Reported Speech Class 8 Guide with Rules Tips and Simple Examples

Reported speech is one of the most important grammar topics in Class 8 because students use it in writing stories, dialogues, essays, and even while talking in real life. This blog will help you understand reported speech in the simplest way with clear rules, examples, and tips that make learning easy and fun.

What is Reported Speech Class 8

Reported speech is used when we repeat someone’s words without quoting them exactly. Instead of writing the speaker’s exact sentence, we report the meaning. This helps in storytelling, writing news, writing essays, and sharing information without using quotation marks. For Class 8, understanding how to change direct speech into indirect speech is the main goal.

Example

• Direct speech
  Riya said, “I am tired.”

• Reported speech
  Riya said that she was tired.

This change makes your writing smoother and more formal.

Why Learning Reported Speech Class 8 Matters

Helps in school exams

Reported speech is a scoring chapter. Most English exams include transformation sentences, editing tasks, and error correction based on it. When you understand the rules, you can easily get full marks.

Improves communication

We often retell conversations. Reported speech makes your communication clearer because you learn to express what someone said in your own words without confusion.

Important for writing skills

Whether you write stories, articles, dialogues, debates, or speeches, you use reported speech. It helps make your writing polished and refined.

Useful for real life

Even in daily conversations, we say things like “My teacher said that…” or “Mom told me that…”. So this topic trains you to speak more confidently.

Types of Reported Speech Class 8

Reported speech is mainly divided into two types. Understanding both will make the topic much easier.

Direct Speech

• Direct speech contains the exact words of a speaker.

• It uses quotation marks.

• The words inside quotes remain unchanged.

Example:
Neha said, “I love reading.”

Indirect Speech

• This expresses the meaning of what the speaker said.

• Quotation marks are removed.

• Pronouns, time words, and tenses are changed.

Example:
Neha said that she loved reading.

Rules to Change Direct Speech to Reported Speech Class 8

This is the most important section for Class 8. Here is a complete rulebook explained in easy language so you never forget it.

Change in Pronouns

Pronouns must change according to the subject, object, and the situation of the sentence. The rule is based on the speaker, the listener, and the person being talked about.

Important points

• “I” changes according to the subject.

• “You” changes according to whom the sentence is spoken to.

• “He”, “she”, “they” follow the context.

Example

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

The pronouns changed because the perspective changed.

Change in Tenses

In reported speech, present tense usually changes to past tense. This is because the sentence is being reported after the speaking happened.

Give your learning a strong boost with classes that make grammar simple and enjoyable. Understand reported speech and every tricky concept with complete clarity. Book a free trial now.

General rules

• Present simple becomes past simple.

• Present continuous becomes past continuous.

• Present perfect becomes past perfect.

• Past simple becomes past perfect.

Example

Direct
She said, “I write poems.”
Indirect
She said that she wrote poems.

This change shows that the action happened earlier.

Change in Time and Place Words

Time and place words change because the situation changes from the speaker to the listener.

Common words that change

• now becomes then

• today becomes that day

• yesterday becomes the previous day

• tomorrow becomes the next day

• here becomes there

If you want to speak and write better, the right learning support can make all the difference. Join a class built to help students progress quickly with practical examples. Book a free trial today.

Example

Direct
He said, “I will come tomorrow.”
Indirect
He said that he would come the next day.

This removes confusion about timing.

Using That in Reported Speech

In indirect speech, the word “that” is used to join the reporting verb with the reported clause. It makes the sentence smoother and more formal.

Example

Direct
She said, “I am happy.”
Indirect
She said that she was happy.

Using “that” gives clarity while reporting.

No Commas or Quotation Marks

When converting to indirect speech, remove quotation marks and commas. The sentence becomes a continuous report.

Example

Direct
Rahul said, “It is raining.”
Indirect
Rahul said that it was raining.

This makes the sentence more natural.

Turn confusing grammar rules into simple, enjoyable lessons with expert guidance. Build the skills you need for exams, writing and everyday conversations. Book a free trial now.

Reporting Verbs

Reporting verbs like said, told, asked, requested, advised, ordered and many more are used in indirect speech. Choosing the right verb gives the correct meaning.

Examples

• “asked” is used for questions

• “ordered” is used for commands

• “requested” is used for polite requests

• “advised” is used for suggestions

Example sentence

Direct
Mother said, “Please study.”
Indirect
Mother requested me to study.

This shows the tone of the speaker.

Take the first step toward stronger communication and flawless grammar skills. Learn difficult topics like reported speech with comfort and clarity. Book a free trial today.

Reported Speech Class 8 Rules for Different Sentence Types

Class 8 requires you to learn how to convert statements, questions, commands and requests into reported speech. Here is the expanded version for easy understanding.

