Direct and Indirect Speech – Primary 5 English Grammar Lesson

Lesson Plan: English Grammar – Primary 5 First Term

General Information

Subject: English Grammar
Class: Primary 5
Term: First Term
Week: 6
Age: 9 years
Topic: Structure: Using Direct and Indirect Speech
Sub-topic: Identifying and Changing Direct Speech to Reported Speech
Duration: 60 minutes

Behavioral Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Identify sentences in reported (indirect) speech.
Change direct speech to reported speech and vice versa.
Analyze different sentences to discover the basic rules for converting direct speech to reported speech.

Keywords

Direct speech
Indirect speech
Reported speech
Quotation marks
Tense shift
Pronouns
Reporting verbs

Set Induction (Introduction)

The teacher will write two sentences on the board:

John said, “I love football.”
John said that he loved football.

The teacher will then ask:

What is the difference between the two sentences?
Why does the second sentence not have quotation marks?

The teacher will explain that the first sentence is in direct speech (the exact words spoken) and the second is in reported speech (retelling the speech without quoting it directly).

Entry Behavior

Pupils have learned about sentence structure and verb tenses in previous lessons.

Learning Resources and Materials

Flashcards with direct and indirect speech examples
Chart showing conversion rules
Whiteboard and marker

Building Background/Connection to Prior Knowledge

The teacher will remind students about subject-verb agreement and pronouns, as these change when converting direct speech to reported speech.

Embedded Core Skills

Listening and Speaking
Reading and Writing
Critical Thinking
Communication

Learning Materials

Lagos State Scheme of Work
New Oxford Primary English Book 5

Instructional Materials

Flashcards with speech examples
Charts showing conversion rules
Sentence strips for practice

Lesson Content

1. Definition of Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct speech: The exact words spoken by a person, enclosed in quotation marks.
- Example: Mary said, “I am happy.”
Indirect (Reported) speech: The rephrased version of what someone said, without quotation marks.
- Example: Mary said that she was happy.

2. Rules for Changing Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

Rule 1: Remove Quotation Marks

Direct: James said, “I like ice cream.”
Indirect: James said that he liked ice cream.

Rule 2: Change the Pronouns

Direct: She said, “I am tired.”
Indirect: She said that she was tired.

Rule 3: Change the Verb Tense (Backshift Rule)

Direct: He said, “I eat rice.”
Indirect: He said that he ate rice.

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Present simple → Past simple	“I like football,” she said. → She said that she liked football.
Present continuous → Past continuous	“I am reading,” he said. → He said that he was reading.
Past simple → Past perfect	“I went to school,” she said. → She said that she had gone to school.

Rule 4: Change Time and Place Words

Direct: She said, “I will see you tomorrow.”
Indirect: She said that she would see me the next day.

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
today → that day	“I saw her today.” → He said he saw her that day.
tomorrow → the next day	“We will go tomorrow.” → They said they would go the next day.
yesterday → the previous day	“I came yesterday.” → She said she had come the previous day.

3. Changing Reported Speech Back to Direct Speech

When converting indirect speech to direct speech, follow the opposite process:

Add quotation marks.
Change pronouns back.
Change verb tenses forward.

Example:

Indirect: She said that she liked apples.
Direct: She said, “I like apples.”

Evaluation (Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Speech Form)

Choose the correct direct or indirect speech form.

“I am hungry,” said John. (Change to indirect)
- John said that he _______ hungry.
  a) am
  b) is
  c) was
  d) were
She said, “I will travel next week.” (Change to indirect)
- She said that she _______ travel the following week.
  a) will
  b) would
  c) can
  d) shall
He said that he had finished his work. (Change to direct)
- He said, “I _______ my work.”
  a) finished
  b) have finished
  c) had finished
  d) will finish
“We are watching a movie,” they said. (Change to indirect)
- They said that they _______ watching a movie.
  a) were
  b) are
  c) is
  d) was
She said that she could swim. (Change to direct)
- She said, “I _______ swim.”
  a) may
  b) will
  c) can
  d) should

Class Activity (Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs)

What is direct speech?
- Direct speech is when the exact words spoken by someone are written in quotation marks.
What is indirect speech?
- Indirect speech is when the words spoken by someone are reported without quotation marks.
What punctuation is used in direct speech?
- Quotation marks.
How does the tense change in indirect speech?
- Present tense verbs change to past tense.
What happens to the pronouns in reported speech?
- They change depending on the subject of the sentence.
Convert: “I am going home,” she said.
- She said that she was going home.
Convert: She said that she was happy.
- She said, “I am happy.”
Which word is commonly used in indirect speech?
- “That” (e.g., He said that he was tired).
What happens to time expressions in indirect speech?
- “Today” changes to “that day,” “tomorrow” changes to “the next day,” etc.
Change “They said, ‘We will help you.'” to indirect speech.
- They said that they would help me.

Presentation Steps

Teacher’s Activities:
- Explains direct and indirect speech with examples.
- Writes conversion rules on the board.
- Asks students to practice changing sentences.
Learners’ Activities:
- Read and identify direct and indirect speech.
- Convert sentences between the two forms.
- Answer evaluation questions.

Assessment

Define direct speech.
Define indirect speech.
Convert: “She said, ‘I love my dog.'”
Convert: He said that he was tired.
State two rules for changing direct to indirect speech.

Conclusion

The teacher summarizes the lesson and corrects any mistakes in students’ exercises.

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