A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech.
The teacher said to the students, 'Work hard to pass the exam.'
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. The teacher advised the students to work hard to pass the exam.
Changes required:
- Conjunction: In imperative sentences (commands, requests, or advice), the inverted commas are removed and the conjunction 'to' is used before the base form of the verb to introduce the reported speech.
- Verb: The reporting verb 'said to' changes to 'advised' because the teacher is giving a suggestion or recommendation for the students' benefit.
- Tense: In imperative sentences, the verb following 'to' remains in its base form (to work), so there is no change in the tense of the action itself.
- Pronoun: There are no personal pronouns in this specific direct speech to change.
- Others: The structure of the sentence is converted from a direct command/advice into an infinitive phrase.
Converted sentence: The teacher advised the students to work hard to pass the exam.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.