Direct and Indirect Narration
Q121. Convert to indirect: She said, “I am going to the market.”
Correct Answer: B. She said that she was going to the market.
Explanation: When handling a past reporting verb, tense shifting converts Present Continuous into Past Continuous while matching the pronoun ‘I’ to ‘she’.
Explanation: When handling a past reporting verb, tense shifting converts Present Continuous into Past Continuous while matching the pronoun ‘I’ to ‘she’.
Q122. Convert to indirect: He said, “I write letters.”
Correct Answer: B. He said that he wrote letters.
Explanation: Present Simple structures undergo backshifting into Past Simple expressions when governed by a past tense reporting verb.
Explanation: Present Simple structures undergo backshifting into Past Simple expressions when governed by a past tense reporting verb.
Q123. Convert to indirect: She said, “I have written the letter.”
Correct Answer: B. She said that she had written the letter.
Explanation: The Present Perfect tense (“have written”) shifts to the Past Perfect (“had written”) in indirect speech when the reporting verb is in the past tense.
Explanation: The Present Perfect tense (“have written”) shifts to the Past Perfect (“had written”) in indirect speech when the reporting verb is in the past tense.
Q124. Convert to indirect: He said, “I will help you.”
Correct Answer: B. He said that he would help me.
Explanation: The modal auxiliary verb ‘will’ changes to ‘would’, and the object pronoun ‘you’ changes to ‘me’ to match the context of the speech.
Explanation: The modal auxiliary verb ‘will’ changes to ‘would’, and the object pronoun ‘you’ changes to ‘me’ to match the context of the speech.
Q125. Convert to indirect: She said, “I can sing.”
Correct Answer: B. She said that she could sing.
Explanation: The modal auxiliary verb ‘can’ is backshifted to its past equivalent ‘could’ in reported speech.
Explanation: The modal auxiliary verb ‘can’ is backshifted to its past equivalent ‘could’ in reported speech.
Q126. Convert to indirect: She said, “I will come here tomorrow.”
Correct Answer: B. She said that she would go there the next day.
Explanation: In direct-to-indirect changes with a past reporting verb, ‘will’ becomes ‘would’, the place adverb ‘here’ converts to ‘there’, and the time expression ‘tomorrow’ shifts to ‘the next day’.
Explanation: In direct-to-indirect changes with a past reporting verb, ‘will’ becomes ‘would’, the place adverb ‘here’ converts to ‘there’, and the time expression ‘tomorrow’ shifts to ‘the next day’.
Q127. Convert to indirect: He said, “I wrote the letter.”
Correct Answer: B. He said that he had written the letter.
Explanation: A Past Simple statement (“wrote”) shifts backward into the Past Perfect (“had written”) when reported after a past tense verb.
Explanation: A Past Simple statement (“wrote”) shifts backward into the Past Perfect (“had written”) when reported after a past tense verb.
Q128. Convert to indirect: She said, “I am writing now.”
Correct Answer: A. She said that she was writing then.
Explanation: The Present Continuous form ‘am writing’ shifts to the Past Continuous form ‘was writing’, and the time adverb ‘now’ converts to ‘then’.
Explanation: The Present Continuous form ‘am writing’ shifts to the Past Continuous form ‘was writing’, and the time adverb ‘now’ converts to ‘then’.
Q129. In indirect speech, ‘today’ usually changes to:
Correct Answer: A. that day
Explanation: The deictic time adverb ‘today’ regularly changes to ‘that day’ in reported speech configuration.
Explanation: The deictic time adverb ‘today’ regularly changes to ‘that day’ in reported speech configuration.
Q130. Convert to indirect: He said to her, “Open the door.”
Correct Answer: B. He told her to open the door.
Explanation: Imperative commands or instructions are joined into indirect speech using the structure: reporting verb (like ‘told’ or ‘ordered’) + object + to-infinitive clause (‘to + V1’).
Explanation: Imperative commands or instructions are joined into indirect speech using the structure: reporting verb (like ‘told’ or ‘ordered’) + object + to-infinitive clause (‘to + V1’).
