Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
“We had opened the lock.” they told me.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. They told me that they had opened the lock.
Following steps should be followed to convert the given direct speech sentence into indirect speech:
-
Identify the reporting verb: In this case, the reporting verb is "told."
-
Determine the reporting clause: The reporting clause is "they told me."
-
Identify the reporting verb's tense: The reporting verb "told" is in the past tense.
-
Convert the reporting verb and tense: Change the reporting verb and its tense to match the tense of the reported speech. In this case, since the reported speech is in the past tense, we keep the reporting verb "told" as it is.
-
Introduce a reporting conjunction: Use an appropriate reporting conjunction to connect the reported speech to the reporting clause. In this case, the conjunction "that" can be used.
-
Change the pronouns: Change the pronouns in the reported speech to fit the perspective of the reporting clause. In this case, "we" in the reported speech should be changed to "they" to match the reporting clause.
-
Adjust the verb form: Adjust the verb form in the reported speech to match the tense of the reporting clause. In this case, "had opened" in the reported speech should be changed to "had opened" to maintain the past tense.
Thus, the indirect form of the given sentence would be:
They told me that they had opened the lock.