Change of Speech Practice Test Questions - Verbal Ability

A reported yes/no question uses "asked" with "if" or "whether", the tense is backshifted, and the word order becomes that of a statement. "She asked her if she was coming to the party" follows all three rules.

Option A is wrong because the question word order "was she" is kept.
Option B is wrong because "told" cannot be used to report a question.
Option D is wrong because "will come" is not backshifted.

Reported speech backshifts "saw" to "had seen" and changes the place adverb "here" to "there" since the report is made elsewhere.

"Bravo!" is an exclamation of applause, and "well played" backshifts to "had played well" in reported speech.

Reported "told me that I was right" (backshifted past) reverts to direct speech as "said to me, 'You are right'" (present tense, un-backshifted).

Reported speech backshifts "shall" to "would" while keeping "said."

In indirect speech the reporting verb "said to" becomes "told", the pronouns change, and the present tense moves to the past. So "I don't believe you" becomes "he didn't believe me".

Option A is wrong because "decided not to believe me" changes the meaning.
Option B is wrong because this is still in direct speech.
Option C is wrong because "he not believe me" is ungrammatical.

The reporting verb "cried" is kept, "will" becomes "would" and "your" becomes "his". So the sentence becomes "She cried over her husband's corpse that she would avenge his murder".

Option A is wrong because "decided to avenge" changes the reporting verb and the meaning.
Option B is wrong because "decided to avenge his murder" changes the reporting verb and the meaning.
Option C is wrong because "would revenge" changes the verb, and "revenge" is not the right form here.

"He requested her to accompany him" is indirect speech. The direct form is He said to her, "Please, come with me."

Option B is wrong because "He says" changes the tense.
Option C is wrong because "Let her come with me" changes the person and the meaning.
Option D is wrong because "You have to come with me" is a command and not a request.

In reported speech, "will" becomes "would" and "tomorrow" becomes "the next day". So the sentence is "Hari told me that he would go to the market the next day".

Option A is wrong because "will go" does not change the tense, and "tomorrow" is dropped.
Option B is wrong because "will go ... tomorrow" does not change the tense or the time word.
Option C is wrong because "would go ... tomorrow" does not change the time word.

When the reporting verb is in the future tense, the tense of the reported speech does not change. So it is "The mother will say that her daughter is going to school".

Option B is wrong because the tense of the reported speech should not change to the future.
Option C is wrong because "would be saying" changes the tenses without need.
Option D is wrong because "will go" changes the tense without need.

In indirect speech, the reporting verb "said" is in the past tense, so "I have written" becomes "he had written".

Option A is wrong because "he has written" does not change the tense to the past perfect.
Option B is wrong because "I have written" does not change the pronoun.
Option D is wrong because "He says" changes the reporting verb.

In indirect speech, the reporting verb is in the past, so "have" becomes "had". So the sentence is "He said that he hardly had time to attend any party".

Option A is wrong because "has no time" changes the meaning and does not shift the tense.
Option B is wrong because "hardly has" does not shift the tense to the past.
Option D is wrong because "He says" changes the reporting verb.

In direct speech, "would" changes to "will", "there" becomes "here" and "the next day" becomes "tomorrow". So "I promise to be here tomorrow" is the closest direct form.

Option A is wrong because "there" and "the next day" are not changed.
Option C is wrong because "try to be there" adds a new meaning.
Option D is wrong because "the next day" is not changed to "tomorrow".

The direct sentence is a warning with a condition. In indirect speech "said to" becomes "warned", "shall" becomes "would", and "you" becomes "she". So the sentence is "She warned her calmly that she would shoot her if she didn't keep quiet."

Option B is wrong because it keeps the direct-speech pronouns "I shall shoot you".
Option C is wrong because "warned her to shoot" changes the meaning.
Option D is wrong because "be quiet or else she will have to shoot her" changes the structure and tense.

"Bravo! Well played Virat" is an exclamation of applause. In indirect speech it becomes "The spectators applauded Virat, saying that he played well."

Option A is wrong because it says they called Virat "bravo", which changes the meaning.
Option B is wrong because it omits the applause as an act of saying "Bravo" and is less exact.
Option C is wrong because "encouraged" does not match the applause.

