100 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech! Are you confused about when to use direct and indirect speech? Have no fear! This article will give you one hundred examples of when to use direct and indirect speech so that you can finally master this tricky grammar point.
Direct Speech
With direct speech, the speaker’s exact words are quoted. For example, “I’m going to the store,” said Sarah. Notice how the quotation marks denote Sarah’s exact words and how a comma is used to introduce the quote.
Indirect Speech
Indirect speech, on the other hand, reports what someone has said without quoting their exact words. It’s often used in conversation because repeating someone’s exact words can sound unnatural. For example, Sarah said she was going to the store. In this case, we don’t need quotation marks because we’re not quoting Sarah’s exact words.
100 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech
1-
Direct- She said: “I’m going to the store.”
Indirect- She said that she was going to the store.
2-
Direct- “I’m not going to school today,” he said.
Indirect- He said that he wasn’t going to school today.
3-
Direct- “When will you be home?” she asked me.
Indirect- She asked me when I would be home.
4-
Direct-“We have to leave now,” they said.
Indirect- They said that they had to leave now.
5-
Direct- “Do you want to go to the park?” he asked her.
Indirect- He asked her if she wanted to go to the park.
6-
Direct-“I’m tired of this,” she said.
Indirect- She said that she was tired of this.
7-
Direct-“I don’t believe you,” he said.
Indirect- He said that he didn’t believe me.
8-
Direct-“I’m sorry,” she said.
Indirect- She apologized. OR She said that she was sorry.
9-
Direct-“Will you be at the meeting?” she asked me.
Indirect- She asked if I would be at the meeting.
10-
Direct-“Can you please turn off the light?” she asked him.
Indirect- She asked him to turn off the light.
11-
Direct-“Please don’t do that,” she said.
Indirect- She asked him not to do that.
12-
Direct-“I need your help,” he said.
Indirect- He asked for my help.
13-
Direct-“Do you understand?” she asked us.
Indirect- She asked if we understood.
14-
Direct-“Will you be at the meeting?” she asked me.
Indirect- She asked if I would be at the meeting.
15-
Direct-“I’d like a coffee,” he said.
Indirect- He ordered a coffee.
16-
Direct-“I didn’t do it,” he said.
Indirect- He denied doing it.
17-
Direct-“Congratulations!” she said.
Indirect- She congratulated me.
18-
Direct-“Good luck!” she said.
Indirect- She wished me good luck.
19-
Direct-“Happy birthday!” they said.
Indirect- They wished me a happy birthday.
20-
Direct-“Thank you,” she said.
Indirect- She thanked me.
21-
Direct-“You’re welcome,” he said.
Indirect- He told me I was welcome.
22-
Direct-“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said.
Indirect- She offered her condolences.
23-
Direct-“Get well soon,” they said.
Indirect- They wished me a speedy recovery.
24-
Direct-“I love you,” he said.
Indirect- He told me he loved me.
25-
Direct-“I hate you,” she said.
Indirect- She told me she hated me.
26-
Direct-“I’m hungry,” he said.
Indirect- He said that he was hungry.
27-
Direct-“I’m thirsty,” she said.
Indirect- She said that she was thirsty.
28-
Direct-“I’m bored,” they said.
Indirect- They said that they were bored.
29-
Direct-“I’m tired,” she said.
Indirect- She said that she was tired.
30-
Direct-“I have to go to the bathroom,” he said.
Indirect- He said that he had to go to the bathroom.
31-
Direct-“I’m hot,” she said.
Indirect- She said that she was hot.
32-
Direct-“I’m cold,” he said.
Indirect- He said that he was cold.
33-
Direct-“I’m sleepy,” they said.
Indirect- They said that they were sleepy.
34-
Direct-“I’m sick,” she said.
Indirect- She said that she was sick.
35-
Direct-“I hurt myself,” he said.
Indirect- He said that he had hurt himself.
36-
Direct-“This is fun,” she said.
Indirect- She said that this was fun.
37-
Direct-“This is boring,” he said.
Indirect- He said that this was boring.
38-
Direct-“I’m happy,” they said.
Indirect- They said that they were happy.
39-
Direct-“I’m sad,” she said.
Indirect- She said that she was sad.
40-
Direct-“I’m mad,” he said.
Indirect- He said that he was mad.
41-
Direct-“I’m scared,” she said.
Indirect- She said that she was scared.
42-
Direct-“I’m excited,” they said.
Indirect- They said that they were excited.
43-
Direct-“I’m worried,” she said.
Indirect- She said that she was worried.
44-
Direct-“I’m frustrated,” he said.
Indirect- He said that he was frustrated.
45-
Direct-“I’m proud of you,” she said.
Indirect- She told me that she was proud of me.
46-
Direct-“I’m disappointed in you,” he said.
Indirect- He told me that he was disappointed in me.
47-
Direct-“I forgive you,” she said.
Indirect- She told me that she forgave me.
48-
Direct-“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said.
Indirect- She offered her condolences.
49-
Direct-“Get well soon,” they said.
Indirect- They wished me a speedy recovery.
50-
Direct-“They’re angry with me,” he said.
Indirect- He told me that they were angry with him.
51-
Direct-“We don’t have time for this,” she said.
Indirect- She said that we didn’t have time for this.
52-
Direct-“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” he said.
Indirect- He told me that he wasn’t sure what I was talking about.
53-
Direct-“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” she said.
Indirect- She apologized for hurting my feelings.
54-
Direct-“Can you please help me with this?” she said.
Indirect- She asked if I could help her with this.
55-
Direct-“Do you understand what I’m saying?” he said.
Indirect- He wanted to know if I understood what he was saying.
56-
Direct-“I’m not sure if I can do this,” she said.
Indirect- She wasn’t sure if she could do this.
57-
Direct-“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” he said.
Indirect- He asked if I had any idea what was going on.
58-
Direct-“Can you please tell me what happened?” she said.
Indirect- She wanted to know what happened.
59-
Direct-“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.
Indirect- She told me that she had no idea what I was talking about.
60-
Direct-“Please stop doing that,” he said.
Indirect- He asked me to stop doing that.
61-
Direct-“Are you sure you want to do this?” she said.
Indirect- She wasn’t sure if I wanted to do this.
62-
Direct-“I’m not sure if I can trust you,” he said.
Indirect- He told me that he wasn’t sure if he could trust me.
63-
Direct-“Why are you doing this?” he said.
Indirect- He wanted to know why I was doing this.
64-
Direct-“I’m sorry for what I did,” she said.
Indirect- She apologized for what she did.
65-
Direct-“Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?” he said.
Indirect- He asked me if I knew how much trouble I was in.
66-
Direct-“I’m going to kill you!” she said.
Indirect- She threatened to kill me.
67-
Direct-“You’re never going to believe what I saw today,” he said.
Indirect- He told me that I would never believe what he saw that day.
