reported speech of universal truth

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Direct and indirect speech of universal truth, habitual action, historical event/fact with examples | reported speech habitual actions.

Not sure how to change the narration of Universal Truth, Habitual Actions, Historical Events ?

That's what we are going to talk about here.

Introduction

Universal Truth

Habitual Actions
Historical Events

So all you have to do is only to remember a simple rule, that is -

When the reported clause/statement of a direct speech is a universal truth speech or any historical event or a habitual action (a part of the daily routine), then the tense in the indirect speech doesn’t change, no matter in whatever tense the reporting verb ( say/said ) is.

Let's say there is a reported statement the teacher said, "The sun rises in the east."

We know that the reported statement changes according to the tense of the reporting verb in the indirect speech.

But in this case, the reported speech “The sun rises in the east” won't change though the reporting verb 'said' is in the past.

It happens because, the statement is a description of a natural incident , and so, it is universally true. It means, you can never alter the speech as you can't alter the natural incident.

You cannot say that the sun rose in the east . If you say this you 'll mean that the sun rose in the east today and often, it rises in other directions . But it has been rising in the east from millions of years ago and will continue to do so millions of years after.

Isn’t it?

For the same reason, in habitual actions and historical events, the tense is not changed.

Are you curious to know how it happens?

Indirect Narration of

Here we are going to see that the reported statement of each direct narration is a universal truth , that is a statement universally accepted as true.

Universal truth speeches include - any moral principle, natural phenomena, mathematical equation, scientific statement etc.

Have a look at the examples –

I. Moral Principles and Proverbs:

Direct – Mr. Sen said, “Truth wins always.”

Indirect – Mr. Sen said that Truth wins always.

...Truth won always. ❌

Direct – “Honesty is the best policy.” They said.

Indirect – They said that honesty is the best policy.

Direct – The teacher said to us, “ Man is mortal. ”

Indirect – The teacher told us that Man is mortal .

... man was mortal. ❌

Direct – “An apple a day keeps the doctors away.” My grand father said with an apple in his hand.

Indirect – My grand father said with an apple in his hand that an apple a day keeps the doctors away.

Direct – She said, “A drowning man will clutch at a straw.”

Indirect – She said that a drowning man will clutch at a straw.

Direct – I said, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

Indirect – I said that cleanliness is next to godliness.

Direct – The lady said, “An empty vessel makes much noise.”

Indirect – The lady said that an empty vessel makes much noise.

Direct – The leader said, “Where there is will there is a way.”

Indirect – The leader said that where there is will there is a way.

Direct – I said, “A cat has nine lives.”

Indirect – I said that a cat has nine lives.

Direct – The man said, “A barking dog seldom bites.”

Indirect – The man said that a barking dog seldom bites.

Direct – His wife said to him, “A bad workman always blames his tools.”

Indirect – His wife told him that a bad workman always blames his tools.

II. Natural Phenomena:

Colour –

Direct – He said to me, “Grass is green.”

Indirect – He told me that grass is green

Direct – Harry said, “Milk is white.”

Indirect – Harry said that milk is white.

Direct – She said to me, “Coal is black.”

Indirect – She told me that coal is black.

Direct – The mother said to the baby, “Sky is blue.”

Indirect – The mother told the baby that sky is blue.

Direct – She said to us, “The colour of blood is red.”

Indirect – She told us that the colour of human blood is red.

Direct – I said, “Water is colourless.”

Indirect – I said that water is colourless.

Taste –

Direct – “Water is tasteless.” Said the the teacher.

Indirect – The teacher said that water is tasteless.

Direct – “Honey tastes sweet.” Said the child.

Indirect – The child said that honey tastes sweet.

Others –

Direct – The teacher said, “The sun gives us light.”

Indirect – The teacher said that the sun gives us light.

Direct – Jack said, “The dog is a faithful animal.”

Indirect – Jack said that the dog is a faithful animal.

Direct – The student said, “The sun reses in the east.”

Indirect – The student said that the sun rises in the east.

III. Mathematical Equations:

Direct – “Five and five make ten.” Said the girl.

Indirect – The girl said that five and five make four.

Direct – “Three and six make nine.” She said.

Indirect – She said that three and six make nine.

Direct – The mother said to the child, “If we multiply ten with five, we get fifty.”

Indirect – The mother taught the child that if we multiply ten with five, we get fifty.

Direct – The mother said to the child, “Three times eight is twenty-four.”

Indirect – The mother taught the child that three times eight is twenty-four.

( Three times eight is twenty-four => 8×3 = 24 )

IV. Scientific Statements:

Direct – The teacher said to the children, “Water freezes into ice below 0°C.”

Indirect – The teacher told the children that water freezes into ice below 0°C.

Direct – The teacher said, “Acid reacts with a base to form salt.”

Indirect – The teacher said that Acid reacts with a base to form salt.

V. Other -

Direct – I said, “The leaning tower of Pisa is a wonder.”

Indirect – I said that the leaning tower of Pisa is a wonder.

Direct – He said, “ The earth moves around the sun. ”

Indirect – He said that the earth moves around the sun.

... moved around the sun. ❌

[Related: Direct and Indirect Speech rules for Vocative word or Addressing word .]

Read more: 100+ Narration change Exercises .

Habitual Action

**Habitual actions are those actions that are performed by a person regularly.

For a speech denoting a habitual action, words/phrases like every, every morning, every night, every afternoon, every week, every month, every year, daily, once a day, once a week etc. are used in the reported speech.

E.g. –

Direct – Ram said, "We play cricket everyday ."

Indirect – Ram said that they play cricket everyday.

... played cricket everyday. ❌

Direct – He said to me, “I go to school everyday .”

Indirect – He told me that he goes to school everyday.

... went to school everyday. ❌

Direct – Mohan said to me, “My grandfather does yoga every morning .”

Indirect – Mohan told me that his grandfather does yoga every morning.

... did yoga every morning. ❌

Direct – She said to the boy, “What do you play every afternoon ?”

Indirect – She asked the boy what does he play every afternoon.

... what did he play... ❌

Direct – I said to them, “I watch movies daily .”

Indirect – I told them that I watch movies daily.

... I watched ... ❌

Direct – She said to me, “Kalpit comes here once a day .”

Indirect – she told me that Kalpit goes there once a day.

... went there... ❌

Direct – Rihana said to me, “We play chess once a week .”

Indirect – Rihana told me that they play chess once a week.

... played chess ... ❌

Direct – The lady said, “He calls me once in a blue moon.”

Indirect – the lady said that he calls her once in a blue moon.

... called her ... ❌

Direct – They said to the man, “The dog barks every afternoon.”

Indirect – They told the man that the dog barks every afternoon.

... dog barked ... ❌

Related: Direct and Indirect Speech - WH Questions .

Historical Event

One of the basic rules for changing the narration suggests that - when the reporting verb and the reported speech both are in past tense , then the indirect speech will be in past perfect tense .

But, in case the reported speech is a historical fact , the aforementioned rule is not followed.

Rather, the reported speech is written in the indirect as it is (in past tense)

Direct – Our teacher said, “The French Revolution had started in 1789.”

Indirect – Our teacher said that the French Revolution had started in 1789.

... had been started ... ❌

Direct – I said to them, “Mahatma Gandhi died on 30th January, 1948.”

Indirect – I told them that Mahatma Gandhi died on 30th January, 1948.

... had died ... ❌

Direct – He said to us, “Srigupta founded the Gupta Dynasty.”

Indirect – He told us that Srigupta Founded the Gupta Dynasty.

... had founded ... ❌

Direct – Our teacher said to us, “The Russian Revolution took place in 1917.”

Indirect – Our teacher told us that the Russian Revolution took place in 1917.

... had taken place ... ❌

Direct – I said to him, “The English defeated the French in the Battle of Swalley.”

Indirect – I told him that the English Defeated the French in the Battle of Swalley.

... had defeated ... ❌

Direct – He said to us, “The English came to India after the Portuguese.”

Indirect – He told us that the English came to India after the Portuguese.

... had come to ... ❌

Direct – Ammie said to us, “Hitler first attacked Poland.”

Indirect – Ammie told us that Hitler first attacked Poland.

... had attacked ... ❌

Direct – The student said, “The Industrial Revolution occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. ”

Indirect – The student said that t he Industrial Revolution occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840.

Read more : How to Change the Narration of Different Sentences (Basic Level of Changing the Narration) .

Now you know everything about how to change the narration of Universal Truth, Habitual Actions and Historical Events .

Thank you...

Posted by Souvik

You may like these posts, post a comment.

it is a hard thing to be very poor. What about this one?? What will be its narration

Yeah. It is a universally true speech. So, you needn't change anything.

It was really helpful

He said to me "do women tend to live longer than men in this world?" Convert it please

She said, "I know you. You are Sam and you live next door." How will I convert to indirect speech?

Please give the examples of molarity in direct and indirect speech

Highly useful

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19 Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Examples (Updated)

Have you ever struggled with the rules of direct and indirect speech? You’re not alone. These forms of speech can be challenging, but mastering them is crucial for clear and effective communication, especially for school students, ESL learners, and those preparing for competitive exams.

Understanding direct and indirect speech conversion rules is crucial for clear and accurate communication and the conversion between direct and indirect speech will significantly enhance your language skills.

This informative article will explore these Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for Conversion with detailed examples.

Understanding Direct Speech

Direct speech is a form of reporting that presents someone’s exact words without any alterations. It is commonly enclosed in quotation marks, allowing readers to see the speaker’s statements precisely as they were uttered.

1. Key Elements of Direct Speech

a . Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are your best friends here. They compress the exact words spoken by a person.

b. Punctuation Placement

Punctuation is crucial. Commas , periods , question marks , and exclamation points all have their specific places within the quotation marks.

c. Speaker Tags

Speaker tags like “he said” or “she exclaimed” are often used to indicate who is speaking. These can be placed before , after , or even in the middle of the quoted speech.

2. E xamples of Direct Speech

a. Basic Examples

Consider this simple example:

Ritu said, “I am going to the store.”

Here, the exact words of Ritu are presented within quotation marks.

b. Complex Examples

Now, let’s add more complexity:

“I can’t believe it,” she whispered, “but I saw a unicorn in the garden.”

Notice how the sentence is split into two parts, but both are still within quotation marks.

For a better understanding of Direct Narration

Understanding Direct Narration for Direct and Indirect Speech Rules.

“I shall not go to school,” are the exact words of Riya, enclosed in quotation marks/inverted commas (“….”). This format, which uses commas and quotation marks/inverted commas, is called direct speech . In this sentence, ‘Riya’ is the subject or speaker, ‘says’ is the reporting verb, and ‘I shall not go to school’ is the reported speech.

Understanding Indirect Speech

Indirect speech , on the other hand, involves paraphrasing someone’s words and reporting them indirectly, without using quotation marks. It requires a few changes in structure, such as tense and pronoun shifts. Let’s convert the previous example of direct speech into indirect speech:

1. Key Elements of Indirect Speech

a. Removing Quotation Marks

Unlike direct speech, indirect speech doesn’t require quotation marks. You’re paraphrasing what was said.

b. Changing Pronouns

Pronouns often need to be changed to fit the new context. For instance, “I” becomes “he” or “she.”

c. Adjusting Tenses

Tenses usually shift back when converting to indirect speech. Present tense often turns into past tense.

d. Modifying Time Expressions

Time expressions like “today” or “tomorrow” also change to maintain the timeline consistency.

2. Examples of Indirect Speech

Basic Examples

Here’s a simple conversion:

Direct: John said, “I am going to the store.”
Indirect: John said that he was going to the store.

Complex Examples

For a more complex sentence:

Direct: “I can’t believe it,” she whispered, “but I saw a unicorn in the garden.”
Indirect: She whispered that she couldn’t believe it but that she had seen a unicorn in the garden.

For a clear concept of Indirect Narration

Indirect narration of Direct and Indirect Speech Rules.

Similarly, we can report the above sentence without quoting Riya’s exact words while keeping the meaning the same. This format is called indirect speech. In this format, no commas or quotation marks/inverted commas are used; only a full stop (.) is used at the end of the sentence.

Difference between direct and indirect speech rules

The following comparison highlights the key differences between direct and indirect speech rules, including punctuation, tense changes, and adjustments to pronouns and time references.

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules: Essential for Learners

Discover the essential rules of direct and indirect speech with a variety of examples to improve your language skills. Effortlessly understand the intricacies of converting statements, questions, and commands from one form to another.

Understanding direct and indirect speech is crucial for effective communication, for learners. Here, we have outlined the essential rules you need to know.

A. Reporting Verbs Rules B. Tenses Rules C. Pronouns Rules D. Punctuation Marks Rules E. Modals and Conditional Rules F. Modifying Words Rules

A. Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for Reporting Verbs

Different reporting verbs are used to introduce indirect speech. The choice of reporting verb can convey the speaker’s attitude towards the reported speech.

Changes in reporting verbs according to tense are one of the most important rules for converting direct speech into indirect speech.

Remember: If the reporting verbs are in the present or future tense, the tense of the verb in the reported speech is not changed .

Remember: If the reporting verbs are in the past tense , the tense of the verb in the reported speech will be in the corresponding past tense.

Here are some commonly used reporting verbs:

Rule 1: Reporting verbs rules for ‘ Say ‘ and ‘ Tell ‘.

“Say” and “tell” are two frequently used reporting verbs. “Say” is generally followed by the reported speech, while “tell” is followed by the indirect object (the person being addressed).

Direct: He says , “I am your friend.” Indirect: He says that he is your friend.

Direct: He said to me, “I’m going to the store.” Indirect: She told me that he was going to the store.

