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.
Sikha said, “I like this pen as it is very useful.”
Correct Answer :
Sikha said she liked that pen as it was very useful.
Solution :
The correct answer is: Sikha said she liked that pen as it was very useful.
To convert the given sentence from direct speech into indirect (reported) speech, we follow these basic rules of English grammar:
1. Reporting Verb: The reporting verb "said" remains "said" because it is not followed by an object (e.g., "said to me").
2. Conjunction: The conjunction "that" is optional after "said" in reported speech (here, it is omitted in the correct option).
3. Pronoun Change: The first-person pronoun "I" in direct speech changes according to the subject of the reporting verb ("Sikha"), becoming "she".
4. Tense Change: Since the reporting verb "said" is in the simple past tense, the verbs in the reported speech change from simple present to simple past tense:
- "like" changes to "liked"
- "is" changes to "was"
5. Demonstrative Pronoun Change: The demonstrative word "this" indicating closeness changes to "that" indicating distance.
Applying all these rules:
Direct: Sikha said, “I like this pen as it is very useful.”
Indirect: Sikha said she liked that pen as it was very useful.
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