Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

English

Chapter

Direct/indirect

Question:

Which one of the following options is the correct Indirect Speech of the sentence-

The king said, "we have managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous allies."

Options:

The king asked that they have managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous allies for now.

The king said that they have managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous.

The king said that they had managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous allies.

The king had said that they had managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous allies.

Correct Answer:

The king said that they had managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous allies.

Explanation:

Out of the given options, the most accurate Indirect Speech of the sentence "The king said, 'we have managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous allies'" is:

The king said that they had managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous allies.

Here's why the other options are incorrect:

  • The king asked that they have managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous allies for now. This uses the subjunctive mood ("have managed") instead of the past perfect ("had managed") required for reporting past statements. Additionally, it adds "for now," which isn't present in the original sentence.
  • The king said that they have managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous. This sentence is incomplete and grammatically incorrect as it lacks the final part of the direct speech clause.
  • The king said that they had managed to deal with the enemies and their treacherous allies. This uses the past perfect correctly but shifts the pronoun "we" in the original speech to "they," changing the meaning slightly.