Narration-Direct-Indirect-Speech competitive exams
100 questions · One Paper
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Question 1 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said to them, 'You are all invited to my house.'
Explanation'You' changes to 'they' (referring to the listeners), and 'my' changes to 'her'.
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Question 2 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I need your help right now.'
Explanation'Your' changes to 'my', 'need' backshifts to 'needed', and 'right now' changes to 'right then'.
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Question 3 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I bought this car last year.'
Explanation'This' changes to 'that', 'last year' changes to 'the previous year', and the tense backshifts to past perfect.
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Question 4 of 100
Change into indirect speech: The doctor said, 'Smoking causes cancer.'
ExplanationA scientifically established general truth retains the present tense in reported speech.
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Question 5 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I don't like this place.'
ExplanationThe negative present ('don't like') backshifts to negative past ('did not like'), and 'this' changes to 'that'.
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Question 6 of 100
Change 'today' into its correct reported speech form.
Explanation'Today' changes to 'that day' in reported speech.
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Question 7 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I wish I were rich.'
ExplanationThe formal subjunctive ('wish...were') is typically retained unchanged in reported speech, with the reporting verb 'said that he wished...'.
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Question 8 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'Bravo! You have done a great job.'
Explanation'Bravo!' (admiration) is reported as 'exclaimed with admiration/applause that...', dropping the interjection.
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Question 9 of 100
Choose the correctly structured sentence using 'say' and 'tell'.
Explanation'Say' is correctly followed by 'to' before the listener; 'tell' would not take 'to' (e.g., 'He told me').
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Question 10 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I ought to respect my elders.'
Explanation'Ought to' remains unchanged in reported speech.
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Question 11 of 100
Identify the error in this reported speech: 'He asked me that where I was going.'
ExplanationWh-questions in reported speech are introduced directly by the wh-word, never combined with 'that'.
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Question 12 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said to him, 'Can you help me?'
Explanation'Can' backshifts to 'could' in reported yes/no questions introduced by 'if'.
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Question 13 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I can solve this problem.'
Explanation'Can' backshifts to 'could' in reported speech.
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Question 14 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to me, 'You must help me.'
Explanation'You' (referring to the listener, 'me') changes to 'I', and 'me' changes to 'him' from the reporter's perspective.
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Question 15 of 100
Change into indirect speech: The mother said to her son, 'Never tell a lie.'
Explanation'Never' is retained before 'to' in the reported imperative structure: 'told...never to tell a lie'.
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Question 16 of 100
Change into indirect speech: The captain said to the team, 'Play with confidence.'
ExplanationAn imperative that functions as advice/encouragement can be reported using 'told' or 'advised' + object + 'to' + base verb.
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Question 17 of 100
Change 'ago' into its correct reported speech form.
Explanation'Ago' changes to 'before' in reported speech (e.g., 'two days ago' → 'two days before').
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Question 18 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'Are you coming to the party?'
Explanation'Whether' (or 'if') introduces a reported yes/no question, with normal (non-inverted) word order.
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Question 19 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I am going there right now.'
Explanation'Right now' changes to 'right then' or 'immediately/at once', alongside the standard tense backshift.
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Question 20 of 100
Change into indirect speech: The teacher said to the students, 'Do not make noise.'
ExplanationNegative imperatives are reported as 'told/ordered' + object + 'not to' + base verb.
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Question 21 of 100
Identify the error: 'He told that he was leaving.'
Explanation'Tell' requires a direct object (the listener); without one, 'said' should be used instead: 'He said that he was leaving.'
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Question 22 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to me, 'Do you like coffee?'
ExplanationYes/no questions are reported using 'if' or 'whether', with the reporting verb changed to 'asked' and no auxiliary inversion.
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Question 23 of 100
Change 'tomorrow' into its correct reported speech form.
Explanation'Tomorrow' changes to 'the next day' or 'the following day' in reported speech.
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Question 24 of 100
Change into indirect speech: The judge said, 'The accused is guilty.'
ExplanationPresent simple ('is') backshifts to past simple ('was') in standard reported speech.
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Question 25 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'These are our decisions.'
Explanation'These' changes to 'those', and 'our' changes to 'their' in reported speech.
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Question 26 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I am not feeling well.'
