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.
John said, "I shall return soon."
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Direct speech:
John said, “I shall return soon.”
Rule of reported speech:
Remove quotation marks.
Change pronoun: I → he.
Since reporting verb is in past (“said”), modal “shall” changes to “would.”
Therefore:
John said he would return soon.
Hence, correct answer: John said he would return soon.