Business Communication · Essentials of Good English

Direct and Indirect Speech and Voice for CSEET

Updated 11 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Direct speech repeats the speaker's exact words in quotes. Indirect speech reports them without quotes, changing the tense, pronouns and time words. Active voice has the doer as subject; passive voice makes the receiver of the action the subject. To convert, find the parts of the sentence, then rebuild with the new rules.

Understand Direct and Indirect Speech and Voice

Direct speech gives the exact words of a speaker inside inverted commas. Example: Mr. Sharma said, "I am busy." Indirect speech (reported speech) gives the meaning in your own sentence, with no quotes. Example: Mr. Sharma said that he was busy.

Three things usually change when you report: the tense (if the reporting verb is in the past), the pronouns (they must match the reporter's point of view), and the time and place words (now becomes then, here becomes there). The sentence type also decides the reporting verb and the joining word: statements use "that", questions use "if/whether" or the question word, and commands use "to".

Voice shows whether the subject does the action or receives it. In active voice the doer is the subject: The manager approved the loan. In passive voice the receiver is the subject: The loan was approved by the manager. Use passive when the doer is unknown, unimportant or best left out, as in formal business writing: Applications will be accepted till 30 June.

Passive voice always uses a form of be (is, are, was, were, been, being, be) plus the past participle of the main verb. The tense of the be-verb must match the tense of the active sentence. Only verbs that take an object (transitive verbs) can be turned passive.

Both topics are about rebuilding a sentence without changing its meaning. If you know your tenses, you can do both reliably.

Key rules to remember

Tense shift in indirect speech: Present simple → Past simple; Present continuous → Past continuous; Present perfect → Past perfect; Past simple → Past perfect; will → would; can → could; may → might; Apply only when the reporting verb is in the past (said, told). If it is present or future, or the statement is a universal truth, the tense usually stays the same.
Pronoun change: First person → matches the subject of the reporting verb; Second person → matches the object of the reporting verb; Third person → no change; Short rule: I-me-my follow the speaker, you follows the listener, he-she-they stay.
Time and place words: now → then; today → that day; tomorrow → the next day; yesterday → the previous day; ago → before; this → that; here → there; thus → so; Change them when the reporting verb is in the past and the time or place differs from the speaker's.
Statements: said that + reported clause (said to → told); Use told when a listener is named: She told me that...
Questions: asked + if/whether (yes-no question) or asked + wh-word (wh-question), then normal word order; No question mark in indirect speech. Do not use auxiliary-before-subject order.
Commands and requests: ordered/told/requested/advised + object + to + verb; negative: told + object + not to + verb; Choose the reporting verb by the tone: order, request, advise, beg.
Exclamations and wishes: exclaimed with joy/sorrow/surprise that...; wished/prayed that...; Drop the exclamation mark and words like "Alas" or "Hurrah" and show the feeling in the verb.
Passive voice structure: Object of active → Subject of passive + be (in same tense) + past participle + by + doer; Example: Simple present: is/are + V3; simple past: was/were + V3; present perfect: has/have been + V3; future: will be + V3.
Passive of continuous tenses: Present continuous: is/are being + V3; Past continuous: was/were being + V3; Perfect continuous tenses are rarely made passive.
Passive with modals: modal + be + V3; Example: You must submit the form → The form must be submitted.

How to solve Direct and Indirect Speech and Voice questions

Use this method for any conversion question. Decide what type of sentence you have, then change one element at a time.

1Read the sentence and find out what is asked: direct to indirect, indirect to direct, active to passive or passive to active.
2For narration, identify the type: statement, question, command or request, or exclamation. This tells you the reporting verb and the joining word.
3Check the reporting verb. If it is in the past tense, shift the tense of the reported words back by one step.
4Change pronouns by the rule: first person to the speaker, second person to the listener, third person unchanged.
5Change time and place words, then write the sentence in normal word order with no quotes and no question mark.
6For voice, find the subject, verb and object. Note the tense of the verb.
7Swap subject and object, then build the passive verb: correct form of be for that tense plus the past participle. Add by + doer only if it matters.
8Reread the new sentence. Check tense, agreement and that the meaning is the same as the original.

Quickest way: Three-check shortcut

When to use it: Use it when you have little time and many conversions to do in Question 1 or in the short-answer questions.

For narration, run the checklist T-P-T: Tense, Pronoun, Time word. Tick each one before you write.
Decide the joining word first: that, if/whether, the wh-word, or to. Writing it first stops word-order errors.
For voice, write the be-form for the tense before anything else (is/are, was/were, has/have been, will be). Then add the past participle.
If the doer is a vague word such as people, someone or they, drop the by-phrase.