Reporting verbs ‘Say’ and ‘Tell’ Chart

Rule 2: ‘ ask ‘ and ‘ inquire’ are used as reporting verbs..

When reporting questions , “ ask “ and “ inquire “ are commonly employed reporting verbs.

Direct: He said to me, “Where are you going?” Indirect: He asked where I was going.

Direct: She said , “When will the concert start?” Indirect: She inquired, “When will the concert start?”

Direct: Sarah said , “What time does the movie start?” Indirect: Sarah asked what time the movie started.

Direct: “Could you please provide more details?” she said to me. Indirect: She inquired politely if I could provide more details.

Direct: The customer said , “Do you have this item in stock?” Indirect: The customer i nquired if that item had in stock.

Rule 3: Reporting Verb rules for “ Request “, “ Advise “, “ Order “, and “ Beg “.

To report imperative sentences, “Request”, “Advise”, “Order”, and “beg” are often used.

Direct: “Please close the door,” she said . Indirect: She requested that the door be closed.

Direct: “You should study regularly,” he said. Indirect: He advised that regular studying should be done.

Direct: “Stand up straight,” the sergeant said . Indirect: The sergeant ordered that they stand up straight.

Direct: He said to me, “Go home at once” Indirect: He ordered me to go home at once.

Direct: She said , “Do not run in the sun” Indirect: She advised not to run in the sun.”

Direct: “Please forgive me,” she said. Indirect: She begged for forgiveness.

B. Tenses Rules for Direct and Indirect Speech

The second most important rule is the changes of Tenses for converting direct speech to indirect speech. When transforming direct speech into indirect speech, there are specific rules to follow regarding tense changes:

Rule 4: If the reporting verb is in the present tense ,

If the Reporting Verb is in the Present Tense , there is no change in the tense in the Reported Verb when Direct Speech is converted into Indirect Narration.

Direct: Arnab says , “The room is dark.” Indirect: Arnab says that the room is dark.

Direct: Arnab says , “The room was dark.” Indirect: Arnab says that the room was dark.

Direct: Arnab says , “I shall finish the work.” Indirect: Arnab says that he will finish the work.

Direct: Mary says , “I am going to the party.” Indirect: Mary says that she is going to the party.

Direct: He tells us, “I will finish the project by tomorrow.” Indirect: He tells us that he will finish the project by tomorrow.

Rule 5: If the reporting verb is in the future tense ,

If the Reporting Verb is in the Future Tense , there is no change in the tense in the Reported Verb when Direct Speech is converted into Indirect Narration.

Direct: Sarah will say , “I am going to the store.” Indirect: Sarah will say that she is going to the store.

Direct: John will say, “I have completed the assignment.” Indirect: John will say that he has completed the assignment.

Direct: Arnab will say, “The room is dark.” Indirect: Arnab will say that the room is dark.

Direct: Arnab will say , “The room was dark.” Indirect: Arnab will say that the room was dark.

Direct: Arnab will say, “I shall finish the work.” Indirect: Arnab will say that he will finish the work.

Rule 6: If the reporting verb is in the past tense ,

If the Reporting verb of the Direct Narration is in the Past Tense , the Present Tense of the Verb in the Reported Speech of Direct Narration is changed into the corresponding Past Tense in Indirect Narration .

Direct: Rohan said , “She works hard.” Indirect: Rohan said that she worked hard.

Direct: Rohan said, “She is singing a song.” Indirect: Rohan said that she was singing a song.

Direct: The guest said shouting, “We have arrived .” Indirect: The guest shouted that they had arrived.

Direct: My sister said , “It has been raining hard for 3 days”. Indirect: My sister said that it had been raining hard for 3 days.

Direct: Father said, “I visited the Taj yesterday.” Indirect: Father said that he had visited the Taj the previous day.

Direct: The boys said, “They were traveling in the park.” Indirect: The boys said that they had been traveling in the park.

Direct: The reporters commented , “The Kohinoor had been lost long ago”. Indirect: The reporters commented that the Kohinoor had been lost long ago.

Direct: Jyotsna said, “ She had been doing the work for 3 hours”. Indirect: Jyotsna said that she had been doing the work for 3 hours.

Rule: 7 If the reported speech implies Universal Truth or Habitual Fact or Scientific Truth ,

The Tense of the Verb remains unchanged in Indirect Narration in cases of General Statements of Facts , Universal Truths , Commonplace Occurrences , and Habitual or Repeated Actions . No real change occurs in these cases. Only there will be present Tense alone.

Direct: The boy said to his mother, “ The sun rises in the East”. Indirect: The boy told his mother that the sun rises in the East. [ Universal Truth ]

Direct: The monk answered , “ Man is mortal”. Indirect: The monk answered that man is mortal. [ Universal Truth ]

Direct: The teacher told the students, “ Perseverance always leads to success.” Indirect: The teacher told the students that perseverance always leads to success.

3. Direct and Indirect Speech R ules for Pronouns

There are certain rules to follow regarding the changes of pronouns from direct speech to indirect speech:

Rule 8: Personal Pronouns (I, We, You, He, She, They) Rules

First person.

(a) If the subject of the reported speech of direct form is in the first person, the subject of the reported speech will be replaced by the subject of the reporting verb in indirect form, but the number must be the same. [ singular > singular and plural > plural ]

Direct: She says, “ I am ill today.” Indirect: She says that she is ill that day.

Second Person

(b) If the subject of the reported speech in the Direct Form is in the second person, the subject of the reported speech will be replaced by the object of the reporting verb in the indirect form, but the number must be the same. [ singular > singular and plural > plural ]

Direct: He says to me , ” You can do this work.” Indirect: He tells me that I can do that work.

Third Person

(c) If the subject of the reported speech of Direct Form is in the third person, there will be no change in the person of the Indirect Form.

Direct: I said, “ He will not wait for his friend.” Indirect: I said that he would not wait for his friend.

Pronouns Chart : direct and indirect speech rules

Rule 9: demonstrative pronouns ( this, that ) rules.

In the case of demonstrative pronouns, replace them with appropriate pronouns in indirect speech.

Direct: “ This is my book,” she said. Indirect: She said that this was her book.

4. Direct and Indirect Speech ( Punctuation and Quotation Marks ) Rules

Understanding how to punctuate and use quotation marks correctly is crucial when dealing with direct and indirect speech. Here are some guidelines:

Rule 10: Comma with Reporting Verb Rules

When introducing indirect speech with a reporting verb, use a comma to separate the reporting verb from the reported speech.

Example: She said, “I’ll be there on time.”

Rule 11: Question Mark to Full Stop Rules

If the direct speech is a question, change the question mark to a full stop when converting to indirect speech.

Direct: He asked, “Are you coming to the party?” Indirect: He asked if I was coming to the party.

Rule 12: Exclamation Mark to Full Stop Rules

In cases where the direct speech has an exclamation mark, replace it with a full stop in indirect speech.

Direct: She exclaimed, “What a beautiful day!” Indirect: She exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.

E. Direct to Indirect Speech Conversion Rules : Modals and Conditional Sentences

Indirect speech involving modals and conditional sentences requires careful attention to maintain accuracy:

Rule 13: Rules of Modals in Indirect Speech

When dealing with modals like can, could, will, would, may, might, shall, should, must, etc., use the appropriate past form in indirect speech.

Direct: She said, “You should respect your elders. Indirect: She said that I should respect my elders.

Direct: She said, “I can speak French fluently. Indirect: She said that she could speak French fluently.

Direct: May I borrow your pen?” she asked. Indirect: She asked if she might borrow my pen.

Direct: He said, “You must complete the assignment by tomorrow. Indirect: He said that I must complete the assignment by the next day.

Rule 14: Conditional Sentences in Indirect Speech Rules

In indirect speech, conditional sentences undergo specific changes, especially when they involve “will” or “would.”

Direct: He said, “I will help you.” Indirect: He said that he would help me.

Direct: He said, “I will help you with your project Indirect: He said that he would help me with my project.

F. Direct and Indirect Speech Rules: ( Modifying Words – Time, Place, Manner )

Adding modifying words or phrases can alter the meaning of the reported speech:

Rule 15: Reporting with Adverbs of Time

When using adverbs of time in indirect speech, adjust them to match the new timeframe.

Direct: “I will come tomorrow,” she said. Indirect: She said that she would come the next day.

Rule 16: Reporting with Adverbs of Place

Similar to adverbs of time, adverbs of place need modification in indirect speech.

Direct: ” I live here,” he said. Indirect: He said that he lived there.

Rule 17: Reporting with Adverbs of Manner

We can also use Adverbs of manner in indirect speech, requiring appropriate adjustments.

Direct: “He ran quickly,” she said. Indirect: She said that he ran quickly.

Time, Place, Manner, Distance, Direction Chart: Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

In Indirect Narration, words denoting Time, Place, Manner, Distance, and Direction used in the quoted speech are correspondingly changed to conform to the point of view of the Reporter. Thus, the sense of nearness is changed into that of Distance, and so on.

Place Chart

Manner chart, distance chart, direction chart, direct and indirect speech advanced rules.

It is necessary to know about the Direct Indirect Speech Advanced Rules to change the mode of narration from direct to indirect speech of different sentences. All five sentences of Direct Indirect Speech Conversion Rules are shown with proper examples below.

A. Assertive Sentence Conversion Rules

To convert Assertive sentences into indirect speech the following rules are applied.

(a) No comma and Inverted comma in Indirect Speech, only full stop at the end. (b) Reporting Verbs changed from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech ; ‘say – say’, ‘says – says’, ‘said – said’, ‘said to – told’, ‘say to – tell’, ‘says to – tells’. (c) Connective ‘that’ added before Reported Speech in indirect Narration.

Direct: He said to me, “I am ill.” Indirect: He told me that he was ill.

Direct: Mary said, “I am happy with my results.” Indirect: Mary said that she was happy with her results.

Direct: Tom said, “I will attend the meeting tomorrow.” Indirect: Tom said that he would attend the meeting the next day.

Direct: Alice said, “I have finished my homework.” Indirect: Alice said that she had finished her homework.

Direct: David said, “We are planning a trip to the mountains.” Indirect: David said that they were planning a trip to the mountains.

B. Interrogative sentences Conversion rules

Forming indirect speech with questions necessitates some adjustments:

a. Reporting Yes/No Questions rules

When reporting yes/no questions, use “if” or “whether” and invert the subject and auxiliary verb in indirect speech.

Direct: John asked, “Are you coming to the party?” Indirect: John asked if I was coming to the party.

Direct: Sarah asked, “Do you like chocolate?” Indirect: Sarah asked if I liked chocolate.

Direct: Mike asked, “Have you finished your project?” Indirect: Mike asked if I had finished my project.

Direct: Emma asked, “Will you help me with my homework?” Indirect: Emma asked if I would help her with her homework.

Direct: “Will you be there?” he asked. Indirect: He asked if I would be there.

b. Reporting Wh-Questions rules

For reporting wh-questions, maintain the question word and adjust the word order in indirect speech.

(a) ‘Tell’ and ‘say’ in Direct Narration are changed to ‘ask’, ‘enquire of’, ‘question’, ‘want to know’ etc. in Indirect Narration. (b) In place of introductory ‘that’. ‘if’ or ‘whether’ should be used. (c) In Indirect Narration a full stop (.) must be put in place of a question mark(?) at the end of the sentence. (d) In Direct Narration the Reported Speech begins with W-word or how, in Indirect Narration the same Wh-word or how is retained.

Direct: Lisa asked, “Where are you going?” Indirect: Lisa asked where I was going.

Direct: Mark asked, “What time does the movie start?” Indirect: Mark asked what time the movie started.

Direct: Jennifer asked, “Why did you leave early?” Indirect: Jennifer asked why I had left early.

Direct: Tom asked, “How do you solve this problem?” Indirect: Tom asked how I solved that problem.

Direct: “Where are you going?” she asked. Indirect: She asked where I was going.

Direct: The teacher said to me, “Why are you late?” Indirect: The teacher asked me why I was late.

C. Imperative Sentences Conversion rules

The indirect speech also involves reporting imperatives, which are commands, requests, or advice:

Reporting Commands

When reporting commands, use the reporting verb “tell” and change the imperative verb to the corresponding infinitive.

Direct: The teacher said, “Open your books.” Indirect: The teacher told the students to open their books.

Reporting Requests

For reporting requests, employ the reporting verb “ask” and convert the imperative verb to the corresponding infinitive.

Direct: She said, “Please help me with this.” Indirect: She asked for help with that.

(a) Reporting verbs of Direct Speech changed into order or command, advise, or request according to sense in Indirect Speech. (b) ‘To’ is placed before Reported speech in Indirect Narration; for the negative imperative sentence ‘not to’ is used. (c) ‘not to’ can also be replaced by ‘forbid’, or ‘prohibit’. (d) ‘Let’ implies ‘suggestion’ or ‘proposal’; Reporting verb will be ‘suggest’ or ‘propose’ in Indirect Speech. ‘that’ is used before Reported speech in Indirect Narration (e) ‘Let’ without ‘suggestion’ or ‘proposal’; Reporting verb will be ‘tell’, or ‘wish’ according to sense in Indirect Speech. ‘that’ is used before Reported speech in Indirect Narration.

Direct: Mother said to me, “Don’t run in the sun.” Indirect: Mother advised me not to run in the sun.

Direct: She said to me, “Let us go for a picnic.” Indirect: She suggested that we should go for a picnic.

D. Optative Sentence Conversion rules

The following rules are used to change an optative sentence from direct speech to indirect speech

(a) Reporting verbs changed to ‘ wish ’, ‘ pray’ , and ‘ bless ’ in Indirect Speech. (b) Linker, ‘ that ’ is placed before Reported speech in Indirect Narration.

