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.

The doctor said to the patient, “Do not eat fast food.”

  1. The doctor said to the patient do not eat fast food.

  2. The doctor advised the patient did not eat fast food.

  3. The doctor asked the patient do not eat fast food.

  4. The doctor advised the patient not to eat fast food.

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

'Said to' is changed into 'advised'. After inverted comma if there is imperative sentence 'do not' is changed into 'not to'. Hence, option 4 is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: Change the narration.

She said to me, “I will not go out in rain.”

  1. She told me that she would not go out in rain.

  2. She told me that I would not go out in rain.

  3. She told me that she shall not go out in rain.

  4. She told me that she will not have gone out in rain.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'Said to' will be changed into 'told'. After inverted comma 'I' will be changed into 'she' as per subject and 'will' will be changed into 'would'. Hence, option 1 is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

I have no time for myself, says Karuna. This sentence can be written in reported speech as

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the question by selecting the most appropriate option.

1. Karuna Verma is bewildered. "I don't know how she did it," she says about her mother, Renu Chopra. Karuna's childhood memories are of her father leaving late for office so that, by then, her mother would be-back from work. Of her parents working in sync to make sure the kids were well taken care of .Of her mother handling kitchen and classroom with ease.

2. When her own daughter was born, Karuna too wanted to do the balancing act. But it did not turn out to be as easy as it seemed. For starters, her parents' era was different from hers. As she was living with her husband in Andheri, Mumbai, away from their families, resuming work would have meant leaving her daughter with a maid while she was away. Her daughter's formative years would be spent with an outsider, a thought that did not appeal to Karuna. She quit her teaching job in a school.

3. For a woman who was encouraged to be independent. throughout her life, the decision to quit and stay at home was a difficult one. Ironically it was her mother who urged her to quit the job and become a full-time mother. For Karuna, being a housewife is one of the tougher jobs she has had. "I have no time for myself," says Karuna. "I make sure all my personal work is done when Avni is asleep. Earlier I had a set routine. My husband and I used to wake up at 6 a.m. I would re-heat the food the maid had cooked the day before and pack it for lunch. Then we used to head off to work, and at night, we would go out. I had a lot of time to myself and for my husband then," says Karuna.

4. The routine is quite different now. Karuna has taken to cooking. She wakes up quite early and makes sure all her work is done before the baby is up. The rest of the day flies by, pandering to two-year-old Avni's needs.

Source: The Week, March 13, 2011 (Adapted)

  1. Karuna said that she had no time for herself.

  2. Karuna says that she had no time for herself.

  3. Karuna says that she have no time for herself.

  4. Karuna said that she had no time for myself.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The correct transformation from direct to indirect speech requires changing 'have' to 'had' (tense backshift) and 'myself' to 'herself' (pronoun change). Option A correctly applies both rules. Option B incorrectly keeps 'says' in present tense. Option C incorrectly uses 'have' instead of 'had'. Option D incorrectly keeps 'myself' instead of changing to 'herself'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the following into indirect speech.

He says, “My father works in the Navy.”

  1. He says that her father works in the Navy.

  2. He says that his father works in the Navy.

  3. He says that his father worked in the Navy.

  4. He says that my father works in the Navy.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The reporting verb is in simple present. Hence, the verb of the sentence in quotes does not get changed. But the demonstrative adjective ‘my’ changes into ‘his’ as the pronoun ‘he’ shows that the speaker is male.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the following into indirect speech.

Rahul said, “I will come tomorrow afternoon to take my book.”

  1. Rahul said that he will come tomorrow afternoon to take my book.

  2. Rahul said that he would come tomorrow afternoon to take my book.

  3. Rahul said that he would come the next day afternoon to take his book.

  4. Rahul said that he would come the next day afternoon to take my book.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The future tense ‘will’ changes into would when the reporting verb is in the past tense. Whereas the timing word ‘tomorrow’ changes into ‘next day’ and the demonstrative adjective ‘my’ into ‘his’. The sentence satisfies all the rules.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the following into indirect speech.

