Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
The mason said, “These bricks are of a poor quality.”
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. The mason said that those bricks were of a poor quality.
Changes required:
Conjunction: The quotation marks are removed and the conjunction “that” is added.
Verb: The present tense “are” changes to “were” (as per the rules of indirect speech when the reporting verb is in past tense).
Tense: Present simple → Past simple.
Pronoun/Demonstrative: “These” changes to “those” to reflect the shift in narration.
Others: Subject-verb agreement is maintained.
Converted sentence: The mason said that those bricks were of a poor quality.
Hence, the chosen option will be correct.