The Direct speech in English grammar refers to quoting the exact words spoken by someone,

enclosed in quotation marks. It is used to report what someone said verbatim. Direct speech is
often accompanied by a reporting verb (e.g., "said," "asked," "shouted") and is commonly used
in writing to convey dialogue.
Below are examples of direct speech in all English tenses, including modals:
1. Present Simple
Direct Speech: "I like pizza," she said.
Explanation: The speaker is expressing a general preference.
2. Present Continuous
Direct Speech: "I am studying for my exams," he said.
Explanation: The speaker is describing an action happening at the moment of speaking.
3. Present Perfect
Direct Speech: "I have finished my homework," she said.
Explanation: The speaker is referring to an action completed recently.
4. Present Perfect Continuously
Direct Speech: "I have been working all day," he said.
Explanation: The speaker is emphasizing the duration of an action that started in the past and
continues to the present.
5. Past Simple
Direct Speech: "I went to the park yesterday," she said.
Explanation: The speaker is describing a completed action in the past.
6. Past Continuous
Direct Speech: "I was watching TV when you called," he said.
Explanation: The speaker is describing an action that was in progress at a specific time in the
past.
7. Past Perfect
Direct Speech:"I had already eaten when she arrived," he said.
Explanation:The speaker is referring to an action completed before another past action.

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8. Past Perfect Continuous
Direct Speech: "I had been waiting for hours," she said.
Explanation: The speaker is emphasizing the duration of an action that was completed before
another past action.
9. Future Simple (Will)
Direct Speech: "I will call you tomorrow," he said.
Explanation: The speaker is making a promise or prediction about the future.
10. Future Continuous
Direct Speech: "I will be traveling next week," she said.
Explanation: The speaker is describing an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the
future.
11. Future Perfect
Direct Speech: "I will have completed the project by Friday," he said.
Explanation: The speaker is referring to an action that will be completed before a specific time in
the future.
12. Future Perfect Continuous
Direct Speech: "I will have been working here for five years next month," she said.
Explanation: The speaker is emphasizing the duration of an action that will be completed before
a specific time in the future.
13. Modals: Can
Direct Speech: "I can help you with that," he said.
Explanation: The speaker is expressing ability.
14. Modals: Could
Direct Speech: "I could swim when I was younger," she said.
Explanation: The speaker is referring to a past ability.
15. Modals: May
Direct Speech: "You may leave early today," the teacher said.
Explanation: The speaker is giving permission.

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16. Modals: Might
Direct Speech: "It might rain later," he said.
Explanation: The speaker is expressing possibility.
17. Modals: Shall
Direct Speech: "Shall we go to the park?" she asked.
Explanation: The speaker is making a suggestion.
18. Modals: Should
Direct Speech: "You should study harder," he said.
Explanation: The speaker is giving advice.
19. Modals: Will
Direct Speech: "I will help you," she said.
Explanation: The speaker is making a promise.
20. Modals: Would
Direct Speech: "I would like some coffee," he said.
Explanation: The speaker is expressing a polite request.
21. Modals: Must
Direct Speech: "You must finish your homework," she said.
Explanation: The speaker is expressing obligation.
22. Modals: Ought to
Direct Speech: "You ought to apologize," he said.
Explanation: The speaker is giving advice or making a recommendation.
23. Modals: Used to
Direct Speech: "I used to play football," she said.
Explanation: The speaker is referring to a past habit.
These examples demonstrate how direct speech can be used across all English tenses and with
modals. The key feature of direct speech is that it reproduces the exact words spoken by the
speaker, enclosed in quotation marks.

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The Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is used to report what someone said without
quoting their exact words. In reported speech, the tense often shifts back, and pronouns, time
expressions, and other details may change to fit the context. Below are the examples from direct
speech converted into reported speech:
1. Present Simple → Past Simple
Direct Speech: "I like pizza," she said.
Reported Speech:She said that she liked pizza.
2. Present Continuous → Past Continuous
Direct Speech: "I am studying for my exams," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that he was studying for his exams.
3. Present Perfect → Past Prefect
Direct Speech: "I have finished my homework," she said.
Reported Speech:She said that she had finished her homework.
4. Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
Direct Speech: "I have been working all day," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that he had been working all day.
5. Past Simple → Past Perfect
Direct Speech: "I went to the park yesterday," she said.
Reported Speech:She said that she had gone to the park the day before.
6. Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
Direct Speech:"I was watching TV when you called," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that he had been watching TV when I called.
7. Past Perfect → Past Perfect (no change)
Direct Speech: "I had already eaten when she arrived," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that he had already eaten when she arrived.
8. Past Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous (no change)
Direct Speech: "I had been waiting for hours," she said.
Reported Speech:She said that she had been waiting for hours.

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9. Future Simple (Will) → Conditional (Would)
Direct Speech:"I will call you tomorrow," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that he would call me the next day.
10. Future Continuous → Conditional Continuous
Direct Speech: "I will be traveling next week," she said.
Reported Speech:She said that she would be traveling the following week.
11. Future Perfect → Conditional Perfect
Direct Speech: "I will have completed the project by Friday," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that he would have completed the project by Friday.
12. Future Perfect Continuous → Conditional Perfect Continuous
Direct Speech: "I will have been working here for five years next month," she said.
Reported Speech:She said that she would have been working there for five years the following
month.
13. Modals: Can → Could
Direct Speech: "I can help you with that," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that he could help me with that.
14. Modals: Could → Could (no change)
Direct Speech:"I could swim when I was younger," she said.
Reported Speech:She said that she could swim when she was younger.
15. Modals: May → Might
Direct Speech:"You may leave early today," the teacher said.
Reported Speech:The teacher said that I might leave early that day.
16. Modals: Might → Might (no change)
Direct Speech: "It might rain later," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that it might rain later.
17. Modals: Shall → Should
Direct Speech: "Shall we go to the park?" she asked.

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Reported Speech:She asked if we should go to the park.
18. Modals: Should → Should (no change)
Direct Speech: "You should study harder," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that I should study harder.
19. Modals: Will → Would
Direct Speech: "I will help you," she said.
Reported Speech:She said that she would help me.
20. Modals: Would → Would (no change)
Direct Speech: "I would like some coffee," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that he would like some coffee.
21. Modals: Must → Had to
Direct Speech: "You must finish your homework," she said.
Reported Speech:She said that I had to finish my homework.
22. Modals: Ought to → Ought to (no change)
Direct Speech:"You ought to apologize," he said.
Reported Speech:He said that I ought to apologize.
23. Modals: Used to → Used to (no change)
Direct Speech: "I used to play football," she said.
Reported Speech:She said that she used to play football.
Key Changes in Reported Speech:
1. Tense Shift: Present tenses shift to past tenses, and future tenses shift to conditional forms.
2.Pronouns: Pronouns change according to the context (e.g., "I" → "he/she").
3. Time Expressions: Words like "today" → "that day," "tomorrow" → "the next day,"
"yesterday" → "the day before."
4. Modals: Some modals change (e.g., "can" → "could," "will" → "would"), while others remain
the same (e.g., "might," "should").
Reported speech is commonly used in both spoken and written English to convey what someone
said without quoting them directly.