Rules for reporting exclamatory sentences

Exclamatory sentences express a sudden outburst of some emotions such as joy, sorrow, contempt, regret, surprise etc.

Common explanatory phrases are given below:

Hurrah! Ha! (Express joy)
Alas! Oh! (Express sorrow, regret, or loss)
Bravo! (Express Applause)
What! Oh! How! (Express surprise)

An exclamatory sentence has a sign of exclamation after it, which changes into a full stop in the indirect speech. In indirect speech, the exclamatory phrase or word (interjection) is replaced by �exclaimed with joy, sorrow, regret, surprise, contempt etc. The connective that has to be supplied in the indirect speech.

Let us take some examples
The boy said, �Hurrah! We have won the match.�
This sentence is in direct speech
Its corresponding sentence in indirect speech would be
The boy exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.

Let us see another example
The candidate said, �How difficult the problem is!�
This sentence is in direct speech
Its corresponding sentence in indirect speech would be
The candidate exclaimed with disapproval that the problem was very difficult.

Let us see another example

He said, �Hurrah! My friend has come�.
This sentence is in direct speech
Its corresponding sentence in indirect speech would be
He exclaimed joyfully that his friend had come.

Similarly

Here changes to there in the reported speech
Now changes to then in the reported speech
Last week changes to the week before in the reported speech

Next month changes to the coming month in the reported speech
These changes to those in the reported speech

Last night changes to the previous in the reported speech
ago changes to them before in the reported speech
come changes to the go in the reported speech
thus changes to the so in the reported speech

Let us now learn some more rules related to converting direct to reported speech.

In the case of modal verbs
Can in the direct speech becomes could in the reported speech

For example
Mahesh said, � I can solve this problem�. (Direct speech)
Now in the reported speech, the sentence will become
Mahesh said that he could solve this problem.

Similarly
Modal verb Will in the direct speech becomes would in the reported speech
Modal verb Shall in the direct speech becomes should in the reported speech
The modal verb �May� in the direct speech becomes Might in the reported speech.

Let us now learn some more rules related to converting direct to reported speech. The verb in the reported speech does not change when we express a universal truth or a habitual fact.

For example
My teacher said, �Honesty is the best policy�.
My teacher said that honesty is the best policy.

Read More: Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives: English Grammar