Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
“If you don’t keep quiet, I shall shoot you,” he said to her in a calm voice.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → He warned her calmly that he would shoot her if she didn’t keep quiet.
A threat with "if" in indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to her in a calm voice | warned her calmly | "I shall shoot you" is a threat, so "said to" becomes "warned". "In a calm voice" becomes the single word "calmly". |
| Joining word | " " (quotation marks) | that | "That" joins the warning. The main part comes first and the if-part follows it. |
| Tense change | shall shoot, don't keep | would shoot, didn't keep | "Said" is past. So "shall" becomes "would" (would + base form (V1)). The simple present "don't keep" becomes the simple past "didn't keep". The simple present is formed with the base form (V1), or V1 + s / es with he, she, it. The simple past is formed with the past form of the verb (V2). |
| Pronoun change | I, you, you | he, her, she | He is the speaker, so "I" becomes "he". She is the listener, so "you" becomes "her" as object and "she" as subject. |
| Full sentence | "If you don't keep quiet, I shall shoot you," he said to her in a calm voice. | He warned her calmly that he would shoot her if she didn't keep quiet. |
Threatened can also report such words. In the same way, will → would and can → could. Example: The coach said to us, "I will drop you if you come late." → The coach warned us that he would drop us if we came late.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: He warns her calmly that he will shoot her if she didn’t keep quiet. — Incorrect. "Warns" puts the reporting verb in the present. The original "said" is past.
Option 2: He warn her calmly that he will be shooting her if she didn’t keep quiet. — Incorrect. "He warn" is the bare verb with no tense. The reporting verb must be the past "warned".
Option 4: He warned her calmly that he would shoot her if she do not remain silent. — Incorrect. "Do not" is left in the present. After "warned" it becomes "did not".