Competitive English (Direct and Indirect) 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence correctly converts a mixed conditional to indirect speech: "If I were rich, I would travel the world," he said.
- He said that if he were rich, he would travel the world. (Correct answer)
- He said that if he was rich, he would have traveled the world.
- He said that if he had been rich, he would travel the world.
- He said that if he were rich, he will travel the world.
Correct answer: He said that if he were rich, he would travel the world.
Hypothetical conditionals with 'were' and 'would' do not backshift further in indirect speech as they are already in a past subjunctive form.
Question 2: Which option correctly converts the following question tag to indirect speech: "It's a lovely day, isn't it?" she said.
- She remarked that it was a lovely day. (Correct answer)
- She said it's a lovely day, wasn't it.
- She asked if it was a lovely day, isn't it.
- She questioned that it was a lovely day.
Correct answer: She remarked that it was a lovely day.
Question tags are dropped in indirect speech; the statement is simply reported as a declarative sentence with appropriate tense shift.
Question 3: Select the correctly reported indirect speech: "I had already submitted the form," she told the officer.
- She told the officer that she had already submitted the form. (Correct answer)
- She told the officer that she has already submitted the form.
- She told the officer that she already had submitted the form.
- She told the officer that she would have submitted the form.
Correct answer: She told the officer that she had already submitted the form.
Past perfect 'had already submitted' does not backshift further in indirect speech as it is already the furthest past tense.
Question 4: Choose the correct indirect speech for: "Which route should I take?" the driver asked the navigator.
- The driver asked the navigator which route he should take. (Correct answer)
- The driver asked the navigator which route should he take.
- The driver asked the navigator that which route he should take.
- The driver told the navigator which route he should take.
Correct answer: The driver asked the navigator which route he should take.
Wh-questions in indirect speech use statement word order; 'should he take' becomes 'he should take.'
Question 5: A reporter writes: "The minister warned that inflation could rise further." What was the minister's original direct speech?
- "Inflation can rise further." (Correct answer)
- "Inflation could rise further."
- "Inflation will rise further."
- "Inflation may have risen further."
Correct answer: "Inflation can rise further."
'Could' in the reported speech is the backshifted form of 'can,' so the original likely used 'can.'
Question 6: Which sentence shows the correct use of 'say' vs. 'tell' in reported speech?
- She told me that the meeting was cancelled. (Correct answer)
- She said me that the meeting was cancelled.
- She told that the meeting was cancelled.
- She said to me the meeting was cancelled.
Correct answer: She told me that the meeting was cancelled.
'Tell' always requires a direct object (told me), while 'say' does not take a direct object without 'to.'
Question 7: Convert to indirect speech: "We won the championship last year," the captain announced.
- The captain announced that they had won the championship the previous year. (Correct answer)
- The captain announced that they won the championship last year.
- The captain announced that we had won the championship last year.
- The captain announced that they have won the championship the previous year.
Correct answer: The captain announced that they had won the championship the previous year.
'Won' (simple past) backshifts to 'had won' (past perfect), 'we' changes to 'they,' and 'last year' becomes 'the previous year.'
Competitive English (Direct and Indirect) 5
Which sentence correctly converts a mixed conditional to indirect speech: "If I were rich, I would travel the world," he said.