Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect voice. He said, "I finished my project, and I was working on a new one."
He said that he had finished his project and he had been working on a new one.
The sentence to be reported is: He said, "I finished my project, and I was working on a new one."
The reporting verb 'said' is in the past tense, which triggers backshift: the tenses of the spoken words each move one step further into the past.
Rule 1 - simple past shifts to past perfect. So 'I finished my project' becomes 'he had finished his project'.
Rule 2 - past continuous shifts to past perfect continuous. So 'I was working on a new one' becomes 'he had been working on a new one'.
The first-person pronouns are also adjusted to the reported speaker: 'I' becomes 'he' and 'my' becomes 'his'.
Applying both shifts, option A wrongly leaves the second clause as 'he was working' (no shift), and C wrongly leaves the first clause as simple past 'he finished', so both are inconsistent.
Applying every change consistently gives He said that he had finished his project and he had been working on a new one.
Similar Questions
Choose the correct indirect narration of the following statement from the given alternatives:
She said, "I am not going to forgive Robin as he took my pencils without my permission."
Choose the option that is the most appropriate conversion of the following sentence into Direct Speech.
He asked me if I needed to use his laptop to prepare my presentation.
Choose the option that is the most appropriate conversion of the following sentence into Direct Speech.
They asked if I knew the way to the museum.
Choose the correct indirect narration of the following statement from the given alternatives:
Snigdha said, "What a beautiful day today is!"
Choose the option that is the most appropriate conversion of the following sentence into Direct Speech.
He said that by the time she arrived, the guests had already started leaving.
Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct voice. The young boy asked his mother how he could fix his broken toy.
Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct voice.
The judge said that the defendant’s plea of not guilty had been a waste of the court’s time, as the evidence which had been presented by the prosecution had clearly proven that he was guilty.
Choose the correct indirect narration of the following statement from the given alternatives:
The judge said, "What do you have to say on your defence?"
Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect voice.
The student said, "I have been reading this book for a month, but I still do not understand the last chapter, which is the most crucial part."
Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct voice.
The student told his friend that he had to go home that day because he had been feeling unwell since the day before, and his parents were waiting for him.
Important Questions from Direct and Indirect Speech
Select the correct direct form of the given sentence.
I asked my brother if he had visited his friend who was in the hospital.
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?”
