Indirect Speech with Modals
Indirect speech for sentence having Modals, “can, may, must
Present modals are changed into past modals
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| Indirect speech for sentence having MODALS “can, may, must, should, ought to” |
|
| CAN changes into COULD | |
| He said, “I can ride a bike.” She said, “he can play a Squash.” They said, “we can climb a mountain” |
He said that he could ride a bike. She said that he could play a Squash. They said that they can climb a mountain. |
| MAY changes into MIGHT | |
| He said, “I may buy a mobile phone” She said, “he may consult a doctor.” They said, “they may go to Cinema” |
He said that he might buy a mobile phone. She said that he might consult a doctor. They said that they might go to Cinema. |
| MUST changes into HAD TO | |
| He said, “I must work properly” She said, “they must take precautions” I said to him, “you must prepare for the test” |
He said that he had to work properly. She said that they had to take precautions. I said to him that he had to prepare for the test. |
Indirect speech for sentence having Modals, should, ought to, might, would, and could”
The modal will not change in indirect speech
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| THESE MODALS DO NOT CHANGE Would, could, might, should, ought to” |
|
| Would | |
| They said, “we would apply for a visa” He said, “I would search for a job. She said, “I would go to the Cinema” |
They said that they would apply for visa. He said that he would search for a job. She said that she would go to the Cinema. |
| Could | |
| She said, “she could play a Tennis” They said, “we couldn’t study hard” She said, “I could run faster” |
She said that she could play a Tennis. They said they couldn’t study hard. She said that she could run faster. |
| Might | |
| He said, “guests might stay longer” She said, “it might rain” John said, “I might meet him” |
He said that guest might stay longer. She said that it might rain. John said that he might meet him. |
| Should | |
| He said, “I should wait for the him” She said, “I should be polite” They said, “we should study a lot” |
He said that he should wait for the him. She said that she should be polite. They said that they should study a lot. |
| Ought to | |
| He said to me, “you ought to obey teachers” She said, “I ought to have proper diet” They said, we ought to attend the workshop” |
He said to me that I ought to obey teachers. She said that she ought to have proper diet. They said that they ought to attend the workshop. |
Direct and Indirect Speech Grammar
English grammar direct and indirect speech
Indirect speech for interrogative sentence
Indirect speech for all tenses
Indirect speech for exclamatory and imperatice sentence
Change of pronoun in indirect speech