What would be the indirect speech form of the sentence: "She said, 'I ...
In indirect speech, the future tense "shall" changes to "would." Therefore, the correct transformation is "She said that she would be there by 7 p.m."
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What would be the indirect speech form of the sentence: "She said, 'I ...
Understanding Indirect Speech
Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is a way of conveying what someone has said without quoting their exact words. It often involves changes in pronouns, verb tenses, and time expressions.
Analyzing the Given Sentence
Original Sentence:
“She said, ‘I shall be there by 7 p.m.’”
When converting this to indirect speech, several transformations occur:
Key Transformations:
- Pronoun Change: The first-person pronoun "I" changes to "she" to reflect the perspective of the speaker.
- Verb Tense Change: The future tense "shall" (used in British English) changes to "would" in indirect speech. This is a standard shift when reporting speech from the present to the past.
- Time Expressions: The time phrase "by 7 p.m." remains unchanged, as it is a specific time reference.
Correct Indirect Speech Form
The correct transformation of the original sentence into indirect speech is:
“She said that she would be there by 7 p.m.”
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
- Option b: "should" implies obligation, not future intention.
- Option c: "will" does not reflect the past reporting context.
- Option d: "shall" is generally replaced by "would" in indirect speech.
In conclusion, the correct answer is option a, as it maintains the intended meaning while adhering to the rules of indirect speech.