1. Reporting Statements

Statements tell information. In indirect speech, you add “that” and change the tense, pronoun, and time expressions.

Rules

• Use the reporting verb “said” or “told”.

• Add “that”.

• Apply tense and pronoun changes.

Example

Direct
He said, “I am learning.”
Indirect
He said that he was learning.

2. Reporting Questions

Questions follow different rules based on whether they are yes or no questions or wh questions.

Yes or No Questions

• Use “asked”

• Add “if” or “whether”

• Remove the question mark

• Change the tense

Example
Direct
She said, “Do you like tea”
Indirect
She asked if I liked tea.

Wh Questions

• Keep the wh word

• Use the reporting verb “asked”

• Change the tense

• Remove the question format

Example
Direct
He said, “Where are you going”
Indirect
He asked where I was going.

This keeps the meaning intact.

3. Reporting Commands and Requests

Commands and requests express actions the speaker wants someone to do.

Rules

• Use ordered, advised, requested, told

• Use the infinitive form (to plus verb)

Example

Direct
The teacher said, “Complete your work.”
Indirect
The teacher told us to complete our work.

Example for request

Direct
She said, “Please help me.”
Indirect
She requested me to help her.

If you want to communicate with confidence, start with concepts that truly strengthen your foundation. Learn with expert mentors who explain everything in an easy and engaging way. Book a free trial today.

4. Reporting Suggestions

Suggestions show ideas or advice.

Rule

Use “suggested”, “advised” or similar words.

Example

Direct
He said, “You should sleep early.”
Indirect
He advised me to sleep early.

Common Mistakes Students Make in Reported Speech Class 8

These errors are very common in exams. Understanding them helps you avoid losing marks.

Mistake 1: Not changing pronouns

Students often forget to change “I”, “you”, and “we”. This confuses the meaning of the sentence. You can also learn subjcet pronoun to understand this topic better.

Mistake 2: Not changing tenses

Keeping present tense in indirect speech is incorrect because the time of speaking changes.

Mistake 3: Using wrong reporting verb

If the sentence is a request but you use “said” instead of “requested”, the meaning becomes unclear.

Mistake 4: Forgetting to remove quotation marks

Many students report speech but keep punctuation marks. This makes the answer wrong.

Mistake 5: Confusion between if and whether

Both can be used for yes or no questions, but some sentences require “whether” for clarity.

Give your learning a strong boost with classes that make grammar simple and enjoyable. Understand reported speech and every tricky concept with complete clarity. Book a free trial now.

Advanced Tips to Master Reported Speech Class 8

Practice with your own sentences

Try converting your daily conversations into reported speech. This makes the habit stronger and improves writing skills.

Read English newspapers

News articles use indirect speech often. Reading them helps students learn naturally.

Try storytelling

Narrate a movie or book summary using reported speech. It improves both spoken and written communication.

Use a notebook for rules

Write the rules separately and revise them before exams. This boosts confidence.

Examples of Reported Speech Class 8 for Practice

Here are some extra examples that help you understand the concept better.

Statements

• Direct
  She said, “I want water.”
  Indirect
  She said that she wanted water.

Questions

• Direct
  He said, “Can you sing”
  Indirect
  He asked if I could sing.

Commands

• Direct
  Mother said, “Clean your room.”
  Indirect
  Mother told me to clean my room.

Requests

• Direct
  He said, “Please lend me a pen.”
  Indirect
  He requested me to lend him a pen.

Exercises for Reported Speech Class 8

Try converting these into indirect speech for practice.

• “I am going to the park,” Riya said.

• “Do you know the answer” the teacher said.

• “Please close the window,” he said.

• “Where is my bag” she said.

• “We are working on a project,” the students said.

PlanetSpark and the Power of Grammar Learning for Students

PlanetSpark is not just about English lessons. It is a complete learning experience that helps students improve communication, grammar, public speaking and confidence. The platform blends the best of technology and expert teaching to make grammar simple, enjoyable and useful for daily life.

Why PlanetSpark stands out

• Expert mentors help students understand grammar through real life examples.

• Classes are interactive which means learning is always fun.

• Students practice concepts like reported speech through speaking tasks, worksheets and activities.

• The category USP is skill based learning that strengthens communication along with grammar.

PlanetSpark students do not just learn grammar. They learn how to use it in conversations, presentations, debates and storytelling which builds long term confidence.

Conclusion

Mastering reported speech in Class 8 becomes easy when you follow clear rules and understand how pronouns, tenses and time expressions change. With regular practice, this topic can easily turn into a scoring area in your exams. It also improves your writing, speaking and storytelling skills. When you apply these rules daily, your communication becomes clearer and more confident. Keep revising the examples and exercises to strengthen your basics. With the right guidance, you can master reported speech and every other grammar topic with ease.