Change the following to Direct Speech by choosing the correct answer from the options given:
The judge asked the thief what he had been doing with his hand in the gentleman's pocket.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) - The judge said to the thief, "What were you doing with your hand in the gentleman's pocket?"
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Identifying the Indirect Speech Structure:
- The original sentence is in Indirect Speech, with the reporting verb "asked" indicating a question.
- The tense of the thief’s action is Past Perfect Continuous (he had been doing).
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Converting to Direct Speech:
- Replace "what he had been doing" with the exact words of the question: "What were you doing?" (Past Continuous is used for the same meaning in direct speech).
- The reporting verb "asked" becomes "said to," as it introduces a question in Direct Speech.
- So the correct sentence is :The judge said to the thief, "What were you doing with your hand in the gentleman's pocket?"
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Why Other Options Are Incorrect:
- Option 2: The judge is not asking the gentleman; the question is directed to the thief.
- Option 3: The tense is incorrect. "What are you doing" changes the context to Present Tense, which does not match the original sentence.
- Option 4: This rephrases the question, changing the meaning. The original sentence focuses on what the thief had been doing, not why he was doing it.