EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES (NARRATION)

 

The following specific rules should be kept in mind in addition to general rules at the time of changing direct speech to indirect speech in exclamatory sentences:-

1. According to sense of interjection, introductory verb is replaced with ‘exclaim’/ ‘wish’/ ‘bless’/ ‘pray’/ ‘cry’/ ‘declare’ etc. ‘With regret’/ ‘with surprise’/ ‘with sorrow’/ ‘with delight’ or ‘joy’ are used where needed. Interjections are the words which exhibit sudden emotion or feeling. Removing all interjections and exclamations, their sense is brought out by phrases:

Interjection can show:

Joy	: Ha! ha! Hurrah!
Sorrow	: Ah! oh! Alas! Curse it!
Admiration	: Well done! Bravo! Well, well, well!
Surprise or wonder	: What! ho! ho!
Hatred or contempt	: Pooh! tut! tut! Pshaw!
Rebuke or Reproach	: Fie! Fie!
Attention	: Look! Hush! Hark!

Some words showing grief are used to show sudden emotion; as:- Ah me! Good heaven! Good God! Good gracious! For shame!

2. Comma (,) and inverted comma (“…”) are replaced with ‘that’ following reporting verb.

3. Note of exclamation (!) is replaced with Full stop (.) at the end of the sentence.

a. Direct     : The Soldiers said, “Hurrah! We have defeated the enemy.”

   Indirect  : The Soldiers exclaimed with joy that they had defeated the enemy.

b. Direct     : The little girl said, “Alas! My parents are no more.”

   Indirect  : The little girl exclaimed with sorrow that her parents were no more.

c.  Direct     : The captain said, “Bravo! You have done well.”

    Indirect  : The captain applauded them saying that they had done well.

d. Direct     : He said, “What a pity! I am so late.”

   Indirect  : He regretted that he was so late.

e.  Direct     : She said, “What! You of all the persons!”

    Indirect  : She wondered that it was I of all the persons.

f.  Direct     : My father said, “What a strange coincidence!”

   Indirect  : My father exclaimed with surprise that it was a strange coincidence.

g. Direct     : He said, “What a pretty rose!”

   Indirect  : He exclaimed that it was a very pretty rose.

h. Direct     : She said, “How stiff the question paper is!”

   Indirect  : She exclaimed that the question paper was very stiff.

i.  Direct     : He said, “Good bye! Mohan.”

    Indirect  : He bade Mohan good bye.

j.  Direct     : The wise man said, “Goodbye, my sons!”

   Indirect  : The wise man addressed them as sons and bade them goodbye.

k. Direct     : She said to them, “Congratulation! You have done well.”

   Indirect  : She congratulated them saying that they had done well.

l.  Direct     : He said, “Oh God! What a disaster!”

    Indirect  : He cried out in despair that it was a great disaster.

m. Direct     : She said, “Alas! How foolish I have been!”

    Indirect  : She confessed with regret that she had been very foolish.

n. Direct     : He said, “By God! I did not complain against you.”

    Indirect  : He swore that he had not complained against me.

o. Direct     : Ram said, “Good night! Friends.”

   Indirect  : Ram bade his friends good night.

OPTATIVE SENTENCES

A wish or prayer is found in optative sentences. The following specific rules should be kept in mind in addition to general rules at the time of changing direct speech to indirect speech in them:-

1. Reporting verb is changed according to sense. If wish is introduced, ‘said to’ is replaced with ‘wished’. But if there is a strong desire, ‘said to’ is replaced with ‘strongly desired’. In case of prayer, ‘said to’ is replaced with ‘prayed’.

2. Comma (,) and inverted comma (“…”) are replaced with ‘that’ following reporting verb.

3. Note of exclamation (!) is replaced with Full stop (.) at the end of the sentence.

a. Direct     : She said to me, “May you live long!”

   Indirect  : She wished that I might live long.

b. Direct     : The poor man said, “Would that I were rich!”

   Indirect  : The poor man wished that he had been rich.

c.  Direct     : He said, “May God bless you with a son!”

    Indirect  : He prayed that God might bless her with a son.

d. Direct     : The old man said, “O for a glass of water!”

   Indirect  : The old man strongly desired for a glass of water.

e.  Direct     : The beggar said, “O for a morsel of food!”

    Indirect  : The beggar cried out for a morsel of food.

f.  Direct     : The old woman said, “May you live long, my son!”

   Indirect  : The old woman addressed him as son and prayed that he might live long.

g. Direct     : She said, “Good morning, madam!”

   Indirect  : She respectfully wished good morning to her.

h. Direct     : He said, “God! save the king.”

   Indirect  : He prayed that God might save the king.

i.  Direct     : He said, “O God! Give me strength to bear this loss.”

    Indirect  : He prayed to God to give him strength to bear that loss.

j.  Direct     : He said to them, “Welcome!”

    Indirect  : He welcomed them.