The rules for Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) for Class 9 involve specific changes to the reporting verb, conjunction, and verb tense (backshift), depending on whether the original sentence was a command, a statement, or a question.
1. Commands and Requests
When reporting commands or requests, we use an infinitive phrase (to + verb) instead of changing the tense. The connector 'that' is not used.| Original Sentence Type | Reporting Verb Changes To | Structure in Indirect Speech | Example |
| Command | ordered, commanded, told, instructed | Subject + Reporting Verb + Object + to + Base Verb | Direct: "Finish your homework," the teacher said. Indirect: The teacher ordered me to finish my homework. |
| Request | asked, requested, urged, begged | Subject + Reporting Verb + Object + to + Base Verb | Direct: "Please help me with this," she said. Indirect: She requested him to help her with that. |
| Negative Command | forbade, told/asked not to | Subject + Reporting Verb + Object + not to + Base Verb | Direct: "Don't shout," the mother said. Indirect: The mother told the child not to shout. |
2. Statements
When reporting statements, the tense of the verb in the reported clause generally moves one step back (Tense Backshift).A. Core Structure
- Reporting Verb: Changes to said (if no object is mentioned) or told (if an object is mentioned, e.g., 'told me').
- Conjunction: Use that (which is optional).
- Pronoun and Time/Place: These words change to reflect the reporting time and place.
| Direct Speech Tense | Reported Speech Tense | Time/Place Change |
| Simple Present | Simple Past | now → then |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous | today → that day |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect | here → there |
| Simple Past | Past Perfect | tomorrow → the next day |
| Future (will) | Conditional (would) | this → that |
B. Examples of Backshift
| Direct Speech Example | Indirect Speech Example |
| She said, "I am happy." | She said that she was happy. |
| He said, "I finished the work." | He said that he had finished the work. |
| They said, "We will visit you tomorrow." | They said that they would visit me the next day. |
3. Questions
When reporting questions, the main verb changes to one indicating questioning, and the word order is changed from a question format to a statement format (Subject + Verb).A. 'Yes/No' Questions
- Reporting Verb: Use asked, enquired, wondered.
- Connector: Use if or whether.
- Structure: Question word order is inverted to Subject + Verb (Auxiliaries do, does, did are usually dropped).
| Direct Speech Example | Indirect Speech Example |
| He said, "Are you coming?" | He asked if I was coming. |
| She said, "Did you see the movie?" | She enquired whether I had seen the movie. |
B. 'Wh-' Questions
- Reporting Verb: Use asked, enquired, demanded.
- Connector: The Wh-word itself (what, why, when, where, how) acts as the connector.
- Structure: Maintain the Wh-word, then use the statement word order (Subject + Verb).
| Direct Speech Example | Indirect Speech Example |
| The boy said, "Where is my book?" | The boy asked where his book was. |
| She said, "What do you want now?" | She asked what I wanted then. |
Subject-Verb Concord Practice Questions (Class 9)
Choose the correct verb form from the options given in brackets to complete the sentence.
1.
The cat _____ under the table. (sleep/sleeps)
Answer: sleeps (Singular Subject)
2.
All the books _____ new covers. (need/needs)
Answer: need (Plural Subject)
3.
Curry and rice _____ my favourite meal. (is/are)
Answer: is (Single Idea/Unit)
4.
The manager and the staff _____ arriving shortly. (is/are)
Answer: are (Two distinct subjects)
5.
Neither my parents nor my sister _____ agreed. (has/have)
Answer: has ('sister' is closest and singular)
6.
Either the dog or the puppies _____ eaten the food. (has/have)
Answer: have ('puppies' is closest and plural)
7.
Everybody _____ a different opinion. (has/have)
Answer: has ('Everybody' is always singular)
8.
Each of the answers _____ correct. (is/are)
Answer: is ('Each' is always singular)
9.
The box, along with its contents, _____ missing. (was/were)
Answer: was ('box' is the singular main subject)
10.
The players, as well as the coach, _____ tired. (is/are)
Answer: are ('players' is the plural main subject)
11.
Mathematics _____ always been difficult for me. (has/have)
Answer: has (A single field of study → Singular Verb)
12.
The evening news _____ on at six. (is/are)
Answer: is ('news' is singular in meaning)
13.
The jury _____ reached a unanimous decision. (has/have)
Answer: has (Jury acting as one unit → Singular Verb)
14.
Three hours _____ enough time for the exam. (is/are)
Answer: is (Time period as a single unit → Singular Verb)
15.
Five hundred dollars _____ too much for that jacket. (is/are)
Answer: is (Amount as a single unit → Singular Verb)
16.
One of the glasses _____ empty. (was/were)
Answer: was ('One' is the singular subject)
17.
There _____ several mistakes in your essay. (is/are)
Answer: are (Actual subject 'mistakes' is plural)
18.
There _____ a spider on the wall. (was/were)
Answer: was (Actual subject 'spider' is singular)
19.
A lot of the sugar _____ spilled. (has/have)
Answer: has ('sugar' is uncountable → Singular Verb)
20.
Some of the flowers _____ still fresh. (is/are)
Answer: are ('flowers' is countable/plural → Plural Verb)
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