Question

A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech.

I said, "He will be here by noon."

• A. I said he will be there by noon.
• B. I said that he would be here by noon.
• C. I said that he would be there by noon.
• D. I said he shall be there by noon.

Answer 1

Answer:

C. I said that he would be there by noon.

To convert a sentence from direct speech to indirect (reported) speech, several grammatical changes must occur depending on the reporting verb:

1. Tense Shift (Backshifting): Because the reporting verb is in the past tense ("I said"), the tense inside the quotation marks must shift backward. The modal verb "will" shifts to its past form, "would".

2. Change of Place/Time Modifiers: In indirect speech, words indicating proximity (nearness in space or time) usually change to words indicating distance because the speaker is reporting the event from a different place or time. Therefore, "here" shifts to "there".

3. Use of the Conjunction: The conjunction "that" is introduced to connect the reporting clause with the reported statement.