Choose the correct form of indirect narration for the given sentence: He said,…
2022
Choose the correct form of indirect narration for the given sentence:
He said, "I am a student".
- A.
He says that he is a student.
- B.
He said that he is a student.
- C.
He says that he was a student.
- D.
He said that he was a student.
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Correct answer: D
The correct indirect narration for the sentence "He said, 'I am a student'" is "He said that he was a student."
Understanding Indirect Narration Rules
When converting direct speech to indirect (or reported) speech, you must follow specific rules regarding tense and pronoun shifts, especially when the reporting verb (the verb outside the quotation marks) is in the past tense.
Tense Shift: Since the reporting verb "said" is in the past tense, the verb inside the quotation marks must "backshift" into the past. Therefore, the present tense "am" becomes the past tense "was."
Pronoun Shift: The pronoun "I" changes to "he" to correctly reflect that it is the speaker (he) who is being referred to in the indirect statement.