Assertive Sentence Narration

So far, you have learned:

Pronoun change

Tense change

Special cases

Time and place change

Now it is time to use all these rules together.

In this lesson, you will learn how to change assertive sentences.

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What Is an Assertive Sentence

An assertive sentence is a simple statement.

It is not:

a question

a command

an exclamation

Examples:

I am happy

She likes tea

They are playing

He will come

These are simple statements.

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Main Idea

To change an assertive sentence, you follow all the rules step by step.

Simple structure:

Reporting part + that + changed sentence

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Basic Rule

Remove quotation marks

Add “that”

Change pronoun

Apply backshift (if needed)

Change time/place words (if needed)

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Example 1

Direct:

Rafi said, “I am happy.”

Step 1

Remove quotation marks

Step 2

Add “that”

Rafi said that I am happy

Step 3

Change pronoun:

I → he

Rafi said that he is happy

Step 4

Backshift tense:

is → was

Final:

Rafi said that he was happy

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Example 2

Direct:

Mina said, “I like mangoes.”

Step 1

Remove quotes

Step 2

Add that

Step 3

I → she

Step 4

like → liked

Final:

Mina said that she liked mangoes

Example 3

Direct:

The boy said to me, “I will help you.”

Step 1

Remove quotes

Step 2

said to → told

Step 3

Add that

Step 4

I → he

you → me

Step 5

will → would

Final:

The boy told me that he would help me

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Example 4

Direct:

She said, “I have finished my work.”

Step 1

Remove quotes

Step 2

Add that

Step 3

I → she

Step 4

have finished → had finished

Final:

She said that she had finished her work

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One Sentence Step by Step

Sentence:

He said, “I went home yesterday.”

Step 1

Remove quotes

Step 2

Add that

Step 3

I → he

Step 4

went → had gone

Step 5

yesterday → the previous day

Final:

He said that he had gone home the previous day

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Important Note

Always follow steps.

Do not try to change everything at once.

Think:

Who is the speaker

Who is the listener

What is the tense

Is there any time word

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Common Mistakes

Mistake 1

Forgetting “that”

Wrong:

He said he was tired

Correct:

He said that he was tired

Mistake 2

Not changing pronoun

Wrong:

He said that I was tired

Correct:

He said that he was tired

Mistake 3

Not applying backshift

Wrong:

He said that he is tired

Correct:

He said that he was tired

Mistake 4

Forgetting time change

Wrong:

He said that he went yesterday

Correct:

He said that he had gone the previous day

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Quick Revision

Assertive sentence = statement

Structure:

Reporting part + that + sentence

Steps:

Remove quotes

Add that

Change pronoun

Backshift tense

Change time/place

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Practice

A. Change into indirect speech

1. Rafi said, “I am tired.”

2. Mina said, “I like tea.”

3. The boy said to me, “I will come.”

4. She said, “I have finished my homework.”

5. He said, “I went to school yesterday.”

6. The girl said, “I am here now.”

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B. Fill in the blanks

1. Assertive sentence is a ______

2. We usually add ______ in indirect speech

3. “I” changes according to the ______

4. Tense usually goes one step ______

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C. Choose the correct answer

1. Assertive sentence is

   a question

   a statement

   a command

2. We use “that” to

   remove words

   connect parts

   change tense

3. “I” follows the

   listener

   speaker

   place

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Answers

A.

1. Rafi said that he was tired.

2. Mina said that she liked tea.

3. The boy told me that he would come.

4. She said that she had finished her homework.

5. He said that he had gone to school the previous day.

6. The girl said that she was there then.

B.

1. statement

2. that

3. speaker

4. back

C.

1. statement

2. connect parts

3. speaker

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Self Check

Can I identify an assertive sentence

Can I follow all steps

Can I change pronoun correctly

Can I apply backshift

Can I change time words

Homework

Write five assertive sentences in direct speech.

Then change them into indirect speech step by step.