ExplanationPresent continuous negative ('am not feeling') backshifts to past continuous negative ('was not feeling').
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Question 27 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I used to live in Karachi.'
Explanation'Used to' does not change in reported speech, as it already expresses a discontinued past habit.
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Question 28 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'Honesty is the best policy.'
ExplanationA universally accepted truth/moral maxim retains the present tense even in reported speech.
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Question 29 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to us, 'I will visit your country next year.'
Explanation'Your' changes to 'our' (from the listeners' perspective), 'will' backshifts to 'would', and 'next year' changes to 'the following year'.
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Question 30 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to her, 'Where do you live?'
ExplanationWh-questions are reported without the auxiliary 'do/does/did', with normal word order and appropriate tense backshift.
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Question 31 of 100
Change into indirect speech: The boy said, 'I have lost my pen.'
Explanation'I' and 'my' change to 'he' and 'his', and the tense backshifts to past perfect.
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Question 32 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said to the child, 'Don't touch that wire.'
ExplanationNegative commands with a cautionary tone can be reported using 'warned' or 'told' + object + 'not to' + base verb.
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Question 33 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I met her here yesterday.'
Explanation'Here' changes to 'there', 'yesterday' changes to 'the day before', and the tense backshifts to past perfect.
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Question 34 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I will come tomorrow, not today.'
ExplanationBoth 'tomorrow' and 'today' need to be changed to 'the next day' and 'that day' respectively.
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Question 35 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'This is my book.'
Explanation'This' changes to 'that', and 'my' changes to 'his' in reported speech.
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Question 36 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I am your friend.'
Explanation'Your' changes to 'my' (from the listener's perspective, the reporter), and the tense backshifts.
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Question 37 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'Alas! I have failed.'
ExplanationInterjections like 'Alas!' are reported by naming the emotion (e.g., 'with sorrow/grief') and dropping the interjection itself.
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Question 38 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'What a pity that he failed!'
Explanation'What a pity...' expressions of regret are converted into 'exclaimed with regret that it was a pity that...' in indirect speech.
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Question 39 of 100
Which of the following is the correct change of 'now' in indirect speech?
Explanation'Now' typically changes to 'then' or 'at that time' in reported speech, both being acceptable.
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Question 40 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I have finished my work.'
ExplanationPresent perfect ('have finished') backshifts to past perfect ('had finished').
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Question 41 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'Have you finished your homework?'
ExplanationPresent perfect ('have finished') backshifts to past perfect ('had finished') in a reported yes/no question.
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Question 42 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'Why are you crying?'
ExplanationWh-questions in reported speech use normal (non-inverted) subject-verb order.
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Question 43 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I was cooking dinner.'
ExplanationPast continuous ('was cooking') backshifts to past perfect continuous ('had been cooking').
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Question 44 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I had left before you called.'
ExplanationThe past perfect ('had left') does not change further, as it already represents the earliest point in the past sequence; only pronouns may need adjustment.
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Question 45 of 100
Which reporting verb is correctly used when the speaker directly names the listener?
Explanation'Tell' is used with a direct object naming the listener (e.g., 'told me'), whereas 'say' is typically followed by 'to' + listener, or used without a listener at all.
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Question 46 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I would help you if I could.'
Explanation'Would' and 'could' (already in their backshifted/modal forms) generally remain unchanged in reported speech.
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Question 47 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I am happy.'
ExplanationPresent simple ('am') in direct speech backshifts to past simple ('was') in reported speech.
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Question 48 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said to them, 'Will you attend the meeting?'
Explanation'Will' backshifts to 'would' in a reported yes/no question, with normal word order.
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Question 49 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I should apologize to him.'
Explanation'Should' (expressing obligation/advisability) remains unchanged in reported speech.
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Question 50 of 100
Change 'next week' into its correct reported speech form.
Explanation'Next week' changes to 'the following week' in reported speech.
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Question 51 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I will meet you here tomorrow.'
Explanation'Here' changes to 'there' and 'tomorrow' changes to 'the next day', along with 'will' backshifting to 'would'.
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Question 52 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I saw him two days ago.'
Explanation'Ago' changes to 'before', and the simple past 'saw' backshifts to past perfect 'had seen'.
