Narration Change: All Rules for SSC & HSC
Narration Change (উক্তি পরিবর্তন)
Introductionভূমিকা
Narration change is one of the most mechanical items on the paper, which is why it is also one of the easiest to score full marks on. Every sentence follows the same four steps, and the only thing that changes is the reporting verb and the linker, which depend on the type of sentence inside the quotation marks.
Narration change প্রশ্নপত্রের সবচেয়ে যান্ত্রিক আইটেমগুলোর একটি — আর সেজন্যই এখানে পুরো নম্বর পাওয়া সবচেয়ে সহজ। প্রতিটি বাক্যেই একই চারটি ধাপ, আর বদলায় কেবল reporting verb ও linker — যা নির্ভর করে উদ্ধৃতির ভেতরের বাক্যটি কোন ধরনের তার উপর।
Definitionসংজ্ঞা
Direct speech reports someone's exact words inside quotation marks. Indirect (reported) speech reports the same idea in the speaker's own words without quotation marks, adjusting pronouns, tenses and time words.
Direct speech-এ বক্তার হুবহু কথা উদ্ধৃতিচিহ্নের ভেতরে থাকে। Indirect বা reported speech-এ একই বক্তব্য উদ্ধৃতিচিহ্ন ছাড়া বলা হয়, আর pronoun, tense ও সময়সূচক শব্দ বদলে নিতে হয়।
Bangla Explanationবাংলা ব্যাখ্যা
**ক. প্রতিবার একই চারটি ধাপ** 1. **Reporting verb ঠিক করুন** — উদ্ধৃতির ভেতরের বাক্য কোন ধরনের তার উপর নির্ভর করে (নিচের ছক)। 2. **Linker বসান** — that / if বা whether / to / প্রশ্নবোধক শব্দ। 3. **Pronoun বদলান** — নিয়ম **SON**: **S**ubject → reporting verb-এর subject অনুযায়ী; **O**bject → reporting verb-এর object অনুযায়ী; **N**o change → third person অপরিবর্তিত। 4. **Tense বদলান** — reporting verb past হলে এক ধাপ পেছনে; present বা future হলে **কোনো পরিবর্তন নেই**। **খ. Tense এক ধাপ পেছনে (reporting verb past হলে)** | Direct | Indirect | |---|---| | present simple (go) | past simple (went) | | present continuous (is going) | past continuous (was going) | | present perfect (has gone) | past perfect (had gone) | | past simple (went) | past perfect (had gone) | | will | would | | can | could | | may | might | | must | had to | | past perfect (had gone) | **অপরিবর্তিত** | **ব্যতিক্রম:** চিরন্তন সত্য, অভ্যাস ও ঐতিহাসিক সত্যের tense বদলায় না — *He said that the sun **rises** in the east.* **গ. পাঁচ ধরনের বাক্য — এটাই আসল ছক** | বাক্যের ধরন | Reporting verb | Linker | |---|---|---| | **Assertive** (সাধারণ বিবৃতি) | said / told | that | | **Interrogative** — yes/no প্রশ্ন | asked | if / whether | | **Interrogative** — wh- প্রশ্ন | asked | ওই wh-শব্দটাই | | **Imperative** (আদেশ/অনুরোধ) | ordered / requested / advised / forbade | to / not to | | **Optative** (কামনা) | wished / prayed | that | | **Exclamatory** (আবেগ) | exclaimed with joy / sorrow / wonder | that | **ঘ. প্রশ্নের ক্ষেত্রে সবচেয়ে বড় ফাঁদ** Indirect-এ প্রশ্নটা আর প্রশ্ন থাকে না, তাই **auxiliary verb আগে আসবে না** এবং **প্রশ্নবোধক চিহ্ন থাকবে না**: - ❌ *He asked me where was I going?* - ✅ *He asked me where I **was going**.* **ঙ. সময় ও স্থানসূচক শব্দ** now → then | today → that day | tomorrow → the next day | yesterday → the previous day | here → there | this → that | these → those | ago → before | last night → the previous night **চ. Imperative-এ reporting verb বাছাই** আদেশ হলে **ordered**, অনুরোধ হলে **requested**, উপদেশ হলে **advised**, নিষেধ হলে **forbade** বা **told … not to**। 'Please' থাকলে প্রায় সবসময় **requested**। এই বাছাইটাই এখানে নম্বরের জায়গা — শুধু 'told' লিখলে পূর্ণ নম্বর আসে না।
Examplesউদাহরণ
- Direct: He said, "I am ill." → Indirect: He said that he was ill.Assertive: said + that, tense এক ধাপ পেছনে, pronoun I → he।
- Direct: She said to me, "I will help you." → Indirect: She told me that she would help me.said to → told, will → would, you → me (object অনুযায়ী)।
- Direct: He said to me, "Are you happy?" → Indirect: He asked me if I was happy.Yes/no প্রশ্নে asked + if, আর auxiliary আগে আসেনি।
- Direct: She said to him, "Where are you going?" → Indirect: She asked him where he was going.Wh- প্রশ্নে ওই wh-শব্দই linker, প্রশ্নবোধক চিহ্ন নেই।
- Direct: The teacher said, "Sit down." → Indirect: The teacher ordered us to sit down.Imperative আদেশ: ordered + to + base verb।
- Direct: He said to me, "Please help me." → Indirect: He requested me to help him.'Please' থাকায় requested।
- Direct: He said, "What a beautiful bird it is!" → Indirect: He exclaimed with wonder that it was a very beautiful bird.Exclamatory: exclaimed with wonder + that, আর 'what a' → 'very'।
- Direct: She said, "May you live long!" → Indirect: She wished that I might live long.Optative: wished/prayed + that, may → might।
- Direct: He said, "The sun rises in the east." → Indirect: He said that the sun rises in the east.চিরন্তন সত্যের tense বদলায় না।
Common Mistakesসাধারণ ভুল
He asked me where was I going?
