A sentence has been given in direct speech. Out of the four alternatives, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in indirect speech.
1Rahul asked me, "Did you see the cricket match on TV last night?"
Wrong!
In reported speech, a past simple yes/no question usually changes to "Rahul asked me if I had seen the cricket match on TV the previous night."
2James said to his mother, "I am leaving for New York tomorrow."
Wrong!
The present continuous and "tomorrow" change naturally to "James told his mother that he was leaving for New York the next day."
3I said to him, "Why don't you work hard?"
Wrong!
A reported wh-question uses statement word order, so the best answer is "I asked him why he didn't work hard."
4He said to her, "What a hot day!"
Wrong!
An exclamatory sentence is best reported with "He exclaimed that it was a hot day."
5The priest said, "Be quiet and listen to my words."
Wrong!
A command or request can be reported with an infinitive structure, as in "The priest urged them to be quiet and to listen to his words."
Answers
- Rahul asked me, “Did you see the cricket match on TV last night?” — Rahul asked me if I had seen the cricket match on TV the previous night.
- James said to his mother, “I am leaving for New York tomorrow.” — James told his mother that he was leaving for New York the next day.
- I said to him, “Why don’t you work hard?” — I asked him why he didn’t work hard.
- He said to her, “What a hot day!” — He exclaimed that it was a hot day.
- The priest said, “Be quiet and listen to my words.” — The priest urged them to be quiet and to listen to his words.
