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.
He said, “I am looking at the diagram.”
Answer: D
Correct answer: He said that he was looking at the diagram.
I becomes he and the present continuous am looking moves back to was looking. Keeping I makes the reporter the one looking, and keeping says would leave the tense unshifted.
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What punctuation mark needs to be added to the following sentence in DIRECT speech James asked “Are you coming to my house today?”
Answer: D
Correct answer: ,
A reporting clause that comes before the quoted words is separated from them by a comma: James asked, “Are you coming to my house today?” The question mark inside the marks belongs to the quoted question and does not do this job.
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Which of the following sentences are the correct form of INDIRECT speech if the sentence bellow is in DIRECT speech Kelly said, “I am feeling sick today.”
Answer: A
Correct answer: Kelly said that she was feeling sick that day.
The reporting verb is past, so three things move: I to she, am feeling to was feeling, and today to that day. The options with says change the reporting verb the question gives.
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She said, “I have been sewing from morning until now.” ( The next day, you report her statement )
Answer: A
Correct answer: She said that she had been sewing from morning until then.
The present perfect continuous have been sewing moves back to the past perfect continuous, and now becomes then. Reporting the next day makes the second change necessary: now would point at the moment of reporting, not the moment of speaking.
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Carl said, “You may meet them next month.”
Answer: D
Correct answer: Carl said that I might meet them the following month.
May becomes might, you becomes I because the listener is the one now reporting, and next month becomes the following month. All three changes are needed.
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How is the following sentence in DIRECT speech incorrect? - john said, “How are you today?”
Answer: D
Correct answer: Missing capital letters outside inverted commas
john begins the sentence and is a proper noun, so it needs a capital on both counts - and it stands outside the inverted commas. Inside them the quoted sentence already begins correctly with How, the comma after the reporting clause is present, and the marks themselves are there.
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Find the correct sentence in INDIRECT speech which matches to this sentence in DIRECT speech Mary asks, “Are you ok, Harry?”
Answer: B
Correct answer: Mary asks Harry if he is ok.
The reporting verb asks is present, so there is no backshift: are becomes is only because the subject changes from you to he. The vocative Harry becomes the object of asks, which is why naming him only in the if clause is not enough.
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Which is the correct sentence in DIRECT speech if using the INDIRECT sentence that follows as a guild. The teacher ordered the children to do their homework.
Answer: D
Correct answer: The teacher ordered, “Children, do your homework!”
Working backwards: ordered the children to do their homework unpacks into an imperative addressed to them, with their becoming your. A comma is needed after the reporting clause, which is what separates this from the otherwise identical option, and asked would weaken the order to a request.
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Ivon said, “You are not listening to me.”
Answer: A
Correct answer: Ivon said that I was not listening to her.
You refers to the person now reporting, so it becomes I; me refers to Ivon, so it becomes her; and are not listening moves back to was not listening.
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The children said, “We will build a sand-castle ourselves.”
Answer: B
Correct answer: The children said that they would build a sand-castle themselves.
We becomes they, will becomes would, and the reflexive ourselves follows its subject to become themselves. Leaving ourselves in place makes the reporter one of the builders.
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