In the following question, a sentence has been given in the direct/indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in indirect/direct speech. Rani said to Reena, "Did you know he was not coming to my birthday?"
Rani asked Reema if she knew he had not been going to her birthday.
The reporting verb "said to" changes to "asked" since the direct sentence is a question, and "Did you know" converts to "if/whether she knew" while retaining the yes/no question structure.
The embedded clause "was not coming" is in the past continuous tense; since the reporting verb is in the past tense, it must be backshifted to the past perfect continuous tense, becoming "had not been going".
"My birthday" also changes to "her birthday" since the narrator is now reporting the event in third person.
Only the option that correctly backshifts both the reporting verb and the continuous tense clause, using "had not been going", is grammatically accurate.
Similar Questions
Change the sentence from direct speech to indirect speech.
He said, "Subhas Chandra Bose was born into wealth and privilage in a large Bengali family in Orissa."
Important Questions from Direct and Indirect Speech
Directions: Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
The lion asked the lioness, "Where will you hide yourself, until I return?”
Select the correct indirect narration of the given sentence.
Sushant said to the elderly lady, “Madam, you can take my place and stand here in the queue.”
Select the correct indirect narration of the given sentence.
Dev said to his mother, “Don’t worry we’ll soon find a way out of this crisis.”
Directions: Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
Neha said to me, “I am going to see a movie today.”
Direction: Select the most appropriate indirect form of the given sentence.
Frank said to Albert, “ How is your search for a new house coming along?”
