Choose the correct transformation of the direct sentence: "He said, 'I...
In transforming the given sentence into indirect speech, 'can finish' changes to 'could finish' to represent the conditional aspect from the perspective of the past. Therefore, the correct indirect speech is "He said he could finish the task by the next day."
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Choose the correct transformation of the direct sentence: "He said, 'I...
Understanding the Transformation to Indirect Speech
When converting direct speech to indirect speech, certain grammatical changes must be made. The sentence in question is: "He said, 'I can finish this task by tomorrow.'"
Key Changes in Indirect Speech
- Tense Shift: In indirect speech, the present tense "can" changes to the past tense "could."
- Pronoun Adjustment: The pronoun "I" changes to "he" to reflect the speaker's perspective.
- Time Reference Change: The word "tomorrow" transforms to "the next day" to maintain the correct time frame.
Analysis of Options
- Option a): "He says he could finish the task by the next day."
- Incorrect tense; "says" (present) should not pair with "could" (past).
- Option b): "He says he can finish the task by the next day."
- Incorrect; it uses "says" (present) but retains "can" (present), which does not match the original past context.
- Option c): "He said he could finish the task by the next day."
- Correct. It uses "said" (past), shifts "can" to "could," and changes "tomorrow" to "the next day."
- Option d): "He said he can finish the task by the next day."
- Incorrect; "can" remains in present tense, which is inconsistent with the past narrative.
Conclusion
The correct transformation is option C: "He said he could finish the task by the next day," as it properly reflects all necessary adjustments for indirect speech.