The reported question "if he could tell him the way" becomes a direct question "Can you tell me the way to the nearest inn?" The word "if" shows it was a yes-or-no question.

Option A is wrong because it changes it to a "where" question.
Option C is wrong because it changes the request to "Which is the way".
Option D is wrong because it keeps the indirect word order "where is the nearest inn" in a direct question.

"Let us go" is a suggestion. In indirect speech it becomes "I suggested to my father that we should go to some restaurant for a change."

Option A is wrong because "asked my father to go" loses the idea that they would go together.
Option B is wrong because "asked ... if he would go" changes the suggestion into a question.
Option C is wrong because "permitted" changes the meaning.

"Oh that I were a child again!" expresses a strong wish. In indirect speech it becomes "Sonya strongly wished that she had been a child again."

Option A is wrong because "exclaimed with wonder" does not express a wish.
Option B is wrong because "wondered that were she" is ungrammatical.
Option D is wrong because "prayed" changes the meaning.

"I have often told you not to waste your time" becomes "She said that she had often suggested to her not to waste her time". The tense shifts to the past perfect and the pronouns change.

Option A is wrong because it is missing "to" and does not change "your".
Option B is wrong because it is missing "to" before "waste".
Option D is wrong because "told that" and "his" are wrong.

The statement "I don't know the way" and the question "Do you?" combine as "She said that she didn't know the way and asked me if I did."

Option A is wrong because "did I know it" keeps the question word order.
Option C is wrong because "was not knowing" is wrong for a state verb.
Option D is wrong because it changes the meaning of the first sentence.

The question "Are you alone?" becomes "asked if I was alone", with normal word order and the tense changed to the past. "Close behind me" is expressed as "behind me".

Option A is wrong because "from my back" is not the usual expression.
Option B is wrong because it is not written in indirect speech.
Option C is wrong because "what I was doing there alone" changes the question.

The question "Where is the head office?" becomes "He asked me where the head office was", with normal word order and the tense changed to the past.

Option B is wrong because "that" should not be added after "asked".
Option C is wrong because "wanted to know" changes the reporting verb.
Option D is wrong because "where was the head office" keeps the question word order.

The question "Why don't you go today?" becomes "She asked her why she did not go that day", with "today" changing to "that day".

Option A is wrong because it uses a wrong verb form and "that why".
Option B is wrong because it changes the question type to "if".
Option C is wrong because "today" is not changed to "that day".

In indirect speech, "saw" becomes "had seen" and "here" becomes "there". So the sentence is "He said that he had seen a coin there."

Option A is wrong because the tense and "here" are not changed.
Option C is wrong because the tense is not changed.
Option D is wrong because "here" is not changed to "there".

"What a beautiful scene!" is an exclamation. In indirect speech it is reported as "She exclaimed that it was a very beautiful scene."

Option A is wrong because "that what a beautiful scene it was" keeps the exclamation form after "that".
Option C is wrong because it does not use "that" or a proper indirect form.
Option D is wrong because "wondered" changes the meaning.

In indirect speech, "I" becomes "she", "bought" becomes "had bought" and "yesterday" becomes "the previous day". So the sentence is "Sapna said that she had bought a laptop the previous day."

Option A is wrong because "I have bought" does not change the pronoun and the tense.
Option B is wrong because "told that" is wrong, and the tense and "yesterday" are not changed.
Option C is wrong because "bought" is not changed to the past perfect.

"Be quiet, girls" is an order or request. In indirect speech, it becomes "The teacher urged the girls to be quiet."

Option A is wrong because "they girls should be quiet" is ungrammatical.
Option B is wrong because "called the girls and ordered them" adds a fact that is not in the sentence.
Option D is wrong because "commanded the girls that they be quiet" is an awkward form.

"Please" shows a request, so the reporting verb is "begged" and the negative imperative becomes "not to". So the sentence is "He begged me not to go away."

Option A is wrong because "said please him" is ungrammatical.
Option B is wrong because "to not to go away" has a double "to".
Option C is wrong because "begged that I not go away" is not the usual form.