Question

From the given alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the given sentence in Indirect speech. "Please don't go away", she said.

• A. She said to please her and not go away.
• B. She told me to go away.
• C. She begged me not to go away.
• D. She begged that I not go away.

Hint:

When converting direct speech to indirect speech, pay attention to changes in verb tense and pronouns, as well as the use of verbs like "begged" or "asked" when the sentence expresses a plea or request.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding Indirect Speech.
To convert direct speech into indirect speech, we follow specific rules. In this case, the verb "said" becomes "begged" because she is requesting something earnestly. The sentence also needs to maintain the negation from the direct speech.

Step 2: Analyzing the options.
(A) She said to please her and not go away: This is incorrect as it doesn’t maintain the essence of the original sentence.
(B) She told me to go away: This is incorrect and changes the original meaning.
(C) She begged me not to go away: Correct — This keeps the request and the negative in the proper form.
(D) She begged that I not go away: This is grammatically correct but less natural in conversational indirect speech.

Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (C) She begged me not to go away, as it is the most accurate conversion of the direct speech.

Answer 2

Converting a request in direct speech to indirect speech generally follows the pattern "reporting verb (asked/begged/requested) + object + to/not to + base verb", so let's test each option against that structure and against what the original sentence actually says:

1. She said to please her and not go away: This misreads "please" as the verb "to please (someone)" rather than as a politeness word attached to a request, changing the entire meaning of the sentence.
2. She told me to go away: This drops the negation completely, turning a plea to stay into an instruction to leave, the opposite of the original meaning.
3. She begged me not to go away: This uses "begged", suitable for an earnest request marked by "please", keeps the negative "not to go away", and uses the natural infinitive construction expected in conversational indirect speech.
4. She begged that I not go away: This keeps the correct meaning and reporting verb, but uses a subjunctive "that"-clause construction that, while grammatically defensible, is not the standard, natural transformation taught for reported requests.

The first two options change the meaning of the original sentence, and the last uses a less natural construction, leaving the direct infinitive version as the standard, expected transformation.

Therefore, the correct answer is She begged me not to go away.