Change The Narration In English: Direct And Indirect Speech

If you’ve ever been confused when someone said, “Change the narration,” don’t worry—you’re not alone. I remember feeling completely lost the first time I saw a sentence with quotation marks and was asked to rewrite it in another form. It seemed like some strange puzzle, full of rules, verbs, and unfamiliar words like “reporting speech” and “indirect speech.” But over time, I figured it out—and now I’m here to help you do the same.

For a deeper insight into the use of quotation marks and punctuation in direct speech, refer to our comprehensive guide on punctuation marks.​

In this guide, I’ll walk you through what it means to change the narration in English, why it matters, and how to actually do it. I’ll use simple words, examples, and a friendly tone, just like if we were chatting face to face about a tricky part of English grammar.

Let’s get started.

What Does “Change the Narration” Mean?

When we talk about changing the narration, we’re usually referring to turning a sentence from direct speech into indirect speech—or vice versa. It’s all about how a speaker’s exact words are reported.

Here’s what I mean:

• Direct speech: She said, “I am going to the market.”
• Indirect speech: She said that she was going to the market.

In the first sentence, the speaker’s exact words are inside quotation marks. In the second one, we’re reporting the message using our own words—no quotes, and a few grammar tweaks.

Changing narration helps in real-life conversation, writing essays, answering exam questions (like in the NDA or Joint Entrance Examination), and even when telling a story. It’s also useful in computer security contexts, like when explaining how a message or data was passed from one person to another during a cyberattack or security audit.

Why Is It Important to Learn Narration Change Rules for Tense in English Grammar?

The ability to change the narration shows that you understand how grammar works in English. It’s one of those things that pop up in tests, interviews, and spoken English situations.

You’ll often see it in questions like:

Change the narration of the following sentence.

Or maybe:

Rewrite the sentence using indirect speech.

If you’re preparing for an English exam or working to improve your spoken English, this skill is a must-have. Plus, understanding how a message is delivered or received—especially in fields like computer security—often relies on explaining things clearly. That’s where indirect speech comes in handy.

Direct vs. Indirect Speech: What’s the Difference?

Let me break it down in the simplest way.

• Direct speech uses the speaker’s exact words. It includes a comma and quotation marks (“…”).
• Indirect speech (also called reported speech) tells you what someone said, but not in the exact same words. It removes quotation marks and uses a conjunction like “that” or “if.”

Let’s try one more example:

• Direct: He said, “I will call you tomorrow.”
• Indirect: He said that he would call me the next day.

Did you notice the changes? The pronoun “I” becomes “he,” the verb “will” becomes “would,” and “tomorrow” becomes “the next day.” That’s the magic of narration change.

Key Rules to Changing Narration in English Grammar

There are a few grammar rules you need to know when you change the narration. Don’t worry—I’ll keep them simple.

1. Check the Tense of the Reporting Verb

This is the verb that introduces the sentence, like “said,” “told,” or “asked.” If the reporting verb is given in the past tense, you usually need to change the tense of the verb in the quotation to its corresponding past tense.

Example:

• Direct: She said, “I eat lunch at noon.”
• Indirect: She said that she ate lunch at noon.

But if the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, then the verb in the reported speech usually stays the same.

Example:

• Direct: He says, “I am ready.”
• Indirect: He says that he is ready.

2. Change the Pronouns

This part depends on who is speaking and who is being spoken to. You need to match the grammatical person with the subject and object in the sentence.

Example:

• Direct: I said, “You are smart.”
• Indirect: I said that he was smart. (If I was talking to a third person about “you”)

3. Narration Rules with Time and Place Words Table

One part of learning how to change the narration that really helped me was getting clear on how time and place words work. When the speaker’s exact words are put into indirect speech, words like now, today, or here don’t always make sense anymore. That’s because the context changes—we’re no longer in the same time or place where the sentence was originally said.

So, as part of the rules of narration, we often have to replace them with an appropriate word that fits the new sentence. This change is a key step whenever you move from direct to indirect speech.

Let’s look at a simple table that shows some common time and place words in direct speech, and what they usually become when you change the narration. Understanding signal words can further clarify how time and place indicators function in sentences; learn more in our article on signal words.:

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech, or Reported Speech
now	then
today	that day
tomorrow	the next day
yesterday	the day before
here	there
this	that
these	those
next week	the following week
last month	the previous month
tonight	that night
ago	before

These changes help the sentence make sense to the new audience—especially when the narrator is telling the story after some time has passed. It also keeps the grammatical tense consistent with the reporting situation.

Here’s a quick example:

• Direct speech: She said, “I will finish my work tomorrow here.”
• Indirect speech: She said that she would finish her work the next day there.

You can see how both the verb of reported speech (will finish → would finish) and the time/place words (tomorrow → the next day, here → there) changed to match the situation.

Special Types of Sentences

Changing narration depends a lot on the type of sentence. Let’s go over some of the most common ones.

1. Interrogative Sentences (Questions)

These start with a question or interrogative word like “what,” “why,” “where,” or “do.”

• Direct: He asked, “Do you like pizza?”
• Indirect: He asked if I liked pizza.
• Direct: She asked, “Where are you going?”
• Indirect: She asked where I was going.

Remember: remove the inverted commas and don’t use a question mark in the indirect one.

2. Imperative Sentences (Commands or Requests)

These give orders, advice, or requests. You’ll often use words like “told,” “requested,” “advised,” or “ordered” to show tone.

• Direct: She said, “Close the door.”
• Indirect: She told me to close the door.
• Direct: He said, “Please help me.”
• Indirect: He requested me to help him.

Use the infinitive form of the verb (“to + verb”) after these.

3. Exclamatory Sentences

These express emotions. You’ll replace the exclamation with verbs like “exclaimed,” “wished,” or “said with joy.”

• Direct: He said, “What a beautiful day!”
• Indirect: He exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.

Verb Tense Changes: A Quick Look

Here’s a simple guide for how to change the tense of the verb when the reporting verb is in the past tense.

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Present simple	Past simple
Present continuous	Past continuous
Present perfect	Past perfect
Past simple	Past perfect
Will/Shall	Would/Should

This means that if your direct sentence is in the future tense, it might become a modal verb like “would” in the indirect version.

Example:

• Direct: She said, “I will travel.”
• Indirect: She said that she would travel.

A Few Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

When I was first learning to change the narration, I made these mistakes all the time. Here are some quick tips to avoid them:

• Don’t forget to change the pronoun to match the subject.
• Watch out for words that show time and place.
• Always check if the reporting verb is in the past tense—this affects everything.
• Use an appropriate conjunction like “that,” “if,” or “whether.”
• Never keep the exact words with quotation marks when switching to indirect speech.
• If you’re working with english modal auxiliary verbs, make sure they match the new tense.

My Final Thoughts

Changing the narration might seem tricky at first, but trust me—it gets easier the more you practice. The key is to focus on the reporting verb, watch the tense, change the pronoun, and adjust any time or place words. Once you get the hang of these, the rest becomes more natural.

You don’t need to be perfect from the start. I wasn’t. But with patience and regular practice, you’ll feel more confident in using both direct and indirect speech. Whether you’re writing for an exam, improving your spoken English, or just trying to improve your skills in the English language, learning how to change the narration is a smart step forward.