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.
She said, "How long have you been writing?"
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. She asked how long I had been writing.
Changes required:
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Conjunction: None needed (question word how long already acts as connector).
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Pronoun change: you → I (as the speaker is reporting her own experience).
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Tense change: have been writing → had been writing (present perfect continuous → past perfect continuous) because the reporting verb said is in past tense.
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Other changes: Said changes to asked as it’s an interrogative sentence.
Converted sentence: She asked how long I had been writing.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.