Q131. Convert to indirect: She said, “What a beautiful flower!”
Correct Answer: B. She exclaimed that the flower was very beautiful.
Explanation: Exclamatory sentences are reported by switching the speech verb to ‘exclaimed’ combined with ‘that’ and converting the structure into an assertive past statement.
Explanation: Exclamatory sentences are reported by switching the speech verb to ‘exclaimed’ combined with ‘that’ and converting the structure into an assertive past statement.
Q132. Convert to indirect: She asked, “Where do you live?”
Correct Answer: B. She asked where I lived.
Explanation: Information queries starting with Wh-words keep the question word as a connector, swap to a regular statement word-order (subject + verb), and undergo standard tense backshifting.
Explanation: Information queries starting with Wh-words keep the question word as a connector, swap to a regular statement word-order (subject + verb), and undergo standard tense backshifting.
Q133. Convert to indirect: He asked, “Are you happy?”
Correct Answer: B. He asked if I was happy.
Explanation: Yes/No questions introduce the clause with ‘if’ or ‘whether’, followed by assertive word order and standard tense backshifting (‘are’ becomes ‘was’).
Explanation: Yes/No questions introduce the clause with ‘if’ or ‘whether’, followed by assertive word order and standard tense backshifting (‘are’ becomes ‘was’).
Q134. In indirect speech, the demonstrative pronoun ‘this’ becomes:
Correct Answer: B. that
Explanation: The proximity demonstrative modifier ‘this’ transforms to the distant demonstrative form ‘that’ under indirect reporting conditions.
Explanation: The proximity demonstrative modifier ‘this’ transforms to the distant demonstrative form ‘that’ under indirect reporting conditions.
Q135. Convert to indirect: She said, “I may go.”
Correct Answer: B. She said that she might go.
Explanation: The modal auxiliary verb ‘may’ shifts down into its past form ‘might’ in reported settings.
Explanation: The modal auxiliary verb ‘may’ shifts down into its past form ‘might’ in reported settings.
Q136. Convert to indirect: He said, “I am ill today.”
Correct Answer: B. He said that he was ill that day.
Explanation: Personal pronouns adjust, the simple present link verb ‘am’ steps back to ‘was’, and ‘today’ turns into ‘that day’.
Explanation: Personal pronouns adjust, the simple present link verb ‘am’ steps back to ‘was’, and ‘today’ turns into ‘that day’.
Q137. Convert to indirect: She said to me, “Please help me.”
Correct Answer: B. She requested me to help her.
Explanation: Sentences containing polite markers like ‘please’ are reported by substituting the speech verb with ‘requested’ followed by the target object and an infinitive particle construction (‘to + V1’).
Explanation: Sentences containing polite markers like ‘please’ are reported by substituting the speech verb with ‘requested’ followed by the target object and an infinitive particle construction (‘to + V1’).
Q138. Convert to indirect: She said, “I went there yesterday.”
Correct Answer: B. She said that she had gone there the previous day.
Explanation: The past simple verb ‘went’ alters into the past perfect form ‘had gone’, while the time reference marker ‘yesterday’ steps into ‘the previous day’.
Explanation: The past simple verb ‘went’ alters into the past perfect form ‘had gone’, while the time reference marker ‘yesterday’ steps into ‘the previous day’.
Q139. When the reporting verb is in the present tense, the tense of the reported clause:
Correct Answer: B. does not change
Explanation: If the primary reporting verb is in either the present or future tense, no backshifting of the tense occurs inside the reported statement clause.
Explanation: If the primary reporting verb is in either the present or future tense, no backshifting of the tense occurs inside the reported statement clause.
Q140. Convert to indirect: He said, “The earth is round.”
Correct Answer: B. He said that the earth is round.
Explanation: Statements holding universal or scientific truths preserve their simple present tense structure unchanged, even when introduced by a past tense reporting verb.
Explanation: Statements holding universal or scientific truths preserve their simple present tense structure unchanged, even when introduced by a past tense reporting verb.
