The boy said, “Who dare call you a thief!” A. The boy shouted who dared call him a thief. B. The boy asked who called him a thief. C. The boy told that who dared call him a thief. D. The boy wondered who dared call a thief.
Correct answer: (A) The boy shouted who dared call him a thief.
Direct Speech:
The boy said, “Who dare call you a thief!”
Conversion to Indirect Speech:
• The direct speech is an angry/rhetorical exclamation, so the reporting verb can be changed to shouted or exclaimed to better convey the emotion.
• “Who dare call you a thief!” is an indignant question in form but functions as an exclamation.
• In indirect speech, “dare” (present) changes to “dared” (past) because the reporting verb is in the past (“said”).
• The pronoun “you” (addressing the listener) changes to “him” (if the listener is male) or can remain “you” depending on context — here it likely refers to someone else, but the default shift is to the third person based on the sentence.
• The exclamation mark is removed in indirect speech.
• The word order changes from question form to statement form in indirect speech.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
• Option B: The boy asked who called him a thief.
Incorrect because it changes the meaning from an angry exclamation to a simple question and uses “called” (simple past) instead of “dared call.”
• Option C: The boy told that who dared call him a thief.
Incorrect because “told that who” is ungrammatical. “Told” needs an object (“told me”), and “that who” is not used in standard indirect speech.
• Option D: The boy wondered who dared call a thief.
Incorrect because “wondered” implies curiosity, not anger or challenge, and it changes the meaning by dropping “him” before “a thief,” altering the sense.
Key Rule for Exclamations/Rhetorical Questions in Indirect Speech:
• Strong emotional statements in direct speech often require a reporting verb that conveys the tone (shouted, exclaimed, protested).
• Interrogative structure in exclamations changes to declarative structure in indirect speech.
• Tense and pronouns shift according to standard indirect speech rules.
She exclaimed with sorrow that it was a very miserable plight. A. She said with sorrow, “What a pity it is.” B. She said, “What a mystery it is.” C. She said, “What a miserable sight it is.” D. She said, “What a miserable plight it is.”
Correct answer: (D) She said, “What a miserable plight it is.”
Indirect Speech Given:
She exclaimed with sorrow that was a very miserable plight.
Converting to Direct Speech:
• The indirect speech uses exclaimed with sorrow to show strong emotion about a situation (“a very miserable plight”).
• In direct speech, such an exclamation is often introduced with “What a…” or “How…!”
• The phrase “it was a very miserable plight” in indirect speech changes to “What a miserable plight it is!” in direct speech (exclamatory form).
• The reporting verb changes from exclaimed with sorrow to said or exclaimed in direct speech, often with an exclamation mark.
• The tense shifts from past (“was”) to present (“is”) if the situation is being described at the time of exclamation.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
• Option A: She said with sorrow, “What a pity it is.”
Incorrect because it changes “miserable plight” to “pity,” which is not the same meaning.
• Option B: She said, “What a mystery it is.”
Incorrect because “mystery” and “miserable plight” are entirely different.
• Option C: She said, “What a miserable sight it is.”
Incorrect because “sight” (something seen) is different from “plight” (a difficult situation).
Key Rule for Exclamations in Indirect/Direct Speech:
• Indirect: Subject + exclaimed with sorrow/wonder/etc. + that + clause.
• Direct: Subject + said/exclaimed + “What/How + exclamatory phrase!”
• Tense often changes from past to present when restoring the original direct exclamation.
Charan said that he was sick and tired of working for that company. A. Charan said, “I am sick and tired of working for this company.” B. Charan said, “He was tired of that company.” C. Charan said to me, “I am sick and tired of working for this company.” D. Charan said, “I will be tired of working for that company.”
Answer. A
The correct answer is (A): “Charan said, ‘I am sick and tired of working for this company.'”
Indirect Speech Given:
Charan said that he was sick and tired of working for that company.
Converting to Direct Speech:
• Pronoun “he” changes to “I” in direct speech.
• Past tense “was” changes to present tense “am” because the original direct statement expressed a present feeling.
• “That company” in indirect speech likely refers to a company close to the listener or previously mentioned; in direct speech, when Charan is speaking, it becomes “this company” if the company is being referred to in the immediate context.
• The reporting verb “said” remains “said.”
• The phrase “sick and tired” is idiomatic and remains unchanged in direct speech.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
• Option B: Charan said, “He was tired of that company.”
