Reported Speech

We use reported speech when we want to repeat what someone had previously said. Here are some of the important verb changes we use when making reported speech:

OBSERVATIONS:

a) Some auxiliary verbs change in reported speech:
WILL = WOULD                                             

MAY   = MIGHT
CAN   = COULD                                              

MUST = HAD TO
b) Others stay the same in both direct and indirect speech:
WOULD / SHOULD / COULD / MIGHT
c) Pronouns and adverbs also change in reported speech:

 

I  = he / she       My  = his / her This   = that Here   = there Now   = then

Today          = that day Tomorrow   = the next/ following day Yesterday    = the previous day / the day before Last night    = the previous night / the night before Ago             = before

 

d) When the affirmation made in direct speech is still valid at the moment it is reported, the verb tense doesn’t need to be changed.
- “Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide”, the doctor said.

- The doctor said that cigarette smoke contains (or contained) carbon monoxide.

 

VERB TENSES	REPORTED SPEECH
1PRESENT	1- PAST
2PAST	2- PAST / PAST PERFECT (HAD + P.P.)
3PRESENT PERFECT (HAVE / HAS + P.P.)	3- PAST PERFECT (HAD + P.P.)
4FUTURE (WILL)	4- CONDITIONAL (WOULD)
5CAN	5- COULD

                                                                                

1Present	1-  Past
I’m happy.	She said she was happy.
I work on Saturdays.	She said she worked on Saturdays.

                                                                                

Negative forms
I don’t like eggs.	She said she didn’t like eggs.

                                                                                

- Past	2- Past/Past Perfect
I was happy.	She said she was happy.
I worked last Saturday.	She said she had worked last Saturday.

                                                                                

3- Present Perfect	3- Past Perfect
I have met Regina Duarte.	She said she had met Regina Duarte.

                                                                                

4- Future (will)	4- Conditional (would)
I will start working on Monday.	She said she would start working on Monday.

                                                                                

5Can	5- Could
I can dance the tango very well.	She said she could dance the tango very well.

                                                                                

6- Imperative Sentences – Affirmative Forms	6- Imperative (to)
Call me tomorrow.	She said to call her the next day.

                                                                                

7- Imperative Sentences – Negative Forms	7- Not to
Don’t smoke.	She said/asked/requested not to smoke.
Don’t open the door.	She said/asked/requested not to open the door.

 

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Session OR Section?

Be careful not to confuse these two words. Although both have a very similar sound and spelling, they have different meanings as well as pronunciation.

1) SESSION   n/ - noun

1. a formal meeting or series of meetings of an organization such as a parliament or a law court
    The parliamentary session is due to end on Dec 10th. 
2. a period of time or meeting arranged for a particular activit
          The runner twisted his ankle in a training session last Friday.
3. any of the periods of time that a teaching year or day is divided into, or the teaching year itself
    Access to these buildings is restricted when school is in session.

2) SECTION n/ - noun
       a. one of the parts that something is divided into 

The sports section of the newspaper

 b. specialized a cut made in part of the body in an operation

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Sentence Correction - IBPS - RRB

Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error in it. The error if any will be in one part of the sentence, the number of that part will be the answer. If there is no error, mark (5) as the answer. (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any)

1. The right to adequate food (1) / and clean drinking water (2) / should be regarded as a (3) / basic right of all citizen of India (4). No error (5)
2  A sharp fall in (1) / international prices of tea (2) / have lead tea plantation workers (3) / in Kerala to face starvation (4). No error (5).
3  In spite freedom of the press is vital to democracy (1) / the thin line between reporting facts (2) / and expressing opinions on them (3) / is being increasingly crossed (4). No error (5)

4  In India, the teacher has been elevated (1) / to a position of power (2) / and a part of that power has been (3) / to assuming the right to punish the students (4). No error (5)
5  In the flying game, there are a host of (1) / new low-cost airlines that dare to roar, (2) / providing a glimmer of hope of (3) / more cheaper air transport to millions (4). No error(5)
6  A question worth to ask is that (1) / whether the National Awards represent (2) / Pan - Indian cinema or (3) / is the focus on mainstream films only (4). No error (5).
7  Indian every single (1) / expectation from its cricket team (2) / invariably oscillates between (3) / a cynical pessimism and an unjustified optimism (4)/. No error (5)
8  The road widening exercise (1) / who aims to make National Highway a four-lane highway, (2) / poses a threat to the (3) / fragile environment of the Himalayas (4). No error (5).
9  In the aftermath of the Asian tsunami, (1) / the sporting community have responded (2) / swiftly to contribute in whatever way it could, (3) / both financially and qualitatively (4). No error (5)
10 Seen as an indicator of the maturity (1) / of outsourcing business in India, (2)/ the Indian outsourcing market is (3) / expected to growth to eleven billion dollar by this year (4). No error (5).




