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.

Ritika said, “Rajiv does not listen to me.”

The correct answer is: Ritika said that Rajiv didn’t listen to her .

Step-by-Step Explanation:

To convert a sentence from direct speech to indirect (reported) speech, we follow standard grammatical rules regarding reporting verbs, conjunctions, tenses, and pronouns:

1. Reporting Verb and Conjunction:
The reporting verb is "said" (past tense). When converting to indirect speech, we usually join the reported clause with the conjunction "that". Thus, "Ritika said," becomes "Ritika said that".

2. Change of Tense:
Since the reporting verb "said" is in the simple past tense, the verb in the reported speech must undergo a backshift in tense:
- Simple Present ("does not listen") changes to Simple Past ("didn't listen" or "did not listen").
- Note: After the auxiliary verb "did/didn't", the main verb stays in its base form ("listen", not "listened").

3. Change of Pronoun:
The first-person pronoun "me" refers to the speaker, Ritika (female). Therefore, "me" changes to the third-person objective pronoun "her".

Combining all the changes:
Direct Speech: Ritika said, “Rajiv does not listen to me.”
Indirect Speech: Ritika said that Rajiv didn’t listen to her .