Conversion of Indirect into Direct-1

Direct. -- The Prince said, “It gives me great pleasure to be here this evening.”

Indirect. -- The Prince said that it gave him great pleasure to be there that evening.

Direct. -- He said, “I shall go as soon as it is possible”

Indirect. – He said that he would go as soon as it was possible.

 Direct. -- He said, “I do not wish to see any of you; go away.”

Indirect. -- He said that he did not wish to see any of them and ordered them to go away.

Direct. -- My teacher often says to me, “If you don't work hard, you will fail.”

Indirect. -- My teacher often says to me that if I don't work hard I shall fail.

Direct. -- He said, “We are all sinners.”

Indirect. -- He said that we are all sinners.

Direct. -- The lecturer said, “Akbar won the respect of all races and classes by his justice.”

Indirect. -- The lecturer said that Akbar won the respect of all races and classes by his justice.

Direct. -- He said, “Let us wait for the award.”

Indirect. -- He proposed that they should wait for the award.

Direct. – “Saint George strike for us!” exclaimed the Knight, “do the false yeomen give way?”

Indirect. -- The Knight prayed that Saint George might strike for them and asked whether

the false yeomen gave way.

Direct. – “Curse it!” exclaimed the driver. “Who could have foreseen such ill-luck? But

for accident we should have caught the train easily.”

Indirect. -- The driver exclaimed with an oath that nobody could have foreseen such illluck.

But for the accident they would have caught the train easily.

Direct. -- The general, addressing his mutinous troops said, “You have brought disgrace

upon a famous regiment. If you had grievances, why did you not lay them before your

own officers? Now you must first suffer punishment for your offence, before your

complaints can be heard.”

Indirect. -- The general told his mutinous troops that they had brought disgrace upon a

famous regiment. If they had grievances, why had they not laid them before their own

officers? Now they must suffer punishment for their offence before their complaints

could be heard.

Direct. -- The traveller said, “Can you tell me the way to the nearest inn?” “Yes,” said the

peasant, “do you want one in which you can spend the night?” “No,” replied the traveller,

“I only want a meal.”

Indirect. -- The traveller asked the peasant if he could tell him the way to the nearest inn.

The peasant replied that he could, and asked whether the traveller wanted one in which he

could spend the night. The traveller answered that he did not wish to stay there, but only

wanted a meal.

Remark. -- It will be noticed that we have avoided the ugly phrases “replied in the affirmative” and “replied in the negative.”