Direct/Indirect Speech

JKSSB Assistant Training Officer (Handicrafts & Handlooms) · General English · 77 practice questions with answers and explanations: 40 Easy, 36 Medium, 1 Hard.

Sample questions

Sample Easy question 1

Change to indirect speech: "Are you coming with us?" he asked me.

  1. He asked me that I was coming with them.
  2. He asked me whether I am coming with us.
  3. He asked me whether was I coming with them.
  4. He asked me whether I was coming with them.
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Answer: D. 'You' → 'I', 'us' → 'them', 'are' → 'was'.

Sample Easy question 2

Change to indirect speech: She said to me, "Have you finished your lunch?"

  1. She asked me if you had finished my lunch.
  2. She asked me if I have finished my lunch.
  3. She asked me if I had finished my lunch.
  4. She asked me had I finished my lunch.
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Answer: C. Present perfect → past perfect; 'your' → 'my'.

Sample Easy question 3

Change to indirect speech: He said, "Hurrah! We have won the match."

  1. He told with joy that they won the match.
  2. He exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
  3. He said that hurrah we had won the match.
  4. He exclaimed with joy that we have won the match.
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Answer: B. An exclamation is reported with 'exclaimed with joy/sorrow that ...'.

Sample Medium question 4

Change to indirect speech: She said to him, "Would you like some coffee?"

  1. She asked him if he would like some coffee.
  2. She asked him if he will like some coffee.
  3. She asked him would he like some coffee.
  4. She asked him that he liked some coffee.
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Answer: A. 'Would' stays unchanged: 'if he would like'.

Sample Medium question 5

Change to indirect speech: "What a beautiful sunset it is!" she said.

  1. She exclaimed that it was a very beautiful sunset.
  2. She said what a beautiful sunset it was.
  3. She exclaimed what a beautiful sunset it is.
  4. She asked what a beautiful sunset it was.
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Answer: A. An exclamation becomes a statement with 'exclaimed that ... very ...'.

Sample Medium question 6

Change to indirect speech: He said to the boy, "Go and see who is at the door."

  1. He ordered the boy to go and see who is at the door.
  2. He ordered the boy to go and see who was at the door.
  3. He said the boy go and see who was at the door.
  4. He asked the boy that he go and see who was at the door.
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Answer: B. The command takes 'to + verb'; the embedded question takes statement order and backshift.

Sample Hard question 7

Change to indirect speech: The lawyer said, "If the accused had been careful, he would have escaped."

  1. The lawyer said that if the accused had been careful, he would have escaped.
  2. The lawyer said that if the accused has been careful, he would have escaped.
  3. The lawyer said that if the accused was careful, he would escape.
  4. The lawyer said that if the accused had been careful, he will have escaped.
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Answer: A. A past unreal condition (past perfect) is already as far back as it goes and stays unchanged.

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