She shouted, “Leave me alone.”

  1. She shouted to them to leave her alone.

  2. She shouted to them to leave me alone.

  3. She shouted to them of leaving alone.

  4. She shouted to them for leaving her alone.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence in quotes is a command i.e. imperative sentence. In other words, the sentence that starts with a verb changes into infinity in indirect speech. The objective pronoun ‘me’ changes into ‘her’ as the speaker is female.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the following into indirect speech.

Michael said, “I called Williams for tonight dinner.”

  1. Michael said that he had called Williams for tonight dinner.

  2. Michael said that he had called Williams for dinner that night.

  3. Michael said that he have called Williams for tonight dinner.

  4. Michael said that he called Willaims for that day night dinner.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence in quotes is in simple past. The reporting verb is also in simple past. So the sentence in quotes changes into past perfect tense. The timing word 'tonight' changes into that day night.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the following into indirect speech.

Manish said, “O my God! I am ruined.”

  1. Manish called the God, he was ruined.

  2. Manish said that he was ruined.

  3. Manish exclaimed sadly that he is ruined.

  4. Manish exclaimed sadly that he was ruined.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The exclamatory sentence in quotes changes the reporting word in indirect speech according to the expression or feeling of the sentence. In this sentence, the expression is an exclamation. Thus the reporting verb 'exclaimed' replaces the exclamation in indirect speech. As the reporting verb is in simple past tense, the sentence following exclamation, changes accordingly.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the following into indirect speech.

“Where do you live?” asked the teacher.

  1. The teacher asked me where do you live.

  2. The teacher asked me where I live.

  3. The teacher enquired where I lived.

  4. The teacher enquired where do I live.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The interrogative sentence helps you enquire. So, the reporting verb changes accordingly. As the reporting verb is in past tense, the sentence converts into the same, as it is in simple present. The pronoun in the sentence is in second person. It changes into first person as the listener is assumed as first person.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the following into indirect speech.

He said to Prapti, “Will you come with me?”

  1. He asked Prapti whether she will come with him.

  2. He asked Prapti whether she would come with him.

  3. He aked Prapti to come with him.

  4. He liked Prapti to come with him.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence in quotes is a question about acceptance. The word 'whether' or 'if' has to be used in indirect speech in such a case. Being the reporting verb in past tense, 'will' becomes 'would'. The reporting verb also gets changed as the sentence was a question.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the following into indirect speech.

“How clever I am!” Ayush said.

  1. Ayush said that how clever he was.

  2. Ayush exclaimed how clever he was.

  3. Ayush exclaimed that he was clever.

  4. Ayush exclaimed that how clever he was.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The exclamatory sentence has to be converted into declarative sentence in indirect speech. Hence the reporting verb changes according to the expression. While converting into declarative, the words that show the exclamation get omitted.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the following into indirect speech.

Johnny said, “I played this game last week.”

  1. Johnny said that he had played that game the previous week.

  2. Johnny said that he played that game the previous week.

  3. Johnny said that he had played the game the previous week.

  4. Johnny said that he played that game last week.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence in quotes is in simple past. The reporting verb is also in simple past. So the sentence in quotes changes into past perfect tense. The timing word 'last' changes into the previous in indirect sentence. The demonstrative adjective 'this' changes into 'that'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Convert the following into indirect speech.

My friend says to me, “You have to work hard to achieve the top rank.”

  1. My friend says that I had to work had to achieve the top rank.

  2. My friend says that he has to work hard to achieve the top rank.

  3. My friend says that I have to work hard to achieve the top rank.

  4. My friend says that I have to work hard to achieve that top rank.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence in quotes as well as the reporting verb is in simple present. So, no changes take place in tense form. The listener is specified as first person. Thus, the pronoun in the sentence changes accordingly.