A sentence is provided in indirect speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding direct speech.
They said that they were watching a movie.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Correct Answer
They said, "We are watching a movie."
Explanation
Indirect to Direct Speech Rules When converting a sentence back into direct speech, the tense and pronouns must be reverted to capture the exact words spoken by the original subjects.
Tense Shift Reversal The reported clause uses the Past Continuous Tense ("were watching"). When converting from indirect speech back into direct speech, the past continuous reverts to its original Present Continuous Tense ("are watching").
Pronoun Reversal The third-person plural pronoun "they" inside the reported clause refers directly to the speakers. In direct speech, this must be changed back to the first-person plural pronoun "We" to accurately reflect what they said about themselves.
Punctuation Adjustment The conjunction "that" is omitted, a comma is placed after the reporting verb "said", and the exact spoken statement is enclosed within quotation marks with the first word capitalized.
Key Points
Indirect Form They said that they were watching...
Direct Form They said, "We are watching..."
Grammatical Role Direct speech conversion (restores the original speaker's exact words, pronoun alignment, and present continuous action time frame).