Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech.
“You were warned by us three days ago,” the manager shouted at him.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. The manager shouted at him that he had been warned by them three days before.
The original sentence is in direct speech (past passive):
“You were warned by us three days ago,”
with the reporting verb 'shouted' in the past tense.
Step-by-step changes in indirect speech:
- Change the pronouns:
- 'You' → 'he' (referring to him).
- 'us' → 'them' (referring to the manager and others).
- Tense change (because the reporting verb 'shouted' is in the past tense):
- 'were warned' (past simple passive) → 'had been warned' (past perfect passive).
Time expression change:
- 'three days ago' → 'three days before'.
Why the other options are incorrect:
Option 1: 'he was warned' + 'three days earlier'
'was warned' is past simple; it should be past perfect ('had been warned'). Also, 'three days earlier' is acceptable but less standard than 'three days before' in reported speech.
Option 2: 'he was warned... three days before'
Same issue — incorrect tense. Should be 'had been warned'.
Option 4: 'he was warned... three days ago'
'Three days ago' is incorrect in indirect speech; it should be 'three days before'. Also, tense needs to change to past perfect.