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, 'I was reading a novel at that time.'
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is option 1 i.e. She said she had been reading a novel at that time.
Changes required:
Conjunction: The inverted commas are removed, and the conjunction 'that' is usually used (or implied) to introduce the reported speech.
Verb: The reporting verb 'said' remains unchanged as it is not followed by an object.
Tense: As the reporting verb is in the past tense (said), the Past Continuous tense (was reading) changes to the Past Perfect Continuous tense (had been reading).
Pronoun: The first-person pronoun 'I' changes to the third-person pronoun 'she' to match the subject of the reporting verb.
Others: The phrase 'at that time' remains the same as it already indicates a point in the past.
Converted sentence: She said she had been reading a novel at that time.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.