Direct & Indirect Speech — Set 13
Questions 121–130 of 140
Convert: "I have changed my mind about the plan," she said.
Correct Answer: B. She said she had changed her mind about the plan
Present perfect 'have changed' changes to past perfect 'had changed'. The possessive 'my' changes to 'her'. The correct form is 'She said she had changed her mind about the plan'.
"I have accepted the job offer," he said. Convert to indirect.
Correct Answer: B. He said he had accepted the job offer
Present perfect 'have accepted' changes to past perfect 'had accepted' in indirect speech. The article 'the' remains unchanged. The correct form is 'He said he had accepted the job offer'.
Convert: "I expect the results tomorrow," she said.
Correct Answer: B. She said she expected the results the next day
The verb 'expect' changes from present 'expects' to past 'expected'. 'Tomorrow' changes to 'the next day'. The correct form is 'She said she expected the results the next day'.
"I will contact you if needed," he said. Report this.
Correct Answer: B. He said he would contact me if needed
The main clause future 'will contact' changes to 'would contact'. The conditional clause may remain as 'if needed' or expand to 'if needed'. The correct form is 'He said he would contact me if needed'.
Convert: "I realize now that I was mistaken," she said.
Correct Answer: B. She said she realized then that she had been mistaken
The reporting verb 'realize' changes from present to past 'realized'. Past 'was' changes to past perfect 'had been'. 'Now' changes to 'then'. The correct form is 'She said she realized then that she had been mistaken'.
"I will give you a call before I leave," he said. Convert to indirect.
Correct Answer: B. He said he would give me a call before he left
Both the main clause and the temporal clause change tense. 'Will give' becomes 'would give', and 'leaves' becomes 'left'. The pronoun 'you' becomes 'me'. The correct form is 'He said he would give me a call before he left'.
Convert: "We must follow the rules," the manager said.
Correct Answer: B. The manager said they had to follow the rules
The modal 'must' changes to 'had to' in indirect speech. The pronoun 'we' changes to 'they'. The correct form is 'The manager said they had to follow the rules'.
"I cannot possibly do it in such a short time," she said. Report this.
Correct Answer: B. She said she could not possibly do it in such a short time
The modal 'cannot' changes to 'could not' in indirect speech. The adverb 'possibly' and the phrase 'in such a short time' remain unchanged. The correct form is 'She said she could not possibly do it in such a short time'.
Convert: "I will never understand how you could do this," he said.
Correct Answer: B. He said he would never understand how I could do that
The future 'will never understand' changes to 'would never understand'. The conditional 'could' may remain or change. The pronouns 'you' and 'this' change to 'I' and 'that'. The correct form is 'He said he would never understand how I could do that'.
"I should have told you earlier," she said. Convert to indirect.
Correct Answer: A. She said she should have told me earlier
Past modal constructions like 'should have told' remain largely unchanged in indirect speech as they already express a past perspective. The pronoun 'you' changes to 'me'. The correct form is 'She said she should have told me earlier'.