Direct: The monk said to me, “ May God bless you.” Indirect: The monk wished that God might bless me.

E. Exclamatory Sentences Conversion rules

(a) The reporting verb is changed into exclaim (in joy), exclaim (in grief), cried out (in sorrow), pray, wish, etc. (b) Examinations are turned into statements. (c) Interjections (Alas, Oh, Hurrah) are omitted. (d) ‘What’, and ‘How’ used in exclamation should be replaced by great, great, very, very much, and big.

Direct: The boys said, “Hurrah! we have won the match.” Indirect: The boy exclaimed in joy that they had won the match.

Solved Exercises Direct and Indirect Speech

Change the following sentences into indirect speech.

Q: Ratan said to Anita, “I don’t like your brother”.

Ans: Ratan told Anita that she did not like her brother.

Q: The hermit said to the boys, “God is present everywhere.”

Ans: The hermit told the boys that God is present everywhere.

Q: :He said to you, “You shouldn’t play in my garden.”

Ans: He told you that you should not play in his garden.

Q: The class teacher said to the students. “The inspector will visit our school today.”

Ans: The class teacher told the students that the inspector would visit their school that day.

Q: He said to me, “I don’t believe you.”

Ans: He told me that he didn’t believe me.

Q: She said to her son, “I’ve often told you not to play with fire.”

Ans: She told her son that she had often told him not to play with fire.

Q: Sitesh said to Lina, “I want you to go to Patna with me.”

Ans: Sitesh told Lina that he wanted her to go to Patna with him.

Q: “We can’t be quite happy in life,” he said.

Ans: He said that they couldn’t be quite happy in life.

Q: He said, “The Muslims bury their dead.”

He said that the Muslims bury their dead.

Q: “You’ve overcooked the steak again, Mary”, he said.

Ans: He told Mary that she had overcooked the steak again.

Q: Ramen said to Bina, “I’m going to your house this, week.”

Ans: Ramen told Bina that he was going to her house that week.

Q: He said, “We will discuss this tomorrow.”

Ans: He said that they would discuss that the next day

Turn the following sentences into direct speech.

Q: He said to me, “You are wicked; so I shall not mix with you.”

Ans: He told me that I was wicked; so he would not mix with me.

Q: He said to you, “I was much struck by your eloquence.”

Ans: He told you that he had been much struck by your eloquence.

Q: We remarked, “God is gracious.”

Ans: We remarked that God is gracious.

Q: I said to my mother, “I shall always obey you.”

Ans: I told my mother that I should always obey her.

Q: He said to Gopal, “You were a mere boy when I saw you last.”

Ans: He told Gopal that he was a mere boy when he had seen him last.

Q: I said to him, “The sky is blue.”

Ans: I told him that the sky is blue.

Q: He said to me, “You will feel the consequences.”

Ans: He told me that I should feel the consequences.

Q: She said to you, “I am not angry with you.”

Ans: She told you that she was not angry with you.

Q: I said to them, “You have done wrong.”

Ans: I told them that they had done wrong.

Q: He said, “I visit the temple every day.”

Ans: He said that he visited the temple every day.

Direct and Indirect Speech Sample MCQ Questions Answers

Fill in the blanks with proper direct and indirect speech rules.

d) had been
Answer: a) was
c) will like
d) had liked
Answer: a) liked
a) will visit
b) would visit
d) had visited
Answer: b) would visit
Answer: c) was
c) will have
Answer: b) had
Answer: b) could
a) revolves
c) revolved
d) is revolving
Answer: a) revolves
b) had been
Answer: b) had been
Answer: b) would

FAQs : Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

Q : what is the key difference between direct and indirect speech.

Ans: The main difference lies in the quoting style. Direct speech involves repeating someone’s exact words, while indirect speech reports what was said without quoting verbatim.

FAQ 2: Is it always necessary to backshift the tense in indirect speech?

Ans: While backshifting is common, some exceptions exist, especially in cases where the statement’s truth remains constant.

FAQ 3: How do I handle multiple speakers in indirect speech?

Ans: When reporting multiple speakers, use appropriate reporting verbs and introduce each person’s dialogue in a logical sequence.

FAQ 4: Can I mix direct and indirect speech in the same sentence?

Ans: Combining direct and indirect speech in a sentence is possible, but it requires precision to avoid confusion.

FAQ 5: What are some reporting verbs commonly used in indirect speech?

Ans: Reporting verbs like “said,” “told,” “asked,” “claimed,” and “explained” are frequently employed.

FAQ 6: How can I ensure my writing maintains a natural flow when switching between direct and indirect speech?

Ans: Focus on maintaining consistency in style and verb tense to ensure a smooth transition between direct and indirect speech.

FAQ 7: How do I identify direct and indirect speech in a sentence?

Ans: Direct speech is usually enclosed within quotation marks and directly quotes someone’s words. Indirect speech, on the other hand, reports those words without quotation marks, often using reporting verbs like “said,” “told,” “asked,” etc.

FAQ 8: Can reporting verbs change the meaning of indirect speech?

Ans: Yes, the choice of reporting verbs can convey the speaker’s attitude or emotions towards the reported speech. Different reporting verbs can modify the meaning slightly.

FAQ 9: What are the common reporting verbs for indirect speech?

Ans: Common reporting verbs for indirect speech include “say,” “tell,” “ask,” “inquire,” “explain,” “describe,” and more.

FAQ 10: How do I change tenses in indirect speech?

Ans: The tense in indirect speech is generally shifted back one step. For example, present simple becomes past simple, present continuous becomes past continuous, and so on.

FAQ 11: Is it essential to use quotation marks in indirect speech?

Ans: No, quotation marks are not used in indirect speech as they report the speech without directly quoting it.

FAQ 12: Can you give an example of indirect speech in narratives?

Ans: Certainly! In the story, he said, “I love you,” to which she replied that she loved him too.

FAQ 14: Can we omit the reporting verb in indirect speech?

Ans: It is possible to omit the reporting verb in some cases, especially in informal contexts, but including it adds clarity and structure to the reported speech.

FAQ 15: Do all tenses change in indirect speech?

Ans: Most tenses change in indirect speech, but the changes depend on the context and the tense of the original statement.

FAQ 16: Can you provide more examples of direct and indirect speech transformations?

Ans: Certainly! Here are a few more examples:

Direct: “I am reading a book,” she said. Indirect: She said that she was reading a book.

Direct: “We have completed the project,” they exclaimed. Indirect: They exclaimed that they had completed the project.

FAQ 17: How can I practice using direct and indirect speech effectively?

Ans: Practice by converting direct speech to indirect speech and vice versa using various reporting verbs, tenses, and pronouns. Additionally, read books or articles and identify the reported speech used by the authors.

Subject Verb Agreement Class 10 Worksheet Answers Notes Rules

Direct InDirect - Reported Speech

Direct / InDirect

What Is An Direct / InDirect
Rules / Changes
Home / First - Page

Direct - InDirect / Reported - Speech

Direct / InDirect Speech
Reporting / Reported Speech

Definitions:

Indirect / reported speech | rules:.

Rules of Say
Rule of That
Rules of Words
Rules of Pronoun
Rules of Pronoun Replacement

2) Rule of - "That"

3) rule of pronoun:, 4) rule of - "words", 5) pronoun replacement.

If (I,we) --- Get A Subject
If (You) --- Get An Object
If (He,She,it,they) --- No Change

How To Make - Examples?

Step No 1 - First we will take the - She
Step No 2 - Second we will take the - says to but before we take this we have to see in Rule of Say and in the rules we will see what is the change of says to and the change is tells
So till now our indirect sentence is She tells
Step No 3 - Third we will take me so then sentence will become - She tells me
Step No 4 - Fourth We will replace ( " , ) Comma and quotation mark With That
Now our sentence is She tells me that
Step No 5 - Fifth we will see after commna what we have means do we have I , we Or Your because in this case we have I so will take the subject which is she don't be confuse this is from Rule No 5
Now we the setence is She tells me that she
Step No 6 - we will take teach but because we are learning present narrations and as you know in present we have the rule of third person singular which means we have she so will add es at the end of the verb and in this example verb is teach so it will become teaches
Now we have successfully made our sentence Which is (She tells me that she teaches english)

Wh-Words - In Reported Speech:

Definition:.

Said To --- Ask
Question changes into Statement
That --- If /Whether

Rules Explanation:

Imperative - sentences.

Said To --- Advised , Ordered , Request , Threatened [ According to Situtation ]
That ---- Not to

Modals - Direct InDirect:

Can ---- We Use Can To Show - [ Ability , Request , Permission , Possibility ] and if you want to learn can in detail so kindly visit this Can Modal Page
Will ---- Will is the helping verb of future indefinite tense
Shall ---- Shall is also the helping verb of future indefinite but the only difference is that we use Shall only with ( I , We )
Must ---- We Use Must To Show - [ Personal Feeling , Certainty of Work , Importance of Work ]
May ---- [ Permission , Possibility , Pray ]

So these are the modals which we can use in our narrations and more over if you don't understand any of modal here no need to take tension because i have already made the detail explaination on each modals. if its hard for you to find any of these modals in my website again no tension because i have given the links to particular pages which you can see above

Rules For Modals:

Can ---- Could
Will ---- Would
Shall ---- Should
Must ---- Had To
May ---- Might

Universal Truth - InDirect - Reported Speech:

Conclusion:.

Oh Yes !!! this is narrration / Direct InDirect / Reporting Speech Reported Speech i hope you liked this and if still you have any problem realted to narrations please ask from me i would love to give you answer of your questions

Something Speical For You :

Direct And Indirect Speech Complete Rules

We often convey a message or give information about what someone said, thought or felt to somebody else. In order to do this you can use the grammar structure named direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech. Indeed this structure can be a source of confusion for ESL learners because they mix it with active and passive voice . Read the whole article to know about direct and indirect speech rules.

To learn more about direct and indirect speech click here.

Initially we will look at direct and indirect speech, then look at how to convert speech from direct to indirect or vice-versa.

Direct Speech / Quoted Speech Saying or quoting exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called quoted speech) Here what a person says appears within quotation marks (“…”) a nd should be word for word.

She said, “Today’s lesson is about direct and indirect speech.” or
“Today’s lesson is about direct and indirect speech.”, she said.

Indirect Speech / Reported Speech Saying or reporting what someone said without quoting his exact words is called indirect speech. Here we don’t use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and does not have to be word for word.

He said that yesterday’s lesson was about direct and indirect speech.

Reporting Verb The verb in the first part of sentence (i.e. say, said, tell, admit, complain, explain remind, reply think, hope, offer, refuse etc.) before the statement of a person in sentence is called reporting verb.

How to Change Direct Speech into Indirect Speech?

Rule 1. (Adverbs of Time and Place)

If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time of reporting, and adverb of nearness should be put into those of distance.

Today => y esterday/ that day
This evening => t hat evening
These (days) => those (days)
Now => then
(A week) ago => (a week) before
Last weekend => the previous weekend
Here => there
Here after => there after
Next (week) => the following (week)/ a week after
Tomorrow => the next/following day
Thus => so
Last night => the previous night
Yesterday => the day before / the previous day
Hither => thither
Hence => thence

Note: If something is said and reported at the same time, then the time expression can remain the same.

He told me today, “ I will go to Karachi tomorrow.”
He told me today he would go to Karachi tomorrow.
She told me this week, “ we gave our exam last week.”
She told me this week, they had given their exam last wee.

Rule 2. Tenses

A) If the reporting verb is in present or future (i.e say, says or will say) then don’t change the tense that you can find within the quotation marks.

He says,”I was a fool then.”
He says that he was a fool then.
I will say, “ He loves his mom.”
I will say that he loves his mom.

B) If reporting verb is in the past tense. the tense of the verbs in the reported speech or indirect speech must be generally changed. This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.

He said,”I am going to the cinema.”
He said he was going to the cinema.

Tense Change As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense. Present Simple › Past simple

She said, ”it is cold,”
She said it was cold.

Present continuous › Past continuous

She said, “I’m teaching Math online.”
She said she was teaching Math online.

Present perfect › Past perfect

She said, “I’ve lived in Pakistan since 1999.”
She said she had lived in Pakistan since 1999.

Present perfect continuous › Past perfect continuous

She said, “I’ve been teaching English for seven years.”
She said she had been teaching English for seven years.

Past simple › Past perfect

She said, “I taught active and passive yesterday.”
She said she had taught active and passive yesterday.

Past continuous › Past perfect continuous

She said, “I was teaching the lesson.”
She said she had been teaching the lesson.

Past perfect › Past perfect

She said, “The lesson had already started when he arrived.”
NO CHANGE – She said the lesson had already started when he arrived.

Past perfect continuous › Past perfect continuous

She said, “I’d already been teaching for five minutes.”
NO CHANGE – She said she’d already been teaching for five minutes.

Modal verb forms also sometimes change: Will › would

She said, “I’ll teach English online tomorrow.”
She said she would teach English online tomorrow.

Can › could

She said, “I can teach English online.”
She said she could teach English online.

Must › had to

She said, “I must have a computer to teach English online.”
She said she had to have a computer to teach English online.

Shall › › should/ would

She said, “What shall we learn today?”
She asked what we should learn today.
He said, ”I shall appreciate it.”
He said he would appreciate it.

May › might

She said, “May I open a new browser?”
She asked if she might open a new browser.

Note – There is no change to; could, would, should, might and ought to.

“I might go to the cinema”, he said.
He said he might go to the cinema.

