Direct/Indirect Speech

SSC CGL · English Comprehension · 25 practice questions with answers and explanations: 6 Easy, 11 Medium, 8 Hard.

Sample questions

Sample Easy question 1

Convert to indirect speech: He said, "I don't like this movie."

  1. He said that he didn't like that movie
  2. He said that he doesn't like this movie
  3. He said that he not like the movie
  4. He said that he isn't liking the movie
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Answer: A. Present simple negative shifts to past simple negative, and 'this' shifts to 'that'.

Sample Medium question 2

Change to indirect speech: She said, "I have been waiting for an hour."

  1. She said that she had been waiting for an hour.
  2. She said that she has been waiting for an hour.
  3. She said that she was waiting for an hour.
  4. She said that she waited for an hour.
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Answer: A. Present perfect continuous shifts to past perfect continuous.

Sample Hard question 3

Convert to indirect speech: The boy said, "Alas! I have lost my bag."

  1. The boy exclaimed with sorrow that he had lost his bag
  2. The boy said that he lost his bag
  3. The boy exclaimed that he has lost his bag
  4. The boy told that he had lost his bag
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Answer: A. Exclamatory sentences are reported using 'exclaimed with [emotion] that', with the tense shifted back.

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