Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
The old fisherman said, “Alas! The storm has broken my only boat.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The old fisherman exclaimed with sorrow that the storm had broken his only boat.
Changing an exclamation into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said, “Alas! | exclaimed with sorrow | “Alas” is a cry of sorrow. So “said” becomes “exclaimed with sorrow”, and “Alas” and “!” are dropped. |
| Joining word | “ ” (quotation marks) | that | “That” joins the spoken words. |
| Tense change | has broken | had broken | “Has broken” is in the present perfect. The present perfect is formed with has / have + past participle (V3). After the past “said” it becomes the past perfect “had broken”. The past perfect is formed with had + V3. |
| Pronoun change | my | his | The speaker is the old fisherman, so “my” becomes “his”. |
| Full sentence | The old fisherman said, “Alas! The storm has broken my only boat.” | The old fisherman exclaimed with sorrow that the storm had broken his only boat. |
“Exclaimed sadly” can also report “Alas”. A cry of joy like “Hurrah” is reported with “exclaimed with joy”. Example: Mina said, “Hurrah, our team has won!” → Mina exclaimed with joy that their team had won.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The old fisherman exclaimed with sorrow that alas the storm had broken his only boat. — Incorrect. “Alas” is kept. Its feeling is already shown by “with sorrow”, so the word itself is dropped.
Option 2: The old fisherman exclaimed with joy that the storm had broken his only boat. — Incorrect. “With joy” shows the wrong feeling. “Alas” is a cry of sorrow.
Option 3: The old fisherman exclaimed with sorrow that the storm has broken his only boat. — Incorrect. “Has broken” is left unchanged. After the past “said” it must become “had broken”.