Suresh said, “I did it yesterday.”
Which one of the following options is the correct form of this sentence in indirect speech?
Which one of the following options is the correct form of this sentence in indirect speech?
Show Hint
- Suresh said that I did it yesterday.
- Suresh says I did it yesterday.
- Suresh says that he did it the day before.
- Suresh said that he had done it the day before.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
The reporting verb here is "said", which is in the past tense. When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of the reported speech must also shift backward (backshift of tense) according to the standard rules of indirect speech.
Step 2: Apply the tense shift.
The original sentence is in the simple past tense: "I did it yesterday." When simple past is converted into indirect speech under a past reporting verb, it shifts one step further back into the past perfect tense: "he had done it."
Step 3: Convert the pronoun and the time reference.
The pronoun "I" refers to Suresh himself, so it becomes "he" in indirect speech. Also, time expressions change when reporting at a later point: "yesterday" becomes "the day before" because the exact calendar day is no longer fixed relative to the new moment of speaking.
Step 4: Eliminate the incorrect options.
Option 1 keeps "said that I did it yesterday" with no pronoun shift and no tense shift, so it is wrong. Option 2 changes the reporting verb to "says" (present tense), which was never given, so it is wrong. Option 3 also uses "says" and additionally fails to combine the tense shift correctly, so it is wrong. Option 4 correctly changes "said" to "said that he had done it the day before", applying the tense backshift, the pronoun change, and the time-reference change all together.
Conclusion: The correct indirect speech form is "Suresh said that he had done it the day before," which is option 4.
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