Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech.
He said, 'I shall need a copy of the documents.'
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. He said that he would need a copy of the documents.
Reported Speech Transformation:
- The correct structure is:- Reporting Verb + (That) + Subject + Modal Verb (Would) + Main Verb + Object
- Reporting verb: 'said' (remains the same)
- Connector: 'that' (used to introduce the reported speech)
- Subject change: 'he' (the subject of the reporting verb 'said' is now used in place of the original speaker 'I'). In reported speech, the subject of the direct speech changes based on who is speaking. Here, the subject 'I' changes to 'he,' because the speaker is now being reported.
- Modal verb change: 'would' (the modal 'shall' in direct speech changes to 'would' in reported speech. This is due to a rule of reported speech, where the future tense 'shall/will' changes to 'would' to reflect indirect speech.)
- Main verb: 'need' (remains unchanged)
- Object: 'a copy of the documents' (remains the same)
Thus, the transformation from direct to reported speech follows these grammatical rules, making 'He said that he would need a copy of the documents.' the correct reported speech form.