Narration Worksheet 1.1
Assertive Sentence
Rule 1: If the Reported Speech is Universal Truth / Scientific Truth / Natural Truth / Habitual Truth / Factual Truth, we don’t make any change in the Reported Speech rather we change the person only.
The teacher said, “God is one.”
The teacher said that God is one. (Universal Truth)
He said, “Fire burns.”
He said that fire burns. (Scientific Truth)
Nancy said, “It is hot in the summer.”
Nancy said that it is hot in the summer. (Natural Truth)
The teacher said, “Physical exercise is good for health.”
The teacher said that physical exercise is good for health. (Habitual Truth)
Mamun said, “Farah is my cousin.”
Mamun said that Farah is his cousin. (Factual Truth)
Rule 2: If the Reporting Verb is in the Present Tense / the Future Tense / the Present Perfect Tense, they don’t undergo any change.
Borney says or will say, “I am right.”
Borney says or will say that she is right.
Kona has said to me, “I have just taken my breakfast.” (First Person)
Kona has told me that she has just taken her breakfast. (Here we changed the persons only.)
He said to me, “You are a liar.” (Second Person)
He told me that I was a liar.
Note: ‘Said to’ is changed into ‘told’ but ‘said’ remains unchanged.
Note: ‘First Person’ in the Reported Speech indicates the ‘Subject’ of the Reporting Verb and the ‘Second Person’ in the Reported Speech indicates the ‘Object’of the Reporting Verb.
Rule 3: Sometimes, introductory portion of the Reported Speech may remain absent. In such a situation, we should guess the possible speaker.
“I shall do my duty.”
He says or will say that he will do his duty.
He said that he would do his duty.
Note: ‘Reporting Verb’ is not always more than one.
Note: Subjective Case converted into Subjective Case, Possessive Case changed into Possessive One and Objective Case transformed into Objective One.
Rule 4: Sometimes, the Reporting Verb is mentioned after the Reported Speech and it is possible.
“I am happy now.” – said Nancy.
Nancy said that she was happy then.
Note: When we change any Direct Speech into Indirect Speech, it becomes an Assertive Sentence. No matter, whether it is an Assertive Sentence or Optative Sentence or Imperative Sentence or Exclamatory Sentence or Interrogative Sentence.
Rule 5: ‘Yes’ – replied in the affirmative, ‘No’- replied in the negative, ‘Please’ - kindly and ‘Sir’ / ‘Madam’ – politely / respectfully / with respect.
The student said to me, “I am sorry, Sir.”
The student told me politely that he was sorry.
“Yes, sir,” the student replied. I have done my duty.”
The student respectfully replied in the affirmative that he had done his duty.
The students said to the teacher, “Please, explain the matter again, Sir.”
The students requested the teacher politely to explain the matter again.
Rule 6: If there are two or more than two Past Tenses in the Direct Speech, they do not undergo any change but we only change the persons.
George said, “I came home, took bath and ate my meal.”
George said that he came home, took bath and ate his meal.
Rule 7: Students often change ‘it’ into ‘that’ but that is wrong. It remains unchanged in the Indirect Speech.
He said to me, “I know it well.”
He told me that he knew it well.
Rule 8: Changes in the tag questions:
He said to me, “You are going to the playground, aren’t you?
He asked me whether it was true that I was going to the playground.
Rule 9: All 3rd Person Pronouns will remain unchanged.
He said, “She is busy with her toy”
He said that she was busy with her toy.
Rule 10: ‘So’ = that is why, ‘But’ = with dissatisfaction
He said to me, “I am unwell. So I shall not go to school.”
He told me that he was unwell and that is why he would not go to school.
The boy said, “I have come to chop your wood. “But you are too small to chop wood,” said the woman.
The boy said that he had come to chop her wood. With dissatisfaction, the woman told him that he was too small to chop the wood.
Rule 11: Assertive Sentence with question mark: (Use ‘Being surprised’ with the reporting verb and follow the rules of doing interrogative sentence.)
He said to me “You are angry with me?”
Being surprised he asked me if I was angry with him.
Rule 12: Well, you see (if used with in inverted comma) Omit them and do in general way.
The teacher said, “Well Raven, I shall reward you.”
The teacher told Raven that he would reward him.
Note: ‘Vocative Case’ in the Reported Speech becomes the ‘Object’ of the Reporting Verb in the Indirect Speech.
Rule 13: If we find any Complex Sentence in the Direct Speech, we may change one Clause or both the Clauses in the Indirect Speech.
Mita said to me, “You were my good friend when you were a student of Saint Joseph” (Complex Sentence)
Mita told me I had been her good friend when I had been a student of Saint Joseph.
He said to Ratul, “You were a mere a boy when I saw you last.” (Complex Sentence)
He told Ratul he had been a mere boy when he had seen him last.
Rule 14: When we report something that is still true:
Emma said, “People in Africa are starving.” (The fact is still true.)
Emma said that people in Africa are starving.
Unreal Past Tense
Rule 15: Unreal Past Tense after ‘wish’, ‘would rather / sooner’, ‘had better’, ‘used to’, ‘ought to’, ‘would’, ‘could’, ‘might’, ‘must not’, ‘need not’ and ‘it is time’ don’t change rather we change the person in the Indirect Speech.
“We wish we did not have to take exams”, said the children.
The children said they wished they did not have to take exams.
