Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is a way of conveying what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. Instead of using quotation marks, the speaker paraphrases the original statement. For example, if Alice says, "I am going to the store," in indirect speech, it would be reported as, Alice said that she was going to the store. In indirect speech, certain changes often occur, such as shifting verb tenses and pronouns. For instance, present tense verbs may change to past tense, and first-person pronouns may change to third-person. This helps to maintain clarity and context when relaying information from one person to another.