Rule 3. (After wish, would rather, had better , it is time)

Ali said, ”I wish they were in Pakistan.”
Ali said he wished they were in Pakistan.
Hussain said, “ I would rather fly.”
Hussain said he would rather fly.
Zahra said, ” they had better go.”
Zahra said they had better go.
Ahmed said, “It is time I got up.”
Ahmed said it was time he got up.

If indirect speech the words within quotation marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action or when a sentence is made and reported at the same time and the fact is still true then the tense inside the quotation marks is not changed at all.

He said,”My name is Ali.”
He said his name was Ali Or He said his name is Ali.
The teacher said,” the sun rises in the east.”
The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
Shazia said, “ I am thirsty.”
Shazia said she is thirsty.

You can also use the present tense if you are talking about a future event.

She said,”next week’s lesson is on reported speech.”
She said next week’s lesson will be on reported speech.

Rule 6. (Pronouns)

We have to change the pronouns to keep the same meaning of a sentence.

Ali said, “ We are the best players.”
Ali said they were the best players.

Note: Sometimes we have to use a noun instead of a pronoun, otherwise the new sentence is confusing consider the examples below:

Mohammad said, “He killed them.”
Mohammad said that the man had killed them.

(If we only make mechanical changes, then the new sentence can have different meaning)

Mohammad said he had killed them. (Mohammad himself killed them)

Rule 7. Reported Speech In If-Clauses.

Hussain: “If I tidied my room, my dad would be happy.”
Hussain said that if he tidied his room, his dad would be happy.
Teacher: “If you concentrate, you will learn about direct and indirect speech.”
Teacher said if we concentrate we would learn about direct and indirect speech.

Rule 8. Reported Speech of Time-Clauses.

Ali: “When I was staying in Quetta I met my best friend.” –
He said that when he was staying in Quetta he met his best friend.

Rule 9. Reported Speech of Interrogative Sentences 1. Remove the quotation marks and question mark in the interrogative sentence. 2. Use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ if the sentence inside the quotation marks begins with a helping verb (Auxiliary verb). 3. Use the given interrogative word (what, when, where, why, who, whom, whose, which, now etc.) if it does not begin with the helping verb. 4. Don‘t use ‘that’ 5. Changing the reporting verb (say, said) into ‘ask, want to know wonder or inquire’ in its correct tense. 6. Omit helping verb like ‘do, does, did’. But don’t omit them when they are with ‘not’.

Said I to my teacher,” won’t you help me to learn about direct and indirect speech complete rules?”
I asked my teacher if he would not help me to learn about direct and indirect speech complete rules.
“ How often do you go to the cinema?” Ali said to Ahmed,
Ali asked Ahmed how often he went to the cinema.
“Where have you been?” he said.
He asked me where I had been.
“What time did it start?” he said.
He wanted to know what time it had started.
“Why won’t he do it?” she said.
She wondered why he wouldn’t do it.

Rule 10. Reported Speech of Yes/ No Questions

In yes/no questions we use if or whether in questions. If is more common and whether is more formal.

“Will you go?” she asked me.
She asked me if/whether I would go.
“Did he buy a car?” she said.
She wondered if/whether he had bought a car.

Rule 11. Reported Speech of Commands and Requests

1. Remove the quotation mark in an Imperative sentence. 2. Use ‘to’ if it is an affirmative sentence. (without don‘t) 3. Use ‘not to’ if the sentence begins without Don‘t. 4. Don‘t use ‘that’ 5. Omit the word ‘please’. Use the word ‘request’ instead of ‘say’. 6. If the direct speech contains a request or a command, the reporting verb (say, said) change to tell, request, order, command etc. in its correct tense. 7. The commands, requests and advice mostly have the same form in English: verb + object + infinitive (advise, ask, beg, forbid, order, persuade, recommend, tell, urge, warn etc.).

“Get up!” he said.
He warned me to get up.
“Please, revise for the test,” he said.
He requested me to revise for the test.
“Bring me a cup of tea” said Zahra to Sara.
Zahrs asked Sara to bring her a cup of tea.

Negative: + object + not + infinitive.

“Don’t hesitate,” he said.
He persuaded me not to hesitate.
“Don’t smoke,” the doctor warned my father.
The doctor warned my father not to smoke.

Rule 12. Reported Speech of Advice If it contains advice the reporting verb changes into advised.

“Put on your coat,” I said.
I advised him to put on his coat.

Rule 13. Reported Speech of Exclamatory Sentences

1. Change the exclamatory sentence into statement or assertive 2. Remove the quotation marks and exclamatory mark. 3. Use the conjunction ‘that’ 4. Omit the interjections such as Oh, O, Alas, how, what, hurrah. 5. Add the word ‘very’ to the adjective or adverb if necessary. 6. If the verb is not given, use ‘Be’ form verb (is, was, are, were, am) in its correct tense according to the subject. 7. Change the reporting verb (say, said) to ‘exclaim joyfully’ 8. Use ‘exclaim’ sorrowfully for sorrowful incidents.

She said ,” Wow, What a beautiful car that is!”
She exclaimed joyfully that was a verb beautiful car.
He said,” Alas! I have missed the paper.”
He exclaimed sorrowfully that he had missed the paper.

Rule 14. Use of ‘That’ in Reported Speech

In reported speech, the word that is often used, however it is optional. We recommend you no to use it because in some cases we don’t use ‘That’ in reported speech like: question, command request and order, so its better not to use it.

He told me that he lived in Hazara Town.
He told me he lived in Hazara Town.

Rule 15. Punctuation in Direct Speech

In direct speech, various punctuation conventions are used to separate the quoted words from the rest of the text: this allows a reader to follow what’s going on. Here are the basic rules: A) We use inverted commas (also called quotation marks, quotes or speech marks) to indicate direct speech. Double quotes (“) are preferred in American English, while single quotes (‘) are more common in British English:

“I’m coming home late tonight,” she said. (American English)
‘I’m coming home late tonight,’ she said. (British English)

B) Every time a new speakers says something, you should start a new paragraph:

“They think it’s a more respectable job,” said Ali.
“I don’t agree,” I replied.

C) There should be a comma, full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end of a piece of speech. This is placed inside the closing inverted comma or commas.

He asked, “ Can I go outside?”
She shouted, “ Sit down!”
We said, “ They are wrong.”

D) If the direct speech is broken up by information about who is speaking, you need a comma (or a question mark or exclamation mark) to end the first piece of speech and a full stop or another comma before the second piece (before the inverted comma or commas):

“You’re right,” he said. “It feels strange.”
“Thinking back,” she said, “he didn’t expect to win.”
“No!” he cried. “You can’t leave now!”

Conclusion: I hope that the points that I have mentioned above about direct and indirect speech may prove beneficial for people learning English. All you need to do is to understand the crucial rules of direct and indirect speech, and don’t mix it with passive and active voice.

Check out Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises With Answers

If you would like to know more about direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech, check out more in the book below.

What is Reported Speech

Definition :.

In order to report a dialogue, one should be well-versed in changing sentences from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech . Of course, we need not reproduce the actual words of the speaker exactly. We are more concerned with the sense of the utterance than in the literal repetition of the words. The following guidelines will help you to refresh what you have studied about the transformation of sentences from Direct to Indirect Speech.

Statements : When the utterance of the speaker is a statement we use the reporting verbs - say, tell. The conjunction used is - that . In order to preserve the original tone of the speaker ‘say’ or ‘tell’ can be replaced with:- suggest, agree, mutter, admit, insist, whisper, boast, state, remark, claim, object, protest, etc.

What are the differences between the direct speech and the indirect speech?

There are several differences between a sentence with direct speech and a sentence with indirect speech.

We no need to use quotation marks with indirect speech.
We have to change the tense of the verb.
We have to change the pronouns and determiners.

Some more examples .

We can replace ‘ tell ’ with the following verbs suited to the context: complained, stammered, sneered, snapped, explained, declared, announced, groaned, promised, gasped, conceded, etc.

Some Important Rules to Report the Dialogue:

Changes to be noted:

CHANGES IN:

A. pronouns:, c. expressions of time and place indicating nearness are changed into one of distance:, i. statements:, a. ordinary statements:.

In reported speech people often leave out the conjunction that .

b. When the reporting verb is in the present or future tense there is no change in the tense of the reported clause:

C. when the reporting verb is in the past tense the verb of the reported clause is changed into the corresponding past tense :, d. present progressive used as a future form becomes would be + present participle , not past progressive:, e. simple past / past progressive in adverb clauses of time do not usually change into the corresponding past tense :, f. unreal past tense (subjunctive mood) after wish / it is time remains unchange :, g. would rather / would sooner / had better remains unchanged :, h. verbs used in clauses expressing improbable or impossible condition remain unchanged :, i. when the direct speech expresses universal truth (fundamental truths of science) saying / provers / habitual action, the tense does not change :, j. a noun / pronoun in the vocative case is made the object of a reporting verb or left out:.

Likewise a comment clause (parenthesis) is left out

k. Words of expressions used juct to introduce a sentence are left out:

Well, very well, now, so etc.

l. A statement employing all the techniques:

Sentence with the same concept should be joined with ‘and’ but when there is a contract use ‘but’.

II. QUESTIONS:

A. the reporting verbs for questions are:, b. auxiliary questions should begin with:, c. do / does / did questions:.

When using; do, does (present tense) - the main verb converts into the past (does / do go -> went) did (past tense) - the main verb converts into past perfect. (did go -> had gone)

d. The question form will change into a statement form:

E. w/h questions:.

These questions begin with a question word ( Who, What, When, Why, Where, How, How long ... ). While changing such a question into reported form we do not use any conjunction. We simply invert the word order (Verb + Subject is changed into Subject + Verb). Do not use if/whether in W/h Questions .

f. Verbal Questions:

These are questions begining with a verb. ( Are you ready? Is it true? ) Here we use the conjunction ‘ if’ or ‘whether ’. The word order is changed as mentioned earlier.

III. COMMANDS / ORDER / IMPERATIVE SENTENCES

To report a command we can use a number of verbs

Reporting Verb:

We use the conjunction ‘ to ’ . When the command is a negative one beginning with “Don’t” we change it to ‘not to’ .

Please - requested + whom + to + v

Exclamations

Exclamations can be reported with adverbs of manner.

a) Reporting Verb: exclaimed with (emotion) b) The exclamation should be changed into a statement. c) Use suitable emotions to the exclamation.

The Participle

Participle uses
Present Participle
Past Participle
Adverbs of manner
Adverbs of time
Adverbs of place

The Pronoun

What is a Pronoun?
Personal Pronouns
Reflexive Pronouns
Emphatic Pronouns

Learning Competency

Stressed and Unstressed In English sentences content words are stressed while structural words are generally not.

Direct and Indirect sentences of Universal truth with examples and exercise

In this article, I have explained the direct & Indirect sentences with universal truth with examples and exercises. I have also given the rules of the direct & Indirect sentences with universal truth. I have also explained the changes in pronouns of the sentences with universal truth.

What is universal Truth?

Rules of direct & indirect sentences with universal truth, important changes , reporting speech reporting speech, change of pronouns, change of persons.

1st person of reported speech is changed according to the subject of reporting speech 2nd person of reported speech is changed according to the object of reporting speech. 3rd person of the reported speech never changed.

Reported Speech Reporting Speech

1st person --------------- subject, 2nd person --------------- object, 3rd person ---------------- never changed, reporting speech reported speech, son " 123 ".

1st person of Reported speech changed according to Subject of Reporting Speech
2nd person of the Reported speech changed according to the Object of Reporting Speech
3rd Person of Reported never changed.

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I am a published author of dozens of books in Pakistan. I have been Editor of The Guide in National University of Modern Languages Islamabad (NUML). I am MPhil in Applied Languistics from University of the Lahore. Being an M.Ed I mostly spend my time training the teachers.

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

Exercises on reported speech.

If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.

When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:

present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
place and time expressions
tenses (backshift)

→ more on statements in reported speech

When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:

Also note that you have to:

transform the question into an indirect question
use the interrogative or if / whether

→ more on questions in reported speech

→ more on requests in reported speech

Additional Information and Exeptions

Apart from the above mentioned basic rules, there are further aspects that you should keep in mind, for example:

main clauses connected with and / but
tense of the introductory clause
reported speech for difficult tenses
exeptions for backshift
requests with must , should , ought to and let’s

→ more on additional information and exeptions in reported speech

Statements in Reported Speech

no backshift – change of pronouns
no backshift – change of pronouns and places
with backshift
with backshift and change of place and time expressions

Questions in Reported Speech

Requests in reported speech.

Exercise 1 – requests (positive)
Exercise 2 – requests (negative)
Exercise 3 – requests (mixed)

Mixed Exercises on Reported Speech

Exercise on reported speech with and without backshift

Grammar in Texts

„ The Canterville Ghost “ (highlight direct speech and reported speech)

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Direct and indirect speech : historical or habitual facts, universal truths or proverbs, 5 comments:.

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Why should these direct and indirect speech added to syllabus

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Direct-Indirect Speech - Simple Sentences

Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Reported speech: indirect speech

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words. In indirect speech , the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question or a command.

Indirect speech: reporting statements

Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that -clause. We often omit that , especially in informal situations:

The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as the plane came in to land. (The pilot’s words were: ‘The weather was extremely bad as the plane came in to land.’ )

I told my wife I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday. ( that -clause without that ) (or I told my wife that I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday .)

Indirect speech: reporting questions

Reporting yes-no questions and alternative questions.

