Question

Choose the direct speech for the following: He said that he had finished his homework.

• A. "I have finished my homework", he said.
• B. "I should finish my homework", he said.
• C. "I finished homework", he said.
• D. "I will finish my homework", he said.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The given sentence is:

"He said that he had finished his homework."

This sentence is in indirect (reported) speech.

Rule:
While changing indirect speech to direct speech:

• The reporting clause remains the same (he said).
• The pronoun changes back to the original speaker's point of view (he → I).
• The tense changes from Past Perfect (had finished) back to Present Perfect (have finished) if it represents the original spoken words.
• Quotation marks are used around the exact words spoken.

Let us examine each option:

Option (1): "I have finished my homework", he said.
✔ Correct. It accurately represents the original direct speech corresponding to the reported sentence.

Option (2): "I should finish my homework", he said.
✘ Incorrect. It expresses obligation, not a completed action.

Option (3): "I finished homework", he said.
✘ Incorrect. It changes the tense and omits the possessive adjective "my".

Option (4): "I will finish my homework", he said.
✘ Incorrect. It refers to a future action, whereas the reported sentence indicates the homework had already been completed.

Therefore, the correct direct speech is: \[ \boxed{\text{"I have finished my homework," he said.}} \] Hence, the correct answer is Option (1).