Direct/Indirect Speech

Ladakh Prison Department · English · 77 practice questions with answers and explanations: 40 Easy, 36 Medium, 1 Hard.

Sample questions

Sample Easy question 1

Change to direct speech: He ordered me to leave the room.

  1. He said to me, "Leave the room."
  2. He said to me, "Leaving the room."
  3. He said to me, "Will you leave the room?"
  4. He said to me, "You leave the room."
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Answer: A. An order returns to the imperative.

Sample Easy question 2

Change to direct speech: She said that she had seen the film.

  1. She said, "I have seen the film."
  2. She said, "I had seen the film."
  3. She said, "She has seen the film."
  4. She said, "I saw the film."
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Answer: A. Past perfect → present perfect in direct speech.

Sample Easy question 3

Convert to indirect speech: He said, "I am happy."

  1. He said that he has been happy
  2. He said that he is happy
  3. He said that he will be happy
  4. He said that he was happy
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Answer: D. Present simple in direct speech shifts to past simple in indirect speech.

Sample Medium question 4

Change to indirect speech: He said to me, "Can you drive a car?"

  1. He asked me if you could drive a car.
  2. He asked me if I could drive a car.
  3. He asked me that I can drive a car.
  4. He asked me can I drive a car.
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Answer: B. 'Can' → 'could'; 'you' → 'I'.

Sample Medium question 5

Change to indirect speech: The captain said to the soldiers, "March forward."

  1. The captain told the soldiers marching forward.
  2. The captain commanded the soldiers to march forward.
  3. The captain said the soldiers that march forward.
  4. The captain commanded that the soldiers marched forward.
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Answer: B. A command is reported with 'commanded + object + to + verb'.

Sample Medium question 6

Change to indirect speech: She said, "I saw him last night."

  1. She said that she had seen him the previous night.
  2. She said that she had seen him last night.
  3. She said that she saw him last night.
  4. She said that she saw him the previous night.
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Answer: A. 'Last night' → 'the previous night'; simple past → past perfect.

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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