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Question 53 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to her, 'I love you.'
Explanation'Say to' changes to 'tell' when a person is directly addressed, and pronouns 'I' and 'you' change according to the subject/object relationship (he/her).
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Question 54 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I must finish this today.'
Explanation'Must' (obligation) typically backshifts to 'had to' in reported speech, and 'today' changes to 'that day'.
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Question 55 of 100
Choose the correctly reported version: He said, 'I have never seen such a beautiful sunset.'
ExplanationPresent perfect ('have never seen') backshifts to past perfect ('had never seen').
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Question 56 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I went to the market.'
ExplanationSimple past ('went') backshifts to past perfect ('had gone') in formal reported speech.
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Question 57 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said to the manager, 'I request you to reconsider your decision.'
ExplanationThe reporting verb changes to match the polite tone ('requested'), and pronouns are adjusted to reflect the third-person perspective.
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Question 58 of 100
Change into indirect speech: The officer said to the soldiers, 'March forward!'
ExplanationA strong command is reported using 'ordered' + object + 'to' + base verb, which conveys the imperative force appropriately.
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Question 59 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'What a beautiful painting!'
ExplanationExclamatory sentences are reported using 'exclaimed that' + a rephrased statement, converting 'what a...' into 'very' + adjective.
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Question 60 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to her, 'What are you doing here?'
Explanation'Here' changes to 'there', present continuous backshifts to past continuous, and normal word order is retained.
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Question 61 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'My father is a doctor.'
Explanation'My' changes to 'his', and the tense backshifts from present to past.
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Question 62 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said to me, 'Who is knocking at the door?'
ExplanationThe wh-word 'who' functions as the subject here, so no auxiliary inversion is needed; the tense backshifts to past continuous.
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Question 63 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said to me, 'I saw you at the mall yesterday.'
Explanation'Say to' changes to 'tell', simple past backshifts to past perfect, and 'yesterday' changes to 'the day before'.
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Question 64 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I have been here since morning.'
Explanation'Here' changes to 'there', and present perfect continuous backshifts to past perfect continuous.
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Question 65 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said to me, 'What is your name?'
ExplanationThe wh-question retains its normal word order (subject before verb) without the auxiliary, and 'your' changes to 'my' from the listener's perspective.
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Question 66 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said to him, 'Please help me.'
ExplanationA polite request (marked by 'please') is reported using 'requested' + object + 'to' + base verb, dropping 'please' itself.
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Question 67 of 100
Change into indirect speech: The teacher said, 'The Earth revolves around the Sun.'
ExplanationUniversal truths and scientific facts do NOT change tense in reported speech, regardless of the reporting verb's tense.
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Question 68 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I shall help you.'
Explanation'Shall' (expressing future intention) backshifts to 'would' in reported speech.
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Question 69 of 100
Change into indirect speech: The manager said, 'The company made a profit last year.'
ExplanationSimple past ('made') backshifts to past perfect ('had made'), and 'last year' changes to 'the previous year'.
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Question 70 of 100
Choose the correct reported speech for a statement made about an unchanging fact combined with a specific past reporting context: 'He said, "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius."'
ExplanationA scientific fact retains the present tense regardless of the reporting verb's past tense.
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Question 71 of 100
Identify the correct reporting verb structure for a question.
ExplanationQuestions are reported using 'asked', combined with 'if/whether' for yes/no questions or directly with the wh-word for wh-questions — never with 'that'.
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Question 72 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'Is he coming with us?'
Explanation'Us' changes to 'them' (referring to a group not including the reporter unless specified), and 'is' backshifts to 'was'.
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Question 73 of 100
Choose the correct reported version: She said, 'If I were you, I would accept the offer.'
ExplanationIn reporting a second conditional sentence, the subjunctive 'were' is retained, and pronouns are adjusted according to the speaker/listener perspective.
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Question 74 of 100
Identify the error in this reported speech: 'She told to me that she was tired.'
Explanation'Tell' takes a direct object without 'to' (told me), unlike 'say to me'.
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Question 75 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I will finish the project next month.'
Explanation'Will' backshifts to 'would', and 'next month' changes to 'the following month'.
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Question 76 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to us, 'Kindly wait here.'
