Direct & Indirect Speech

1. Choose the most appropriate option to convert the following sentence from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech:Jenny said, “We have lived in China for five years.” Village Development Officer Exam 2025

C.Jenny narrated that they had lived in China since five years.
D.Jenny said that she had been living in China for five years.
A.Jenny said that they had lived in China for five years.
B.Jenny told that they lived in China for the last five years.

Answer: Narration (Direct-Indirect Speech) के नियम के अनुसार, यदि रिपोर्टिंग वर्ब Past Tense में हो (जैसे 'said'), तो 'Present Perfect Tense' (have lived) को 'Past Perfect Tense' (had lived) में बदल दिया जाता है। साथ ही, प्रोनाउन 'We' बदलकर 'they' हो जाता है। इसलिए विकल्प (A) सही है।

2. Change the following sentence into indirect speech: The teacher said, 'If you had studied harder, you would have passed the examination.'

A. The teacher said that if they studied harder, they would pass the examination.
D. The teacher said that if they would have studied harder, they would have passed the examination.
C. The teacher said that if they had studied harder, they would pass the examination.
B. The teacher said that if they had studied harder, they would have passed the examination.

Answer: The third conditional sentence (unreal past condition) does not change its tense structure when converted to indirect speech.

3. Convert to indirect speech: He said, 'I must leave at once, for my father is waiting.'

A. He said that he had to leave at once, as his father was waiting.
D. He said he had to be leaving at once, as his father waited.
B. He said that he must have to leave at once, for his father was waiting.
C. He said that he must leave at once, because his father is waiting.

Answer: 'Must' indicating compulsion or necessity is changed to 'had to'. The present continuous tense 'is waiting' changes to the past continuous 'was waiting'.

4. She said, 'What a dreadful idea!' Convert this to indirect speech.

D. She told that the idea was dreadful.
B. She exclaimed that it was a very dreadful idea.
C. She exclaimed that the idea is dreadful.
A. She exclaimed that what a dreadful idea it was.

Answer: Exclamatory sentences starting with 'What a...' are converted into assertive sentences using 'very' or 'great' before the adjective.

5. The captain said to his soldiers, 'Let us not be disheartened by this single defeat.' Choose the correct indirect form.

C. The captain commanded his soldiers that let them not be disheartened by that single defeat.
A. The captain suggested to his soldiers that they should not be disheartened by that single defeat.
D. The captain said to his soldiers that they must not be disheartened by that single defeat.
B. The captain told his soldiers to not be disheartened by this single defeat.

Answer: A proposal or suggestion starting with 'Let us' is reported using reporting verbs like 'suggested' or 'proposed', followed by 'that they should'.

6. Change to indirect speech: 'Would that I were rich!' cried the beggar.

D. The beggar wished to be rich.
B. The beggar wished that he had been rich.
C. The beggar said that he would be rich.
A. The beggar cried that he was not rich.

Answer: Optative sentences expressing a strong, unrealizable wish (subjunctive mood like 'were') are reported using 'wished' and the past perfect tense.

7. He said, 'I was doing my homework when the lights went out.' What is the indirect speech?

B. He said that he had been doing his homework when the lights went out.
C. He said that he had been doing his homework when the lights had gone out.
A. He said that he was doing his homework when the lights had gone out.
D. He said that he did his homework when the lights had gone out.

Answer: In a complex sentence, past continuous ('was doing') changes to past perfect continuous ('had been doing'), and simple past ('went out') changes to past perfect ('had gone out').

8. The boy said, 'Let me go out to play now.' Convert this sentence.

B. The boy requested that he might be allowed to go out to play then.
C. The boy said to let him go out to play now.
A. The boy told that he should be allowed to go out to play then.
D. The boy asked if he can go out to play then.

Answer: When 'Let' is used to seek permission, the indirect speech uses 'requested' and a clause like 'that he might be allowed to'.

9. The philosopher said, 'We are all sinners; we ought to repent.'

D. The philosopher said we were all sinners and we should repent.
C. The philosopher said that they were all sinners and they ought to repent.
B. The philosopher said that we are all sinners and we ought to repent.
A. The philosopher said that we were all sinners and we had to repent.

Answer: Universal truths ('we are all sinners') and modal verbs expressing moral duty ('ought to') do not change tense in indirect speech.

10. The candidate said, 'If I am elected, I will lower taxes and create jobs.'

A. The candidate said that if he were elected, he would lower taxes and create jobs.
B. The candidate said that if he is elected, he will lower taxes and create jobs.
C. The candidate said that if he was elected, he would have lowered taxes and created jobs.
D. The candidate said that if he had been elected, he would lower taxes and create jobs.

