Question

Rafi told Mary, "I am thinking of watching a film this weekend." The following reports the above statement in indirect speech: Rafi told Mary that he \underline{\hspace{1cm}} of watching a film that weekend.

• A. thought
• B. is thinking
• C. am thinking
• D. was thinking

Hint:

In indirect speech, when the reporting verb is past tense, present continuous shifts to past continuous, and time expressions shift ("this" → "that," "today" → "that day").

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Recall the rule of indirect speech.
When the reporting verb ("told") is in the past tense, the verb inside the reported clause must generally be shifted one tense back.

Step 2: Apply tense change.
Direct speech: "I \underline{am thinking}…" → present continuous. In indirect speech (past reporting verb), present continuous becomes past continuous: "was thinking."

Step 3: Adjust time expression.
"This weekend" changes to "that weekend."

Step 4: Construct final sentence.
Rafi told Mary that he \underline{was thinking} of watching a film that weekend.

Final Answer:
\[ \boxed{\text{was thinking}} \]