Indirect reports of yes-no questions and questions with or consist of a reporting clause and a reported clause introduced by if or whether . If is more common than whether . The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She asked if [S] [V] I was Scottish. (original yes-no question: ‘Are you Scottish?’ )

The waiter asked whether [S] we [V] wanted a table near the window. (original yes-no question: ‘Do you want a table near the window? )

He asked me if [S] [V] I had come by train or by bus. (original alternative question: ‘Did you come by train or by bus?’ )

Questions: yes-no questions ( Are you feeling cold? )

Reporting wh -questions

Indirect reports of wh -questions consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a wh -word ( who, what, when, where, why, how ). We don’t use a question mark:

He asked me what I wanted.

Not: He asked me what I wanted?

The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She wanted to know who [S] we [V] had invited to the party.

Not: … who had we invited …

Who , whom and what

In indirect questions with who, whom and what , the wh- word may be the subject or the object of the reported clause:

I asked them who came to meet them at the airport. ( who is the subject of came ; original question: ‘Who came to meet you at the airport?’ )

He wondered what the repairs would cost. ( what is the object of cost ; original question: ‘What will the repairs cost?’ )

She asked us what [S] we [V] were doing . (original question: ‘What are you doing?’ )

Not: She asked us what were we doing?

When , where , why and how

We also use statement word order (subject + verb) with when , where, why and how :

I asked her when [S] it [V] had happened (original question: ‘When did it happen?’ ).

Not: I asked her when had it happened?

I asked her where [S] the bus station [V] was . (original question: ‘Where is the bus station?’ )

Not: I asked her where was the bus station?

The teacher asked them how [S] they [V] wanted to do the activity . (original question: ‘How do you want to do the activity?’ )

Not: The teacher asked them how did they want to do the activity?

Questions: wh- questions

Indirect speech: reporting commands

Indirect reports of commands consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a to -infinitive:

The General ordered the troops to advance . (original command: ‘Advance!’ )

The chairperson told him to sit down and to stop interrupting . (original command: ‘Sit down and stop interrupting!’ )

We also use a to -infinitive clause in indirect reports with other verbs that mean wanting or getting people to do something, for example, advise, encourage, warn :

They advised me to wait till the following day. (original statement: ‘You should wait till the following day.’ )

The guard warned us not to enter the area. (original statement: ‘You must not enter the area.’ )

Verbs followed by a to -infinitive

Indirect speech: present simple reporting verb

We can use the reporting verb in the present simple in indirect speech if the original words are still true or relevant at the time of reporting, or if the report is of something someone often says or repeats:

Sheila says they’re closing the motorway tomorrow for repairs.

Henry tells me he’s thinking of getting married next year.

Rupert says dogs shouldn’t be allowed on the beach. (Rupert probably often repeats this statement.)

Newspaper headlines

We often use the present simple in newspaper headlines. It makes the reported speech more dramatic:

JUDGE TELLS REPORTER TO LEAVE COURTROOM

PRIME MINISTER SAYS FAMILIES ARE TOP PRIORITY IN TAX REFORM

Present simple ( I work )

Reported speech

Reported speech: direct speech

Indirect speech: past continuous reporting verb

In indirect speech, we can use the past continuous form of the reporting verb (usually say or tell ). This happens mostly in conversation, when the speaker wants to focus on the content of the report, usually because it is interesting news or important information, or because it is a new topic in the conversation:

Rory was telling me the big cinema in James Street is going to close down. Is that true?

Alex was saying that book sales have gone up a lot this year thanks to the Internet.

‘Backshift’ refers to the changes we make to the original verbs in indirect speech because time has passed between the moment of speaking and the time of the report.

In these examples, the present ( am ) has become the past ( was ), the future ( will ) has become the future-in-the-past ( would ) and the past ( happened ) has become the past perfect ( had happened ). The tenses have ‘shifted’ or ‘moved back’ in time.

The past perfect does not shift back; it stays the same:

Modal verbs

Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift back’ in time and change in indirect speech.

We can use a perfect form with have + - ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past:

He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ )

He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’ )

Used to and ought to do not change in indirect speech:

She said she used to live in Oxford. (original statement: ‘I used to live in Oxford.’ )

The guard warned us that we ought to leave immediately. (original statement: ‘You ought to leave immediately.’ )

No backshift

We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:

He told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.)

She said she ’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)

He said he ’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.)

She promised she ’ll help us. (The promise applies to the future.)

Indirect speech: changes to pronouns

Changes to personal pronouns in indirect reports depend on whether the person reporting the speech and the person(s) who said the original words are the same or different.

Indirect speech: changes to adverbs and demonstratives

We often change demonstratives ( this, that ) and adverbs of time and place ( now, here, today , etc.) because indirect speech happens at a later time than the original speech, and perhaps in a different place.

Typical changes to demonstratives, adverbs and adverbial expressions

Indirect speech: typical errors.

The word order in indirect reports of wh- questions is the same as statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order:

She always asks me where [S] [V] I am going .

Not: She always asks me where am I going .

We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh- questions:

I asked him what he was doing.

Not: I asked him what he was doing?

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Trump tells Jersey Shore crowd he's being forced to endure ‘Biden show trial' in hush money case

Biden, meanwhile, avoided trump’s legal challenges — as he has done consistently — while addressing donors in seattle and instead focused on trump's recent interview with time magazine., by steve peoples, mike catalini and meg kinnard • published may 11, 2024 • updated on may 12, 2024 at 1:42 am.

Sandwiched between his appearances in court, Donald Trump headed on Saturday to the Jersey Shore, where he repeatedly blamed President Joe Biden for the criminal charges he’s facing as the presumptive nominees prepare to face off in the November election and called his New York hush money case “a Biden show trial.”

Blasting the Democratic president “a total moron,” Trump before a crowd of tens of thousands repeatedly characterized the cases against him as politically motivated and timed to harm his ability to campaign.

“He’s a fool. He’s not a smart man,” Trump said of Biden. “I talk about him differently now because now the gloves are off.”

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee , drew what his team called a “mega crowd” to a Saturday evening rally in the southern New Jersey resort town of Wildwood, 150 miles (241 kilometers) south of the New York City courthouse where he has been forced to spend most weekdays sitting silently through his felony hush money trial.

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Lisa Fagan, spokesperson for the city of Wildwood, told The Associated Press that she estimated a crowd of between 80,000 and 100,000 attendees, based off her own observations on the scene Saturday, having seen “dozens” of other events in the same space.

Trump was joined on stage by several high-level endorsers including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who is still listed as a registered sex offender after pleading guilty in New York in 2011 to misdemeanor criminal charges of sexual misconduct and patronizing an underage prostitute.

The beachfront gathering, described by Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., as the largest political gathering in state history, was designed to serve as a show of force at a critical moment for Trump, who is facing dozens of felony charges in four separate criminal cases with the election less than six months away.

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Hours before he was scheduled to take the stage, thousands of Trump loyalists donning “Never Surrender” T-shirts and red “Make America Great Again” hats crowded onto the sand between the boardwalk and carnival rides to greet the former Republican president.

“The everyday American people are 100% behind him,” said Doreen O’Neill, a 62-year-old nurse from Philadelphia.

“They have to cheat and smear him and humiliate him in that courtroom every single day,” O’Neill said. “This country is going to go insane if they steal the election again.”

Trump’s extraordinary legal woes, which include three other unrelated criminal cases, have emerged as a central issue in the campaign.

Trump has repeatedly accused the Biden administration and Democratic officials in New York of using the legal system to block his return to the White House . Prosecutors allege the former president broke the law to conceal an affair with a porn actor that would have hurt his first presidential bid.

The hush money case was filed by local prosecutors in Manhattan who do not work for the Justice Department or any White House office. The Justice Department has said the White House has had no involvement in the two criminal cases against Trump brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

On Saturday, Trump posited that even those whom he accuses of politically motivated prosecutions didn’t bring every case they could have, pointing to the boosts his campaign has sustained with each wave of charges.

“I heard they were going to do a couple of other things and they said from Washington ... ‘we’re indicting him into the White House,’” Trump said. “They said, ‘Don’t do it.’”

While Trump seized on his legal woes Saturday, a judge's gag order — and the threat of jail — limit Trump's ability to comment publicly on witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the New York trial, which is expected to consume much of the month. The judge in the case already has fined Trump $9,000 for violating the order and warned that jail could follow if he doesn’t comply.

The order doesn't include references to Judge Juan M. Merchan, whom Trump called “highly conflicted” or District Attorney Alvin Bragg, both of whom Trump said are “doing the bidding for crooked Joe Biden.”

Trump's responsibilities as a defendant have limited his ability to win over voters on the campaign trail.

He spent last week's off-day from court in the general election battlegrounds of Wisconsin and Michigan. And he was campaigning with tens of thousands of voters Saturday in New Jersey, a reliably Democratic state. Parts of New Jersey have deep-red enclaves and the southern shoreline in particular draws tourists and summer homeowners from neighboring Pennsylvania, a key swing state.

Biden, meanwhile, opened his weekend with a series of fundraising events on the West Coast.

He avoided Trump’s legal challenges — as he has done consistently — while addressing donors in Seattle. Instead, the Democratic president focused on Trump’s recent interview with Time magazine in which the Republican former president said states should be left to determine whether to prosecute women for abortions or to monitor their pregnancies.

Saturday’s visit to the New Jersey Shore resort wasn't Trump’s first.

While president, Trump held a rally there in January 2020 to thank Van Drew, the New Jersey congressman who had just left the Democratic Party for the GOP as a rebuke for the former president’s first impeachment.

Trump drew a crowd at the time that lined the streets, filled bars and supported numerous vendors in what is usually a sleepy city in the winter. This time, the summer season is around the corner for the resort known for its wide beaches and boardwalk games and shops.

Wildwood is in New Jersey’s 2nd District, which Van Drew has represented for three terms and covers all or part of six counties in southern New Jersey. It went for Trump in 2016 and again in 2020 after earlier backing Barack Obama.

Trump is set to return to the courtroom next week, when key prosecution witness Michael Cohen, Trump's fixer-turned-foe, is expected to take the witness stand. Last week, he was visibly angry at times as he was forced to sit through testimony from former porn actor Stormy Daniels, who described a sexual encounter with the former president in shocking detail.

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying internal Trump Organization business records. The charges stem from paperwork such as invoices and checks that were deemed legal expenses in company records. Prosecutors say those payments largely were reimbursements to Cohen, Trump's attorney, who paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet.

The prosecution could rest its case by the end of the week. It's unclear if Trump himself will take the stand when the defense presents its case.

Back on the Jersey Shore, 65-year-old Pat Day said she felt some urgency to see Trump in person on Saturday.

“We want to see Trump before they take him out,” said Day, who was visiting from the Florida Keys. “I'm worried. They're going to do everything they can so he doesn't get elected again.”

Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina.

This article tagged under:

With Trump under a gag order, allies step up attacks on his hush money trial

Former President Donald Trump risks a trip to jail if he attacks witnesses in his New York hush money trial. But his allies aren't covered by the gag order he has repeatedly violated , and they're increasingly launching the broadsides that Trump can't.

On Monday, as former Trump "fixer" Michael Cohen testified that Trump was directly involved in a scheme to kill negative stories about him during the 2016 election, Sens. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., ripped into Cohen.

"He’s a convicted felon," Tuberville said of Cohen at a news conference outside the courthouse in Manhattan. "I mean, this guy is giving an acting scene."

Vance, who is in contention to be picked as Trump’s running mate, wrote in a sarcasm-laden tweetstorm on X : "Cohen can’t remember how old his son is or how old he was when he started to work for Trump but I’m sure he remembers extremely small details from years ago! Michael Cohen admitting he secretly recorded his employer. Just totally normal conduct, right? The best part is he said he did it only once and only for Trump’s benefit. A standup guy!"

Follow live trial coverage here.

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about a Trump project in Moscow. At the time of his testimony, he remained loyal to Trump, his longtime employer.

The friends-and-family loophole has been exploited by lawmakers and by Trump's sons Donald Jr. and Eric, the latter of whom has attended parts of the trial. Neither of them has been accused of any wrongdoing in the case, which centers on whether the former president falsified business records to help his 2016 election chances by covering up allegations of affairs that he denies occurred.

Trump has frequently denounced the gag order, portraying it as an effort to silence his political speech as he campaigns for a return to the Oval Office. New York state Judge Juan Merchan has found him in violation of the order 10 times , fined him and warned him, in no uncertain terms, that further transgressions could result in incarceration.

That's why Trump supporters say it's crucial for his defenders to give his claims voice in the public arena.

J.D. Vance looks on as Donald Trump speaks to the media.

"It's more important than normal that all of Trump's allies speak out loudly against this sham prosecution, given the unconstitutional gag order President Trump is being forced to abide by," a Trump ally said. "They are not allowing Trump to speak out about the connections the judge and prosecution have to the Democrat Party and Joe Biden, so it's incumbent upon his biggest supporters to carry that vital message on his behalf."

Trump has said he is ready to testify in his own defense at the trial, but many legal experts note that his lawyers are likely to advise against that.

In addition to the two senators, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and the Republican attorneys general of Iowa and Alabama — Brenna Bird and Steve Marshall — went to the courthouse Monday to support Trump.

“I have been a prosecutor for 30 years and have never witnessed a greater perversion of the criminal justice system than I did this morning," Marshall said in a statement to NBC News. "This reeks of desperation from a party that has clearly lost all confidence in its nominee, but even this circus won’t distract Americans from recognizing the failures of this administration."

Malliotakis, who represents Staten Island and part of Brooklyn, said Trump is being subjected to a "sham trial" that depends on the testimony of a "convicted disbarred perjurer" in Cohen. Though prosecutors used Cohen to introduce new evidence — including a recording of Trump telling him to use cash to purchase Playboy model Karen McDougal's story of an alleged affair — previous witnesses had already testified about key details of the catch-and-kill scheme and how payments were made.