Explanation'Kindly' (a politeness marker like 'please') signals a request, reported with 'requested' + object + 'to' + base verb; 'here' changes to 'there'.
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Question 77 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'If only I had studied harder!'
Explanation'If only...' expressing regret is reported using 'wished that...' in indirect speech.
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Question 78 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I am reading a novel.'
ExplanationPresent continuous ('am reading') backshifts to past continuous ('was reading').
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Question 79 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'I have been waiting for an hour.'
ExplanationPresent perfect continuous ('have been waiting') backshifts to past perfect continuous ('had been waiting').
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Question 80 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'Wow! This is amazing.'
Explanation'Wow!' (surprise/wonder) is reported by naming the emotion and converting the statement into standard reported speech form.
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Question 81 of 100
Change 'here' into its correct reported speech form.
Explanation'Here' typically changes to 'there', and in some contexts 'at that place' is also acceptable.
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Question 82 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to me, 'Let us go for a walk.'
Explanation'Let us' (suggestion) is reported using 'suggested that...(should)...' rather than the standard imperative structure.
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Question 83 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said to me, 'Our team will win.'
Explanation'Our' changes according to the speaker's perspective in reported speech, typically to 'their' if referring to a group not including the listener; 'say to' changes to 'tell'.
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Question 84 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to me, 'Shut the door.'
ExplanationImperative sentences (commands) are reported using 'told/ordered/asked' + object + 'to' + base verb.
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Question 85 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'God bless you!'
ExplanationThis optative sentence (a blessing/wish) is reported using 'prayed that...might...'.
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Question 86 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'Did you see the movie?'
ExplanationSimple past ('did you see') backshifts to past perfect ('had seen') in a reported yes/no question.
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Question 87 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'May you live long!'
ExplanationOptative sentences (expressing a wish/prayer) are reported using 'prayed' or 'wished that' + subject + 'might' + base verb.
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Question 88 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I will call you tomorrow.'
Explanation'Will' backshifts to 'would', and 'tomorrow' changes to 'the next day' (or 'the following day').
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Question 89 of 100
Change 'yesterday' into its correct reported speech form.
Explanation'Yesterday' changes to 'the day before' or 'the previous day' in reported speech.
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Question 90 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to me, 'How long have you been waiting?'
ExplanationPresent perfect continuous ('have been waiting') backshifts to past perfect continuous ('had been waiting'), with normal word order.
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Question 91 of 100
Choose the sentence correctly reporting a statement made about a fixed, unchanging past historical fact: He said, 'World War II ended in 1945.'
ExplanationHistorical facts with specific dates are often kept in the simple past without further backshift, since backshifting to past perfect could be misleading regarding the definite historical date.
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Question 92 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I was going to call you.'
Explanation'Was going to' (past continuous form expressing a past intention) backshifts to 'had been going to' in formal reported speech.
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Question 93 of 100
Change into indirect speech: She said, 'How clever you are!'
Explanation'How + adjective' exclamations are converted to 'very' + adjective in the reported statement, with pronoun changes.
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Question 94 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I may attend the meeting.'
Explanation'May' backshifts to 'might' in reported speech.
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Question 95 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said to his servant, 'Bring me a glass of water.'
ExplanationThe imperative directed at a servant is reported using 'asked' or 'ordered' + object + 'to' + base verb, changing 'me' to 'him'.
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Question 96 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'Hurrah! We have won the match.'
Explanation'Hurrah!' (joy) is reported as 'exclaimed with joy that...', with the interjection dropped and appropriate backshift/pronoun changes.
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Question 97 of 100
Change into indirect speech: The teacher said to the students, 'Why are you late?'
Explanation'You' changes to 'they', normal word order is retained (no inversion), and the tense backshifts.
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Question 98 of 100
Change 'last night' into its correct reported speech form.
Explanation'Last night' changes to 'the night before' or 'the previous night' in reported speech.
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Question 99 of 100
Change into indirect speech: They said, 'We shall overcome our difficulties.'
Explanation'We' and 'our' change to 'they' and 'their', and 'shall' backshifts to 'would'.
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Question 100 of 100
Change into indirect speech: He said, 'I shall never forget this day.'
Explanation'Shall' backshifts to 'would', and 'this day' changes to 'that day'.
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