Direct & Indirect Speech 16 min read

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises with Answers for SSC CGL, Bank PO and CUET

Practise 44 direct and indirect speech exercises with answers and reasons for SSC CGL, bank PO and CUET, plus memory tricks, MCQs and a 7-day plan.

Core Governing Rule Formula:

P-T-P | S-O-N | ONE STEP BACK | IF for yes/no, WH stays | COMMAND = person plus TO

Direct and indirect speech exercises with answers for SSC CGL, bank PO and CUET

Rules teach you what to do. Practice teaches you to do it under pressure. That's why the students who improve fastest in direct and indirect speech are not the ones who read the most posts. They're the ones who convert the most sentences, check every answer and learn from every mistake.

This post gives you exactly that: 44 exercises with answers, built for SSC CGL, bank PO, CUET and other competitive exam aspirants. The questions are grouped into six sets: statements, questions, commands and requests, exclamations and wishes, multiple-choice questions and reverse conversion from indirect to direct speech. Every answer has a short reason. In the middle, there's a memory-tricks cheat sheet that gathers every shortcut from this series in one place.

A note on the questions: they're original sentences on common exam patterns, not questions copied from any particular year's paper. If you need to revise the rules first, start with my post on direct and indirect speech rules with examples.

How to use this practice set:

Keep a notebook and a pen. Write every answer, even if you think you know it.
As a rule of thumb, give each conversion about 60 seconds. Speed will come later.
Don't look at the answer key until you've finished a whole set.
For every mistake, write the sentence, the correct answer and the rule in a few words.
Retake the questions you got wrong after three days.

In This Guide

Set A: Statements (10 questions)

Convert each sentence into indirect speech. Use the P-T-P check: Person, Time, Place.

Rahul said, "I am preparing for the exam."
She said to me, "I will send you the file tomorrow."
The teacher said, "The earth moves round the sun."
My brother said, "I have bought a new phone."
They said, "We went to Goa last month."
The manager said to us, "You must finish the work today."
Sneha said, "My sister is coming here now."
He says, "I like this movie."
Anita said to her friend, "I was reading a novel last night."
The boys said, "We can solve this problem."

Set B: Questions (8 questions)

Remember: if for yes/no questions, the WH-word stays, and the question must be written in statement order. You'll find the full method in my guide to indirect speech of questions, commands and exclamations.

He said to me, "What are you doing?"
She said to her brother, "Did you meet him yesterday?"
The teacher said to the student, "Why have you not done your homework?"
Mohan said to Sohan, "Will you join me tomorrow?"
The stranger said to me, "Where is the post office?"
Priya said to her mother, "Can I go to the market?"
He said to me, "Do you want tea or coffee?"
The inspector said to the clerk, "Who opened this file?"

Memory tricks cheat sheet (screenshot this)

Before you attempt the remaining sets, spend two minutes with this table. It gathers every shortcut from this series, in one place.

What to remember	Memory shortcut
Order of checks	P-T-P: Person, Time, Place.
Pronouns	S-O-N: first person follows Subject, second person follows Object, third person No change.
Near and far words	N-F: Near words become Far words (now, then; here, there).
Yesterday and tomorrow	Y-B, T-A: yesterday = before, tomorrow = after.
Tenses	ONE STEP BACK, like reversing a car.
Simple, continuous, perfect	SAME FAMILY, PAST ADDRESS.
Past tenses	PAST GOES PERFECT: add "had".
Modals	C-M-W: Can to Could, May to Might, Will to Would.
No change	Frozen facts don't move. Present stays present (says, will say).
Reporting verbs	Match the MOOD. PORAT verbs take to + verb. SAD verbs take -ing.
Questions	IF for yes/no, WH stays. KILL THE Q: no ?, no do/does/did, subject first.
Commands	COMMAND = person plus TO. Negative: person plus not to.
Exclamations	FEEL the interjection, VERY the rest.

Want even more memory tricks and exam-style practice? In my ebook Mastering Direct & Indirect Speech: Ultimate Guide to Confident Reporting, the rules are explained step by step with examples and practice.

Set C: Commands, requests and advice (8 questions)

Choose the reporting verb that matches the mood. If you need to revise the verbs, read my reporting verbs list.

The captain said to the team, "Play carefully."
She said to me, "Please close the window."
The doctor said to the patient, "Do not eat oily food."
The mother said to her son, "Always respect your elders."
The officer said to the guard, "Do not allow anyone inside."
Rita said to Gita, "Kindly share your notes."
The principal said, "Let the students leave early."
The teacher said to the boy, "Stand up."

