Reported Speech & Voice for Boards
What you will be able to do
- Convert mixed passages between direct and indirect speech
- Change voice across all tenses confidently
- Handle special voice and narration cases
- Recognise the exact board question patterns
- Avoid the most common narration and voice traps
1 Quick Introduction
Two transformation skills appear in almost every board paper: reported speech (narration) and voice. You have met both before; this chapter sharpens them for the exam — mixed dialogues, voice in all tenses, and the precise format examiners expect. These are reliable, scoring questions when your method is automatic.
लगभग हर बोर्ड पेपर में दो रूपांतरण-कौशल आते हैं: reported speech (narration) और voice। आप दोनों से पहले मिल चुके हैं; यह अध्याय इन्हें परीक्षा के लिए तेज़ करता है — मिश्रित संवाद, सभी tenses में voice, और वह सटीक format जो परीक्षक चाहते हैं। जब तरीका स्वतः हो जाए, ये भरोसेमंद, अंक देने वाले प्रश्न हैं।
2 A Real-Life Situation
A short dialogue to report:
Direct: "Have you finished?" the teacher asked. "Not yet," I replied.
Reported: The teacher asked whether I had finished. I replied that I had not finished yet.
3 The Grammar Rule
| Skill | Core move |
|---|---|
| Narration: statement | said that + back-shift |
| Narration: question | asked if/wh- + statement order |
| Narration: command | told/asked + (not) to + verb |
| Voice | object→subject, be(same tense)+V3, by+agent |
4 Mixed Narration
A real dialogue mixes statements, questions and commands. To report it, apply the right move to each part and link them smoothly with reporting verbs (said, asked, replied, told, requested, exclaimed, added).
- Statement → said/replied that + back-shifted clause.
- Yes/No question → asked if/whether + statement order.
- Wh- question → asked + wh- word + statement order.
- Command/request → told/requested + (not) to + verb.
- Exclamation/wish → exclaimed with joy/sorrow that / prayed that.
Remember the universal back-shift (is→was, will→would), pronoun changes, and time-word changes (now→then, today→that day). Don't back-shift universal truths.
He asked where she was going. She replied that she was going to the market.
Mother told me not to be late. I promised that I would not be (late).
Key Points
- Apply the right move to each part: statement, question, command, exclamation
- Link with reporting verbs: said, asked, replied, told, requested
- Back-shift tenses, change pronouns and time words (but not universal truths)
5 Voice in All Tenses & Board Patterns
To change voice: move the object to the front, use the correct form of be in the same tense + the past participle, and put the old subject after 'by' (drop if unknown).
| Tense | Passive form |
|---|---|
| Simple Present | is/are + V3 |
| Present Continuous | is/are being + V3 |
| Present Perfect | has/have been + V3 |
| Simple Past | was/were + V3 |
| Past Perfect | had been + V3 |
| Future / Modal | will be / modal + be + V3 |
Board patterns: 'Change the voice', 'Rewrite as directed', 'Begin the sentence with the given word'. Watch traps: keep the tense, use the participle (not the past tense), and drop the object pronoun.
The plants are being watered by the gardener. — present continuous passive.
The work had been completed (by them). — past perfect passive.
Key Points
- Passive = be (in the same tense) + past participle
- Object → subject; old subject → by + agent (drop if unknown)
- Traps: keep the tense, use V3, drop the object pronoun
6 Vocabulary Builder
| Word | Meaning | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|
| Narration | reporting speech | कथन |
| Mixed narration | a dialogue with many parts | मिश्रित कथन |
| Voice | active or passive | वाच्य |
| Agent | the doer (after 'by') | कर्ता |
| Back-shift | moving the tense back | काल-परिवर्तन |
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid
8 Practice Exercises
- writes →
- is writing →
- has written →
- wrote →
- will write →
- is written
- is being written
- has been written
- was written
- will be written
- Report: 'She said, "I have done it."'
- Report: '"Are you ready?" he asked.'
- Voice: 'They are repairing the road.'
- Voice: 'Someone has stolen my bag.'
- Report: '"Shut the door," she said.'
- She said that she had done it.
- He asked whether I was ready.
- The road is being repaired (by them).
- My bag has been stolen.
- She told me to shut the door.
- He asked that what I wanted.
- The work was do by them.
- She said she will help me.
- A letter is being wrote.
- He asked what I wanted. (error: that)
- The work was done by them. (error: do)
- She said she would help me. (error: will)
- A letter is being written. (error: wrote)
- He told that he was busy.
- The house is build by them.
- She asked me where was I going.
- He said that he was busy. (or: He told me that he was busy.)
- The house is built by them.
- She asked me where I was going.
- by / written / was / her / the / letter
- had / she / said / that / done / it / she
- being / road / the / repaired / is
- The letter was written by her.
- She said that she had done it.
- The road is being repaired.
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| 1. is written | a. present continuous passive |
| 2. was written | b. simple present passive |
| 3. has been written | c. simple past passive |
| 4. is being written | d. present perfect passive |
9 Micro Quiz
10 Reading Practice
"Have you completed the survey?" the officer asked. "Almost," the clerk replied, "but the forms are still being checked." "They must be submitted by Friday," the officer said firmly. "Don't delay." The clerk promised that everything would be ready on time, and the files were quickly sorted.
- Report the officer's question in indirect speech.
- Identify a passive verb and name its tense.
- Report the command 'Don't delay.'
- The officer asked whether the clerk had completed the survey.
- 'are still being checked' (present continuous passive); 'must be submitted' (modal passive); 'were sorted' (past passive).
- The officer told the clerk not to delay.
11 Speaking, Writing & Daily Use
- She said that she had finished the work.
- He asked whether I was coming.
- The letters are being posted now.
- The bridge was built last year.
- She told me not to worry.
12 Challenge Zone
13 Chapter Mind Map
NARRATION & VOICE (BOARDS)
|
+------------+------------+
| |
MIXED NARRATION VOICE
stmt: said that object>subject
Q: asked if/wh- be(same tense)
cmd: told...to + V3
excl: exclaimed that by + agent
back-shift, pronouns keep tense, use V314 One-Minute Revision
Remember these
- Mixed narration: apply the right move to each part; link with reporting verbs
- Back-shift tenses, change pronouns and time words (not universal truths)
- Voice = be (same tense) + past participle; object → subject; old subject → by
- Modal passive = modal + be + V3; impersonal passive = It is said that…
- Traps: no 'that' with wh-; use V3 not V2; drop the object pronoun