Direct And Indirect Speech

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question involves converting a direct interrogative (question) sentence into indirect (reported) speech. Specific rules apply to reporting questions.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
1. Reporting Verb: Change "said to" to "asked" or "enquired of".
2. Conjunction: For yes/no questions (questions starting with a helping verb), use "if" or "whether" to connect the reporting clause and the reported clause. Do not use "that".
3. Sentence Structure: The question form in direct speech ("Am I...") is changed to a statement form in indirect speech ("...he was..."). The subject comes before the verb.
4. Tense and Pronoun Change: Backshift the tense (present → past) and change pronouns appropriately.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
1. Change Reporting Verb: "said to" becomes "asked". So, "He asked Rita...".
2. Add Conjunction: The question "Am I ill?" is a yes/no question. So, we use "if" or "whether".
3. Change Pronouns: The first-person pronoun "I" changes according to the subject of the reporting verb, "He". So, "I" becomes "he".
4. Change Tense and Structure: The verb "Am" (simple present) is backshifted to the simple past, which is "was" for the subject "he". The question structure "Am I...?" is changed to the statement structure "...he was...".
5. Construct the Indirect Sentence: Combining these changes, we get: "He asked Rita if he was ill."
6. Analyze the Options:
- (A) "He says..." - Incorrect reporting verb tense.
- (B) "He will say..." - Incorrect reporting verb tense.
- (C) "He asked Rita if he was ill." - Correctly follows all the rules for reporting a question.
- (D) "He said to Rita if he is ill." - Incorrect reporting verb ("said to" instead of "asked") and incorrect tense ("is" instead of "was").
Step 4: Final Answer:
The correct indirect speech is (C) "He asked Rita if he was ill.".

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question tests the conversion of a sentence from Direct Speech to Indirect (or Reported) Speech. This involves changing the reporting verb, pronouns, and tense of the reported speech according to rules.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
1. Reporting Verb: If the reporting verb (e.g., 'say', 'tell') is in the present or future tense, the tense of the reported speech does not change. 2. Conjunction: The inverted commas are removed, and the conjunction 'that' is usually added. 3. Pronoun Change: Pronouns inside the inverted commas change according to the subject and object of the reporting verb. (SON rule: S=Subject→1st person, O=Object→2nd person, N=No change→3rd person).
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
1. Analyze the Reporting Verb: The reporting verb is "says," which is in the simple present tense. Therefore, the tense of the reported speech ("are") will not change.
2. Change the Reporting Verb: "says to" changes to "tells". So, "He says to me" becomes "He tells me".
3. Change the Pronouns:
- "You" is a second-person pronoun. It will change according to the object of the reporting verb, which is "me". So, "You" becomes "I".
- "my" is a first-person possessive pronoun. It will change according to the subject of the reporting verb, which is "He". So, "my" becomes "his".
4. Change the Verb Tense: Since the reporting verb is in the present tense, the verb "are" changes to match the new subject "I". The correct form is "am".
5. Construct the Indirect Sentence: Combining these changes, we get: "He tells me that I am his friend."
Step 4: Final Answer:
The correct indirect narration is (A) "He tells me that I am his friend.".