Incorrect because it keeps “he” instead of “I,” and uses “was tired” instead of “am sick and tired,” losing the idiom and the present feeling.
• Option C: Charan said to me, “I am sick and tired of working for this company.”
This is grammatically correct, but the original indirect sentence does not include “to me” explicitly. Adding “to me” introduces information not present in the given indirect statement. Therefore, Option A is more precise because it does not add an unmentioned listener.
• Option D: Charan said, “I will be tired of working for that company.”
Incorrect because it changes the meaning from a present feeling (“am sick and tired”) to a future prediction (“will be tired”).
Key Rules Applied:
• Pronoun shift: third person in indirect speech → first person in direct speech.
• Tense shift: past → present (for statements about present feelings).
• Demonstrative adjustment: “that” may become “this” in direct speech if the thing referred to is close to the speaker’s current context.
• No extra words (like “to me”) should be added unless implied by the original.
“Are you alone, my son?” asked a soft voice close behind me. A. A soft voice asked that what I was doing there alone. B. A soft voice said to me are you alone son. C. A soft voice from my back asked If I was alone. D. A soft voice behind me asked If I was alone.
Correct answer: (D) A soft voice behind me asked If I was alone.
Direct Speech:
“Are you alone, my son?” asked a soft voice close behind me.
Conversion to Indirect Speech – Key Rules in Points:
• The reporting verb changes from “asked” to “asked” (remains same).
• The interrogative structure (“Are you alone?”) changes to a statement with if/whether in indirect speech.
• Pronoun “you” changes to “I” (since the narrator is being addressed).
• “My son” is a form of address; it can be omitted or included in the reporting clause. Here, it is naturally dropped or implied in tone, not explicitly repeated in indirect speech.
• The adverb phrase “close behind me” is rephrased as “behind me” for smoother indirect speech.
• Punctuation changes: question mark is removed, and a full stop is used.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
• Option A: A soft voice asked that what I was doing there alone.
Incorrect because it unnecessarily adds “what I was doing there,” which changes the meaning. The original only asks if the person is alone, not what they are doing.
• Option B: A soft voice said to me are you alone son.
Incorrect because it remains in direct speech form (“are you alone”) and lacks proper punctuation and conversion to indirect structure.
• Option C: A soft voice from my back asked if I was alone.
“From my back” is less natural and slightly awkward compared to “behind me,” which is the standard way to convey “close behind me.”
Key Rules for Yes/No Questions in Indirect Speech:
• Direct yes/no question → Indirect: asked + if/whether + subject + verb (statement word order).
• Pronouns change according to speaker and listener.
• Words of direct address (“my son”) are usually omitted or turned into a descriptive phrase in the reporting clause.
She said to him, “Why don’t you go today?” A. She asked him why he did not go that day. B. She said to him why he don’t go that day. C. She asked him not to go that day. D. She asked him why he did not go today.
Correct answer: (A) She asked him why he did not go that day.
Direct Speech:
She said to him, “Why don’t you go today?”
Conversion to Indirect Speech:
• The reporting verb “said to” changes to “asked” because it is a question.
• The question word “why” is retained in indirect speech.
• The auxiliary “don’t you go” (present simple negative interrogative) changes to “he did not go” (past simple negative) because the reporting verb is in the past.
• The pronoun “you” changes to “he.”
• “Today” changes to “that day” in indirect speech.
• The word order changes from interrogative to affirmative statement order.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
• Option B: She said to him why he don’t go that day.
Incorrect because “don’t” is present tense and should change to past (“did not”). Also, “said to him” should become “asked him.”
• Option C: She asked him not to go that day.
Incorrect because it changes the meaning. The original is a question about why he doesn’t go, not an instruction not to go.
• Option D: She asked him why he did not go today.
Incorrect because “today” should change to “that day” in indirect speech when the reporting is done later.
Key Rules for Wh-Questions in Indirect Speech:
• Reporting verb changes to asked, inquired, etc.
• Question word (why, when, how, etc.) is retained.
• Word order changes from question order to statement order.
• Tense shifts back if reporting verb is past.
• Time expressions like “today” change to “that day.”
Directions: Out of the given options, choose the one which is the correct indirect speech of the sentence given below. The boy said to the fruitseller, “Are all these mangoes sweet?” A. The boy asked the fruitseller if all these mangoes are sweet. B. The boy asked the fruitseller if all these mangoes were sweet. C. The boy asked the fruitseller if all those mangoes were sweet. D. The boy asked the fruitseller if all those mangoes had been sweet.
