Question

Suresh said, "I did it yesterday." Which one of the following options is the correct form of this sentence in indirect speech?

• A. Suresh said that I did it yesterday.
• B. Suresh says I did it yesterday.
• C. Suresh says that he did it the day before.
• D. Suresh said that he had done it the day before.

Hint:

When the reporting verb is in the past tense (said), shift the tense back one step (did becomes had done) and change time words like yesterday to the day before.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

This question checks the rules for changing direct speech into indirect (reported) speech, specifically what happens to the tense of the verb and to time words like "yesterday" when the reporting verb is in the past tense.

The original sentence is: Suresh said, "I did it yesterday." The reporting verb here is "said," which is in the simple past tense. When the reporting verb is in the past tense, two changes are needed: the tense inside the quote must shift one step further into the past, and any time word tied to the speaker's "now" must change to match the new point of view.

1. Suresh said that I did it yesterday.: This keeps the pronoun "I" and the time word "yesterday" exactly as they were in direct speech. In reported speech the pronoun must change to match who is being talked about (he), and "yesterday" cannot stay the same because the day of reporting is not the same as the day of the action. This option is wrong.
2. Suresh says I did it yesterday.: This changes "said" to "says," turning the reporting verb into the present tense. But the question gives us "said," which is past tense, so the reporting verb cannot change to present. It also leaves the pronoun and the time word unchanged. This option is wrong.
3. Suresh says that he did it the day before.: This option correctly changes the time word to "the day before" and the pronoun to "he," but it still uses "says" for the reporting verb instead of "said." Since the original reporting verb is past tense, this option is wrong.
4. Suresh said that he had done it the day before.: This keeps "said" as the reporting verb, changes "I" to "he" since we are now talking about Suresh in the third person, changes "yesterday" to "the day before" since the day of speaking is not the day of reporting, and shifts "did" (simple past) one step back to "had done" (past perfect), which is the standard backshift rule when the reporting verb is in the past tense. This option follows every rule correctly.

The correct option is "Suresh said that he had done it the day before," because it applies the backshift of tense from simple past to past perfect, changes the pronoun to third person, and updates the time word "yesterday" to "the day before."

Let's summarize:

• When the reporting verb is in the past tense (said), the tense inside the reported clause shifts one step back: simple past becomes past perfect.
• Time and place words tied to the moment of speaking change in reported speech: "yesterday" becomes "the day before," "today" becomes "that day," "tomorrow" becomes "the next day."
• Pronouns change to match the new speaker's point of view: "I" becomes "he" when Suresh is being talked about.

So the correct indirect speech version is "Suresh said that he had done it the day before," which is option (D).