Rewrite the sentence in Indirect Speech. He said, 'My brother is writing letters.'
He said that his brother was writing letters
This question requires converting a sentence from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech. Let's break down the process:
Understanding Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct Speech reports the exact words spoken, usually enclosed in quotation marks. Example: He said, 'My brother is writing letters.'
Indirect Speech reports what was said without quoting directly. It involves specific changes in tense, pronouns, and reporting verbs.
Steps for Conversion
- Identify the Reporting Verb: The reporting verb is 'said'. Since it's in the past tense, the tense of the verb in the reported clause will usually change.
- Remove Quotation Marks and Comma: The comma after 'said' and the quotation marks around the reported speech are removed.
- Add Conjunction: The conjunction 'that' is added after the reporting verb 'said'.
- Change Pronouns: The pronoun 'My' refers to the speaker ('He'). In indirect speech, it changes to the corresponding possessive pronoun 'his'.
- Change Tense: The tense in the reported speech needs to change according to the backshift rule. The Present Continuous tense ('is writing') changes to the Past Continuous tense ('was writing') when the reporting verb is in the past tense.
- Check Other Elements: Time and place expressions might also change, but none are present in this specific sentence that require changing.
Applying the Changes
Original Sentence (Direct Speech): He said, 'My brother is writing letters.'
- Reporting Verb: said
- Reported Clause: 'My brother is writing letters.'
- Pronoun 'My' changes to 'his'.
- Tense 'is writing' (Present Continuous) changes to 'was writing' (Past Continuous).
- Add 'that' after 'said'.
Resulting Sentence (Indirect Speech): He said that his brother was writing letters.
Evaluating the Options
- Option 1: He said that his brother was writing letters - This correctly applies all the necessary changes (conjunction 'that', pronoun 'his', tense 'was writing').
- Option 2: He said that my brother was writing letters - Incorrect. The pronoun 'My' was not changed to 'his'.
- Option 3: He said that his brother has been writing a - Incorrect. The tense change is wrong ('has been writing' is Present Perfect Continuous, not Past Continuous) and the sentence is incomplete ('a' instead of 'letters').
- Option 4: He said that his brother had been writing a - Incorrect. The tense change is wrong ('had been writing' is Past Perfect Continuous, not Past Continuous) and the sentence is incomplete ('a' instead of 'letters').
Therefore, the correct way to rewrite the sentence in Indirect Speech is Option 1.
Similar Questions
- Choose the correct idiom for the word highlighted in bold.
"The boss called the employees together for a meeting. He said he didn't know who was stealing from the company, but that he would leave no stone unturned until he found out who it was." Change the following sentence to Indirect Speech .
He said to her, "I've been waiting here in the queue for over an hour".
Change the following sentence to Direct Speech
The lady replied that she was busy that evening.
In the following question, a sentence has been given in Direct/Indirect Speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Indirect/Direct Speech.
"It's high time you found a job," said Granny to Uncle Ken one day.
Change the following sentence to Indirect Speech.
The passenger asked the ticket collector, "Is this train running late?".
Rewrite the sentence in Direct Speech.
She asked her father why she should excuse her enemy.
Change the following sentence to Direct Speech.
The master ordered the dog to sit down.
Directions: Select the correct direct form of the given sentence.
She exclaimed that I was wearing an exquisite ring.
Direction : In the following question, a sentence is given in Direct/Indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the sentence in Indirect/Direct speech.
The air hostess said that the passengers must wear face masks during the flight.
Rewrite the sentence in Indirect Speech.
Kumar said, ‘I was working.’
Important Questions from Direct and Indirect Speech
Direction : Choose the option that is in the indirect form of the sentence.
He said to his boss, "I had completed my task before the end of the day."
Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
The manager said to the staff, “Please work with dedication. You will be paid overtime whenever you work late.”
Identify the direction narration of the given sentence.
Rahul said, "What a pleasant surprise!"
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.”