Correct answer: (C) The boy asked the fruitseller if all those mangoes were sweet.
Direct Speech:
The boy said to the fruitseller, “Are all these mangoes sweet?”
Conversion to Indirect Speech:
• The reporting verb “said to” changes to “asked” for a question.
• The question form (“Are … sweet?”) changes to a statement with if/whether.
• “These” (demonstrative pronoun for nearness) changes to “those” in indirect speech.
• The present tense “are” changes to past tense “were” because the reporting verb is in past (“said”).
• The pronoun “these mangoes” changes to “those mangoes” to reflect the shift in reference point.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
• Option A: The boy asked the fruitseller if all these mangoes are sweet.
Incorrect because it keeps “these” and present tense “are” without shifting tense and pronoun appropriately.
• Option B: The boy asked the fruitseller if all these mangoes were sweet.
Incorrect because it retains “these” instead of changing to “those.”
• Option D: The boy asked the fruitseller if all those mangoes had been sweet.
Incorrect because it uses past perfect “had been sweet,” which would imply the sweetness was earlier than the asking, which alters the meaning.
Key Rules for Questions in Indirect Speech:
• Yes/No question → asked + if/whether + subject + verb (in appropriate past tense).
• Demonstratives (“this/these”) often change to “that/those.”
• Tense backshift after past reporting verb.
Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech. The counter clerk asked the visitor, “What is your name?” A. The counter clerk asks the visitor your name. B. The counter clerk has asked the visitor his name. C. The counter clerk is asking the visitor your name. D. The counter clerk asked the visitor his name.
Correct answer: (D) The counter clerk asked the visitor his name.
Direct Speech:
The counter clerk asked the visitor, “What is your name?”
Conversion to Indirect Speech:
• The reporting verb “asked” remains “asked” in indirect speech.
• The question “What is your name?” changes to a statement.
• The pronoun “your” changes according to the listener → “his” (assuming the visitor is male) or “her.”
• The interrogative structure changes to affirmative structure.
• “What is your name” becomes “what his name was” or simply “his name” in indirect form; here, “asked the visitor his name” is a concise and correct indirect form.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
• Option A: The counter clerk asks the visitor your name.
Incorrect because it changes the past tense “asked” to present “asks,” and it keeps “your” instead of changing to “his.”
• Option B: The counter clerk has asked the visitor his name.
Incorrect because it changes the simple past to present perfect, which alters the time frame unnecessarily.
• Option C: The counter clerk is asking the visitor your name.
Incorrect because it changes tense to present continuous and retains “your,” which is not appropriate in indirect speech.
Key Rule for Questions with “What” in Indirect Speech:
• One common shortened form is: Subject + asked + object + wh-word clause OR
Subject + asked + object + possessive + noun (e.g., asked him his name).
• Full form could be: The counter clerk asked the visitor what his name was.
However, “asked the visitor his name” is also grammatically accepted as a concise indirect form.
Change the given sentence into indirect speech. AbhiRama said, “l am not well.” A. AbhiRama said that I am well. B. AbhiRama said that he is not well. C. AbhiRama said that he was not well. D. AbhiRama said that he should be well. E. AbhiRama said that he can be well.
Correct answer: (C) AbhiRama said that he was not well.
Direct Speech:
AbhiRama said, “I am not well.”
Conversion to Indirect Speech:
• The pronoun “I” changes to “he” (since AbhiRama is male or based on the name’s typical gender association).
• The present tense “am” changes to past tense “was” because the reporting verb (“said”) is in the past.
• The negative “not well” remains “not well.”
• The conjunction “that” is used after the reporting verb.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
• Option A: AbhiRama said that I am well.
Incorrect — changes meaning to positive (“well”), keeps “I” instead of “he,” and does not change tense.
• Option B: AbhiRama said that he is not well.
Incorrect — pronoun is right, but tense should shift to past (“was”) after past reporting verb “said.”
• Option D: AbhiRama said that he should be well.
Incorrect — changes meaning from “not well” (ill) to a suggestion about being well.
• Option E: AbhiRama said that he can be well.
Incorrect — changes meaning to ability (“can be well”) rather than a statement about present condition.
Grammar Rules:
• Reporting Verb: The reporting verb “said” is in the simple past tense. This requires the tense of the verb in the reported speech to change (backshift).
• Tense Change: The present simple tense (“am not well”) in direct speech changes to the past simple tense (“was not well”) in reported speech.