Deploying allies points to the two-pronged nature of Trump's current fight: Inside the courtroom, his lawyers must convince at least one juror that the prosecution failed to prove he is guilty; outside it , he must convince voters that he should be elected president, regardless of the outcome of the trial.

And without cameras to capture the trial, the Trump campaign has also been twisting the truth of what's happening to supporters, at times telling them versions of developments that don't completely line up with what's going on in the room.

Jonathan Allen is a senior national politics reporter for NBC News, based in Washington.

Wild scene at the Jersey Shore rally as crowds await former President Trump

Updated: May. 14, 2024, 3:56 p.m. |
Published: May. 11, 2024, 3:04 p.m.

Eric Conklin | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Matt Gray | For NJ.com
Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The scene in Wildwood looks like a beachfront concert, with a sea of people gathered in front of a stage on the sand.

But instead of band T-shirts, many are wearing familiar bright red baseball caps. And the main act they’re waiting for is Donald Trump , returning to the campaign trail after spending much of the last week inside a courtroom.

Thousands of people have streamed into the famed Jersey Shore destination to see the former president hold a rally along the Atlantic Ocean late Saturday afternoon.

It’s the second time in four years Trump has held a rally in Wildwood. He was also here in 2020, when he hosted an rally indoors at the local convention center during the otherwise quiet and cold January offseason — 10 months before he lost the Oval Office to President Joe Biden .

This time, Trump is appearing right on the beach, on a sunny but breezy weekend that was already busy, a day before Mother’s Day with Memorial Day just around the corner. Rising is the background are the Great White wooden roller coaster, the city’s iconic ferris wheel, and other boardwalk amusements.

The event comes a little less than six months before Trump and Biden — the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees, respectively — square off in a bitter rematch for the presidency on Election Day in November.

Though New Jersey is a blue state that Trump has lost twice by double digits, Wildwood is in one of the state’s patches of MAGA territory. Some attendees also said they came from out of state, including neighboring Pennsylvania, a big swing state.

Officials expect tens of thousands at the event, with Trump’s team calling it a “mega crowd.”

Trump is scheduled to speak after 5 p.m.

THE LATEST: Trump cheered by thousands in big rally at the Jersey Shore

As the sun rose Saturday morning, some people who lined up on the boardwalk Friday waited eagerly to get their place on the beach, seagulls crackling overhead.

Chris and Jessica Mitchell traveled five hours through heavy traffic from Sussex County on Friday night to attend their first Trump rally.

“I think this country needs him back, because I don’t think this country can survive another four years of Democratic rule,” Chris said, noting he is counting on Trump to reduce inflation, secure the Southern border, and curb America’s dependence on foreign oil.

Jessica said she hopes Trump can deliver lower taxes.

Trump — who saw his fame grow in the 1980s as a casino owner just up the Garden State Parkway in Atlantic City — is holding the rally under a veil of legal woes. Wildwood is about two hours from the courtroom in his native New York, where he is on trial in a hush-money case , a scenario that has limited his time on the campaign trail. Trump faces three other unrelated criminal indictments , as well.

He also continues to be hounded by criticism over the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, despite multiple court rulings rejecting that.

But Kelly Moran traveled from Pennsylvania to take in her fifth Trump rally.

“It’s on the beach and it’s definitely going to be epic,” Moran said. “I just love to go to his rallies. There are a lot of awesome people here. You meet friends.”

She expects this one to be different.

“I think Trump is going to be talking about a lot of things that’s been happening with his trial and all the witch-hunts and all the lies,” Moran said.

She said Trump’s biggest priority, though, should be releasing those charged in the Jan. 6 attack.

“They are political prisoners and they need to be released,” Moran said.

Democrats held a press call Friday to criticize Trump for the five bankruptcies his casino companies racked up and his record on jobs compared to Biden. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill , D-11th Dist., is spending Saturday holding various events around New Jersey to counteract Trump’s rally.

“Donald Trump, you’re not welcome in NJ,” Sherrill wrote on social media Saturday . “Because in the Garden State, we believe in democracy, we know that diversity is our strength, & we let women make their own healthcare decisions. Do us all a favor and go back to court.”

MORE: Democrats strike at Trump ahead of N.J. rally

Trump, however, said during a radio interview Friday that he intends not only to compete in New Jersey but carry the state — something a Republican presidential candidate hasn’t done since 1988.

“It’s not just gonna be, ‘Gee, maybe we can get close.’ We’re gonna win it,” he said.

Michael Tyler, communication director for Biden’s campaign, laughed that off.

“I think here on Planet Earth in the Biden campaign, we’re going to remain laser-focused on winning 270 electoral votes,” Tyler said. “We are focused on communicating directly with the voters who are actually going to decide this presidential election.”

National polls have so far shown a tight race between Trump and Biden. In New Jersey, a recent survey from Emerson College found Biden leading Trump by 7 percentage points and by 5 when third party candidates are added.

Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in the state by about 1 million.

Trump has repeatedly accused the Biden administration and Democratic officials in New York of using the legal system to block his return to the presidency. Prosecutors allege Trump broke the law to conceal an affair with a porn actor that would have hurt his first campaign.

He is expected to highlight his legal troubles during Saturday’s rally, though he is under a judge’s gag order that limits his legal ability to comment publicly on witnesses, jurors, and some others connected to the New York trial. The judge already has fined Trump $9,000 for violating the order and warned jail could follow if he doesn’t comply.

Biden, meanwhile, began this weekend with a series of fundraising events on the West Coast and has so far avoided discussing Trump’s legal challenges.

At a private fundraiser in Seattle on Saturday, Biden called Trump “clearly unhinged,” according to a report by CNN .

“It’s clear that … when he lost in 2020, something snapped in him,” the president told attendees. “Just listen to what he’s telling people.”

Still, Biden said he believes the election will still be “close.”

Along the beach and boardwalk in Wildwood, there are lots of true Trump believers — and right-wing views.

Dan and LeeAnn Raffensperger traveled from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for their first Trump rally.

“We travel all over the country and all around the world and here in America there’s not any city we can go to that we feel safe,” LeeAnn said.

Sue Micklus, from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, traveled to Wildwood Friday after attending another Trump rally last month in her home state.

Decked out in a “Women for Trump” T-shirt as she walked down the Wildwood boardwalk, the 60-year-old Micklus said she’s been politically active since her 20s but has gotten more involved in the last dozen years.

“We were a much safer country when he was president,” she said.

Adam Radogna, from the Outer Banks in North Carolina, was waving a gigantic Trump flag on the boardwalk as passersby stopped to take photos. Radogna has been to more that 40 Trump rallies and is a member of the “Front-Row Joes” group that supports Trump and travels nationwide to back their candidate.

“We have members from all over the country. It’s no more than 30 or 40 of us and we just love to support Donald Trump,” he said. “He knows who we are and we’ve all met him.”

Jersey politics is also on display. Next year’s governor’s race to succeed Democrat Phil Murphy is already revving up, with a number of Democrats and Republicans having declared their campaigns.

On the Republican side, Trump’s influence is palpable. State Sen. Jon Bramnick has openly criticized Trump, while former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli has gone from calling Trump a “charlatan” years ago to endorsing the former president this year and saying he won’t disparage Trump supporters. Waiting in the wings are a pair of pro-Trump candidates: state Sen. Ed Durr, who is expected to enter the race Monday , and conservative radio host Bill Spadea.

The question is whether someone who is anti-Trump or straddles the line can win over the base in the Republican primary and whether a pro-Trump contender can win the general election in the Democratic-leaning state.

It was Spadea’s radio show that Trump appeared on Friday morning — during which he took shots at Ciattarelli, who is running for governor for the third straight time, after narrowly losing to Murphy in 2021.

“This guy never came to ask for my support, and you know what?” When MAGA sees that, they don’t like it, and they didn’t vote for him,” Trump said of Ciattarelli, while calling Spadea “fantastic.”

Nonetheless, Ciattarelli has been working the crowd before Trump’s rally. At one point, a plane in the sky above him carried a banner: “Jack Citt said don’t vote Trump he’s embarrassing.” It was unclear who had chartered the plane.

Spadea was also on hand Saturday, hosting a live show from the rally.

Bramnick joked via phone that he was not there, noting that he can’t support Trump because of election denial and Jan. 6.

“The Republican Party has to be the party of law and order,” he told NJ Advance Media. “I’m concerned this is where our party is. This is not a model for young people.”

Meanwhile, Scott Laibaido, an artist known for painting patriotic images and political activist, was the rally’s first act. Cheers and chants came from the crowd as Laibaido painted an image with Trump’s likeness while ”America the Beautiful” played behind him.

Jersey-centric music — Sinatra, the Four Seasons — has also played over the event’s loudspeakers throughout the day.

Spotted along the boardwalk were a few people wearing T-shirts that read “Proud Boys,” a right-wing group the Anti-Defamation League has labeled as extremist . Among the crowds gathered at the East Schellenger Avenue entrance to the beach awaiting Trump’s arrival were three masked Proud Boys members .

Police said no permits for counterprotests were filed with the city. And by 3 p.m., there was no one in the designated protest area on the beach.

But along the boardwalk walked a man wearing a blue Biden T-shirt and carrying a sign.

“No one is above the law,” it read.

A woman yelled at him: “Biden is evil!”

The man continued walking.

NJ Advance Media staff writers Spencer Kent and Andre Malok and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Eric Conklin may be reached at [email protected] .

Matt Gray may be reached at [email protected] .

Brent Johnson may be reached at [email protected] .

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Biden’s speech at the Holocaust remembrance ceremony, annotated

By Zachary B. Wolf and Annette Choi , CNN

Published May 7, 2024

President Joe Biden talked about the documented increase of antisemitism in the United States during the annual US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Days of Remembrance ceremony at the US Capitol building. Every recent president has made remarks at least once at the event, but Biden’s remarks came as pro-Palestinian protests have disrupted classes and commencements at multiple US universities . At times, rhetoric at those protests has veered into antisemitism, offended Jewish students and sparked a fierce debate about free speech.

Biden talked in-depth about the Hamas terror attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, and the Israeli hostages that remain in captivity . He did not mention Israel’s heavy-handed response, which has not only destroyed much of Gaza and cost tens of thousands of lives but has also driven a wedge between Biden and many progressives, particularly on college campuses. See below for what he said , along with context from CNN.

Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Stu Eizenstat, for that introduction, for your leadership of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum . You are a true scholar and statesman and a dear friend.

Speaker Johnson , Leader Jeffries, members of Congress and especially the survivors of the Holocaust. If my mother were here, she’d look at you and say, “God love you all. God love you all.”

Abe Foxman and all other survivors who embody absolute courage and dignity and grace are here as well.

During these sacred days of remembrance we grieve, we give voice to the 6 million Jews who were systematically targeted and murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II. We honor the memory of victims, the pain of survivors, the bravery of heroes who stood up to Hitler's unspeakable evil. And we recommit to heading and heeding the lessons that one of the darkest chapters in human history to revitalize and realize the responsibility of never again.

The Days of Remembrance commemoration has been an annual event since 1982. Every US president since Bill Clinton has spoken at least once at a remembrance event.

House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke shortly before Biden and tried to compare the situation on college campuses today with that on college campuses in Germany in the 1930s.

Never again, simply translated for me, means never forget, never forget. Never forgetting means we must must keep telling the story, we must keep teaching the truth, we must keep teaching our children and our grandchildren. And the truth is we are at risk of people not knowing the truth.

That's why, growing up, my dad taught me and my siblings about the horrors of the Shoah at our family dinner table.

Shoah is the Hebrew term for the Holocaust.

That's why I visited Yad Vashem with my family as a senator, as vice president and as president. And that's why I took my grandchildren to Dachau , so they could see and bear witness to the perils of indifference, the complicity of silence in the face of evil that they knew was happening.

Biden visited Yad Vashem , Israel’s Holocaust remembrance site, in 2022 as president.

As vice president, he toured the Nazi concentration camp outside Munich in 2015 with his granddaughter during a trip for an annual security conference.

Germany, 1933, Hitler and his Nazi party rise to power by rekindling one of the world's oldest forms of prejudice and hate — antisemitism.

His rule didn't begin with mass murder. It started slowly across economic, political, social and cultural life — propaganda demonizing Jews, boycotts of Jewish businesses, synagogues defaced with swastikas, harassment of Jews in the street and in the schools, antisemitic demonstrations, pogroms, organized riots.

With the indifference of the world, Hitler knew he could expand his reign of terror by eliminating Jews from Germany, to annihilate Jews across Europe through genocide the Nazis called the final solution. Concentration camps, gas chambers, mass shootings. By the time the war ended, 6 million Jews, one out of every three Jews in the entire world, were murdered.

This ancient hatred of Jews didn't begin with the Holocaust. It didn't end with the Holocaust either, or after, even after our victory in World War II. This hatred continues to lie deep in the hearts of too many people in the world and requires our continued vigilance and outspokenness.

The Holocaust survivor Irene Butter wrote for CNN Opinion in 2021 about Adolf Hitler’s rise and echoes of Nazism in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

That hatred was brought to life on October 7th in 2023. On the sacred Jewish holiday, the terrorist group Hamas unleashed the deadliest day of the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Read mo re about Hamas .

Driven by ancient desire to wipe out the Jewish people off the face of the Earth, over 1,200 innocent people — babies, parents, grandparents — slaughtered in their kibbutz, massacred at a music festival, brutally raped, mutilated and sexually assaulted .