Answer: This is a Type 1 conditional. 'am' changes to 'was' or 'were' (subjunctive 'were' is more formal), and 'will' changes to 'would'.

11. She asked, 'Aren't you ashamed of yourself?' Select the correct indirect form.

B. She asked whether I was not ashamed of myself.
D. She asked me why I wasn't ashamed of myself.
C. She asked me that wasn't I ashamed of myself.
A. She asked me if I wasn't ashamed of myself.

Answer: A negative yes/no question is converted using 'if' or 'whether' followed by the subject and the verb in a positive structure ('I was not' instead of 'wasn't I').

12. The general said, 'Bravo! You have fought valiantly.'

D. The general told them that they have fought valiantly.
A. The general exclaimed with joy that they fought valiantly.
C. The general said bravo that they had fought valiantly.
B. The general applauded them, saying that they had fought valiantly.

Answer: Words like 'Bravo' are replaced by reporting verbs like 'applauded'. The present perfect 'have fought' changes to the past perfect 'had fought'.

13. He said, 'My fiancée and I are to be married next month.'

A. He said that his fiancée and he were to be married the following month.
B. He said that his fiancée and him are to be married the next month.
C. He said that his fiancée and he were to have been married the following month.
D. He said that his fiancée and he would be married the following month.

Answer: The verb 'are to be' (indicating a plan) changes to 'were to be'. The pronoun changes from 'I' to 'he', and 'next month' becomes 'the following month'.

14. The notice read, 'All employees must clock in by 9 a.m. This is a strict directive.'

C. The notice reads that all employees have to clock in by 9 a.m. and that is a strict directive.
D. The notice stated that all employees must clock in by 9 a.m. and that this was a strict directive.
A. The notice stated that all employees must clock in by 9 a.m. and that that was a strict directive.
B. The notice stated that all employees had to clock in by 9 a.m. and that that was a strict directive.

Answer: 'Must' for a rule/obligation changes to 'had to'. 'This' changes to 'that', and 'is' changes to 'was'.

15. She said to me, 'What is it that makes you so much stronger and braver than other men?'

B. She asked me what was it that made me so much stronger and braver than other men.
C. She asked me what it is that makes me so much stronger and braver than other men.
A. She asked me what it was that made me so much stronger and braver than other men.
D. She wondered what it was that makes me so much stronger and braver than other men.

Answer: In an indirect question, the word order is subject-verb ('it was', not 'was it'). The tense also shifts from present ('is', 'makes') to past ('was', 'made').

16. The prisoner said, 'Let me have a glass of water, please.'

A. The prisoner told to have a glass of water.
D. The prisoner requested to please have a glass of water.
C. The prisoner said that he must have a glass of water.
B. The prisoner requested that he might have a glass of water.

Answer: 'Let me' in a polite request is best reported using 'requested that he might have' or 'requested to be given'.

17. He said, 'I needn't have bought a new car; my old one was fine.'

B. He said that he needn't have bought a new car as his old one had been fine.
C. He said that he shouldn't have bought a new car as his old one was fine.
A. He said that he didn't need to buy a new car as his old one was fine.
D. He said that he hadn't needed to buy a new car as his old one had been fine.

Answer: The modal perfect 'needn't have' does not change. However, the simple past 'was' in the subordinate clause changes to the past perfect 'had been'.

18. My father said to me, 'Beware of false friends and flatterers.'

C. My father advised me that I should beware of false friends and flatterers.
A. My father told me to beware of false friends and flatterers.
B. My father warned me against false friends and flatterers.
D. My father said to me that I must beware of false friends and flatterers.

Answer: An imperative sentence starting with 'Beware' is best reported using the verb 'warned' followed by 'against' or 'about'.

19. The speaker said, 'It's high time we addressed these pressing issues.'

B. The speaker said that it had been high time they addressed those pressing issues.
A. The speaker said that it was high time they address those pressing issues.
D. The speaker said that it was high time they addressed those pressing issues.
C. The speaker said that it was high time they had addressed those pressing issues.

Answer: The phrase 'It is time' is followed by a simple past verb. In indirect speech, 'It is' becomes 'It was', but the simple past verb that follows ('addressed') remains unchanged.

20. She said, 'Phew! It's terribly hot in here.'

C. She said phew it is terribly hot in here.
D. She exclaimed that how terribly hot it was in there.
B. She exclaimed with disgust that it was terribly hot in there.
A. She exclaimed that it was terribly hot in there.

Answer: Interjections like 'Phew!' should be replaced by an appropriate reporting phrase like 'exclaimed with disgust/relief'. 'Here' changes to 'there' and 'is' changes to 'was'.

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