Narration (Direct-Indirect Speech) - SSC CGL

1. What is Narration?

Narration is reporting someone's words.

Direct Speech

Quoting the speaker word-for-word

Example: Ravi said, "I am going to school"

Indirect Speech

Reporting the speaker's words without quotation marks

Example: Ravi said that he was going to school

2. Basic Rules for Transformation

Rule 1: Change of Pronouns

Change the pronoun according to the new subject

Direct → She said, "I am tired"

Indirect → She said that she was tired

Rule 2: Change of Tense

Tense usually shifts back one step in indirect speech if reporting verb is in past tense

Direct → Indirect	Example
Present Simple → Past Simple	I eat rice → He said he ate rice
Present Continuous → Past Continuous	I am eating → He said he was eating
Present Perfect → Past Perfect	I have eaten → He said he had eaten
Past Simple → Past Perfect	I ate → He said he had eaten
Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous	I was eating → He said he had been eating
Will → Would	I will go → He said he would go

Exception: Universal truths & habitual actions → no change

The sun rises in the east → He said that the sun rises in the east

Rule 3: Change of Time & Place Words

Direct	Indirect
today	that day
yesterday	the day before / yesterday
tomorrow	the next day / following day
now	then
here	there
this	that
ago	before
last night/week	the night/week before

Rule 4: Interrogative Sentences

1. Yes/No Questions → use if/whether

Direct: "Are you coming?"

Indirect: He asked if/whether I was coming

2. Wh- Questions → keep question word, change word order

Direct: "Where do you live?"

Indirect: He asked me where I lived

Rule 5: Imperatives

Command/Request → use to-infinitive

Direct: "Close the door"

Indirect: He told me to close the door

Direct: "Please help me"

Indirect: He requested me to help him

Rule 6: Exclamatory Sentences

Use that + adjective + infinitive or how/what

Direct: "What a beautiful painting!"

Indirect: He said what a beautiful painting it was

Direct: "How well he sings!"

Indirect: He said how well he sang

3. Common SSC Error Patterns

1. Forgetting tense backshift

He said, "I eat rice" → He said he eats rice

Correct → He said he ate rice

2. Wrong pronoun change

She said, "I am tired" → She said that I was tired

Correct → She said that she was tired

3. Wrong use of if/whether for Yes/No questions

He asked, "Do you like tea?" → He asked do I like tea

Correct → He asked if I liked tea

4. Time/place words not changed

She said, "I will come tomorrow" → She said that she would come tomorrow

Correct → She said that she would come the next day

4. SSC CGL Previous Year Questions

Q1. "I have finished my work," said Ram. (Indirect)

Answer: Ram said that he had finished his work

Q2. "Are you coming?" she asked. (Indirect)

Answer: She asked me if I was coming

Q3. "Close the door," said the teacher. (Indirect)

Answer: The teacher told me to close the door

Q4. "How beautiful is this painting!" (Indirect)

Answer: He said how beautiful that painting was

Q5. "I will help you," said Sita. (Indirect)

Answer: Sita said that she would help me

5. Quick Recap

Change pronouns, tense, time/place words
Yes/No questions → if/whether
Wh- questions → keep the question word, change word order
Commands/requests → to-infinitive
Exclamations → that + adjective + verb / how/what

6. Practice Questions

(Attempt yourself – answers hidden below)

Q1. "I am reading a book," said Ravi

Q2. "Will you come tomorrow?" she asked

Q3. "Please open the window," said the teacher

Q4. "What a wonderful performance!" said the audience

Q5. "I have seen that movie," said Sita

Click for Answers

1. Ravi said that he was reading a book

2. She asked me if/whether I would come the next day

3. The teacher requested me to open the window

4. The audience said what a wonderful performance it was

5. Sita said that she had seen that movie

Narration (Direct–Indirect Speech) for SSC CGL