Direct & Indirect Speech

QUESTION 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').

QUESTION 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'.

QUESTION 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'.

QUESTION 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'.

QUESTION 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').

QUESTION 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'.

QUESTION 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'.

QUESTION 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'.

QUESTION 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.

QUESTION 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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