FREE Competitive English (Change of Speech) Questions and Answers
Please give me more pocket money, he begged his father.
In the original sentence, the speaker directly asked his father, saying, "Please increase my pocket-money." To transform it into indirect speech, we use the reporting verb "requested" to indicate the act of making a request. The person being addressed, "his father," is mentioned, and the request is expressed indirectly as "to increase his pocket-money." This transformation correctly conveys the original sentence's meaning while converting it into an indirect speech form.
I know where everyone is, she said her pal.
"She told her friend that she knew where was everyone," is not entirely correct. The indirect speech should be structured as follows: "She told her friend that she knew where everyone was." In the original direct speech, the speaker directly conveyed the information to her friend, saying, "I know where everyone is." To transform it into indirect speech, we use the reporting verb "told" to indicate the act of conveying information. The person being addressed, "her friend," is mentioned, and the statement is reported indirectly as "that she knew where everyone was." This transformation accurately maintains the original statement's meaning while representing it in an indirect speech format.
Sandie requested a cup of tea from her butler.
I informed him that he was not exerting himself.
"I said to him, 'You are not working hard,'" accurately transforms the sentence from indirect speech to direct speech. In the original indirect speech, the speaker reported what they had told someone else, indicating that "he was not working hard." In the correct direct speech form, the speaker explicitly states the words they had used when addressing the person, enclosed within quotation marks, which in this case is, "You are not working hard." This transformation preserves the original statement's meaning while representing it in a direct speech format, making it the correct answer.
A quiet voice behind me murmured, "Are you alone, my son?"
"A soft voice behind me asked if I was alone," is the correct transformation of the sentence from direct speech to indirect speech. In the original direct speech, the soft voice directly asked, "Are you alone, my son?" To convey this in indirect speech, we use the reporting verb "asked" to indicate the act of asking a question. The person being addressed, "my son," is mentioned, and the question is reported indirectly as "if I was alone." This transformation accurately maintains the original question's meaning while representing it in an indirect speech format, making it the correct answer.
He was told to go to his room and study by his father.
In direct speech, we use quotation marks to enclose the exact words spoken by the person. So, the corrected sentence reflects the father's words accurately.
Why don't you go today? she said to him.
"She asked him why he did not go that day," accurately transforms the sentence from direct speech to indirect speech. In the original direct speech, the speaker directly posed a question to the person, saying, "Why don't you go today?" To convey this in indirect speech, we use the reporting verb "asked" to indicate the act of posing a question. The person being addressed, "him," is mentioned, and the question is reported indirectly as "why he did not go that day." This transformation maintains the original question's meaning while representing it in an indirect speech format, making it the correct answer.
Did the sun rise in the East, the young child asked her mother?
"The little girl asked her mother if the sun rose in the East," accurately transforms the sentence from direct speech to indirect speech. In the original direct speech, the little girl posed a question to her mother, saying, "Did the sun rise in the East?" To convey this in indirect speech, we use the reporting verb "asked" to indicate the act of posing a question. The person being addressed, "her mother," is mentioned, and the question is reported indirectly as "if the sun rose in the East." This transformation faithfully maintains the original question's meaning while representing it in an indirect speech format, making it the correct answer.
She mentioned her brother's upcoming nuptials.
"She said, 'My brother is getting married,'" accurately transforms the sentence from indirect speech to direct speech. In the original indirect speech, the speaker reported what someone else had said, indicating that "her brother was getting married." In the correct direct speech form, we enclose the exact words spoken by the person within quotation marks, which in this case is, "My brother is getting married." This transformation preserves the original statement's meaning while representing it in a direct speech format, making it the correct answer.
Elvin declared that he was over working for that business.
"Elvin said, 'I am sick and tired of working for this company,'" is a suitable transformation of the sentence from indirect speech to direct speech. In the original indirect speech, Elvin declared that he was "over working for that business," which implies dissatisfaction with his current job. To convey this in direct speech, the speaker explicitly states the words Elvin used, enclosed within quotation marks, which in this case is, "I am sick and tired of working for this company." This transformation effectively maintains the original statement's meaning while representing it in a direct speech format, making it the correct answer.
The man said, "No, I refused to confers guilt."
"The man emphatically refused to confers guilt," is not grammatically correct. The correct indirect speech should be structured as follows: "The man emphatically refused to confess guilt." In the original direct speech, the speaker explicitly stated that he refused to "confess guilt." To transform it into indirect speech, the reported statement should maintain the correct verb form, which is "confess" in this case. The transformation accurately conveys the original statement's meaning while representing it in an indirect speech format.