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Direct and indirect speech, Taught not just answered.
A real-time, 1:1 lesson on Direct and indirect speech: an AI teacher explains it out loud while it visualizes every step. Interrupt it, ask why, and it checks you got it, in 26 languages.
The idea
What is Direct and indirect speech?
Direct and indirect speech are two ways of reporting what someone said. Direct speech quotes the exact words inside quotation marks: She said, 'I am tired.' Indirect (reported) speech folds the words into your own sentence without quotes: She said that she was tired. Moving from direct to indirect usually shifts the tense back one step, changes pronouns to match the reporter's viewpoint, and swaps words like 'now', 'here' and 'today' for 'then', 'there' and 'that day'.
Where it appears: CBSE and ICSE English Classes 8 to 10, Cambridge IGCSE English, IELTS and TOEFL grammar, SSC exams.
Where learners get stuck
Why Direct and indirect speech is hard
The backshift of tenses trips most learners: present becomes past, past becomes past perfect, and will becomes would. Questions and commands follow their own patterns (asked if, told to), and pronoun changes are easy to miss.
The picture a good explanation starts with: A two-column table with a direct sentence on the left and its reported form on the right, with coloured arrows linking each changed word: tense, pronoun and time expression.
A lesson, step by step
How a lesson on Direct and indirect speech goes
01
Ask
Type or say "Why does the tense change in reported speech?" in your own words, in any of 26 languages.
02
Plan
The tutor plans a storyboard, one picture per idea, starting with a two-column table with a direct sentence on the left and its reported form on the right, with coloured arrows linking each changed word: tense, pronoun and time expression.
03
Explain
It explains Direct and indirect speech out loud while the picture builds step by step, pitched to your level (CBSE and ICSE English Classes 8 to 10 and up).
04
Interrupt
Say "wait, why?" or type a doubt: it stops, answers over the picture, and carries on. Ask for a different explanation any time.
05
Check
A checkpoint question makes sure the idea landed, and Test Lab keeps the practice going.
06
Your notes
Upload a PDF or a photo of your class notes or a past paper and the lesson follows your textbook's terms.
Ask it anything
Questions learners ask about Direct and indirect speech
- Why does the tense change in reported speech?
- How do I report a question in indirect speech?
- Does 'will' always become 'would' in indirect speech?
Any of these, or your own, typed or spoken. The tutor answers on the picture and adapts to how well you are following.
Questions
Asked, Answered
Can LetMeTeach explain Direct and indirect speech?
Yes. Ask in your own words and the tutor plans a lesson on Direct and indirect speech: it starts with a two-column table with a direct sentence on the left and its reported form on the right, with coloured arrows linking each changed word: tense, pronoun and time expression. Then it explains each step out loud as the picture builds, stops when you say "wait, why?", and ends with a checkpoint question.
Where does Direct and indirect speech come up?
CBSE and ICSE English Classes 8 to 10, Cambridge IGCSE English, IELTS and TOEFL grammar, SSC exams. The lesson is pitched to your level and the exam or curriculum you follow, and you can upload your own notes or past papers so it uses your textbook's terms.
Can I learn Direct and indirect speech in my own language?
Yes. LetMeTeach teaches in 26 languages and plans the lesson in the language you choose rather than translating an English one, so the terms match what your textbook says. The Free plan includes 7 hours a month with no card.
Last updated
Learn Direct and indirect speech, Starting now.
Ask "Why does the tense change in reported speech?" and watch the answer drawn. The Free plan needs no card.