Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
Gaurav said, “I have been practising the tabla for three hours today.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Gaurav said that he had been practising the tabla for three hours that day.
Changing a statement into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joining word | “ ” (quotation marks) | that | A statement is joined with “that”. |
| Pronoun change | I | he | Gaurav is the speaker, so “I” becomes “he”. |
| Tense change | have been practising | had been practising | “Have been practising” is in the present perfect continuous. The present perfect continuous is formed with has / have been + V-ing. After the past “said” it becomes the past perfect continuous “had been practising”. The past perfect continuous is formed with had been + V-ing. “For three hours” stays as it is. |
| Time word | today | that day | The words are reported later. So “today” becomes “that day”. |
| Full sentence | Gaurav said, “I have been practising the tabla for three hours today.” | Gaurav said that he had been practising the tabla for three hours that day. |
“Since” with a point of time also stays as it is. Example: Asha said, “I have been waiting since noon.” → Asha said that she had been waiting since noon.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Gaurav said that he has been practising the tabla for three hours that day. — Incorrect. “Has been practising” keeps the present. After the past “said” it must become “had been practising”.
Option 3: Gaurav said that he had been practising the tabla since three hours that day. — Incorrect. “Since” marks a point of time, like “since morning”. “Three hours” is a length of time, so it takes “for”.
Option 4: Gaurav said that he had been practising the tabla for three hours today. — Incorrect. “Today” is left unchanged. In the report it becomes “that day”.