Direct & Indirect Speech — Set 2
Questions 11–20 of 140
What is the indirect form of: "I shall help you," he said.
Correct Answer: C. He said that he would help me
When 'shall' is used for a simple future statement (not an order or promise), it changes to 'would' in indirect speech. The pronoun 'you' changes to 'me'. The correct form is 'He said that he would help me'.
Convert: "I was sleeping when you called," she said.
Correct Answer: B. She said that she had been sleeping when he called
In indirect speech, 'was sleeping' (past continuous) becomes 'had been sleeping' (past perfect continuous). 'You' changes to the appropriate pronoun based on context, and 'when you called' requires the indirect past tense 'when he called'.
"I have known him for five years," she said. Report this.
Correct Answer: B. She said she had known him for five years
Present perfect ('have known') changes to past perfect ('had known') in reported speech. The duration 'for five years' remains unchanged. The correct form is 'She said she had known him for five years'.
Convert: "I am not feeling well," he said.
Correct Answer: C. He said he wasn't feeling well
The present continuous negative form 'am not feeling' changes to past continuous 'was not feeling' or 'wasn't feeling' in indirect speech. The form 'He said he wasn't feeling well' is the most natural and correct conversion.
"I would like to visit Paris," she said. Convert to indirect.
Correct Answer: D. She said that she wanted to visit Paris
When the direct speech contains 'would like', it typically changes to 'wanted' in indirect speech to reflect the reported nature. The conditional 'would' is replaced by the past tense 'wanted'. The form 'She said that she wanted to visit Paris' is correct.
Convert: "I can't do this alone," he said.
Correct Answer: B. He said that he couldn't do that alone
The modal 'can't' changes to 'couldn't' in indirect speech. Also, 'this' changes to 'that' as it refers to something not immediate in the reported context. The correct form is 'He said that he couldn't do that alone'.
"I will never forget this moment," she said. Report this.
Correct Answer: B. She said that she would never forget that moment
Future tense 'will never forget' changes to 'would never forget' in indirect speech. The demonstrative 'this' changes to 'that'. The correct form is 'She said that she would never forget that moment'.
Convert: "I have completed all my assignments," said Priya.
Correct Answer: B. Priya said she had completed all her assignments
Present perfect 'have completed' changes to past perfect 'had completed'. The possessive 'my' changes to 'her'. The correct indirect form is 'Priya said she had completed all her assignments'.
"I am not interested in sports," he said. Convert to indirect.
Correct Answer: D. He said that he wasn't interested in sports
Present tense negative 'am not interested' changes to past negative 'was not interested' or 'wasn't interested'. The correct reported form is 'He said that he wasn't interested in sports'.
Convert: "I ought to apologize to her," he said.
Correct Answer: A. He said he ought to apologize to her
The modal "ought to" generally remains unchanged in indirect speech as it already expresses obligation. The correct reported form is "He said he ought to apologize to her". Options B and D use alternative modals that alter the original meaning, and option C incorrectly substitutes "must" for "ought to".