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.
He said that he was feeling unwell.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Correct Answer
He said, "I am feeling unwell."
Explanation
The indirect sentence uses the Past Continuous Tense ("was feeling"), which indicates that the original direct statement must be in the Present Continuous Tense ("am feeling") due to standard tense backshifting rules. The third-person pronoun "he" inside the indirect clause shifts back to the first-person pronoun "I" to represent the speaker's original voice, and standard quotation marks are restored.
Key Points
Indirect Structure Reporting Clause (He said that) + Past Continuous (he was feeling...)
Direct Structure Reporting Clause (He said,) + Present Continuous ("I am feeling...")
Grammatical Role Indirect to direct speech conversion tracking continuous tenses.