Set D: Exclamations and wishes (6 questions)

The children said, "Hurrah! We have won the trophy."
She said, "Alas! I have lost my wallet."
He said, "What a lovely view this is!"
The man said, "How foolish I was!"
The old woman said to the girl, "May you live long!"
Ravi said, "Wow! What a fantastic goal!"

Set E: Multiple-choice questions (8 questions)

Choose the correct indirect speech. This is the format you'll see in many objective exams.

He said, "I am going to Delhi tomorrow."
(a) He said that he was going to Delhi tomorrow.
(b) He said that he is going to Delhi the next day.
(c) He said that he was going to Delhi the next day.
(d) He said that he had gone to Delhi the next day.
She said to me, "Where do you live?"
(a) She asked me where did I live.
(b) She asked me where I lived.
(c) She told me where I lived.
(d) She asked me that where I lived.
The teacher said, "Honesty is the best policy."
(a) The teacher said that honesty was the best policy.
(b) The teacher said that honesty is the best policy.
(c) The teacher said that honesty had been the best policy.
(d) The teacher said that honesty would be the best policy.
He said to me, "Please help me."
(a) He requested me to help him.
(b) He ordered me to help him.
(c) He said me to help him.
(d) He requested that help him.
She said, "Alas! I have failed."
(a) She exclaimed with sorrow that she had failed.
(b) She said alas that she failed.
(c) She exclaimed that alas she had failed.
(d) She cried that she has failed.
Ravi said to Sunil, "I will help you."
(a) Ravi told Sunil that I would help you.
(b) Ravi told Sunil that he would help him.
(c) Ravi said Sunil that he will help him.
(d) Ravi asked Sunil that he would help him.
The boy said, "I saw her yesterday."
(a) The boy said that he saw her yesterday.
(b) The boy said that he saw her the previous day.
(c) The boy said that he had seen her the previous day.
(d) The boy said that he has seen her the day before.
He said to her, "Do you know the way?"
(a) He asked her if she knew the way.
(b) He asked her do she know the way.
(c) He said to her if she knew the way.
(d) He asked her that she knew the way.

Set F: Reverse conversion, indirect to direct (4 questions)

Now go the other way. Convert each indirect sentence back into direct speech. Reverse the rules: step the tense forward, restore the pronouns and bring back the near words.

She said that she was tired.
He told me that he would call me the next day.
The teacher asked the boy why he was late.
She requested him to open the window.

Answer key with reasons

Set A
1) Rahul said that he was preparing for the exam. (present continuous to past continuous)
2) She told me that she would send me the file the next day. (said to to told, will to would, tomorrow to the next day)
3) The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun. (universal truth: no change)
4) My brother said that he had bought a new phone. (present perfect to past perfect)
5) They said that they had gone to Goa the previous month. (past simple to past perfect, last month to the previous month)
6) The manager told us that we must finish the work that day. (must stays, today to that day)
7) Sneha said that her sister was coming there then. (here to there, now to then)
8) He says that he likes this movie. (present reporting verb: no change)
9) Anita told her friend that she had been reading a novel the previous night. (past continuous to past perfect continuous)
10) The boys said that they could solve that problem. (can to could, this to that)

Set B
11) He asked me what I was doing.
12) She asked her brother if he had met him the previous day.
13) The teacher asked the student why he had not done his homework.
14) Mohan asked Sohan if he would join him the next day.
15) The stranger asked me where the post office was.
16) Priya asked her mother if she could go to the market.
17) He asked me whether I wanted tea or coffee.
18) The inspector asked the clerk who had opened that file.

Set C
19) The captain advised (or ordered) the team to play carefully.
20) She requested me to close the window.
21) The doctor advised the patient not to eat oily food.
22) The mother advised her son to always respect his elders.
23) The officer ordered the guard not to allow anyone inside.
24) Rita requested Gita to share her notes.
25) The principal ordered that the students should be allowed to leave early.
26) The teacher ordered the boy to stand up.

Set D
27) The children exclaimed with joy that they had won the trophy.
28) She exclaimed with sorrow that she had lost her wallet.
29) He exclaimed with delight that it was a very lovely view.
30) The man exclaimed with regret that he had been very foolish.
31) The old woman prayed that the girl might live long.
32) Ravi exclaimed with wonder that it was a very fantastic goal.

