Change the following into Indirect Speech.
"Halt", shouted the officer to his men.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The Officer ordered his men to halt.
Imperative sentence in indirect speech:
Kind of sentence: "Halt" is an imperative, a command (stop).
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | shouted ... to | ordered | “Shouted to” changes to a verb of command: ordered (or commanded). |
| Verb form | Halt | to halt | The imperative becomes a to-infinitive: “to halt”. The inverted commas are removed. |
| Full sentence | “Halt”, shouted the officer to his men. | The Officer ordered his men to halt. |
Example: The captain said to the players, “Get ready.” → The captain ordered the players to get ready.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The officer told his men that to halt. — Incorrect. "That" cannot be followed by a to-infinitive. A command is reported without "that".
Option 2: The officer questioned his men whether to halt. — Incorrect. "Halt" is a command, not a question, so "questioned ... whether" changes the meaning.
Option 3: The Officer exclaimed his men that halt. — Incorrect.
- "Exclaimed" is used for exclamations, not commands, and does not take an object like "his men".
- "that halt" has no subject and no proper verb form.