Ever been puzzled by how to transform a direct statement into indirect speech—or vice versa? Narration, particularly the art of changing between direct and indirect speech, can be tricky. With the right examples and practice exercises, you can confidently master this skill. Sentences of Narration and Exercises with Answers
In this post, we’ll provide 24 illustrative sentences with their narration changes and a set of practice exercises. Whether you’re a student, teacher, or language enthusiast, this guide will sharpen your understanding of narration.
Contents
Toggle24 Sentences of Narration with Changes
1. Statements
- Direct Speech: She said, “I am learning French.”
- Indirect Speech: She said that she was learning French.
- Direct Speech: He said, “I love chocolate cake.”
- Indirect Speech: He said that he loved chocolate cake.
- Direct Speech: Maria said, “We have completed our project.”
- Indirect Speech: Maria said that they had completed their project.
- Direct Speech: They said, “We will visit Spain next summer.”
- Indirect Speech: They said that they would visit Spain the following summer.
2. Interrogative Sentences
- Direct Speech: She asked, “Are you coming to the party?”
- Indirect Speech: She asked if I was coming to the party.
- Direct Speech: He asked, “Where do you live?”
- Indirect Speech: He asked where I lived.
- Direct Speech: Peter said, “Can I borrow your book?”
- Indirect Speech: Peter asked if he could borrow my book.
- Direct Speech: The teacher asked, “Why are you late?”
- Indirect Speech: The teacher asked why I was late.
3. Imperative Sentences
- Direct Speech: He said, “Please help me.”
- Indirect Speech: He requested me to help him.
- Direct Speech: The officer said, “Stand in line.”
- Indirect Speech: The officer ordered them to stand in line.
- Direct Speech: Mother said, “Don’t touch the hot pan.”
- Indirect Speech: Mother warned me not to touch the hot pan.
- Direct Speech: She said, “Close the door.”
- Indirect Speech: She told me to close the door.
4. Exclamatory Sentences
- Direct Speech: She said, “Wow! That’s a beautiful painting!”
- Indirect Speech: She exclaimed with admiration that it was a beautiful painting.
- Direct Speech: He said, “Alas! I lost my wallet.”
- Indirect Speech: He exclaimed with sorrow that he had lost his wallet.
- Direct Speech: They said, “Hurray! We won the match!”
- Indirect Speech: They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
- Direct Speech: She said, “Oh no! I forgot my keys.”
- Indirect Speech: She exclaimed with frustration that she had forgotten her keys.
5. Mixed Tenses
- Direct Speech: He said, “I am writing a book.”
- Indirect Speech: He said that he was writing a book.
- Direct Speech: She said, “I have been waiting for hours.”
- Indirect Speech: She said that she had been waiting for hours.
- Direct Speech: He said, “I will call you tomorrow.”
- Indirect Speech: He said that he would call me the next day.
- Direct Speech: She said, “I was watching TV when the phone rang.”
- Indirect Speech: She said that she had been watching TV when the phone rang.
6. Modal Verbs
- Direct Speech: He said, “I can solve this problem.”
- Indirect Speech: He said that he could solve that problem.
- Direct Speech: She said, “I must finish my homework.”
- Indirect Speech: She said that she had to finish her homework.
- Direct Speech: He said, “You should listen to your parents.”
- Indirect Speech: He said that I should listen to my parents.
- Direct Speech: They said, “We may visit the museum.”
- Indirect Speech: They said that they might visit the museum.
Exercises: Practice Narration Changes
Convert the following sentences from direct speech to indirect speech:
- “I am feeling tired,” she said.
- “Are you coming to the meeting?” he asked.
- “Don’t touch that vase!” she said.
- “Hurray! We scored a goal!” the players shouted.
- “I will finish the report by tomorrow,” he said.
- “How do you solve this problem?” the student asked.
- “Please bring me a glass of water,” he requested.
- “I have been to Italy twice,” she said.
- “Did you see my notebook?” the teacher asked.
- “Wow! This cake tastes amazing!” she said.
Answers
- She said that she was feeling tired.
- He asked if I was coming to the meeting.
- She warned me not to touch that vase.
- The players exclaimed with joy that they had scored a goal.
- He said that he would finish the report by the next day.
- The student asked how I solved that problem.
- He requested me to bring him a glass of water.
- She said that she had been to Italy twice.
- The teacher asked if I had seen her notebook.
- She exclaimed with admiration that the cake tasted amazing.
Conclusion
Practicing narration changes is key to mastering direct and indirect speech. With these examples and exercises, you now have a robust foundation to build upon. Keep practicing, and soon, you’ll find narration changes second nature.