Reported Speech: Statements MCQs Quiz | Class 9
This is an online MCQ quiz for Class IX students studying English Language and Literature (Code 184). This quiz is from Section B: Grammar and covers the topic of Reported Speech for statements. Key concepts include converting direct to indirect speech, appropriate tense shifts, and changes in punctuation. Attempt all questions, click ‘Submit Quiz’ to see your score, and use the ‘Download Answer PDF’ button for your records.
Understanding Reported Speech (Statements)
Reported Speech, also known as Indirect Speech, is used to communicate what someone else has said without using their exact words. This is different from Direct Speech, which quotes the speaker’s exact words inside quotation marks. When converting statements from direct to indirect speech, we need to follow specific rules regarding tenses, pronouns, and adverbs.
Key Rules for Conversion
Here are the fundamental rules for changing a direct statement into an indirect one:
- Reporting Verb: If the reporting verb (like ‘said’) is in the past tense, the tense of the verb in the reported speech usually changes. ‘Said to’ is often changed to ‘told’.
- Conjunction: The conjunction ‘that’ is typically used to introduce the reported statement.
- Punctuation: Quotation marks (” “) are removed, and the comma separating the reporting clause from the direct speech is also removed. The sentence ends with a full stop.
1. Tense Shift
The most important rule is the ‘backshift’ of tenses. If the reporting verb is in the past, the verb tense in the reported speech moves one step back into the past.
| Direct Speech Tense | Indirect Speech Tense |
|---|---|
| Simple Present (is/am/are, go) | Simple Past (was/were, went) |
| Present Continuous (is going) | Past Continuous (was going) |
| Present Perfect (has gone) | Past Perfect (had gone) |
| Simple Past (went) | Past Perfect (had gone) |
| Past Continuous (was going) | Past Perfect Continuous (had been going) |
| Simple Future (will go) | Conditional (would go) |
| Can / May | Could / Might |
Exception: If the reported speech states a universal truth, a scientific fact, or a habitual action, the tense does not change. For example, ‘The teacher said, “The Earth is round.”‘ becomes ‘The teacher said that the Earth is round.’
2. Changes in Pronouns
Pronouns change based on the relationship between the speaker, the person reporting, and the person being told.
- First Person Pronouns (I, we, me, us, my, our) change according to the subject of the reporting verb.
- Second Person Pronouns (you, your) change according to the object of the reporting verb.
- Third Person Pronouns (he, she, it, they, him, her, them, his, her, its, their) do not change.
3. Changes in Adverbs of Time and Place
Words indicating nearness in time or place are changed to words indicating distance.
- Now → Then
- Today → That day
- Yesterday → The previous day / The day before
- Tomorrow → The next day / The following day
- Here → There
- This → That
- These → Those
- Ago → Before
Quick Revision Points
- Remove quotation marks and use the conjunction ‘that’.
- Change the reporting verb ‘said to’ to ‘told’.
- Backshift the tense if the reporting verb is in the past.
- Do not change the tense for universal truths or habitual facts.
- Adjust pronouns and adverbs of time/place correctly.
Extra Practice Questions
Convert the following sentences into reported speech.
- She said, “I am reading a book now.”
- They said to us, “We will meet you tomorrow.”
- He said, “I have been working here for two years.”
- My mother said, “The sun rises in the east.”
- Rahul said, “I visited my grandparents last week.”
Answers:
- She said that she was reading a book then.
- They told us that they would meet us the next day.
- He said that he had been working there for two years.
- My mother said that the sun rises in the east.
- Rahul said that he had visited his grandparents the previous week.