Set E
33) c (tense and time word both change)
34) b (statement order, no "that", no did)
35) b (universal truth stays in the present)
36) a (request: requested + person + to + verb)
37) a (Alas becomes exclaimed with sorrow)
38) b (S-O-N: I follows the subject, you follows the object)
39) c (past simple to past perfect, yesterday to the previous day)
40) a (if for a yes/no question, statement order)

Set F
41) She said, "I am tired."
42) He said to me, "I will call you tomorrow."
43) The teacher said to the boy, "Why are you late?"
44) She said to him, "Please open the window."

How to read your score

Count your correct answers for Sets A to E (40 questions). Set F is a bonus.

Score (out of 40)	What it means	What to do next
36 to 40	Excellent. You're exam-ready.	Move on to full mock tests and keep revising the cheat sheet.
28 to 35	Strong, with a few gaps.	Revise the set where you lost the most marks and retake it.
20 to 27	You know the rules but slip in the details.	Spend a week on the P-T-P method and the exceptions.
Below 20	The basics need attention.	Go back to the first post in this series and then retake this set after a week.

Why students lose marks in each set

Set	Most common reason for losing marks	Fix
A: Statements	Forgetting a time word, or changing a universal truth.	Run P-T-P, and ask "Is this always true?"
B: Questions	Keeping did and the question order.	KILL THE Q.
C: Commands	Using "said" and forgetting "to".	COMMAND = person plus TO.
D: Exclamations	Leaving "what a" or "how" in the sentence.	FEEL the interjection, VERY the rest.
E: MCQs	Picking the answer that "sounds right".	Check each option against the rules and cross out two quickly.
F: Reverse	Forgetting to step the tense forward.	Reverse ONE STEP BACK: one step forward.

Keep an error log (five minutes a day)

Every wrong answer is a free lesson. In your notebook, make three columns: the question number, your answer and the correct answer with a few words on the rule. For example: "Q14 | asked Sohan if he will join | would join, tense steps back".

Read the log once a week. You'll see that the same three or four mistakes keep coming back, and those are the ones to fix first. This works far better than doing a hundred new questions without looking back.

A 7-day plan to use this set properly

Day	What to do
1	Attempt Sets A and B. Check the answers and start your error log.
2	Attempt Sets C and D. Add every mistake to the log.
3	Attempt Sets E and F. Check the answers.
4	Retake every question you got wrong in Sets A and B.
5	Retake every question you got wrong in Sets C to F.
6	Read the cheat sheet aloud and write one new sentence for each row.
7	Retake Sets A to E without looking at the answers, and compare your score with Day 1.

Frequently asked questions

How many direct and indirect speech questions should I practise every day?

Ten is a good number. Solve them, check the answers and note your mistakes. Ten careful conversions a day teach you more than forty rushed ones.

Should I write the answers or just think them through?

Write them. Writing exposes small errors, like a missing "that" or a wrong pronoun, which you would miss while thinking. In the exam, you'll have to write or mark answers anyway.

Can there be more than one correct answer?

Yes, in some cases. For example, "told" and "ordered" can both work for a command, and "the next day" and "the following day" are both correct for "tomorrow". Exam answer keys follow the standard rule, so stick to the rules in this series.

How long should 40 questions take?

As a rule of thumb, about 40 to 50 minutes at the start. With practice, the time comes down, but accuracy matters more than speed in the first two weeks.

Why do some answers keep the present tense?

Because the tense doesn't change when the reporting verb is in the present or future, or when the statement is a universal truth. Check the exceptions in my post on the tense changes chart.

What should I do if I keep making the same mistake?

Go back to the memory trick for that rule, say it aloud, and write five new sentences using it. Then retake the questions you got wrong after three days.

Practice makes the pattern permanent

Forty-four questions are only the start. Retake this set in three days and again in a week. By the third attempt, most of these conversions will feel automatic. The next and final post in this series brings the whole week together and shows you how to keep improving. For the pronoun, time and place rules used in these exercises, see my guide to pronouns, time and place words.

If you'd like the complete system in one place, with rules, memory tricks and exam-style practice, my ebook Mastering Direct & Indirect Speech: Ultimate Guide to Confident Reporting: For SSC CGL, IBPS PO, CAT, CUET, UPSC and State PSCs is available on Amazon.

About the author: Balu Kandekar is an English grammar educator based in Pune with 22 years of teaching experience and more than 15 years of coaching students for SSC, banking, railway, UPSC, NDA/CDS, MPSC and Class 12 English. He is the author of the Fasttrack English Grammar / Zero Errors series on Amazon KDP.

Recommended Companion eBook

Mastering Direct & Indirect Speech: Ultimate Guide to Confident Reporting

Convert narration from your most error-prone descriptive-paper section into a confidently mastered, rule-driven skill.

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