Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech.
He said, “I can't attend the meeting tomorrow.”
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. “He said that he couldn't attend the meeting the next day.”
In the original sentence:
He said, “I can't attend the meeting tomorrow.”
To convert this into indirect speech, follow these steps:
The reporting verb 'said' is in the past tense, so we follow the rule of backshifting—moving verb tenses one step back in time. Here, 'can't' (present modal) becomes 'couldn't' in reported speech.
Because this is a statement (not a question), no 'if' or 'whether' is needed.
Time expressions like 'tomorrow' must be changed to 'the next day' (or 'the following day') in reported speech.
Pronouns must also be adjusted—'I' becomes 'he'.
Putting it all together:
He said that he couldn't attend the meeting the next day.
Why the other options are incorrect:
Option 1:
“He said that he couldn't attend the meeting tomorrow.”
— Incorrect, because 'tomorrow' remains unchanged. Time expressions must be adjusted when the reporting verb is past.
Option 2:
“He said that he can't attend the meeting the next day.”
— Incorrect tense: “can't” (present tense) should become “couldn't” (past modal) after a past reporting verb.
Option 4:
“He said that he can't attend the meeting tomorrow.”
— Keeps both the present modal 'can't' and the original time word 'tomorrow', failing to shift both correctly.