English Grammar : Narration

                   

Narration

Examples Worked Out(Direct to Indirect Narration)

1. Salil said to his friend, “You are ill.”	1. Salil told his friend that he was ill.
2. Salil said to me, “You are ill.”	2. Salil told me that I was ill.
3. I said to you, “I don’t believe you.”	3. I told you that I didn’t believe you.
4. He said, “I have passed the examination.”	4. He said that he had passed the examination.
5. He said, “I was playing football.”	5. He said that he had been playing football.
6. He said, “I shall play football.”	6. He said that he would play football.
7. He said, “I shall go to Delhi tomorrow.”	7. He said that he would go to Delhi the next day.
8. He said, “I have never seen anything like it.”	8. He said that he had never seen anything like it.
9.  He said, “We ought to go.”	9. He said that they ought to go.
10. She said, “We must go.”	10. She said that they must go.
11. “Do you know the way to the station?” She said to Mahim.	11. She asked Mahim if he knew the way to the station.
12. “Does she require any help?” the old man asked me.	12. The old man asked me if she required any help.
13. I said to the boy, “Did you go to school?	13. I asked the boy if he had gone to school.
14. “Isn’t poverty a curse?” my father said to me.	14. My father asked me if poverty was not a curse.
15. “Are you weeping?” he asked her.	15. He asked her if she was weeping.
16. “Have you brought a pen for me?” the girl said to her father.	16. The girl asked her father if he had brought a pen for her.
17. “Can you see a woman seated at a table?” he asked her.	17. He asked her if she could see a woman seated at a table.
18.  Reza said, “Marie, isn’t soup boiling yet?”	18. Reza asked Marie if the soup was not boiling by that time.
19. “Would you sing for our visitor?” My mother said to my sister.	19. My mother asked my sister if she would sing for their guests.
20. “Do you suppose you know better than your brother?” jeered his angry mother.	20. His angry mother asked if he supposed that he knew better than his own father.
21. My brother said to me, “Will you not go to the show?”	21. My brother asked me If I would not go to the show.
22. I said to him, “Shall I reach the village before dawn?”	22. I asked him If I would reach the village before dawn.
23. The girl said, “Shall I go out for shopping?”	23. The girl asked if she would go out for shopping.
24. I said to the man, “Who are you?’	24. I asked the man who he was.
25. He said to me, “What are you doing?”	25. He asked me what I was doing.
26. “Where do you live?” asked the stranger.	26. The stranger asked me where I lived.
27. “Why are you weeping?” the swallow asked the prince.	27. The swallow enquired of the prince why he was weeping.
28. “Why doesn’t she talk to me anymore?”	28. I thought to myself why she did not talk to me any more.
29. “When will you come back?” the price said to the swallow.	29. The prince asked the swallow when he would come back.
30. “How did you do that” they asked Edison.	30. They asked Edison how he had done that.
31. He said to me, “Which book do you want?”	31. He asked me which book I wanted.
32. He said to me, You are going to the playground, aren’t you?	32. He asked me whether it was true that I was going to the playground.
33. He said to me, “You didn’t cause much damage to the book, did you?”	33. He asked me whether I had caused much damage to the book.
34. The officer shouted to the men, “Halt.”	34. The officer ordered his men loudly to halt.
35. Father said to me, “Go home at once.”	35. Father ordered me to go home at once.
36. The teacher said to me, “Don’t come here.”	36. The teacher ordered me not to go there.
37. He said to me, “Please open the door.”	37. He requested me to open the door.
38. He said to me, “Please wait here till I return.”	38. He requested me to wait there till he returned.
39. Mother said to him, “Don’t run in the sun.”	39. Mother advised him not to run in the sun.
