Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence. Pritam said, "The prisoner had slept throughout the journey."
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct indirect form of the given sentence is Pritam said that the prisoner had slept throughout the journey.
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The reporting verb "said" is in the past tense.
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The original statement is already in the past perfect tense ("had slept").
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Past perfect tense remains unchanged in indirect speech.
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Therefore, no change in tense is needed.
The other options are incorrect:
- Pritam said that the prisoner had been sleeping throughout the journey. This is incorrect because the tense of the reported speech should be the past perfect tense, not the past continuous tense.
- Pritam said that the prisoner had sleep throughout the journey. This is incorrect because the verb "sleep" should be "slept" to match the past perfect tense.
- Pritam said that the prisoner has slept throughout the journey. This is incorrect because the tense of the reported speech should be the past perfect tense, not the present perfect tense.