Narration Rules — Direct → Indirect

Each section contains 25 examples. Click the headings to expand/collapse. Blue & white responsive theme.

1. Assertive Sentences (Statements) — 25 Examples

Direct → Indirect (tense backshift & 'that')
  1. 1. He said, "I am busy."→He said that he was busy.
  2. 2. She said, "I like music."→She said that she liked music.
  3. 3. They said, "We are tired."→They said that they were tired.
  4. 4. Rina said, "I live in Delhi."→Rina said that she lived in Delhi.
  5. 5. The boy said, "I want a pen."→The boy said that he wanted a pen.
  6. 6. My father said, "The train is late."→My father said that the train was late.
  7. 7. The teacher said, "You are very lazy."→The teacher told me that I was very lazy.
  8. 8. He said, "I do not know the answer."→He said that he did not know the answer.
  9. 9. She said, "I will help you."→She said that she would help me.
  10. 10. They said, "We cannot wait."→They said that they could not wait.
  11. 11. Raju said, "I was reading."→Raju said that he had been reading.
  12. 12. He said, "I have finished my work."→He said that he had finished his work.
  13. 13. The man said, "I saw him yesterday."→The man said that he had seen him the day before.
  14. 14. She said, "I will go tomorrow."→She said that she would go the next day.
  15. 15. They said, "We are playing now."→They said that they were playing then.
  16. 16. He said, "I can swim well."→He said that he could swim well.
  17. 17. She said, "I have been to London."→She said that she had been to London.
  18. 18. They said, "We will finish the task."→They said that they would finish the task.
  19. 19. He said, "I may come later."→He said that he might come later.
  20. 20. She said, "I must leave now."→She said that she had to leave then.
  21. 21. The student said, "I had finished my project."→The student said that he had finished his project.
  22. 22. He said, "I do my homework every day."→He said that he did his homework every day.
  23. 23. She said, "I hope to pass the exam."→She said that she hoped to pass the exam.
  24. 24. They said, "We were watching a film."→They said that they had been watching a film.
  25. 25. He said, "I know the answer."→He said that he knew the answer.

2a. Interrogative — Yes/No Questions — 25 Examples

Use 'if / whether' and change tense/person
  1. 1. He said, "Are you ready?"→He asked if I was ready.
  2. 2. She said, "Do you know him?"→She asked whether I knew him.
  3. 3. They said, "Is it raining?"→They asked if it was raining.
  4. 4. Rina said, "Can you help me?"→Rina asked if I could help her.
  5. 5. The boy said, "Will you come tomorrow?"→The boy asked if I would come the next day.
  6. 6. He said, "Do you like coffee?"→He asked if I liked coffee.
  7. 7. She said, "Did you meet him yesterday?"→She asked if I had met him the day before.
  8. 8. They said, "Have you finished your homework?"→They asked if I had finished my homework.
  9. 9. My father said, "Are you listening to me?"→My father asked if I was listening to him.
  10. 10. The teacher said, "Have you done the sum?"→The teacher asked if I had done the sum.
  11. 11. He said, "Shall we start now?"→He asked if we should start then.
  12. 12. She said, "Do you live here?"→She asked if I lived there.
  13. 13. They said, "Is she your sister?"→They asked if she was my sister.
  14. 14. The man said, "Could you lend me a pen?"→The man asked if I could lend him a pen.
  15. 15. He said, "Are they working today?"→He asked if they were working that day.
  16. 16. She said, "Was the movie good?"→She asked if the movie had been good.
  17. 17. They said, "Have you been to Paris?"→They asked if I had been to Paris.
  18. 18. He said, "Can he swim?"→He asked if he could swim.
  19. 19. She said, "Did she call you?"→She asked if she had called me.
  20. 20. They said, "Will it rain tomorrow?"→They asked whether it would rain the next day.
  21. 21. He said, "Do you understand this?"→He asked if I understood that.
  22. 22. She said, "Is your father at home?"→She asked if my father was at home.
  23. 23. They said, "Has he returned?"→They asked if he had returned.
  24. 24. He said, "Would you like tea?"→He asked if I would like tea.
  25. 25. She said, "Are we late?"→She asked if we were late.

2b. Interrogative — Wh- Questions — 25 Examples

Keep the same wh-word; shift tense/person
  1. 1. He said, "Where do you live?"→He asked where I lived.
  2. 2. She said, "What is your name?"→She asked what my name was.
  3. 3. They said, "When will you come?"→They asked when I would come.
  4. 4. Rina said, "Why are you late?"→Rina asked why I was late.
  5. 5. The boy said, "How are you?"→The boy asked how I was.
  6. 6. He said, "Who is your teacher?"→He asked who my teacher was.
  7. 7. She said, "Whose book is this?"→She asked whose book that was.
  8. 8. They said, "Which one do you want?"→They asked which one I wanted.
  9. 9. My father said, "What are you doing now?"→My father asked what I was doing then.
  10. 10. The teacher said, "Why did you miss the class?"→The teacher asked why I had missed the class.
  11. 11. He said, "How can I solve this problem?"→He asked how he could solve that problem.
  12. 12. She said, "Where is your house?"→She asked where my house was.
  13. 13. They said, "When did you meet him?"→They asked when I had met him.
  14. 14. The man said, "Who has taken my pen?"→The man asked who had taken his pen.
  15. 15. He said, "How many students are there in your class?"→He asked how many students there were in my class.
  16. 16. She said, "Which bus goes to town?"→She asked which bus went to town.
  17. 17. They said, "Whom did you meet?"→They asked whom I had met.
  18. 18. He said, "Why are they laughing?"→He asked why they were laughing.
  19. 19. She said, "When will the train arrive?"→She asked when the train would arrive.
  20. 20. They said, "How long have you lived here?"→They asked how long I had lived there.
  21. 21. He said, "Where did you keep the keys?"→He asked where I had kept the keys.
  22. 22. She said, "What made you happy?"→She asked what had made me happy.
  23. 23. The teacher said, "Who will represent the class?"→The teacher asked who would represent the class.
  24. 24. He said, "Which book did you read?"→He asked which book I had read.
  25. 25. She said, "How did you manage the work?"→She asked how I had managed the work.

