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. He said, "I am not feeling well."

• A. He said that he is not feeling well.
• B. He said that he was not feeling well.
• C. He said that he didn't felt well.
• D. He said he not feeling well.

Answer 1

Answer:

B. He said that he was not feeling well.

• Tense Shift (Backshifting): In direct speech, the sentence is in the Present Continuous tense ("am not feeling"). When the reporting verb is in the past tense ("said"), the verb in the reported speech must shift to the Past Continuous tense ("was not feeling").

• Change of Pronoun: The first-person pronoun "I" in direct speech refers to the speaker ("He"). Therefore, in indirect speech, it must be changed to the third-person pronoun "he" to maintain consistency.

• Use of 'That': The conjunction "that" is commonly used to introduce the reported clause in indirect speech, though it is sometimes optional.