Evidence of sexual violence has been documented. Here’s the account of one Israeli woman who has spoken publicly about her experience.

Thousands more carrying wounds, bullets and shrapnel from the memory of that terrible day they endured. Hundreds taken hostage, including survivors of the Shoah.

Now here we are, not 75 years later but just seven-and-a-half months later and people are already forgetting, are already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror. That it was Hamas that brutalized Israelis. It was Hamas who took and continues to hold hostages. I have not forgotten, nor have you, and we will not forget.

On May 7, 1945, the German High Command agreed to an unconditional surrender in World War II, 79 years ago.

And as Jews around the world still cope with the atrocities and trauma of that day and its aftermath, we've seen a ferocious surge of anti s emitism in America and around the world.

In late October, FBI Director Christopher Wray said reports of antisemitism in the US were reaching “ historic ” levels.

Vicious propaganda on social media, Jews forced to keep their — hide their kippahs under baseball hats, tuck their Jewish stars into their shirts.

On college campuses, Jewish students blocked, harassed, attacked while walking to class . Antisemitism, antisemitic posters , slogans calling for the annihilation of Israel, the world's only Jewish state.

Many Jewish students have described feeling intimidated and attacked on campuses. Others have said they support the protests , citing the situation in Gaza.

Last month, the dean of the University of California Berkeley Law School described antisemitic posters that targeted him.

Too many people denying, downplaying, rationalizing, ignoring the horrors of the Holocaust and October 7th, including Hamas' appalling use of sexual violence to torture and terrorize Jews. It's absolutely despicable and it must stop.

Silence. Silence and denial can hide much but it can erase nothing.

Some injustices are so heinous, so horrific, so grievous they cannot be married – buried, no matter how hard people try.

In my view, a major lesson of the Holocaust is, as mentioned earlier, is it not, was not inevitable.

We know hate never goes away. It only hides. And given a little oxygen, it comes out from under the rocks.

We also know what stops hate. One thing: All of us. The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks described antisemitism as a virus that has survived and mutated over time.

Together, we cannot continue to let that happen. We have to remember our basic principle as a nation. We have an obligation. We have an obligation to learn the lessons of history so we don't surrender our future to the horrors of the past. We must give hate no safe harbor against anyone. Anyone.

From the very founding, our very founding, Jewish Americans , who represented only about 2% of the US population , have helped lead the cause of freedom for everyone in our nation. From that experience we know scapegoating and demonizing any minority is a threat to every minority and the very foundation of our democracy.

As of 2020, Jewish Americans made up about 2.4% of the US population, according to the Pew Research Center , or about 5.8 million people.

So moments like this we have to put these principles that we're talking about into action.

I understand people have strong beliefs and deep convictions about the world .

In America we respect and protect the fundamental right to free speech, to debate and disagree, to protest peacefully and make our voices heard . I understand. That's America.

The complaint of many protesters is that Israel’s response to the terror attack has claimed more than 30,000 lives and destroyed much of Gaza .

But there is no place on any campus in America, any place in America, for antisemitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind.

Whether against Jews or anyone else, violent attacks, destroying property is not peaceful protest. It's against the law and we are not a lawless country. We're a civil society. We uphold the rule of law and no one should have to hide or be brave just to be themselves.

To the Jewish community, I want you to know I see your fear, your hurt and your pain.

Let me reassure you as your president, you're not alone. You belong. You always have and you always will.

And my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad, even when we disagree.

My administration is working around the clock to free remaining hostages, just as we have freed hostages already, and will not rest until we bring them all home.

My administration, with our second gentleman's leadership, has launched our nation's first national strategy to counter antisemitism. That's mobilizing the full force of the federal government to protect Jewish communities.

But we know this is not the work of government alone or Jews alone. That's why I’m calling on all Americans to stand united against antisemitism and hate in all its forms.

My dear friend — and he became a friend — the late Elie Wiesel said, quote, “One person of integrity can make a difference.”

Elie Wiesel , the Holocaust survivor, writer and activist, died in 2016.

We have to remember that, now more than ever.

Here in Emancipation Hall in the US Capitol, among the towering statues of history is a bronze bust of Raoul Wallenberg . Born in Sweden as a Lutheran, he was a businessman and a diplomat. While stationed in Hungary during World War II, he used diplomatic cover to hide and rescue about 100,000 Jews over a six-month period.

Read more about Wallenberg , the Holocaust hero and Swedish diplomat who was formally declared dead in 2016, 71 years after he vanished.

Among them was a 16-year-old Jewish boy who escaped a Nazi labor camp. After the war ended, that boy received a scholarship from the Hillel Foundation to study in America. He came to New York City penniless but determined to turn his pain into purpose. Along with his wife, also a Holocaust survivor, he became a renowned economist and foreign policy thinker, eventually making his way to this very Capitol on the staff of a first-term senator.

That Jewish refugee was Tom Lantos and that senator was me. Tom and his wife and Annette and their family became dear friends to me and my family. Tom would go on to become the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress, where he became a leading voice on civil rights and human rights around the world. Tom never met Raoul, who was taken prisoner by the Soviets, never to be heard from again.

Read more about Lantos , the longtime congressman and Holocaust survivor who died in 2008. Lantos worked for Biden early in his career.

But through Tom's efforts, Raoul’s bust is here in the Capitol. He was also given honorary US citizenship, only the second person ever after Winston Churchill. The Holocaust Museum here in Washington is located in a road in Raoul’s name.

The story of the power of a single person to put aside our differences, to see our common humanity, to stand up to hate and its ancient story of resilience from immense pain, persecution, to find hope, purpose and meaning in life, we try to live and share with one another. That story endures.

There are important topics Biden did not address. He referenced the October 7 attacks on Israel but not Israel’s controversial response, which has drawn furious protests. He failed to mention Gaza, where Israel’s military campaign has killed so many, and which has led the World Food Programme to warn of a “full-blown famine .”

A great American — a great Jewish American named Tom Lantos — used the phrase “the veneer of civilization is paper thin.” We are its guardians, and we can never rest.

My fellow Americans, we must, we must be those guardians. We must never rest. We must rise Against hate, meet across the divide, see our common humanity. And God bless the victims and survivors of the Shoah.

May the resilient hearts, the courageous spirit and the eternal flame of faith of the Jewish people forever shine their light on America and around the world, pray God.

Thank you all.

Share full article

Transcript: Read Biden’s Remarks at a Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony

Here is the president’s complete speech, which lasted about 16 minutes.

President Biden gesturing and standing at a lectern.

By The New York Times

May 7, 2024

President Biden delivered these remarks on Tuesday at the Capitol for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Days of Remembrance.

Thank you, Stu, for that introduction, for your leadership of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. You’re a true scholar and statesman and a dear friend. Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, members of Congress and especially the survivors of the Holocaust. If my mother were here, she’d look at you and say, “God love you all. God love you all.”

Abe Foxman and all of the survivors who embody absolute courage and dignity and grace are here as well. During these sacred days of remembrance, we grieve. We give voice to the six million Jews who were systematically targeted and murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II. We honor the memory of victims, the pain of survivors, the bravery of heroes who stood up to Hitler’s unspeakable evil. And we recommit to heading and heeding the lessons of one of the darkest chapters in human history, to revitalize and realize the responsibility of never again.

Never again, simply translated for me, means never forget. Never forget. Never forgetting means we must keep telling the story, must keep teaching the truth, must keep teaching our children and our grandchildren. The truth is, we are at risk of people not knowing the truth. That’s why growing up, my dad taught me and my siblings about the horrors of the Shoah at our family dinner table. That’s why I visited Yad Vashem with my family as a senator, as vice president, as president. And that’s why I took my grandchildren to Dachau, so they could see and bear witness to the perils of indifference, the complicity of silence, in the face of evil they knew was happening.

Germany 1933, Hitler and his Nazi Party’s rise to power by rekindling one of the oldest forms of prejudice and hate: antisemitism. His role didn’t begin with mass murder; it started slowly across economic, political, social and cultural life. Propaganda demonizing Jews. Boycotts of Jewish businesses. Synagogues defaced with swastikas. Harassment of Jews in the street and the schools, antisemitic demonstrations, pogroms, organized riots. With the indifference of the world, Hitler knew he could expand his reign of terror by eliminating Jews from Germany, to annihilate Jews across Europe through genocide, the Nazis called the final solution. Concentration camps, gas chambers, mass shootings. By the time the war ended, six million Jews — one of every three Jews in the entire world — were murdered.

This ancient hatred of Jews didn’t begin with the Holocaust. It didn’t end with the Holocaust either. Or after — even after our victory in World War II. This hatred continues to lie deep in the hearts of too many people in the world and requires our continued vigilance and outspokenness. That hatred was brought to life on October 7th of 2023. On the sacred Jewish holiday, the terrorist group Hamas unleashed the deadliest day of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Driven by ancient desire to wipe out the Jewish people off the face of the Earth, over 1,200 innocent people, babies, parents, grandparents, slaughtered in a kibbutz, massacred at a music festival, brutally raped, mutilated and sexually assaulted.

Thousands more carrying wounds, bullets and shrapnel from a memory of that terrible day they endured. Hundreds taken hostage, including survivors of the Shoah. Now here we are, not 75 years later, but just seven and half months later and people are already forgetting. They are already forgetting. That Hamas unleashed this terror. It was Hamas that brutalized Israelis. It was Hamas who took and continues to hold hostages. I have not forgotten nor have you. And we will not forget.

As Jews around the world still cope with the atrocity and the trauma of that day and its aftermath, we have seen a ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and around the world. Vicious propaganda on social media. Jews forced to keep their — hide their kippahs under baseball hats, tuck their Jewish stars into their shirts. On college campuses, Jewish students blocked, harassed, attacked while walking to class. Antisemitism, antisemitic posters, slogans, calling for the annihilation of Israel, the world’s only Jewish state.

Too many people denying, downplaying, rationalizing, ignoring the horrors of the Holocaust and October 7th, including Hamas’s appalling use of sexual violence to torture and terrorize Jews. It’s absolutely despicable, and it must stop. Silence and denial can hide much, but it can erase nothing. Some injustices are so heinous, so horrific, so grievous, they cannot be married — buried — no matter how hard people try.

In my view, a major lesson of the Holocaust is, as mentioned earlier, it is not — was not — inevitable. We know hate never goes away; it only hides. Given a little oxygen, it comes out from under the rocks. We also know what stops hate. One thing: All of us. The late Rabbi Jonathan Sachs described antisemitism as a virus that has survived and mutated over time. Together, we cannot continue to let that happen. We have to remember our basic principle as a nation.

We have an obligation, an obligation to learn the lessons of history so we don’t surrender our future to the horrors of the past. We must give hate no safe harbor against anyone. Anyone. From the very founding, our very founding, Jewish Americans represented only about 2 percent of the U.S. population and helped lead the cause of freedom for everyone in our nation. From that experience, we know scapegoating and demonizing any minority is a threat to every minority and the very foundation of our democracy.

It’s in moments like this we have to put these principles that we’re talking about into action. I understand people have strong beliefs and deep convictions about the world. In America, we respect and protect the fundamental right to free speech. To debate, disagree, to protest peacefully, make our voices heard. I understand, that’s America. But there is no place on any campus in America — any place in America — for antisemitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind. Whether against Jews or anyone else. Violent attacks, destroying property is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law. And we are not a lawless country. We’re a civil society. We uphold the rule of law, and no one should have to hide or be brave just to be themselves.

The Jewish community, I want you to know: I see your fear, your hurt, your pain. Let me reassure you, as your president, you’re not alone. You belong. You always have and you always will. And my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad even when we disagree.

My administration is working around the clock to free remaining hostages. Just so we have freed hostages already. And we will not rest until we bring them all home. My administration, with our second gentleman’s leadership, has launched our nation’s first national strategy to counter antisemitism that’s mobilizing the full force of the federal government to protect Jewish community, but we know it’s not the work of government alone or Jews alone.

That’s why I’m calling on all Americans to stand united against antisemitism and hate in all its forms. My dear friend, he became a friend, the late Elie Wiesel said, quote: “One person of integrity can make a difference.” We have to remember that now more than ever. Here in the Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol, among the towering statues of history, is a bronze bust of Raoul Wallenberg. Born in Sweden, as a Lutheran, he was a businessman and a diplomat. While stationed in Hungary during World War II, he used diplomatic cover to hide and rescue about 100,000 Jews over a six-month period.

Among them was a 16-year-old Jewish boy who escaped a Nazi labor camp. After the war ended, that boy received a scholarship from the Hillel Foundation to study in America. He came to New York City penniless but determined to turn his pain into purpose, along with his wife, also a Holocaust survivor. He became a renowned economist and foreign policy thinker, eventually making his way to this very Capitol on the staff of a first-term senator.

That Jewish refugee was Tom Lantos, and that senator was me. Tom and his wife, Annette, and their family became dear friends to me and my family. Tom would go on to become the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress, where he became a leading voice on civil rights and human rights around the world. Tom never met Raoul, who was taken prisoner by the Soviets, never to be heard from again. But through Tom’s efforts, Raoul’s bust is here in the Capitol. He was also given honorary U.S. citizenship, only the second person ever after Winston Churchill.

The Holocaust Museum here in Washington is located on a roll — road — in Raoul’s name. The story of the power of a single person to put aside our differences, to see our common humanity, to stand up to hate and its ancient story of resilience from immense pain, persecution, to find hope, purpose and meaning in life we try to live and share with one another. That story endures.