ANSWERS

1 .d
2 .c
3 .a
4 .d
5 .d
6 .d
7 .a
8 .b
9 .b
10.d

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Kinds of Sentences

Sentences are of four kinds:

(1) A sentence that makes a statement or assertion is called a Declarative or Assertive sentence.

• Those which make statements or assertions; as, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

(2) A sentence that asks a question is called an Interrogative sentence.

• Those which ask questions; as Where do you live?

(3) A sentence that expresses a command or an entreaty is called an Imperative sentence.

• Those which express commands, requests, or entreaties; as,
• Be quiet.
• Have mercy upon us.

(4)A sentence that expresses strong feeling is called an Exclamatory sentence

• Those which express strong feelings; as,
• How cold the night is!
• What a shame!

 

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Parts of Speech

Words are divided into different kinds or classes, called Parts of Speech, according to their use; that is, according to the work they do in a sentence.

The parts of speech are eight in number:

1. Noun.

• A Noun is a word used as the name of a person, place, or thing;

• The word thing includes (i) all objects that we can see, hear, taste, touch, or smell;
• and (ii) something that we can think of, but cannot perceive by the senses.

2. Adjective.

• An Adjective is a word used to add something to the meaning of a noun;

 

3. Pronoun

 

• A Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun;

4. Verb

• A Verb is a word used lo express an action or state

5. Adverb

• An Adverb is a word used to add something to the meaning of a verb, an adjective, or another adverb;

6. Preposition

• A Preposition is a word used with a noun or a pronoun to show how the person or thing denoted by the noun or pronoun stands in relation to something else

7. Conjunction

• A Conjunction is a word used to join words or sentences

8. Interjection

• An Interjection is a word which expresses some sudden feel ing

 

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Noun and Kinds of Noun

A Noun is a word used as the name of a person, place or thing.

Note: The word thing is used to mean anything that we can think of.

Kinds of Noun
Def. - A Common Noun is a name given in common to every person or thing of the same class or kind.
[Common here means shared by all.]

Def. - A Proper Noun is the name of some particular person or place, [Proper means one's own. Hence a Proper Name is a person's own name.]
Note 1 - Proper Nouns are always written with a capital letter at the beginning.
Note 2 - Proper Nouns are sometimes used as Common Nouns; as,
1. . Kalidas is often called the Shakespeare (= the greatest dramatist) of India.

Common Nouns include what are called Collective Nouns and Abstract Nouns

A Collective Noun is the name of a number (or collection) of persons or things taken together and spoken of as one whole; as,
Crowd, mob, team, flock, herd, army, fleet, jury, family, nation, parliament, committee.

An Abstract Noun is usually the name of a quality, action, or state considered apart from the object to which it belongs; as.
Quality - Goodness, kindness, whiteness, darkness, hardness, brightness, honesty, wisdom, bravery.
Action - Laughter, theft, movement, judgment, hatred.
State - Childhood, boyhood, youth, slavery, sleep, sickness, death, poverty.
The names of the Arts and Science (e.g., grammar, music, chemistry, etc.) are also Abstract Nouns.

Abstract Nouns are formed:
(1) From Adjectives; as,
Kindness from kind; honesty from honest. [Most abstract nouns are formed thus.]
(2) From Verbs: as,
Obedience from obey; growth from grow.
(3) From Common Nouns; as,
Childhood from child; slavery from slave.

Another classification of nouns is whether they are “countable” or “uncountable”.

Countable nouns (or countables) are the names of objects, people, etc. that we can count,
e.g., book, pen, apple, boy, sister, doctor, horse.

Uncountable nouns (or uncountables) are the names of things which we cannot count,
e.g., milk, oil, sugar, gold, honesty. They mainly denote substances and abstract things.

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Masculine Nouns and corresponding Feminine Nouns

Masculine -- Feminine
Bachelor -- maid, spinster
Boy -- girl
Brother -- sister
Buck -- doe
Bull (or ox) -- cow
Bullock -- heifer
Cock -- hen
Colt -- filly
Dog -- bitch
Drake -- duck
Drone -- bee

Earl -- countess
Father -- mother
Gander -- goose
Gentleman -- lady
Hart -- roe
Horse -- mare
Husband -- wife
King -- queen
Lord -- lady
Man -- woman
Monk (or friar) -- nun
Nephew -- niece
Papa -- mamma
Ram -- ewe
Sir -- madam
Son -- daughter
Stag -- hind
Uncle -- aunt
Wizard -- witch

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