40. Rina said to him, “Sir, Don’t go home now,”	40. Rina asked him politely not to go home then.
41. Laila said to her friends, “Let us have a picnic on Sunday.”	41. Laila proposed to her friends that they should have a picnic on Sunday.
42. He said to his companions, “Let us not miss this chance.”	42. He proposed to his companions that they should not miss that chance.
43. We said, “Let him tell the story.”	43. We said that he might (might be allowed to) tell the story.
44. She said, “Let him eat whatever he likes.”	44. She said that he might be allowed to eat whatever he liked.
45. He said to me, “You must leave the place.”	45. He told me that I must leave the place.
46. He said to me, “Would you help me to do the sum?”	46. He requested me to help him to do the sum.
47. I said to her, “Could you give me a cup of tea?”	47. I requested her to give me a cup of tea.
48. The master said to his servant, “Do as I told you.”	48. The master ordered his servant to do as he had told him.
49. I said to him, “May you be happy.”	49. I wished that he might be happy.
50. Mother said to me, “May God bless you.”	50. Mother prayed for me that God might bless me.
51. He said, “May his soul rest in peace.”	51. He prayed that his soul might rest in peace.
52. The girl said, “Oh, had I the wings of dove.”	52. The girl wished that she could have the wings of a dove.
53. The boys said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.”	53. The boys exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
54. He said to me, “Alas! I could not save you.”	54. He exclaimed in grief that he could not save me.
55. The boy said, “what a fool I am.”	55. The boy exclaimed that he was a great fool.
56. He said, “What a nice bird it is!”	56. He exclaimed that it was a very nice bird.
57. He observed, “How dirty the house is!”	57. He exclaimed that the house was very dirty.
58. “Help! Help!” shouted the woman.	58. The woman shouted for help.
59. He said, “Good bye, my friends”!	59. He bade goodbye to his friends.
60. The teacher said, “Thank you my boys.”	60. The teacher thanked the boys.
61. He said, “By God! What a good news.”	61. He swore by God that it was a very good news.
62. He said to me, “Eid Mubarak.”	62. He wished me Eid Mubarak.
63. He said to them, “Bravo! You have done well.”	63. He applauded them saying that they had done well.
64. The old man said to him, “Fie, you are such a coward.”	64. The old man exclaimed that it was shameful that he was such a coward.
65. He said, “Poor fellow! How changed you are.”	65. He pitied the man and exclaimed that he was greatly changed.
66. “So help me heaven.” he cried, “I’ll never do so again.”	66. He prayed to heaven to help him and resolved not to do so again.
67. Who knew that this would happen!”	66. He said that none knew that (that) would happen.
68. “Good Heavens!” We have reached the station.” said the boys.	69. The boys exclaimed with delight that they had reached the station.
69. Father said, “Sunil, go to school.”	69. Father asked Sunil to go to school.
70. The teacher said, “Keep quiet my boys.”	70. The teacher asked the boys to keep quiet.
71. The teacher said, “Keep quiet my dear boys.”	71. The teacher affectionately asked the boys to keep quiet.
72. “Jim darling!” cried Della “Don’t look at me that way”	72. Addressing Jim as her darling, Della implored him not to look at her that way.
73. I said to him, “Who are you? What do you want?”	73. I asked him who he was and what he wanted.
74.  Shila said to me, “I have left my pencil at home. Can you give me one to write with?”	74. Shila told me that she had left the pencil at home and asked me if I could give her one to write with.
75. Mr. Sen said to his friend, “What time is it? My watch has stopped.”	75. Mr. Sen asked his friend what time it was and added that his watch had stopped.
76. Biman said, “Why are you still waiting here, Bipin? Go away now.	76. Biman asked Bipin why he was still waiting there. Then he ordered him to go away.

