Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech.
The manager said to the employee, “Why were you absent yesterday?”
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is option 1 i.e. The manager asked the employee why he had been absent the previous day.
The manager said to the employee, “ Why were you absent yesterday?”
In Indirect speech: We report the content of another's words without directly quoting it. When the reporting verb is in the past (said) and the direct speech is in the past indefinite tense, then the indirect (reported) speech will change into the past perfect tense - 'why he had been'.
Past Indefinite Tense converts to Past Perfect Tense.
Hence, The manager asked the employee why he had been absent the previous day is the correct answer.