Question

He said to me that he _______ going to abroad.

• A. is
• B. has been
• C. had been
• D. was

Answer 1

Answer:

D. was

The sentence is in reported speech (indirect speech). When converting direct speech to indirect speech, the tense usually shifts back.

• Direct speech: He said to me, "I am going abroad."
• Indirect speech: He said to me that he was going abroad.

Here, "is" (present tense) in the direct speech becomes "was" (past tense) in the reported speech because of the rule of backshifting. Therefore, "was" is the correct choice.