Narration | Reported Speech
Narration | Reported Speech
Introduction
Narration, often known as reported speech or indirect speech, is how we convey what someone else has said. When we report someone’s words, we might need to change the tense of the original sentence to fit the context of the reporting. There are specific rules for changing the tenses in such cases. Let us discuss the change of narration tense-wise as under.
Present Tense to Past Tense:
When reporting something said in the present, the verb tense shifts back one step in the past.
Direct: “I am happy,” she says.
Indirect: She said that she was happy.
Past Tense to Past Perfect:
When the original speech is in the past tense, the verb tense in reported speech changes to past perfect.
Direct: “I went to the store,” he said.
Indirect: He said that he had gone to the store.
Present Continuous to Past Continuous:
The present continuous tense in reported speech shifts to the past continuous tense.
Direct: “We are watching a movie,” they say.
Indirect: They said that they were watching a movie.
Present Perfect to Past Perfect:
If the original speech is in the present perfect tense, it changes to the past perfect tense in reported speech.
Direct: “I have finished my work,” she says.
Indirect: She said that she had finished her work.
Future Tense to Conditional:
When the original speech is in the future tense, it changes to a conditional tense in reported speech.
Direct: “I will visit you,” he says.
Indirect: He said that he would visit me.
Key Notes:
Pronouns and time expressions may also need to be adjusted in reported speech.
Modal verbs shift to their past equivalents (e.g., ‘can’ becomes ‘could’, ‘may’ becomes ‘might’).
Conclusion:
Changing narration tense-wise is crucial in maintaining the sequence of events and the context when reporting what someone else has said. By following these rules and examples, one can effectively shift the tense while maintaining the meaning and essence of the original speech. Practice is key to mastering this skill. The more you practice, the more fluent and confident you’ll become in altering the tense while reporting speech. 0 0 0.
Narration Reported Speech
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