English Language

Direct and Indirect Speech

290 Questions
All Interrogative Sentences 64 Imperative Sentences 63 Tense Sequence Shift 30 Assertive Sentences 23 Exclamatory Sentences 23 Universal Truths and Habits 22 Modal Auxiliary Shift 19 Time and Place Expressions 19 Pronoun Shifts 18 Mixed Sentence Types 5 Question Tags 1

Direct and Indirect Speech Questions

Multiple choice

Directions: Change the narration.

He said, "I have been writing."

  1. He said that he has been writing.

  2. He said that he was writing.

  3. He said that he had been writing.

  4. He says that he was writing.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The present perfect tense in the reported speech will change to past perfect tense as per the simple past reporting speech.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the given statement into indirect speech.

The teacher said to me, "If you work hard, you will pass."

  1. The teacher said to me that if I work hard, I will pass.

  2. The teacher said to me if I work hard, I will pass.

  3. The teacher told me that if I worked hard, I would pass.

  4. The teacher said if I worked hard, I would pass.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The simple present conditional in the reported speech will change to simple past conditional as per the simple past reporting speech.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the option that converts the given statement into indirect speech.

"Aren't we meeting this afternoon?", Rita asked her manager.

  1. Rita asked her manager whether they were not meeting that afternoon.

  2. Rita asked her manager whether they are not meeting that afternoon.

  3. Rita asked her manager whether they will not meet that afternoon.

  4. Rita asked her manager whether they were meeting that afternoon.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The present continuous tense in the reported speech will change to  past continuous tense as per the simple past reporting speech. 'This' will become 'that' and the question will become simple assertive with 'asked'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the option that converts the given statement into indirect speech.

"I have no idea how I will reach the examination hall", said the girl.

  1. The girl said that she has no idea how she will reach the examination hall.

  2. The girl said that she had no idea how she would reach the examination hall.

  3. The girl said she had no idea how she would reach the examination hall.

  4. She had no idea how she would reach the examination hall.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 Since the reporting verb is in the simple past tense, and it is the girl speaking, 'I have' will change to 'she had' and 'will' will change to 'would'. 

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the option that converts the given statement into indirect speech.

The Magistrate said, "Call the witness".

  1. The Magistrate ordered them to call the witness.

  2. The Magistrate said to call the witness.

  3. The Magistrate asked to call the witness.

  4. The Magistrate requested to call the witness.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

 The imperative will not change 'to be form'. Here the reporting verb is in the form of an executive/judicial order.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the given statement into indirect speech.

"Didn't we discuss this yesterday?", asked the teacher.

  1. The teacher asked whether they had not discussed that the previous day.

  2. The teacher asked whether they not discussed that the previous day.

  3. The teacher said whether they had not discussed that the previous day.

  4. The teacher asked whether they had not discussed that yesterday.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The simple past tense in the reported speech will change to past perfect tense as per the simple past reporting speech. 'Yesterday' will change into the 'previous day'. The interrogative form will become assertive. 

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the option that converts the given statement into indirect speech.

"Can you lend me some money?", the old man asked me.

  1. The old man asked me whether I could lend him some money.

  2. The old man asked me if I can lend him some money.

  3. The old man said to me whether I can lend the money.

  4. The old man asked me to lend him some money.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Since the reporting verb is in simple past tense and the addressee is 'me', 'can lend' will be replaced by 'could lend'. Also, the question is converted into a statement.