Question:
He said, "Where shall I be this time next year?"
Select the option that correctly converts the above sentence into indirect speech.
He said, "Where shall I be this time next year?"
Select the option that correctly converts the above sentence into indirect speech.
Select the option that correctly converts the above sentence into indirect speech.
Show Hint
Shall with I/we becomes would in reported speech; also check the time-word shift.
Updated On: Jul 16, 2026
- He asked that where should he be that time next year
- He wondered where he should be that time the following year
- He contemplated where shall he be that time the following year.
- He wondered where he would be that time the following year
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The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
This question tests conversion of a direct question into indirect (reported) speech, focusing on how the reporting verb, the modal "shall", and the time expression "next year" change when the sentence moves from someone's exact words to a reported version.
- Option A: "He asked that where should he be that time next year" is wrong on two counts. First, a question word such as "where" already works as the connector between the reporting clause and the reported clause, so adding "that" before it is ungrammatical. Second, "next year" has not been shifted to "the following year", which reported speech normally requires when the reporting verb is in the past.
- Option B: "He wondered where he should be that time the following year" gets the reporting verb and the time shift right, but the modal change is wrong. "Shall" in "Where shall I be" is a plain future marker, not a request for suggestion or permission, so it must become "would", not "should".
- Option C: "He contemplated where shall he be that time the following year" keeps the original modal "shall" untouched and also keeps the interrogative word order ("shall he be" instead of "he would be"). A reported clause needs statement word order and a shifted modal, so this option fails on both fronts.
- Option D: "He wondered where he would be that time the following year" makes every required change correctly: the reporting verb becomes "wondered" (a natural verb for reporting a question a person asks himself), "shall" becomes "would", the interrogative order flips to statement order (he would be), and "this time next year" becomes "that time the following year".
Option D is the only version that applies all three narration rules together, so it is the correct answer.
Let's summarize:
- A question word like "where", "why" or "how" itself connects the two clauses; never insert "that" before it.
- "Shall" used for plain future with I/we becomes "would" in reported speech, not "should".
- Time references such as "next year" shift to "the following year" when the reporting verb is in the past.
Keep these three checks in mind whenever a "shall I" question needs to be reported.
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