Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for KS3 English

Direct speech records a speaker's exact words inside inverted commas; indirect speech (also called reported speech) summarises what was said without quoting it word for word. Both appear in your own writing and in the texts you analyse. Knowing when to use each — and how to convert between them — sharpens your grammar and your reading.

What is the difference between direct and indirect speech?

Direct speech reproduces the exact words spoken, enclosed in inverted commas (speech marks):

"I am going to the library," said Marcus.

Indirect speech reports what was said without quoting it directly. No inverted commas are used:

Marcus said that he was going to the library.

The meaning is the same; the form is different. In fiction, direct speech tends to create immediacy and pace — the reader hears the character's voice. Indirect speech creates distance and is often used to summarise conversation or pass over exchanges quickly.

How do you punctuate direct speech?

How to punctuate speech correctly is covered in detail in the dedicated punctuating speech article. The essential rules for direct speech are:

The spoken words go inside inverted commas: "Like this."

The punctuation mark for the spoken sentence goes inside the closing inverted comma: "Are you coming?" she asked. / "Stop," he said. / "I'm not sure," said Maya.

The reporting clause (she said, he asked) is separated from the speech by a comma, full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark as appropriate.

A new speaker = a new paragraph.

How do you convert direct speech to indirect speech?

Converting direct speech to reported speech requires four types of change. Here is a worked example:

Direct: "I will finish my homework tonight," she told her mother.

Indirect: She told her mother that she would finish her homework that night.

The four changes made:

Conjunction "that" is added (usually — it can be omitted in informal English).

Tenses move back one step (backshift): "will" → "would", "am" → "was", "have done" → "had done".

Pronouns change to match the reporting context: "I" → "she", "my" → "her".

Time and place expressions change: "tonight" → "that night"; "yesterday" → "the day before"; "here" → "there".

What changes when you report speech?

The following table shows the key tense and time expression changes in full:

Direct speech | Indirect speech
present simple ("I go") | past simple ("she went")
present continuous ("I am going") | past continuous ("she was going")
present perfect ("I have gone") | past perfect ("she had gone")
past simple ("I went") | past perfect ("she had gone")
will ("I will go") | would ("she would go")
can ("I can") | could ("she could")
"today" | "that day"
"yesterday" | "the day before" / "the previous day"
"tomorrow" | "the next day" / "the following day"
"here" | "there"
"this" | "that"
"now" | "then"

Not all changes are compulsory. If the reported speech is close in time to the original utterance, or if the fact is still true, English often allows the present tense to remain: "She said she is coming" is acceptable in informal speech.

When should you use indirect speech instead of direct speech?

In your own writing, indirect speech is useful when:

You want to summarise many exchanges quickly without the pace of the narrative slowing down: "They argued for twenty minutes about whose turn it was, and in the end nobody moved."

The exact words are less important than the gist: "The teacher reminded us to bring our permission slips."

You want to create ironic distance: reporting a character's words in indirect speech can make them sound less convincing or self-serving than they do in direct speech.

Common mistakes with direct and indirect speech

Forgetting to backshift the tense. The most common error: "She said she will come" should be "She said she would come." The reported verb needs to move into the past.

Leaving inverted commas around indirect speech. Once you have converted to reported speech, remove the inverted commas — the whole point of indirect speech is that it is not a direct quotation.

Forgetting to change pronouns. "He told me, 'I am tired'" → "He told me that he was tired." Leaving "I" in indirect speech makes it ambiguous.

Mixing direct and indirect speech mid-sentence. "She said that 'I will finish it later'" mixes both forms. Choose one: "She said, 'I will finish it later'" (direct) or "She said that she would finish it later" (indirect).

Frequently asked questions

Is reported speech the same as indirect speech?

Yes — reported speech and indirect speech are two names for the same grammatical form. Both describe speech that is summarised rather than quoted directly. "Reported speech" is the more commonly used term in British English grammar teaching.

Do I always have to use "that" in indirect speech?

No. "That" is optional in informal British English: "She said she was tired" and "She said that she was tired" are both correct. In formal writing, including "that" is safer as it makes the structure clearer. In everyday speech, it is routinely dropped.

Can questions be reported in indirect speech?

Yes, but the word order changes. In direct questions, the subject and verb are inverted: "Are you coming?" In indirect questions, they return to normal order and a question mark is not usually used: "He asked whether she was coming" or "He asked if she was coming." Note "whether" or "if" is used instead of inverting the verb.

Why does fiction use direct speech more than indirect speech?

Direct speech creates immediacy — the reader hears the character's voice in the present moment, which generates pace and emotional involvement. Indirect speech summarises and distances, which is useful for passing over less important conversations. Skilled fiction writers use both: they give readers direct speech at key dramatic moments and indirect speech to cover the intervals between them.

For grammar explanations that stick, taught through questioning rather than drilling, visit aitutors.me.