Direct and Indirect Speech Trivia
1.
What would the indirect speech be: Maria said, "It's my car."?
Answer:
Maria said that it was her car.
Explanation:
The correct answer is, "Maria said that it was her car." In indirect speech, we change the pronouns and verb tenses to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. Since the speaker is referring to Maria in the third person, the pronoun "my" changes to "her." Additionally, the present tense "is" changes to the past tense "was" to reflect the change in time.
2.
What would the indirect speech be: Martin said, "I work here every day."?
Answer:
Martin said that he worked there every day.
Explanation:
The correct answer is, "Martin said that he worked there every day." In indirect speech, we change the pronouns and tenses to reflect the perspective of the speaker. Since The speaker is referring to a place Martin is not currently in, "here" is changed to "there." Additionally, the present tense "work" is changed to past tense "worked" to match the context of the speaker’s statement being reported. The phrase "every day" remains unchanged as it is a time adverb that does not require any modification.
3.
What would the indirect speech be: Monica said, "I have finished my homework."?
Answer:
Monica said that she had finished her homework.
Explanation:
In converting direct speech to indirect (or reported) speech, the tense usually shifts back one level to reflect the time elapsed from the original statement. Therefore, "I have finished" (present perfect tense) becomes "she had finished" (past perfect tense) in reported speech. Additionally, the pronoun changes from "I" to "she" to match the subject "Monica," and the verb "said" is followed by "that" to introduce the reported clause.
4.
What would the indirect speech be: My daughter said to me, "I can sleep alone."?
Answer:
My daughter told me that she could sleep alone.
Explanation:
In indirect speech, we report what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. Instead, we use a reporting verb (in this case, "said") and adjust the statement to fit within the context of reporting. So, in the original direct speech, your daughter said, "I can sleep alone." When converting it to indirect speech, we report that she made this statement by saying, "My daughter said that she could sleep alone."
5.
What would the indirect speech be: Leo said, "My friend may come tonight."?
Answer:
Leo said that his friend might come that night.
Explanation:
The correct answer is "Leo said that his friend might come that night." In indirect speech, we report what someone else said without using their exact words. In this case, Leo said that his friend "may come tonight," and when converting it into indirect speech, we change "may" to "might" and "tonight" to "that night." This maintains the meaning of the original statement while following the rules of indirect speech.
6.
What would the indirect speech be: Jullie said to me, "I have to win this game."?
Answer:
Jullie told me that she had to win that game.
Explanation:
The correct answer is "Jullie told me that she had to win that game." In indirect speech, the verb tense is typically shifted back one tense. In this case, "have to" is changed to "had to" to indicate that the statement was made in the past. Additionally, "this" is changed to "that" to reflect the change in perspective from the speaker.
7.
What would the indirect speech be: He said, "I am a man."?
Answer:
He said that he is a man.
Explanation:
In the reported speech "He stated that he is a man," the present tense "is" remains consistent with the original statement, suggesting a universal truth. The reporting maintains accuracy by preserving the verb tense, reflecting the enduring nature of the assertion regarding the person's identity as a man.
8.
What would the indirect speech be: Mary said, "I am coming here."?
Answer:
Mary said that she was coming there.
Explanation:
In indirect speech, Mary stated that she was coming to that location. This transformation involves changing the pronouns and verb tense to match the perspective of the reporting speaker while retaining the meaning of the original statement.
9.
What would the indirect speech be: My brother said, "I went to school yesterday."?
Answer:
My brother said that he had gone to school the previous day.
Explanation:
The correct answer is "My brother said that he had gone to school the previous day." This is the correct conversion into indirect speech because the original statement "I went to school yesterday" is being reported in the past tense. Additionally, the word "yesterday" is changed to "the previous day" to maintain the correct sequence of events in the reported speech.
10.
What would the indirect speech be: Mathew said, "I will go to school next year."?
Answer:
Mathew said that he would go to school the following year.
Explanation:
In transforming direct to indirect speech, Matthew's statement "I will go to school next year" becomes "Matthew said that he would go to school the following year." This conversion involves adjusting the tense and pronoun to reflect the reporting perspective while maintaining the essence of the original message.
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