Choose the correct indirect speech for the direct sentence: "She said,...
In transforming the direct sentence into indirect speech, 'have met' changes to 'had met' to represent the past perfect tense. Therefore, the correct indirect speech is "She said that she had met him before."
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Choose the correct indirect speech for the direct sentence: "She said,...
Understanding the Conversion to Indirect Speech
When converting direct speech to indirect speech, specific changes take place, including the pronoun shifts, verb tense adjustments, and the removal of quotation marks. Analyzing the given sentence helps clarify why option 'B' is the correct choice.
Original Direct Speech
- "She said, 'I have met him before.'"
Key Changes in Indirect Speech
- The reporting verb "said" remains in the past tense.
- The present perfect tense "have met" changes to the past perfect tense "had met."
- Pronouns change according to the context (e.g., "I" becomes "she").
Analysis of the Options
- Option A: "She says that she had met him before."
- Incorrect because "says" is present tense; it should align with "said" (past tense).
- Option B: "She said that she had met him before."
- Correct as it maintains the past tense and properly changes "have" to "had."
- Option C: "She says that she has met him before."
- Incorrect; again uses "says" (present tense) instead of "said."
- Option D: "She said that she has met him before."
- Incorrect due to the use of "has" (present perfect) instead of "had" (past perfect).
Conclusion
Option 'B' accurately reflects the necessary changes for converting the direct speech into indirect speech, thus making it the correct answer. It adheres to the rules of tense and pronoun adjustments, ensuring clarity and grammatical accuracy.