Let me close with this. I know these days of remembrance fall on difficult times. We all do well to remember these days also fall during the month we celebrate Jewish American heritage. A heritage that stretches from our earliest days to enrich every single part of American life today. Great American — great Jewish American — Tom Lantos used the phrase the veneer of civilization is paper-thin. We are its guardians, and we can never rest.

My fellow Americans, we must, we must be those guardians. We must never rest. We must rise against hate, meet across the divide, see our common humanity. And God bless the victims and survivors of the Shoah. May the resilient hearts, courageous spirit and eternal flame of faith of the Jewish people shine their light on America and all around the world. Praise God. Thank you all.

Inside the Biden Administration

Here’s the latest news and analysis from washington..

Marijuana Restrictions: The Biden administration moved to downgrade marijuana from the most restrictive category of drugs , signaling a significant shift in how the federal government views the substance.

Documents Case: President Biden has asserted executive privilege to deny House Republicans access to recordings of his interview with a special counsel investigating his handling of government documents.

Trade War With China: Biden sharply increased tariffs on an array of Chinese imports, building on former President Donald Trump’s crackdown on trade with China, albeit with a very different aim .

Israel-Hamas War: The White House has told Congress that it intends to move forward with a plan for the United States to sell more than $1 billion in new weapons to Israel .

Student Loans: After a deadline passed for federal loan borrowers seeking debt relief, the Education Department has extended the offer until June 30 .

Ukraine war latest: Moscow accuses West of being responsible for attacks in Russia; two dead in airstrike on major city

At least two people have been killed and more than a dozen injured in a reported Russian attack on Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv. Russia says it sees the US and UK as responsible for recent attacks on its soil.

Friday 17 May 2024 18:11, UK

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Two dead and 13 injured in Kharkiv attack
Russia claims UK is 'de facto participant' in conflict | Moscow says it holds US and UK responsible for attacks on Russian soil
Russian troops advance - but situation 'stabilised', says Zelenskyy
Putin: Capturing major city 'not part of plan'
Footage shows oil refinery fire and burning fuel depots after 'massive' overnight attack
Analysis: Great power politics on display in China visit
Were Putin and Xi really pictured with their 'nuclear footballs'?

Ask a question or make a comment

We're pausing our coverage of the Ukraine war for the moment.

Scroll through the blog below to catch up on today's developments.

One person has been killed and another eight injured in a Russian missile attack near the Black Sea port of Odesa, a Ukrainian official has said.

Regional governor Oleh Kiper said five people were being treated in hospital. He posted pictures showing emergency workers near the scene of the strike.

Sky News has not independently verified the report.

Odesa has been a frequent target of Russian missile and drone attacks.

President Vladimir Putin used his meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to "promote Kremlin narratives feigning interest in peace negotiations", analysts at the Institute for the Study of War say.

The pair signed a joint statement yesterday alluding to Russia's support for the China's proposed peace plan and a possible future Chinese-led negotiation to end the war in Ukraine.

In the statement, they claim both countries support a "sustainable settlement" for the "Ukraine crisis".

The ISW said it has "previously assessed" the Kremlin will "continue to use any calls for peace negotiations to feign interest in negotiations" in the hope of undermining Western support for Ukraine.

Moscow also hopes the West will force Ukraine into negotiations with Russia that make concessions on Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, the ISW added.

'Decisive' relationship

Meanwhile, the institute says, Mr Putin likely views Moscow's relationship with Beijing as "decisive" in his bid to further mobilise the Russian economy and defence industry to support his war in Ukraine.

"Putin and Xi highlighted bilateral trade and economic cooperation throughout their public speeches," the ISW says, adding the Russian delegation includes officials and businessmen.

"The Russian delegation likely aimed to expand cooperation with their Chinese counterparts that will facilitate increased economic ties between Russia and the PRC [People's Republic of China]."

China has previously signalled concerns its economic relationship with Russia may open it up to sanctions, the ISW says, and Mr Putin "likely intends to head off these concerns as the Russian defence industry grows increasingly reliant on the PRC".

Earlier today, we reported how a purported Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at an oil refinery in Krasnodar, Russia.

The blaze has forced an emergency shut down at the facility, owned by Rosneft, two sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

According to one source, the drones hit the liquefied petroleum gas production unit while the crude distillation unit remained undamaged.

"There was no black smoke during the fire. That means it was just the gas burning", a source said.

Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported the fire was extinguished, citing local authorities.

The Russian defence ministry said air defences downed 44 drones over the Krasnodar region and six over the Belgorod region.

For context: The Tuapse plant's annual capacity is 12 million metric tons, or 240,000 barrels per day.

It produces naphtha, fuel oil, vacuum gasoil and high-sulphur diesel, and supplies fuel mainly Turkey, China, Malaysia and Singapore.

Most Russians would support an end to the war in Ukraine this week - but only if newly-gained territories were not returned.

That's according to the independent Levada Centre , Russia's best known pollster, which ran a survey to canvass public opinion on Vladimir Putin and the war.

While 71% would back an end to the war "this week", this figure drops to just 30% if the condition for peace were to return territories.

Since September last year, Levada reports the level of support for the Russian army has stayed at about 75%, with older respondents more likely to remain in favour.

Mr Putin's approval rating appears to be at about 82%, the pollster reports.

However, those aged between 18 and 24 appear less likely to back M Putin, with 77% not approving of his activities as president.

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko says no one should trust Vladimir Putin when he says he won't invade Russia's second city, Kharkiv.

The Russian leader does not have an opportunity to capture Kharkiv right now due to Ukraine's defensive forces, he said.

But in Vovchansk, where Mr Poroshenko visited yesterday, the town has been turned into "hell" - with no people or houses left.

"Don't trust Putin. Don't be afraid of Putin," he said.

"I can confirm that our strategy shall be as follows: Ukraine shall win, and Russia, undoubtedly, shall lose."

Moscow says it sees the US and UK as responsible for recent attacks because they are allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons against Russian targets.

The Russian foreign ministry said the UK, US, EU and Kyiv were "playing with fire" over attacks on Russian soil, state news agency Tass reports.

Such actions will not go unanswered, it warned.

"Once again, we should like to unequivocally warn Washington, London, Brussels and other Western capitals, as well as Kyiv, which is under their control, that they are playing with fire. Russia will not leave such encroachments on its territory unanswered."

Earlier today, Russia's ambassador to the UK said the UK was a de facto participant in the war.

This was because it has supplied Kyiv with weapons and shared real-time intelligence, said Andrei Kelin.

The number of victims from a reported Russian airstrike has risen, officials say.

At least two people are now said to have died, with another 13 injured - four of whom are in a "serious condition", regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

It is not clear what the attack targeted, but Mr Syniehubov said those injured are civilians.

Reports had initially claimed one person had died and four injured.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, and the surrounding region have long been targeted by Russian attacks but the strikes have become more intense in recent months.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Moscow of seeking to reduce the city to rubble.

A Ukrainian drone hit another oil terminal this morning, this time in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, according to sources and footage shared on social media.

The Importpischeprom oil products terminal and Sheskharis oil harbour were struck, with the port shut soon after the attack.

Oil loadings resumed later from Sheskharis, according to industry sources and LSEG data, while activity at Importpischeprom remains suspended.

It came as Russian officials reported another drone attack on an oil refinery, causing a fire in Tuapse, which is roughly 150km southeast of Novorossiisk.

Both are in the Krasnodar region.

Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneftdid not reply to a request for comment. Its subsidiary, Novorossiisk Commercial Sea Port Group (NCSP), which operates the Sheskharis oil terminal, declined to comment.

Novorossiisk is Russia's largest port on the Black Sea and is a key oil outlet for crude oil and transit in country's south. It also handles grain, coal, mineral fertilisers, timber, containers, food and chemical cargoes.

Four people have been hurt and at least one has died in an airstrike on the city of Kharkiv, according to local officials.

The regional governor says some of those injured are civilians, while it's reported Russia used guided bombs in the attack.

It's not immediately clear what exactly came under attack.

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COMMENTS

Direct and Indirect Speech of Universal Truth, Habitual Action
So all you have to do is only to remember a simple rule, that is -. When the reported clause/statement of a direct speech is a universal truth speech or any historical event or a habitual action (a part of the daily routine), then the tense in the indirect speech doesn't change, no matter in whatever tense the reporting verb (say/said) is.. Let's say there is a reported statement the teacher ...
17 Direct and Indirect Speech Rules for Conversion
Indirect Speech: Jyotsna said that she had been doing the work for 3 hours. Rule: 7 Direct Indirect Speech (Universal Truth or Habitual Fact) Rules. The Tense of the Verb remains unchanged in Indirect Narration in cases of General Statements of Facts, Universal Truths, Commonplace Occurrences, and Habitual or Repeated Actions. No real change ...
Direct and Indirect speech Universal Truth
There are three simple steps to change universal truth into indirect speech. Step 01. The verb of reporting speech (say) is converted into "tell". Step 02. In indirect speech the word "that" is used when comma and inverted commas are removed. Step 03.
Direct
Hi, In this video, I have explained the English Grammar Topic : Direct Indirect of sentences that include "Universal Truths" and the " Reporting Verb: If no...
Direct InDirect
The answer is - This will be called In-Direct / Reported Speech to know how see the ex below. For Example : She says to me , "That I Teach English In This School" but if i change the sentence and make it like - She says to me That She Teaches English In This School - In this sentence iam changing the words of her and not saying the same exact ...
Reported Speech: Important Grammar Rules and Examples • 7ESL
Reported speech: He asked if he would see me later. In the direct speech example you can see the modal verb 'will' being used to ask a question. Notice how in reported speech the modal verb 'will' and the reporting verb 'ask' are both written in the past tense. So, 'will' becomes 'would' and 'ask' becomes 'asked'.
Universal Truth
Learn universal truth Direct Speech/In Direct Speech,Reporting Speech/Reported Speech, Narrations , Exercises, Structures in English Grammar with Video Lect...
Direct And Indirect Speech Complete Rules
Use 'not to' if the sentence begins without Don't.4. Don't use 'that'5. Omit the word 'please'. Use the word 'request' instead of 'say'.6. If the direct speech contains a request or a command, the reporting verb (say, said) change to tell, request, order, command etc. in its correct tense. 7.
(PDF) Reported Speech: Towards a Definition as a ...
the truth: Jesus] In a paper of just few years before, Baynham (1996) investigates . ... p>Indirect speech is a universal phenomenon of human language communication. Out of courtesy or some other ...
PDF How to convert universal truth into indirect speech
How to convert universal truth into indirect speech Now we shall discuss how to convert universal truth into past tense. You must know the following steps. Step 01 The verb of reporting speech (say) shall be converted into "tell". Like: "say" into "tell", "said" into "told" and "says" into "tells" Step 02
Narration- Direct and Indirect speech. Universal Truth and Habitual
Narration- Direct and Indirect Speech, the rules of changing the sentence regarding universal truth and habitual fact are discussed here. Hope the explanatio...
Learn Transformation of Universal Truths in 3 minutes.
Now that we know how a universal truth or habitual action transforms in reported speech let us look at some example. For example- Adit said, "There are countless stars in the sky." We know that this sentence is a universal truth because it is a fact that there are countless stars in the sky.
Report The Dialogue: Reported Speech Definitions And Rules
In this lesson we can learn reported speech examples with definitions. Frequently asked questions in report the dialogue, report the dialogue in the paragraph, questions and answers in reported speech. ... When the direct speech expresses universal truth (fundamental truths of science) saying / provers / habitual action, the tense does not ...
Reported speech: direct speech
Reported speech: direct speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Direct and Indirect sentences of Universal truth with examples and exercise
Rules of Direct & Indirect Sentences with universal truth 1. Reported speech never changed 2. The conjunction "That" is used instead of inverted commas 3. Told or tell is used instead of Said. (If the object is given in reported speech) 4. If the sentence is an interrogative, "If" or "whether" is used instead of inverted commas 5.
Reported Speech
Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request. Statements. When transforming statements, check whether you have to change: pronouns; present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
PDF Handout Reported Speech 1 of 3
Indirect: The librarian told me not to make noise. Rule 5: When something is said repeatedly by a person, or it is said by many people we use says/say instead of said in the direct speech. Says when it is said by only one person and say when it is said by many people. Further, in indirect speech, it is replaced by tell/tells accordingly. Example:
Direct and Indirect Speech : HISTORICAL OR HABITUAL FACTS, UNIVERSAL
Direct and Indirect Speech : HISTORICAL OR HABITUAL FACTS, UNIVERSAL TRUTHS OR PROVERBS No change is made to the Verb of the Reported Speech if it shows a historical fact, a habitual fact, a universal truth or a proverb; for example : Direct : My brother said, "The League of Nations was formed after the World War I." (Historical fact) ...
Attention
(Indirect Speech) Jane said, "It was Paul's fault." (Direct Speech) Jane said it was Paul's fault. (Indirect Speech) Universal Truth : - If the reported speech contains universal truth proverb, mathematical fact, historical fact, habitual act, an expression of morality or an unchanged fact, then the tense of the reported speech remains ...
Direct-Indirect-Speech
Look at the examples of Universal Truth, Habitual Fact, Historical Fact, Proverb and an Imaginary condition and note that the tense of the Reporting speech remains unchanged in Indirect Speech. Direct Speech. Indirect Speech. संत ने कहा, "मनुष्य नश्वर है।". The Saint said, "Man is Mortal." The Saint ...
Direct And Indirect Speech
Direct And Indirect Speech | Universal Truth with Examples in Narration | English Grammar |My previous Video ÷ 👇https://youtu.be/FlcnsmHnxrw#tense#english #...
Reported speech: indirect speech
Reported speech: indirect speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
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