Converting a sentence from reported speech back to direct speech involves reversing the changes that were made during the conversion from direct to reported speech. We need to consider the reporting verb, tense changes, pronoun changes, and changes in time/place adverbs.

Understanding the Original Reported Speech Sentence

The given sentence is: "Taru told me that Avika was having her online cooking class then."

• Reporting Verb: "told me"
• Reported Clause: "that Avika was having her online cooking class then"
• Tense in Reported Clause: Past Continuous ("was having")
• Time Adverb: "then"
• Subject of Reported Clause: "Avika"
• Pronoun: "her"

Rules for Converting Reported Speech to Direct Speech

When converting from reported to direct speech, we typically follow these rules:

1. The reporting verb like 'told' followed by an object (like 'me') changes back to 'said to'.
2. Remove the connector 'that'.
3. The tense of the verb usually shifts back to its original form in direct speech. For example, Past Continuous ('was having') often changes back to Present Continuous ('is having').
4. Time and place adverbs change back. 'then' typically changes back to 'now'.
5. Pronouns are adjusted based on the speaker and listener of the direct speech. In this case, 'Avika' and 'her' refer to the third person and remain unchanged.
6. The reported clause is enclosed in quotation marks ("...") and the reporting verb is followed by a comma.

Analyzing the Options for Direct Speech Conversion

Let's examine each option based on the conversion rules:

• Option 1: Taru said to me, “Avika is having her online cooking class now.”
  • Reporting verb: "told me" becomes "said to me" (Correct).
  • Connector: "that" is removed (Correct).
  • Tense: "was having" (Past Continuous) becomes "is having" (Present Continuous) (Correct reversal).
  • Time Adverb: "then" becomes "now" (Correct reversal).
  • Pronouns: "Avika" and "her" remain the same (Correct).
  • Structure: Uses quotation marks and comma (Correct).

  This option correctly applies all the conversion rules.

• Option 2: Taru said to me, "Avika was having her online cooking class at this time."
  • Reporting verb: "told me" becomes "said to me" (Correct).
  • Connector: "that" is removed (Correct).
  • Tense: "was having" remains "was having" (Incorrect tense reversal).
  • Time Adverb: "then" becomes "at this time" (Incorrect reversal; "then" typically becomes "now").

  This option fails on tense and time adverb conversion.

• Option 3: Taru said to me, “Avika is having her online cooking class at that time.”
  • Reporting verb: "told me" becomes "said to me" (Correct).
  • Connector: "that" is removed (Correct).
  • Tense: "was having" becomes "is having" (Correct tense reversal).
  • Time Adverb: "then" becomes "at that time" (Incorrect reversal; "then" typically becomes "now").

  This option mixes the correct tense reversal with an incorrect time adverb reversal.

• Option 4: Taru said to me, “Avika will be having her online cooking class now.”
  • Reporting verb: "told me" becomes "said to me" (Correct).
  • Connector: "that" is removed (Correct).
  • Tense: "was having" (Past Continuous) becomes "will be having" (Future Continuous) (Incorrect tense reversal).
  • Time Adverb: "then" becomes "now" (Correct reversal).

  This option uses an incorrect tense.

Determining the Most Appropriate Direct Form

Based on the analysis, Option 1 correctly reverses the changes typically made when converting from direct speech to reported speech. The Past Continuous tense ('was having') in reported speech correctly reverts to the Present Continuous tense ('is having') in direct speech, and the time adverb 'then' correctly reverts to 'now'.

Therefore, the most appropriate direct form of the sentence "Taru told me that Avika was having her online cooking class then" is "Taru said to me, “Avika is having her online cooking class now.”

Revision Table: Reported vs. Direct Speech

Additional Information on Narration Change

Narration change, also known as direct and reported speech, is a fundamental concept in English grammar. It deals with how we report what someone has said. Direct speech quotes the exact words spoken, while reported speech conveys the meaning of what was said without quoting the exact words.

Key points to remember for narration change:

• The reporting verb indicates who is speaking and to whom (e.g., said, told, asked, enquired).
• In reported speech, the tense of the verb in the reported clause usually shifts backward (e.g., present becomes past, past becomes past perfect). This is often called the 'backshift' of tenses.
• Pronouns change depending on the context (e.g., 'I' might become 'he' or 'she', 'you' might become 'I', 'he', 'she', 'they', etc.).
• Time and place expressions change to reflect the different time and place of reporting (e.g., 'here' becomes 'there', 'now' becomes 'then', 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day').
• Modal verbs also change (e.g., 'can' becomes 'could', 'will' becomes 'would'). However, 'could', 'would', 'should', 'might', 'ought to' usually do not change.
• When converting questions or commands, the structure of the reported clause changes significantly (e.g., using verbs like 'asked' or 'ordered' and different sentence structures).
• Understanding the context of the original statement is crucial for making correct changes.

Practicing various types of sentences helps in mastering the conversion between direct and reported speech.