Choose the correct transformation of the given sentence in Indirect Speech:
Mr Banerjee said to his students, “Sound travels faster in water than in air.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Mr Banerjee told his students that sound travels faster in water than in air.
Changing a general truth into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to his students | told his students | The words are a statement made to the students. So “said to” becomes “told”. |
| Joining word | “ ” (quotation marks) | that | “That” joins a reported statement. |
| Tense change | travels | travels (no change) | “Sound travels faster in water than in air” is a scientific fact. It is true at all times, so the simple present “travels” stays even after the past “said”. The simple present is formed with the base form (V1), or V1 + s / es with he, she, it. |
| Full sentence | Mr Banerjee said to his students, “Sound travels faster in water than in air.” | Mr Banerjee told his students that sound travels faster in water than in air. |
Every fact of nature keeps its present tense in the same way. Example: Grandpa said, “Ice floats on water.” → Grandpa said that ice floats on water.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Mr Banerjee told to his students that sound travels faster in water than in air. — Incorrect. “Told to” is wrong. “Told” takes the person straight after it: “told his students”.
Option 2: Mr Banerjee told his students that sound had travelled faster in water than in air. — Incorrect. “Had travelled” moves the fact far back into the past. A general truth does not change its tense at all.
Option 4: Mr Banerjee said his students that sound travels faster in water than in air. — Incorrect. “Said” cannot take the person straight after it. It must be “said to his students” or “told his students”.