Change the following sentences into indirect narration.

1. The teacher said to the boy, “You have forgotten the lesson.”
2. “Do you know the way to the station?” She said to Mahim.
3. “Where do you live?” asked the stranger.
4. I said to him, “Please explain the passage”
5. She said, “Let him eat whatever he likes.”
6. The boy said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.”
7. Refat said, “My friend! I always thought of you.”
8. My father said to my mother, “I have often advised you not to indulge your son so much."
9. John said to Julia, “Why didn’t you telephone me yesterday?”
10. “Have you anything to say on behalf of the prisoner?” said the judge finally.
11. “Hurry up,” he said to his servant, “do not waste your time.”
12. He said, “Alas our foes are strong.”
13. The teacher promised, “If you will come tomorrow, I will explain it.”
14. “Don’t you know the way home?” asked I.
15. She said to me, “Shall I post these letters for you.”
16. “Is there anybody there?” said the traveler.
17. “Who are you and what do you want of us?” I said to them.
18. The teacher said to the boys, “Don’t make such a noise.”
19. I said, “Let him do what he likes.”
20. My mother said to him, “May God grant you long life.”
21. You said to me, “I shall help you if you seek my help.”
22. The teacher said to the students, “Do these exercises carefully.”
23. The man said to me, “Can you show me the way to the hospital?”
24. My friend said to me, “Who has told you that I have been selected?”
25. I said to my friends, “Let us form an English language club.”
26. The beggar said to me, “Let me have a plate of rice.”
27. The foreigner said, “What a nice country you have!”
28. The teacher said to the boy, “I have examined your script carefully.”
29. “Can you help me?” She said to Mahim.
30. “What is your name?” asked the stranger.
31. I said to him, “Don’t open my file”
32. He said, “Let us solve the problem mutually.”
33. The boy said, “Alas! My father is dead.”
34. Mother said to me, “Long live my son.”
35. He said, “Will you accompany me.”
36. Tom said to John, “How nice your hand writing is!”
37. He said to me, “I have often told you not to play with fire.”
38. “You have all done very badly” remarked the teacher.
39. They wrote, “It is time we thought about setting this matter.”
40. The teacher promised, “If you come to class tomorrow, I will explain it.”
41. She wrote, “I am waiting and watching and longing for my son’s return.”
42. The examiners order were, “No one is to bring books into the room nor ask me questions about what I have told you to do.”
43. The man said to her, “Promise me that when you are Queen you will give me a job at your court.”
44. “That’s my horse,” said she, “and if I do not prove it in a few minutes I will give up my claim.”
45. “I will avenge your wrongs,” he cried, “I will not enter Athens until I have punished the king who had so cruelly treated you.”
46. Aladin said to the magician, “What have I done to deserve so severe a blow?”
47. The poor man exclaimed, “Will none of you help me?”
48. He said to us, “Why are you all sitting about there doing nothing?”
49. “Which is the proper way to answer this question father?” the boy enquired.
50. “Dear bird,” she said stroking its feather, “have you come to comfort me in my sorrow?”
51. When the Brahmin approached, the first thief said, “Why do you carry a dog on your back? Are you not ashamed?”
52. “Bring me a cup of milk”, said the swami to the villagers.
53. “Take off your hat” the king said to the hatter.
54. “What a stupid fellow you are!” he angrily remarked.
55. He said, “My God! I am ruined.”
56. “Ah me,” exclaimed the Queen, “What a rash and bloody deed you have done!”
57. He said to me, “You are wicked; so I shall not mix with you.”
58. You said to him, “I am ill; so I can’t come to your place.”
59. He said to you, “I was much impressed by your eloquence.”
60. We remarked, “God is gracious.”
61. They said to me, “We have been your friends all through. You may rely on us for support.”
62. You said to them, “Have you seen the man who came to me the other day?”
63. “Come here, please give me a book.” He said to us.
64. The president said to the members, “Please obey the chair.”
65. I said to her, “May you live long.”
66. You said, “By God! I never meant you any harm.”
67. You said to me, “How clever your action was!”
68. She said to him, “Father, kindly excuse me this time.”
69. The boy said, “Sir, please grant me leave.”
70. He said, “Let me try.”
71. I said to him, “Where did you see me and what do you think of me?”
72. He said to me, “Is there no hope for me?”