English Language

Sentence Transformation

697 Questions

Sentence transformation questions evaluate grammatical accuracy in converting sentences between active and passive voice, as well as direct and indirect speech. The focus lies on altering sentence structures without changing the original meaning while maintaining correct tense and verb forms. This is a highly weighted English language topic in SSC and banking exams.

Active and passive voiceDirect and indirect speechNarration changeTense consistencyVerb form transformation

Sentence Transformation Questions

Multiple choice

Directions: Change the given direct sentence into an indirect one.

He said, “I bought a new house in Bangalore.”

  1. He said that he bought a new house in Bangalore.

  2. He said that he had bought a new house in Bangalore.

  3. He said that I bought a new house in Bangalore.

  4. He said that I was bought a new house in Bangalore.

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

In the indirect speet, ‘I’ will be changed to ‘he’ as per the subject and past indefinite will be changed to past perfect. Hence, option 2 is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: Change the given direct sentence into an indirect one.

He said to me, “Please drop me to my school.”

  1. He told me that please drop him to his school.

  2. He requested me to drop him to his school.

  3. He told me to drop him to his school.

  4. He asked me to drop me to his school.

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

In the indirect speech, ‘my’ will be changed to ‘his’ as per the subject and 'please' will be changed to 'requested'. Hence, option 1 is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: Change the given direct sentence into an indirect one.

Jyoti said, “I will take admission in this course.”

  1. Jyoti said that I would take admission in that course.

  2. Jyoti said that she would take admission in that course.

  3. Jyoti said that she will take admission in that course.

  4. Jyoti said that she will be taking admission in that course.

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

In the indirect speech, ‘I’ will be changed to ‘she’ as per the subject and ‘will’ will be changed to ‘would’. Hence, option 2 is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: Change the voice.

The gardener is watering the plants.

  1. The plants are being watered by the gardener.

  2. The plants are watered by the gardener.

  3. The plants were watered by the gardener.

  4. The plants have been watered by the gardener.

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

Object changes into subject (the plants) + helping verb (are)+ being+ 3rd form of the verb (watered) + object (by the gardener).

Multiple choice

Directions: Change the given direct sentence into an indirect sentence.

Shruti told me, “I have been to England.”

  1. Shruti told me that I had been to England.

  2. Shruti told me that she had been to England.

  3. Shruti told me that she has been to England.

  4. Shruti told me that she was been to England.

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

After inverted comma ‘I’ is changed into ‘He’ or ‘She’ as per subject and present perfect is changed to past perfect.

Multiple choice

Directions: Change the given direct sentence into an indirect sentence:

He said, “I will buy a new mobile phone.”

  1. He said that he would buy a new mobile phone.

  2. He said that I will buy a new mobile phone.

  3. He said that I shall buy a new mobile phone.

  4. He said that he should buy a new mobile phone.

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

After inverted comma ‘I’ is changed into ‘He’ or ‘She’ as per subject and 'will or shall' is changed to 'would'.

Multiple choice

Directions: In the question below, the first and the last (correctly ordered) sentences are numbered 1 and 6. The rest of the passage is split into four parts and named P, Q, R and S. These four parts are not given in the proper order. Choose the correct combination among the four alternatives given.

  1. Bananas are thought to have been first domesticated in southeast Asia.

P. Their consumption is mentioned in early Greek, Latin and Arab writings.

Q. They were first established in Hispaniola and soon spread to other islands and the mainland.

R. It’s written that Alexander the Great saw bananas on an expedition to India.

S. Shortly after the discovery of America, bananas were taken from the Canary Islands to the New World.

  1. Cultivation increased until bananas became a staple foodstuff in many regions and in the 19th century, they began to appear in the markets of the United States.

  1. PSQR

  2. PRQS

  3. QRPS

  4. PRSQ
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

‘First domesticated in southeast Asia’ in 1 and ‘early Greek, Latin and Arab writings’ in P connect with each other. ‘Arab writings’ in P also connects it with ‘It’s written that Alexander the Great’ in R. ‘from the Canary Islands’ in R is followed by ‘to other islands’ in Q and the mention of US in 6 and America in S connects all three of them.

Multiple choice

Directions: Which of the following alternatives correctly rectifies the given sentence. If the sentence is correct as it is, choose option (1) as your answer.

India's GDP is growing at a higher rate than Sri Lanka.

  1. India's GDP is growing at a higher rate than Sri Lanka.

  2. India's GDP is growing at a higher rate than Sri Lanka's.

  3. India's GDP has been growing at a higher rate than Sri Lanka.

  4. India's GDP is growing at a rate which is higher than Sri Lanka.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Correction: “is growing at a higher rate than..... Sri Lanka's”

Multiple choice

Directions: Change the given direct sentence into an indirect sentence.

Alka said to me, “I shall go to a party tonight”.

  1. Alka told me that I should go to a party tonight.

  2. Alka said that she should be going to a party that night.

  3. Alka told me that she would go to a party that night.

  4. Alka said that she was going to the a party that night.

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

The given sentence is in future tense. 'Shall' will be changed to 'would'. In indirect speech the reporting verb ‘said to’ is changed to ‘told’. The inverted commas are replaced by using conjunction - that. The pronoun ‘I’ will be changed to she as it refers to ‘Alka’ and 'tonight' will be changed to 'that night'. The correct option is 3.

Multiple choice

Directions: Select the one that best expresses the sentence in indirect/direct speech.

He said to me, “I don't believe you.”

  1. He told me that he didn't believe me.

  2. He told that he didn't believe me.

  3. He said that he didn't believed me.

  4. He told that he didn't believed me.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

When the reporting verb is in the past indefinite tense and the reported speech is also in the past tense, we use past perfect tense for the reported speech in indirect narration.

Multiple choice

Directions: Select the one that best expresses the sentence in indirect/direct speech.

He said to her, "Don't read so fast.”

  1. He ordered her not to read so fast.

  2. He advised her don't read so fast.

  3. He said her not to read so fast.

  4. He told her that not to read so fast.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Here, reported speech is an imperative sentence, in which an order has been given. So, 'said to' becomes 'ordered' and 'do not' becomes 'not to'.