Administrative and competitive exams love to test direct-to-indirect speech conversion using exactly the kind of sentences you'd hear in a government office: a Collector making an announcement, a supervisor asking a question, a Minister reporting on a project. This lesson gives you a fast rule recap and then a full set of exam-style practice built entirely from that world.

Rule Recap

To convert direct speech to indirect speech: (1) drop the quotation marks and connect with that (or if/whether for yes-no questions); (2) shift the tense one step into the past — am/is/are → was/were, have/has → had, will → would — unless the reporting verb is present tense or the fact is still true; (3) change pronouns and time/place words to match the new speaker's point of view — today → that day, tomorrow → the next/following day, yesterday → the day/previous day before; (4) choose the right reporting verb for the sentence type — said/told for statements, asked for questions, ordered/requested for commands, exclaimed for exclamations.

Quick Tip

Government and exam-style sentences often use titles instead of names — "the Collector," "the Minister," "the supervisor." Keep the title exactly as it is; only the pronouns, tense, and time words inside the quoted speech change.

✏️ Exercise 1 — Direct to Indirect Speech

  1. The Collector said, "The relief operations will begin tomorrow."
  2. "Have you submitted your application form?" the officer asked the candidate.
  3. The Minister said, "I inaugurated this project last year."
  4. "What a remarkable achievement this is!" the Chairman exclaimed.
  5. She said, "I am preparing for the APPSC examination this year."
  6. The teacher asked the students, "Why did you not attend the workshop?"
  7. He said to me, "I will submit the report by Friday."
  8. "Alas! We have lost a great leader," the delegates cried.
  9. The Secretary said, "The meeting has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances."
  10. "Can you complete the survey by next week?" the supervisor asked her team.

Answers: 1. The Collector said (that) the relief operations would begin the following day.  |  2. The officer asked the candidate if he had submitted his application form.  |  3. The Minister said that he had inaugurated that project the previous year.  |  4. The Chairman exclaimed with admiration that it was a remarkable achievement.  |  5. She said (that) she was preparing for the APPSC examination that year.  |  6. The teacher asked the students why they had not attended the workshop.  |  7. He told me that he would submit the report by Friday.  |  8. The delegates cried out in grief that they had lost a great leader.  |  9. The Secretary said (that) the meeting had been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.  |  10. The supervisor asked her team if they could complete the survey the following week.

✏️ Exercise 2 — Indirect to Direct Speech

  1. The Governor stated that the state had made significant progress in rural development.
  2. She asked her colleague whether he had reviewed the policy draft.
  3. The candidate exclaimed with delight that she had cleared the preliminary examination.
  4. The officer told the applicant that his documents were incomplete.
  5. He asked me where I had submitted the application.
  6. The Chief Minister announced that the new scheme would benefit thousands of farmers.
  7. The examiner asked the students if they had read the instructions carefully.
  8. She exclaimed in frustration that the internet connection had failed again.
  9. The committee informed the participants that the results would be declared the following month.
  10. He asked her when the interview was scheduled.

Answers: 1. The Governor said, "The state has made significant progress in rural development."  |  2. She said to her colleague, "Have you reviewed the policy draft?"  |  3. The candidate exclaimed, "I have cleared the preliminary examination!"  |  4. The officer said to the applicant, "Your documents are incomplete."  |  5. He said to me, "Where did you submit the application?"  |  6. The Chief Minister announced, "The new scheme will benefit thousands of farmers."  |  7. The examiner said to the students, "Have you read the instructions carefully?"  |  8. She exclaimed, "The internet connection has failed again!"  |  9. The committee said to the participants, "The results will be declared next month."  |  10. He said to her, "When is the interview scheduled?"

✏️ Exercise 3 — Add the Missing Punctuation

Each sentence below is missing its quotation marks and capitalisation. Punctuate it correctly.

  1. the district magistrate said the relief camps are fully equipped
  2. did you attend the orientation programme the trainer asked the new recruits
  3. what a well organised event this has been the guest remarked
  4. the officer said i have verified all the documents personally
  5. the supervisor asked can you finish the report before the deadline

Answers: 1. The district magistrate said, "The relief camps are fully equipped."  |  2. "Did you attend the orientation programme?" the trainer asked the new recruits.  |  3. "What a well-organised event this has been!" the guest remarked.  |  4. The officer said, "I have verified all the documents personally."  |  5. The supervisor asked, "Can you finish the report before the deadline?"

Summary

Whether the speaker is a Collector announcing relief operations or a supervisor asking about a report, the same four steps apply every time: drop the quotation marks, shift the tense back, update pronouns and time words, and choose the correct reporting verb for the sentence type.

Key takeaway: When practising with formal, administrative sentences like these, pay special attention to titles and designations — they never change — while everything inside the original quotation marks is exactly what needs your attention.