“It is time we began planning our holidays”, he said.
He said that it was time they began planning their holidays.
They ought to widen this road”, I said.
I said that they ought to widen the road.
He explained, “I know the place well because I used to live here.”
He explained that he knew the place well because he used to live there.
She said to her hubby, “You had better take warm water for gurgling.”
She told her bubby that he had better take warm water for gurgling.
He said, “You must not tell anyone.”
He said that she must not tell anyone.
(Alternatively): He told her not to tell anyone.
He said, “You needn’t wait.”
He said that I needn’t wait.
He said to me, “I used to meet him in the afternoon.”
He told me that he used to meet him in the afternoon. (With that)
He told me he used to meet him in the afternoon. (Without that)
Rule 16: The 2nd and the 3rd Conditional Sentences remain unchanged rather we change the persons.
“If I had a permit, I could get a job”, he said.
He said that if he had a permit, he could get a job. (The 2nd Conditional Sentence)
“If she had loved Wilson”, he said, “She would not have left him.”
He said that if she had loved Wilson, she would not have left him. (The 3rd Conditional Sentence)
Rule 17: When there is uncertainty as to the particular person to whom the pronoun in the Indirect Speech refers, the name of the person should be mentioned in the brackets.
He said to the Ram, “You are wrong.”
He told Ram that he (Ram) was wrong
Harry sait to Jatin, “You will pass.”
Harry told Jatin that he (Jatin) would pass.
Change the following direct speech into indirect
Shila said to Nila, “He took part in the function yesterday.”
She said to her mother, “I dreamt a bed dream last night.”
He said to me, “I caught a big fish yesterday.”
Karim said to Rahim, “I drew a nice picture.”
Shakil said, “I came home, took bath and ate my meal.”
I said to him, “I met Raihan on my way to school.”
He said, “The train reached at nine.”
Anwar said to me, “The parrot died last night.”
They said, “We did our duty.”
Sammi whispered to me, “I am just behind you.”
Pria said to Dina, “I’ll follow you.”
Sumon said, “I have a new bicycle now.”
Arif said, “This is the way to solve it.”
Aminul said, “I have lost my keys.”
Julia said, “I get up early in the morning everyday.”
They said to us, “We shall do it any cost.”
Sonia said, “They make me to do so.”
Ripon said to Sagor, “You let me to come.”
Sipon said to me, “I dare say you so.”
He said to his father, “I am preparing my lesson.”
They said, God will save us.”
She said to me, “I was ill”
He said, “I was absent yesterday.”
Imran said to me, “I was ill.”
The student said, “We were reading books.”
He said to me, “I was eating rice.”
Zihad said to me, “I was awarded with first prize.”
Alam said to Shuvo, “I was suffering from fever.”
He said to me, “I was a student of Bogra zilla School.”
Rasu said, “I did not do the work yesterday.”
Rahim says, “I did not play as I was sick.”
Hasan said, “I lived many years in Dhaka.”
Rahim said, “I wrote a letter.”
I said to him, “I bought a book for you.”
He says, “Her father bought a big house.”
He said to me, “I bought a gift for you.”
The man said, “I finished the work.”
He said, “I saw her yesterday.”
Salma said to me, “I saw you long ago.”
The students said, “Our team won the game.”
They said to me, “We went to college yesterday.”
He said to me, “I went to my village yesterday.”
She said to me, “I went to market and bought some books.”
He said to me, “I went there.”
He said to me, “I meet him last night.”
Narration Worksheet 1.1 Answer
Assertive sentence
Indirect Speech
Shila told Nila that he had taken part in the function the previous day.
She told her mother that she had dreamt a bad dream the previous day.
He told me that he had caught a big fish the previous day.
Karim told Rahim that he had drawn a nice picture.
Shakil said that he came home took bath and ate his meal.
I told him that I had met Raihan on my way to school.
He said that the train had reached at nine.
Anwar told me that the parrot had died the previous day.
They said that they haddone their duty.
Sammi whispered me that he was just behind me.
Pria told Dina that she would follow her.
Sumon said that he had a new bicycle then.
Arif told that it was the way to solve it.
Aminul said that he hadlost her keys.
Julia said that she gets upearly in the morning everyday.
They told us that they would do it at any cost.
They said that they made her to do so.
Ripon told Sagor that he lethim to come.
Sipon told me that he daredto say me so.
He told his father that he was preparing his lesson.
They said that God would save them.
She told me that she had been ill.
He said that he had beenabsent the previous day.
Imran told me that he had been ill.
The students said that they had been reading books.
He told me that he had been eating rice.
Zihad told me that I had been awarded with first prize.
Alam told Shuvo that hehad been suffering from fever.
He told me that he had been a student of Bogra zilla School.
Rasu said that he had nothe had not done the work the previous day.
Rahim says that he did not play as I was sick.
Hasan said that he had lived many years in Dhaka.
Rahim said that he had written a letter.
I told him that I had bought a book for him.
He says that her father bought a big house.
He told me that he had bought a gift for me.
The man said that he had finished the work.
He said that he had seen her the previous day.
Salma told me that she had seen me long ago.
The students said that their team had won the game.
They told me that they had gone to college the previous day.
He told me that he had gone to his village the previous day.
She told me that she had gone to market and bought some books.
He told me that he had gone there.
He told me that he had met him the night before.
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