3. Imperative Sentences (Commands, Requests, Advice) — 25 Examples

Use 'told/asked/ordered/advised/forbade' + to/not to
  1. 1. He said, "Open the door."→He told me to open the door.
  2. 2. She said, "Please help me."→She requested me to help her.
  3. 3. They said, "Sit down."→They told me to sit down.
  4. 4. Rina said, "Don't waste time."→Rina told me not to waste time.
  5. 5. The boy said, "Bring me a glass of water."→The boy told me to bring him a glass of water.
  6. 6. He said, "Never tell a lie."→He advised me never to tell a lie.
  7. 7. She said, "Always speak the truth."→She advised me to always speak the truth.
  8. 8. They said, "Shut the window."→They told me to shut the window.
  9. 9. My father said, "Don't disobey your elders."→My father advised me not to disobey my elders.
  10. 10. The teacher said, "Work hard."→The teacher advised us to work hard.
  11. 11. He said, "Go there at once."→He ordered me to go there at once.
  12. 12. She said, "Kindly give me a pen."→She requested me to give her a pen.
  13. 13. They said, "Don't touch it."→They forbade me to touch it.
  14. 14. The man said, "Drive carefully."→The man advised me to drive carefully.
  15. 15. He said, "Never waste food."→He advised me never to waste food.
  16. 16. She said, "Tell me the truth."→She demanded that I tell her the truth.
  17. 17. They said, "Please wait a moment."→They requested me to wait a moment.
  18. 18. He said, "Don't be late."→He warned me not to be late.
  19. 19. She said, "Help the poor."→She advised us to help the poor.
  20. 20. They said, "Keep quiet."→They told us to keep quiet.
  21. 21. He said, "Don't open the box."→He cautioned me not to open the box.
  22. 22. She said, "Finish your work."→She ordered me to finish my work.
  23. 23. They said, "Please sign here."→They asked me to sign there.
  24. 24. The teacher said, "Don't copy from others."→The teacher warned us not to copy from others.
  25. 25. He said, "Be kind to everyone."→He advised me to be kind to everyone.

4. Exclamatory Sentences — 25 Examples

Use 'exclaimed' / 'exclaimed with joy/sorrow' + that
  1. 1. He said, "What a beautiful flower!"→He exclaimed that it was a very beautiful flower.
  2. 2. She said, "How nice the weather is!"→She exclaimed that the weather was very nice.
  3. 3. They said, "Alas! We have lost the game."→They exclaimed with sorrow that they had lost the game.
  4. 4. Rina said, "Hurrah! We have won."→Rina exclaimed with joy that they had won.
  5. 5. The boy said, "What a pity!"→The boy exclaimed that it was a great pity.
  6. 6. He said, "Bravo! You have done well."→He exclaimed with appreciation that I had done well.
  7. 7. She said, "How foolish you are!"→She exclaimed that I was very foolish.
  8. 8. They said, "Alas! He is dead."→They exclaimed with sorrow that he was dead.
  9. 9. My father said, "How fast he runs!"→My father exclaimed that he ran very fast.
  10. 10. The teacher said, "Excellent! You got full marks."→The teacher exclaimed with joy that I had got full marks.
  11. 11. He said, "What a terrible accident!"→He exclaimed that it was a terrible accident.
  12. 12. She said, "Hurrah! Our team has won."→She exclaimed with joy that their team had won.
  13. 13. They said, "Alas! We missed the chance."→They exclaimed with regret that they had missed the chance.
  14. 14. The man said, "How clever the boy is!"→The man exclaimed that the boy was very clever.
  15. 15. He said, "What a wonderful story!"→He exclaimed that it was a wonderful story.
  16. 16. She said, "Oh no! I forgot the keys!"→She exclaimed with dismay that she had forgotten the keys.
  17. 17. They said, "How beautiful the painting is!"→They exclaimed that the painting was very beautiful.
  18. 18. He said, "What luck! We found it."→He exclaimed with joy that they had found it.
  19. 19. She said, "Goodness! That was scary!"→She exclaimed that that had been scary.
  20. 20. The boy said, "Hurrah! It's holiday."→The boy exclaimed with joy that it was a holiday.
  21. 21. He said, "Alas! My book is lost."→He exclaimed with sorrow that his book was lost.
  22. 22. She said, "How smart you look!"→She exclaimed that I looked very smart.
  23. 23. They said, "What an achievement!"→They exclaimed that it was a great achievement.
  24. 24. He said, "Bravo! That was brilliant."→He exclaimed with praise that it had been brilliant.
  25. 25. She said, "How adorable the baby is!"→She exclaimed that the baby was very adorable.