Direct and Indirect Speech for Class 8 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 8 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 8
The 17th Chapter of the Class 8 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 8 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 8 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 8 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 8 English Grammar: Direct & Indirect Speech Explained (2025-26)
1. What types of questions on Direct and Indirect Speech are most important for the Class 8 English exam 2025-26?
For the Class 8 exams, the most important questions typically involve converting different types of sentences from direct to indirect speech. Students must focus on:
Assertive Sentences: Simple statements where you change the reporting verb and tense.
Interrogative Sentences: Changing questions using 'asked' and conjunctions like 'if', 'whether', or the 'wh-' word itself.
Imperative Sentences: Converting commands, requests, or advice using verbs like 'ordered', 'requested', or 'advised' followed by an infinitive (to + verb).
Exclamatory Sentences: Changing sentences that express strong emotions using verbs like 'exclaimed with joy/sorrow'.
2. What are the key rules for changing tenses when converting direct speech to indirect speech?
When the reporting verb is in the past tense (e.g., 'said'), the tense of the direct speech changes as follows:
Simple Present becomes Simple Past. (e.g., 'is' becomes 'was')
Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous. (e.g., 'is going' becomes 'was going')
Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect. (e.g., 'has done' becomes 'had done')
Simple Past becomes Past Perfect. (e.g., 'went' becomes 'had gone')
Modals also change: 'can' becomes 'could', 'may' becomes 'might', and 'will' becomes 'would'.
3. How do you convert a direct question (Interrogative Sentence) into indirect speech?
To change an interrogative sentence, the reporting verb 'said' is changed to 'asked' or 'enquired'. The structure depends on the type of question:
For Yes/No questions, we use the conjunctions 'if' or 'whether'. The question format is changed to a statement. Example: He said, “Are you coming?” → He asked if I was coming.
For Wh-questions (what, where, when, why), the 'wh-' word itself acts as the conjunction. Example: She said, “Where do you live?” → She asked where I lived.
Remember, the question mark is removed in indirect speech.
4. Why doesn't the tense change when reporting a universal truth or a habitual fact in indirect speech?
The tense of the reported speech does not change for a universal truth or habitual fact because the statement remains true regardless of when it was said. The validity of the fact is permanent and does not depend on the time of reporting. For example, the sentence, 'The teacher said, “The sun rises in the east”' becomes 'The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.' The verb 'rises' remains in the present tense because this fact is always true.
5. How does the choice of reporting verb (e.g., 'told', 'asked', 'ordered') impact the meaning of an indirect sentence?
The reporting verb is crucial as it sets the tone and intent of the original speaker. Using the correct one is vital for conveying the right meaning. For instance, 'He said he would do it' is a neutral statement. However, 'He promised he would do it' implies a commitment, while 'He threatened he would do it' implies a warning or negative consequence. Similarly, 'asked' denotes a query, 'ordered' a command, and 'suggested' a piece of advice, each completely changing the context of the reported speech.
6. What are the most common mistakes students make in Direct and Indirect Speech questions?
A common mistake is forgetting to change all necessary parts of the sentence. Students often remember to change the tense but miss other crucial elements. Key areas to double-check are:
Change of Pronouns: Forgetting to change first and second person pronouns according to the subject and object (e.g., 'I' to 'he/she', 'my' to 'his/her', 'you' to 'me/him').
Change of Adverbs: Neglecting to change words indicating time and place (e.g., 'now' to 'then', 'today' to 'that day', 'here' to 'there', 'tomorrow' to 'the next day').
Punctuation: Incorrectly retaining quotation marks or question marks in the indirect speech.
7. In what situations would you keep a sentence in direct speech instead of converting it to indirect speech in your writing?
While converting to indirect speech is a key grammatical skill, using direct speech is often more powerful for specific purposes in writing. You should use direct speech to:
Emphasise the Speaker's Exact Words: When the precise phrasing is important, such as quoting a famous person or a key piece of dialogue in a story.
Add Authenticity and Life to a Narrative: Direct quotes make characters seem more real and dialogue more engaging for the reader.
Break Monotony: In a long piece of descriptive writing, direct speech can provide a change of pace and make the text more dynamic.
