Direct and Indirect Speech — Practice

Question 1

Change to indirect speech: He said, "I am busy."
(a) He said that I am busy (b) He said that he was busy (c) He says that he is busy (d) He said that he is busy

Accepted Answer

(b) He said that he was busy.

Present → past backshift, and the pronoun 'I' becomes 'he'.

Question 2

Change to indirect speech: She said, "I will come tomorrow."
(a) She said that she will come tomorrow (b) She said that she would come the next day (c) She said that she would come tomorrow (d) She says she would come the next day

Accepted Answer

(b) She said that she would come the next day.

will → would, and tomorrow → the next day.

Question 3

Change to indirect speech: She said, "I have finished my work."
(a) She said that she has finished her work (b) She said that she finished her work (c) She said that she had finished her work (d) She said that she had finish her work

Accepted Answer

(c) She said that she had finished her work.

Present perfect → past perfect (had finished).

Question 4

Change to indirect speech: He said to me, "Do you like coffee?"
(a) He asked me do I like coffee (b) He asked me whether I liked coffee (c) He asked me whether I like coffee (d) He asked me if do I like coffee

Accepted Answer

(b) He asked me whether I liked coffee.

'Said to' → asked; yes/no → whether/if; statement order, no 'do', tense backshifted (like → liked).

Question 5

Change to indirect speech: She said, "Where are you going?"
(a) She asked where are you going (b) She asked where I was going (c) She asked where was I going (d) She asked where you were going

Accepted Answer

(b) She asked where I was going.

Keep the wh-word, use statement order, backshift are → was, and change 'you' to 'I'.

Question 6

Change to indirect speech: The teacher said to the boy, "Sit down."
(a) The teacher said the boy to sit down (b) The teacher told the boy to sit down (c) The teacher told the boy sit down (d) The teacher said that the boy sat down

Accepted Answer

(b) The teacher told the boy to sit down.

Command → reporting verb 'told' + 'to' + base verb.

Question 7

Change to indirect speech: The doctor said to me, "Don't smoke."
(a) The doctor told me don't smoke (b) The doctor advised me not to smoke (c) The doctor said me not to smoke (d) The doctor advised me to not smoke

Accepted Answer

(b) The doctor advised me not to smoke.

Negative command → 'not to' + base verb, with an appropriate reporting verb (advised/told).

Question 8

Change to indirect speech: The teacher said, "The sun rises in the east."
(a) The teacher said that the sun rose in the east (b) The teacher said that the sun rises in the east (c) The teacher said that the sun had risen in the east (d) The teacher says the sun rises in the east

Accepted Answer

(b) The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.

A universal truth is not backshifted; it stays in the present tense.

Question 9

Change to indirect speech: She said, "What a beautiful sight!"
(a) She said that it is a beautiful sight (b) She exclaimed that it was a very beautiful sight (c) She asked what a beautiful sight it was (d) She said what a beautiful sight

Accepted Answer

(b) She exclaimed that it was a very beautiful sight.

Exclamations use 'exclaimed (with joy) that', turning the phrase into a statement with 'very'.

Practice — Direct and Indirect Speech

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