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.
Rita said, "I haven't eaten anything."
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. Rita said that she hadn't eaten anything.
Changes required:
- Conjunction: The inverted commas (“ ”) are removed and conjunction “that” is used.
- Tense: Present perfect (haven’t eaten) changes to past perfect (hadn't eaten) because the reporting verb is in past tense (said).
- Pronoun: I changes to she according to the subject Rita.
- Others: Anything remains the same in negative sentences.
Converted sentence: Rita said that she hadn't eaten anything.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.