Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
The museum guard said to the boys, “Leave your bags in this locker.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The museum guard told the boys to leave their bags in that locker.
Changing an order into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to the boys | told the boys | “Leave your bags ...” is an order. So “said to” becomes “told” (or “ordered”) + the person. |
| To + verb | Leave | to leave | An order is reported with “to” + verb. No “that” is used. |
| Pronoun change | your | their | The guard spoke to the boys. So “your bags” becomes “their bags”. |
| Place word | this locker | that locker | The report is made later, away from the locker. So “this” becomes “that”. |
| Full sentence | The museum guard said to the boys, “Leave your bags in this locker.” | The museum guard told the boys to leave their bags in that locker. |
“Here” becomes “there” and “now” becomes “then” in the same way. Example: The nurse said to me, “Wait here.” → The nurse told me to wait there.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The museum guard told the boys that leave their bags in that locker. — Incorrect. “That leave” is wrong. An order is reported with “to” + verb, not with “that”.
Option 3: The museum guard told the boys to leave their bags in this locker. — Incorrect. “This” is kept. In a later report it becomes “that”.
Option 4: The museum guard told the boys to leave your bags in that locker. — Incorrect. “Your” is kept from the spoken words. The guard spoke to the boys, so it becomes “their”.