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. She said, "I can solve this problem."

• A. She said that she will solve that problem.
• B. She said that she could solve this problem.
• C. She said that she could solve that problem.
• D. She said she can solve the problem.

Answer 1

Answer:

C. She said that she could solve that problem.

When converting a sentence from direct speech to indirect (reported) speech, several grammatical changes must take place:

1. Reporting Verb & Conjunction:

   • "She said" remains "She said" (or takes the optional conjunction "that").

2. Change of Pronoun:

   • The first-person pronoun "I" refers to the speaker (she), so it changes to "she".

3. Change of Modal Verb (Tense Shift):

   • Since the reporting verb (said) is in the simple past tense, the present modal verb "can" changes to its past form, "could".

4. Change of Demonstrative Pronoun:

   • Words showing nearness in time or place change to show distance. Thus, "this" changes to "that".