From the given alternatives, select the correct indirect narration of the given direct narration.
Riya said to Prisha, "The old chef revealed the secret ingredient that made his famous spaghetti sauce taste so uniquely delicious."
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer: Riya told Prisha that the old chef had revealed the secret ingredient that made his famous spaghetti sauce taste so uniquely delicious.
Explanation
• Reporting Verb: The phrase said to changes to told in indirect speech.
• Conjunction: The inverted commas are replaced by the conjunction that.
• Tense Change: In reported speech with a past reporting verb, the Simple Past tense (revealed) shifts to the Past Perfect tense (had revealed).
• The subordinate clause describing the quality of the sauce (that made his famous spaghetti sauce...) remains appropriately in the simple past to preserve the original meaning without an unnecessary shift to continuous forms like had been making.
Quick Tip: When converting direct speech into indirect speech, Simple Past (V2) changes to Past Perfect (had + V3).