He asked me where I was going.
In indirect speech the question becomes a statement, so the auxiliary does not move forward and no question mark is used.
He said me that he was busy.
He said to me that he was busy. / He told me that he was busy.
'Said' needs 'to' before a listener; 'told' takes the listener directly.
The teacher told us to sit down. (for a firm command)
The teacher ordered us to sit down.
The reporting verb must match the force of the imperative — order, request, advise or forbid.
He said that the sun rose in the east.
He said that the sun rises in the east.
A universal truth keeps its present tense even after a past reporting verb.
He said, "Do not go there." → He ordered not to go there.
He forbade me to go there. / He ordered me not to go there.
A negative imperative needs 'not to' after the object, or the verb 'forbade'.
She said that she will come tomorrow.
She said that she would come the next day.
After a past reporting verb, 'will' becomes 'would' and 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day'.
Tipsটিপস
- Identify the sentence type inside the quotation marks first. It decides the reporting verb and the linker. — আগে দেখুন উদ্ধৃতির ভেতরের বাক্য কোন ধরনের — ওটাই reporting verb ও linker ঠিক করে দেয়।
- If the reporting verb is in the present or future, change nothing in the tense. — Reporting verb present বা future হলে tense-এ কোনো পরিবর্তন হবে না।
- Remember SON for pronouns: Subject follows the subject, Object follows the object, third person stays. — Pronoun-এর জন্য SON মনে রাখুন: Subject → subject অনুযায়ী, Object → object অনুযায়ী, third person অপরিবর্তিত।
- Never leave a question mark in an indirect sentence — that single mark costs the mark. — Indirect বাক্যে প্রশ্নবোধক চিহ্ন রাখবেন না — ওই একটা চিহ্নেই নম্বর যায়।
Quizকুইজ
Tap an answer to check yourself — a free preview of the full graded quiz in the app.
1. Change: He said to me, "I am reading a book."
2. Change: She said to him, "Do you know the answer?"
3. Change: He said, "Please lend me your pen."
4. Change: The boy said, "Alas! I have failed."
5. Change: He says, "I am busy."
Practiceঅনুশীলন
Try each one, then reveal the answer.
1. Change into indirect: She said to me, "Where do you live?"
Hint: Wh- question: 'asked' plus the wh-word, and no inversion.
2. Change into indirect: The teacher said, "Do not make noise."
Hint: A negative imperative.
3. Change into indirect: He said, "May Allah bless you!"
Hint: Optative: prayed/wished plus that, and may becomes might.
4. Change into indirect: Mother said to me, "You should read attentively."
Hint: Advice takes 'advised' plus to.
Related Lessonsসম্পর্কিত পাঠ
- Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)Reported speech (indirect speech) in Bangla and English: tense backshift, pronoun and time changes, reporting questions and commands, with examples and a quiz.
- Transformation of Sentences: All RulesTransformation of sentences for SSC and HSC: simple, complex and compound, affirmative to negative, assertive to interrogative, with Bangla notes and a quiz.
- Wh- Questions (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How)Learn wh questions in english in Bangla: who, what, where, when, why, which, whose and how — word order, do/does/did, examples, mistakes and a free quiz.
AI Practiceএআই অনুশীলন
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Practise with the AI teacher →Frequently Asked Questionsসাধারণ জিজ্ঞাসা
Is narration the same as reported speech?
Yes — 'narration change' is the name used in Bangladeshi board papers for what English grammar books call direct and indirect (reported) speech.
When does the tense not change?
When the reporting verb is present or future, and when the reported sentence states a universal truth, a habitual fact or a historical fact.
How do I choose between said, told, asked, ordered and requested?
By the sentence type inside the quotation. Statement — said/told. Question — asked. Command — ordered. Request — requested. Advice — advised. Prohibition — forbade.
How many marks is it worth?
Usually five marks in SSC and HSC English second paper, and the rules are fixed, so it is one of the highest-return items to practise.