In the following section the sentences have been given in Direct or Indirect speech. From the given alternatives, choose the most appropriate sentence that best suits the given sentence in Indirect or Direct speech.
I said to my mother, “I will certainly take you to Bangalore this week.”
Answer: D
Correct answer: I told my mother that I would certainly take her to Bangalore that week
I stays I, because the speaker is the one reporting; you becomes her; will becomes would; and this week becomes that week. The options that change I to she or he hand the promise to somebody else.
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He said to me, “Can you do these sums for me?”
Answer: A
Correct answer: He asked me if I could do those sums for him.
Can becomes could, these sums becomes those sums, and me becomes him. Each option leaves one of the three unchanged.
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Khanna said to his wife,”Please select one of those sarees.”
Answer: D
Correct answer: Khanna requested his wife to select one of those sarees.
Please marks the sentence as a request, so it is reported with requested… to + infinitive, and the word please is not repeated because requested already carries it. Pleased is a different verb altogether, and these must become those.
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I warned her that I could no longer tolerate her coming late.
Answer: C
Correct answer: I said to her, “I can no longer tolerate your coming late.”
Working backwards: I warned her that I could no longer tolerate her coming late gives I unchanged, could forward to can, and her coming to your coming, since she is the person addressed.
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I said to Nandinee, “Please help me with my homework.”
Answer: B
Correct answer: I requested Nandinee to help me with my homework.
Please makes it a request, reported with requested… to + infinitive. Help me with my homework is the fixed collocation - one helps a person with a task, not in it - and the possessive my must be kept.
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Nita ordered her servant to bring her cup of tea.
Answer: D
Correct answer: Nita said to her servant, “Bring me a cup of tea.”
Working backwards from indirect to direct: ordered… to bring her a cup of tea unpacks into an imperative addressed to the servant, and her in the report becomes me in Nita's own words. The option omitting the servant loses the person addressed, and the ones keeping her or that leave the report's pronouns in the direct speech.
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My father said to me, "You must work hard".
Answer: D
Correct answer: My father said to me that I had to work hard
You in the direct speech refers to the speaker of the report, so it becomes I. Must has no past form of its own, so after a past reporting verb it is replaced by had to. The options keeping you leave the sentence addressed to the wrong person.
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She said, "My parents are going to Karachi".
Answer: C
Correct answer: She said that her parents were going to Karachi
My belongs to the original speaker, so from the reporter's side it becomes her. The present continuous are going then moves back to were going. Keeping my would make them the reporter's parents.
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"Did you come from France"?, said Sara to the boy.
Answer: A
Correct answer: Sara asked the boy if he had come from France
A yes-or-no question is reported with asked… if (or whether), and the past simple did you come moves back to the past perfect had come. Came would leave the tense unshifted, and come is not a finite form.
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You said, "You have brought books for me".
Answer: B
Correct answer: You said that you had brought books for me
The present perfect have brought moves back to the past perfect after a past reporting verb. Me in the direct speech refers to the listener, so it stays me from the reporter's side.
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