Often, we have to relate what we have seen or heard to other people. More specifically, we need to speak about what other people have said. This can be accomplished in two ways - either we can summarise in our own words what a person has said (indirect speech), or we can repeat it verbatim (direct speech, or quotes). This is the first of two High English quizzes which will test your knowledge of reported speech.
Different situations require different methods. For instance, when we read about a judgment of a court, we tend see it reported exactly the way the judge has pronounced. On the other hand, when a news reporter has attended a press conference direct quotes are less common. What was said at the conference tends to be reported in the reporter's own words.
There are conventions to be followed when reporting either directly or indirectly. Take a look at these two example sentences:
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‘My brother said to me, “I think we should see mother together.”’
‘My brother said to me that we should see mother together.’
The first of these is an example of direct speech and the second of indirect speech. In the first sentence, we notice that the statement that a brother makes is written between inverted commas (also called quotation marks or quotes). We have learnt in our past lessons that actual words spoken by a speaker are always inserted between inverted commas. This signifies that the quotation is attributed to the person and there can be no confusion as to what was said. In the second sentence, we notice that we do not use quotations marks. Usually, we resort to direct speech when we feel what is said is important. On the other hand, we resort to indirect speech when we feel that what was said exactly is not important but the message conveyed is important. We can make use of both direct and indirect speech to make our communication more effective. Take the quiz that follows, which is based on the news item below.
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1.
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Choose from the following the person who has been quoted in the news item. |
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A S Kiran Kumar |
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GSLV-Mark-II |
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Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle |
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GSLV-MIII |
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2.
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Choose from the following the nature of the news item. |
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It is a reported speech comprising direct speech only. |
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It is a reported speech comprising indirect speech only. |
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It is not a reported speech. |
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It is a reported speech comprising direct and indirect speech. |
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3.
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What is the news item about? |
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It is about the US' capabilities to launch satellites. |
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It is about ISRO's capabilities to launch satellites. |
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It is about ISRO launching a mission to Venus. |
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It is about ISRO launching a mission to Mars. |
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4.
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How many persons or entities are directly quoted in the news item? |
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Two persons only. |
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One person and one entity. |
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One person only. |
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Two persons and two entities. |
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5.
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How many of the seven paragraphs in the news item are reporting what someone has said? |
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Five paragraphs. |
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Seven paragraphs. |
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Three paragraphs. |
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Four paragraphs. |
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6.
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How many of the seven paragraphs in the news item are reporting the exact words of what someone has said? |
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Two paragraphs. |
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Four paragraphs. |
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One paragraph. |
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Three paragraphs. |
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7.
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How many of the seven paragraphs in the news item are reporting what someone has said in the author's words (indirect speech)? |
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Three paragraphs. |
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Two paragraphs. |
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One paragraph. |
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Four paragraphs. |
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8.
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How many paragraphs have a combination of direct and indirect speech? |
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Two paragraphs. |
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One paragraph. |
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Three paragraphs. |
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Four paragraphs. |
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9.
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How many paragraphs have only direct speech? |
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Seven paragraphs. |
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Four paragraphs. |
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Five paragraphs. |
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Three paragraphs. |
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10.
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Which among the following is an effective way to report speech? |
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A combination of direct and indirect speech. |
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Direct speech only. |
[ ] |
Indirect speech only. |
[ ] |
Author's view only. |
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1.
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Choose from the following the person who has been quoted in the news item. |
|
[x] |
A S Kiran Kumar |
[ ] |
GSLV-Mark-II |
[ ] |
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle |
[ ] |
GSLV-MIII |
|
|
2.
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Choose from the following the nature of the news item. |
|
[ ] |
It is a reported speech comprising direct speech only. |
[ ] |
It is a reported speech comprising indirect speech only. |
[ ] |
It is not a reported speech. |
[x] |
It is a reported speech comprising direct and indirect speech. |
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|
3.
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What is the news item about? |
|
[ ] |
It is about the US' capabilities to launch satellites. |
[x] |
It is about ISRO's capabilities to launch satellites. |
[ ] |
It is about ISRO launching a mission to Venus. |
[ ] |
It is about ISRO launching a mission to Mars. |
|
|
4.
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How many persons or entities are directly quoted in the news item? |
|
[ ] |
Two persons only. |
[ ] |
One person and one entity. |
[x] |
One person only. |
[ ] |
Two persons and two entities. |
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|
5.
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How many of the seven paragraphs in the news item are reporting what someone has said? |
|
[ ] |
Five paragraphs. |
[ ] |
Seven paragraphs. |
[ ] |
Three paragraphs. |
[x] |
Four paragraphs. |
|
|
6.
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How many of the seven paragraphs in the news item are reporting the exact words of what someone has said? |
|
[ ] |
Two paragraphs. |
[x] |
Four paragraphs. |
[ ] |
One paragraph. |
[ ] |
Three paragraphs. |
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7.
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How many of the seven paragraphs in the news item are reporting what someone has said in the author's words (indirect speech)? |
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[ ] |
Three paragraphs. |
[ ] |
Two paragraphs. |
[x] |
One paragraph. |
[ ] |
Four paragraphs. |
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8.
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How many paragraphs have a combination of direct and indirect speech? |
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[ ] |
Two paragraphs. |
[x] |
One paragraph. |
[ ] |
Three paragraphs. |
[ ] |
Four paragraphs. |
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9.
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How many paragraphs have only direct speech? |
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[ ] |
Seven paragraphs. |
[ ] |
Four paragraphs. |
[ ] |
Five paragraphs. |
[x] |
Three paragraphs. |
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10.
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Which among the following is an effective way to report speech? |
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[x] |
A combination of direct and indirect speech. |
[ ] |
Direct speech only. |
[ ] |
Indirect speech only. |
[ ] |
Author's view only. |
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