Find the word-for-word quote from the speaker. Often, indirect speech is not word-for-word, so to change it to direct speech, you need the exact words said by the speaker.
Add quotation marks around the direct speech. For example, consider this indirect speech sentence:
Jennifer told me that she was happy in her new home.
Change it to direct speech by rearranging the structure and using quotation marks:
"I'm happy in my new home," Jennifer said.
Decide the tense. Direct speech can be given in present or past, so you have more flexibility in deciding the tense of the sentence. Consider this indirect speech sentence:
Mr. Collins told me to get my books and leave.
Revise it to the past or present tense in these ways:
"Get your books and leave," Mr. Collins said.
"Get your books and leave," Mr. Collins says.
Review punctuation rules, such as how to use quotation marks properly. When using quotation marks, use a comma to mark the separation between "said" and the quoted speech and place punctuation inside quotation marks, as such:
He said, "I need to make more friends."
"I need to make more friends," he said.