The Complete Guide to Narration
(Narration-এর সম্পূর্ণ নিয়মাবলী)
Master the rules of Direct and Indirect Speech for fluent English.
(คล่องแคล่วภาษาอังกฤษด้วยกฎของ Direct และ Indirect Speech)
What is Narration? (Narration কী?)
Narration is the art of reporting the words of a speaker. There are two main ways to do this:
- Direct Speech: Quoting the exact words of the speaker using quotation marks (” “).
Example: He said, “I am busy.” - Indirect (or Reported) Speech: Reporting the speaker’s message in your own words, without quotation marks.
Example: He said that he was busy.
Rule 1: Change of Tense (Tense-এর পরিবর্তন)
When the reporting verb (like said, told) is in the past tense, the tense of the direct speech changes as follows:
| Direct Speech Tense | Indirect Speech Tense |
|---|---|
| Present Simple (is/are) | Past Simple (was/were) |
| Present Continuous (is playing) | Past Continuous (was playing) |
| Present Perfect (has done) | Past Perfect (had done) |
| Past Simple (did) | Past Perfect (had done) |
| Past Continuous (was doing) | Past Perfect Continuous (had been doing) |
| Future Simple (will/shall) | would/should |
| Modal (can, may, must) | could, might, had to |
Exception: The tense does not change if the direct speech states a universal truth or a habitual fact.
Direct: The teacher said, “The Earth is round.” → Indirect: The teacher said that the Earth is round.
Rule 2: Change of Pronouns (Pronoun-এর পরিবর্তন)
Pronouns in direct speech change based on the subject and object of the reporting verb.
- First Person Pronouns (I, we, my, our) change according to the subject of the reporting verb.
Direct: She said, “I am happy.” → Indirect: She said that she was happy. - Second Person Pronouns (you, your) change according to the object of the reporting verb.
Direct: He said to me, “You are kind.” → Indirect: He told me that I was kind. - Third Person Pronouns (he, she, it, they) do not change.
Direct: I said, “He is a good boy.” → Indirect: I said that he was a good boy.
Rule 3: Change of Time & Place Words (সময় ও স্থানবাচক শব্দের পরিবর্তন)
Words indicating nearness in time or place change to words indicating distance.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the previous day / the day before |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| ago | before |
| last night | the previous night |
Rule 4: Changing Questions (প্রশ্নবোধক বাক্য)
For questions, the reporting verb changes to asked, inquired, etc. The question mark is removed, and the sentence structure becomes a statement (subject + verb).
- Yes/No Questions: Use
iforwhetheras the conjunction.
Direct: He said to me, “Are you coming?” → Indirect: He asked me if I was coming. - WH- Questions (What, Where, Why, etc.): The WH-word itself acts as the conjunction.
Direct: She said to him, “Where do you live?” → Indirect: She asked him where he lived.
Rule 5: Changing Commands & Requests (আদেশ ও অনুরোধমূলক বাক্য)
For imperative sentences, the reporting verb changes to a verb that fits the mood, like ordered, requested, advised, or forbade. The main verb changes to the infinitive form (to + verb).
- Command:
Direct: The teacher said to the student, “Sit down.” → Indirect: The teacher ordered the student to sit down. - Request:
Direct: She said to me, “Please help me.” → Indirect: She requested me to help her. - Negative Command:
Direct: My father said, “Do not waste your time.” → Indirect: My father advised me not to waste my time.
Rule 6: Changing Exclamations (আবেগসূচক বাক্য)
For exclamatory sentences, the reporting verb changes to exclaimed with joy, exclaimed with sorrow, exclaimed with wonder, etc. The exclamatory sentence is changed into a statement.
- Joy:
Direct: They said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.” → Indirect: They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match. - Sorrow:
Direct: He said, “Alas! I am ruined.” → Indirect: He exclaimed with sorrow that he was ruined.