Select the correct transformation of the direct sentence: "He said, 'I...
In converting the given sentence into indirect speech, 'will have left' changes to 'would have left' when expressing future perfect tense from the perspective of the past. Hence, the correct transformation is "He said that he would have left by the time you arrived."
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Select the correct transformation of the direct sentence: "He said, 'I...
Understanding the Transformation
When transforming direct speech into reported speech, it's essential to make adjustments to the verb tenses, pronouns, and time expressions. Let’s analyze the sentence:
"He said, 'I will have left by the time you arrive.'"
Key Points for Transformation:
- Tense Change:
- The original sentence uses "will have left," which is a future perfect tense. In reported speech, this typically changes to "would have left."
- Pronoun Adjustment:
- The first-person pronoun "I" changes to "he" since it's being reported by someone else.
- Time Reference:
- The phrase "by the time you arrive" remains unchanged as it still refers to the same timeframe.
Correct Transformation
Now, let’s look at the options:
- Option a): Incorrect. "would have left" is used, but the time expression is not correctly adjusted.
- Option b): Correct. "He said that he would have left by the time you arrived." This option accurately reflects the tense change and pronoun adjustment. The verb "arrive" changes to "arrived" to maintain the past context.
- Option c): Incorrect. "He says" indicates present tense and does not align with the reporting of a past statement.
- Option d): Incorrect. "He said that he will have left" misuses the future perfect tense instead of the appropriate past conditional.
Conclusion
Thus, option b is the correct answer as it accurately captures the tense, pronoun, and time reference changes needed for proper reported speech.