• Pronoun Change: The first-person pronoun “I” changes to the third-person pronoun “he” to reflect the subject of the reported speech, AbhiRama.
• Conjunction: The conjunction “that” introduces the reported clause, and quotation marks are removed.
Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech. The coach said to the players, “Practice hard and be on time for the game tomorrow.” A. The coach demanded the players to practice hard and be on time for the game tomorrow. B. The coach ordered the players to practice hard and be on time for the game the next day. C. The coach told the players to practice hard and be on time for the game the following day. D. The coach instructed the players to practice hard and be on time for the game tomorrow.
Correct answer: (C) The coach told the players to practice hard and be on time for the game the following day.
Direct Speech:
The coach said to the players, “Practice hard and be on time for the game tomorrow.”
Conversion to Indirect Speech:
• The reporting verb “said to” changes to told/ordered/instructed when converting instructions to indirect speech.
• The imperative “Practice hard and be on time” changes to the to-infinitive structure: “to practice hard and be on time.”
• The time expression “tomorrow” changes to “the next day” or “the following day.”
• The conjunction “that” is not required with this structure (verb + object + to-infinitive).
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
• Option A: The coach demanded the players to practice hard and be on time for the game tomorrow.
Incorrect because it retains “tomorrow” instead of changing to “the next day.” Also, “demanded the players to practice” is less natural than “demanded that the players practice.”
• Option B: The coach ordered the players to practice hard and be on time for the game the next day.
This is grammatically correct, but “ordered” is more authoritative than the original “said,” which was neutral instruction. “Told” is closer to the original tone. However, both B and C are structurally correct, but C uses “told,” which is more commonly used for general instructions.
• Option D: The coach instructed the players to practice hard and be on time for the game tomorrow.
Incorrect because it keeps “tomorrow” instead of changing it.
Key Rule for Imperatives in Indirect Speech:
• Direct command/instruction: “Verb (base form)…”
• Indirect form: Subject + told/ordered/advised/asked + object + to-infinitive.
• Time words like “tomorrow,” “today,” “now” shift to “the next day,” “that day,” “then” in indirect speech.
The doctor said to Mohan, “Do not take off your bandages from surgery before a week.” A. The doctor asked Mohan not to take off your bandages from surgery before a week. B. The doctor said to Mohan not to take off his bandages from surgery before a week. C. The doctor forbade Mohan not to take off his bandages from surgery before a week. D. The doctor advised Mohan not to take off his bandages from surgery before a week.
Correct answer: (D) The doctor advised Mohan not to take off his bandages from surgery before a week.
Direct Speech:
The doctor said to Mohan, “Do not take off your bandages from surgery before a week.”
Conversion to Indirect Speech:
• The reporting verb “said to” can be changed to advised/warned/told to better reflect the meaning of a medical instruction.
• The negative imperative “Do not take off” changes to “not to take off” in indirect speech.
• The pronoun “your” changes to “his” (referring to Mohan).
• Time expression “before a week” remains unchanged as it’s already specific.
• “Forbade” is not used with “not to” because “forbade” itself implies a negative command (forbade … to take off).
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
• Option A: The doctor asked Mohan not to take off your bandages from surgery before a week.
Incorrect because it keeps “your” instead of changing to “his.”
• Option B: The doctor said to Mohan not to take off his bandages from surgery before a week.
Grammatically possible, but “said to” is less natural for a command/advice in indirect speech; “advised” or “told” is preferred.
• Option C: The doctor forbade Mohan not to take off his bandages from surgery before a week.
Incorrect because “forbade” already means “ordered not to,” so adding “not to” creates a double negative (forbade not to = not allowed not to = allowed to), changing the meaning.
Grammar Rules:
• Reporting Verb: When reporting advice or instructions, especially from a professional like a doctor, “said to” changes to a more appropriate reporting verb like “advised,” “instructed,” or “warned.” “Advised” is fitting here.
• Negative Imperative to Infinitive: The negative imperative “Do not take off” changes to “not to take off” in reported speech, following the pattern: reporting verb + object + not to-infinitive.
• Pronoun Change: The possessive adjective “your” changes to “his” to reflect the change in perspective from the doctor speaking to Mohan, to reporting the doctor’s words about Mohan.
• Time Expression: “Before a week” remains unchanged.
• Conjunction: “That” is not used when reporting advice or commands with infinitive structures. Quotation marks are removed.