Common mistakes in Direct and Indirect Speech and Voice

Changing the tense when the reporting verb is in the present or future, such as She says, "I am tired."
Students memorise the tense chart without checking the condition.
Fix: Look at the reporting verb first. With says, will say or has said, keep the tense: She says that she is tired.
Keeping question word order in indirect speech, such as He asked where was I going.
The student copies the order of the direct question.
Fix: Use statement order: He asked where I was going. Remove the question mark.
Changing every pronoun to the same person.
Students apply a single rule instead of checking who is speaking to whom.
Fix: Ask: who is the speaker, who is the listener? "I" becomes the speaker, "you" becomes the listener.
Using the wrong be-form or using the wrong participle in the passive, such as The letter is sent yesterday.
Students forget to match the tense or use the past form instead of V3.
Fix: Find the tense of the active verb first. Then use the matching be-form plus V3: The letter was sent yesterday.
Making the passive of an intransitive verb, or leaving out the by-phrase when it carries key information.
Students try to convert every sentence mechanically.
Fix: Check that the verb has an object. Keep by + doer when the doer is important: The report was written by the auditor.
Leaving time words unchanged, such as He said that he would come tomorrow.
Students focus on tense and forget the time word.
Fix: After you write the sentence, scan for now, today, tomorrow, yesterday, here, this and change them: ...would come the next day.

Worked examples

Example 1

Change into indirect speech: (a) The Chairman said to the members, "I will present the annual report tomorrow." (b) Rohit said to Meena, "Where did you keep the file?"

Show the solution

(a) This is a statement. Said to becomes told; the joining word is that.
Pronoun: I refers to the Chairman, so it becomes he.
Tense: will becomes would, because the reporting verb is past.
Time word: tomorrow becomes the next day.
(b) This is a wh-question. Said to becomes asked; the joining word is where.
Pronoun: you refers to Meena, so it becomes she.
Tense: past simple did keep becomes past perfect had kept.
Use statement order and drop the question mark.

Answer: (a) The Chairman told the members that he would present the annual report the next day. (b) Rohit asked Meena where she had kept the file.

Example 2

Change the voice: (a) The company has issued the shares. (b) The accountant is preparing the statements. (c) Passive to active: The notice was sent to all shareholders by the secretary.

Show the solution

(a) Tense is present perfect. Passive form: has/have been + V3. The new subject is the shares (plural), so use have been issued.
Write: The shares have been issued by the company.
(b) Tense is present continuous. Passive form: is/are being + V3. The new subject is the statements (plural), so use are being prepared.
Write: The statements are being prepared by the accountant.
(c) The doer is the secretary, so it becomes the subject. Tense is past simple, so use sent.
The object of the active sentence is the notice.

Answer: (a) The shares have been issued by the company. (b) The statements are being prepared by the accountant. (c) The secretary sent the notice to all shareholders.

Exam tips

Written papers reward neat, complete sentences. Write the full converted sentence, not only the changed words.
Do the checks in the order tense, pronoun, time word. Most lost marks come from missing one of the three.
In Question 1, which is compulsory, attempt every part. A correct but short conversion earns marks even if a neighbouring part is difficult.
Practise converting back as well. Indirect to direct questions test the same rules in reverse.
Use the 15 minutes of extra reading time to spot which sub-parts are narration and which are voice, so you can plan your writing time.

Practice questions from Essentials of Good English

Direct and Indirect Speech and Voice in other exams

The same ground in other exams, if you are preparing for more than one or want another angle on it.

CS ExecutiveDirect vs Indirect Taxes: Concept and Features

Direct and Indirect Speech and Voice: frequently asked questions

What are the basic rules for changing direct speech to indirect speech?

Remove the quotes and add a joining word such as that, if or to. Change the tense if the reporting verb is in the past. Change pronouns by speaker and listener, and change time and place words.

What is the difference between active and passive voice?

In active voice the subject does the action. In passive voice the subject receives the action. The passive uses a be-form plus the past participle, and the doer is often placed after by or left out.

Is there a rule for when the tense does not change in indirect speech?

Yes. If the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, the tense stays the same. It also usually stays the same when the reported words state a universal truth or a habitual fact.

How should I practise for CSEET narration and voice questions?

Take ten sentences a day from a newspaper business page. Convert them to indirect speech and to the opposite voice, then check your tenses. Short, regular practice builds speed for the written paper.