Direct and reported speech

Someone else’s words can be rendered in writing in two ways: word for word (direct speech, ko‘chirma gap) or in content only (reported speech, o‘zlashtirma gap). Exams often ask you to punctuate a sentence with direct speech and to turn direct speech into reported speech. In both cases the key is to see the boundary between the author’s words (muallif gapi) and the quoted speech.

§1. Direct speech and the author’s words

Direct speech gives another person’s words unchanged, from their point of view. The author’s words say who spoke, how and to whom: dedi, so‘radi, javob berdi, xitob qildi, pichirladi.

• Direct speech is always in quotation marks and begins with a capital letter.
• Person, tense, address and emotion are kept: «Onajon, men imtihondan o‘tdim!» — dedi Dilnoza.
• Direct speech can be declarative, interrogative or exclamatory — its own mark stays inside the quotation marks.

§2. Punctuating direct speech

There are three possible positions of direct speech relative to the author’s words.

1. Author’s words first — followed by a colon; direct speech in quotes with a capital letter:

2. Direct speech first — after the quotes a comma and a dash (for a statement); a question or exclamation keeps its mark inside the quotes, followed only by a dash; the author’s words begin with a lowercase letter:

3. Author’s words inside the quotation — the speech is split:

If the author’s words stand in the middle and contain two verbs, each tied to a different part of the speech, they are followed by a colon and a dash: «Bu kitob meniki, — dedi Anvar va qo‘shib qo‘ydi: — Lekin senga beraman.» This case is tested less often.

Worked example

Punctuate: Sen bugun nega kechikding so‘radi o‘qituvchi.

1. Direct speech — Sen bugun nega kechikding; author’s words — so‘radi o‘qituvchi.
2. The speech comes first and is a question → question mark inside the quotes.
3. No comma after a question mark, only a dash.
4. Answer: «Sen bugun nega kechikding?» — so‘radi o‘qituvchi.

§3. Dialogue

When the speech of two or more people is set out as dialogue:

• Each line starts on a new line with a dash; no quotation marks.
• The author’s words are separated from the line by a comma and a dash.

Sample:

• — Qayerga ketyapsan? — so‘radi Jasur.
• — Kutubxonaga, — dedi Aziz. — Yurasanmi?

The list bullet here is only for layout; in real dialogue the line opens with a dash (—).

§4. Reported speech

Reported speech conveys the content of someone’s words from the speaker’s (author’s) point of view. Quotation marks, address forms and interjections disappear; the person changes to fit the author’s viewpoint.
Main devices:

• -ganligini / -ishini / -ajagini + aytdi, so‘radi: «Men ertaga kelaman», — dedi Anvar. → Anvar ertaga kelishini aytdi.
• With deb: Anvar ertaga kelaman deb aytdi. (an intermediate form: the person does not change; it is often treated as direct speech attached with deb).
• A question → particle -mi or a question word: «Uyga qachon qaytasan?» — so‘radi onam. → Onam uyga qachon qaytishimni so‘radi.
• A command → -ishni + aytdi: «Kitobni olib kel», — dedi akam. → Akam kitobni olib kelishimni aytdi.

Worked example

Convert: «Men sizga ertaga qo‘ng‘iroq qilaman», — dedi Malika menga.

1. The speaker is Malika (men → she, 3rd person).
2. The listener is the author (sizga → menga).
3. The predicate qo‘ng‘iroq qilaman → qo‘ng‘iroq qilishini.
4. Quotation marks and dash are dropped.
5. Answer: Malika menga ertaga qo‘ng‘iroq qilishini aytdi.

§5. Conversion algorithm

1. Identify who is speaking and to whom.
2. Replace 1st- and 2nd-person pronouns and suffixes from the author’s viewpoint.
3. Turn the predicate into a verbal noun or participle (-ish, -gan, -ajak) + accusative.
4. Drop address forms, interjections and parenthetical words, or move their meaning into the author’s words.
5. Remove quotation marks and dashes.

§6. Inner speech, quotations linked with deb, and proverbs

Direct speech is not only what is said aloud. A character’s thoughts (inner speech), the text of a letter or notice, proverbs and sayings are also given as direct speech.

• Inner speech — the author’s words contain verbs such as o‘yladi (thought) or ko‘nglidan o‘tkazdi (said to himself); the punctuation is the same as for ordinary direct speech: «Ertaga albatta boraman», — deb o‘yladi u.
• A quotation linked with `deb` becomes part of the sentence: neither a colon nor a dash is used: U «Hozir kelaman» deb chiqib ketdi.
• A proverb, saying or title inside a sentence is simply put in quotation marks, with no dash or colon: Xalqimizda «Bilagi zo‘r birni yiqar, bilimi zo‘r mingni yiqar» degan maqol bor.

Why? The colon and dash exist to separate the author’s words from the quotation. deb and degan grammatically join them: the quotation becomes a part of the sentence (in degan maqol, for instance, it works as an attribute).

Worked example

Turn into reported speech: «Sen kitobni o‘qib bo‘ldingmi?» — so‘radi Aziz mendan. ("Have you finished the book?" Aziz asked me.)

1. The speaker is Aziz and the listener is me; the sen (you) of the quotation is now the narrator → 1st person.
2. The quotation is a question with the particle -mi; in reported speech -mi is replaced by a pair of positive and negative forms: o‘qib bo‘lgan-bo‘lmaganimni.
3. The predicate becomes a participle with the accusative (-ni); the verb so‘radi in the author’s words stays.
4. The question mark, quotation marks and dash disappear; the sentence ends with a full stop.
5. Answer: Aziz mendan kitobni o‘qib bo‘lgan-bo‘lmaganimni so‘radi.

Check yourself

1. Punctuate: Onam dedi Ehtiyot bo‘l.

2. Punctuate: Bugun dars yo‘q dedi sinf rahbari.

3. Is «Kim keldi?», — so‘radi bobom. correct?

4. In «Men, — dedi Sardor, — bu ishni uddalayman.», where are the author’s words and why is the second part lowercase?

5. Convert to reported speech: «Men kitob o‘qiyapman», — dedi Laylo.

6. How does a line of dialogue begin?

7. Punctuate: U Kechirasiz deb uzr so‘radi

8. Turn into reported speech: «Uyga qaytgin», — dedi otam menga.

Common mistakes

• Missing comma or dash after declarative direct speech: ✗ «Kelaman» dedi u.
• A comma after a question or exclamation mark: ✗ «Kelasanmi?», — dedi.
• A comma instead of a colon after the author’s words: ✗ U dedi, «Kelaman.»
• Keeping the 1st person in reported speech: ✗ Anvar men kelaman ekanligini aytdi.
• Putting reported speech in quotation marks.
• Adding a colon or dash to a quotation joined with deb: ✗ U: «Hozir kelaman» deb chiqdi.