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.
He said, "I am reading a book".
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. He said that he was reading a book.
Changes required:
Conjunction: The inverted commas are removed and the conjunction “that” is inserted to introduce the reported speech.
Verb: The reporting verb “said” remains as it is because it is not followed by an object.
Tense: As the reporting verb is in the past tense (said), the Present Continuous tense (am reading) changes to Past Continuous tense (was reading).
Pronoun: The first person pronoun “I” changes to the third person pronoun “he” according to the subject of the reporting verb.
Converted sentence: He said that he was reading a book.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.