From the given alternatives, select the correct indirect narration of the given direct narration.
Pari said to Nirvaan, "He admitted that he had made a huge mistake in judgment when he decided to invest all his money in that risky startup company."
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Correct Answer: Pari told Nirvaan that he had admitted that he had made a huge mistake in judgment when he decided to invest all his money in that risky startup company.
Explanation:
• Reporting Verb: ‘Said to’ changes to ‘told’ in declarative sentences.
• Conjunction: The inverted commas are replaced by the conjunction ‘that’.
• Tense Changes: The simple past verb in the main clause (‘admitted’) changes to the past perfect (‘had admitted’). The past perfect ‘had made’ remains unchanged as past perfect does not shift further back.
• Time Clause: Verbs in time clauses introduced by conjunctions like ‘when’ or ‘while’ generally remain in the simple past (‘when he decided’).
• Pronouns: Third-person pronouns (‘he’, ‘his’) do not change.