Choose the correct option to transform the given sentence into Indirect Speech.
Shanta: "It snows in winter in Srinagar."
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Shanta said that it snows in winter in Srinagar
Universal or habitual truth in indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | “ ” (inverted commas) | said that | “Said”, in the past, and the joining word “that” replaces the inverted commas. |
| Tense kept | snows | snows | After a past reporting verb the tense normally moves back, but a universal truth or a fact that is always true keeps its simple present. Snow in winter in Srinagar happens every year. It is a lasting fact, so “snows” stays in the present. |
| Full sentence | Shanta: “It snows in winter in Srinagar.” | Shanta said that it snows in winter in Srinagar |
Example: The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Shanta said that it snowed in winter in Srinagar — Incorrect. "Snowed" changes a lasting fact into a past event, as if it no longer snows there.
Option 3: Shanta said that it will snow in winter in Srinagar — Incorrect. "Will snow" turns the fact into a prediction about the future.
Option 4: Shanta says it snowed in winter in Srinagar — Incorrect. The reporting verb is changed to the present "says", and the reported verb wrongly goes into the past.