Question

Look at this paragraph from the story: His parents said that the boy was a little angel, all dimples, smiles and sweetness – only wings lacking. He was their only child, they had abundant affection and ample money.

In the above paragraph, the words spoken by the parents are merely reported (Reported speech).

Write in direct speech.

Answer 1

His parents said: “Our boy is a little angel, all dimples, smiles and sweetness – only wings lacking. He is our only child. We have abundant affection and ample money.” Now discuss in groups, the differences that you notice between direct and indirect speech, and write down your findings. 

a) The boy – our boy 

b) Past tense – present tense 

c) Their – our d) They – we 

e) The word that is left out in direct speech 0 Change in the punctuations – use of colon and inverted commas.