Choosing the most appropriate answer from the given list. Convert the following sentence in Direct Speech to Indirect Speech.
"I am guilty", the defendant said.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The defendant admitted that he was guilty
Direct to indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said | admitted | “Said” may be replaced by a verb that shows the speaker's purpose. Owning up to guilt is admitting, so “said” becomes “admitted”. |
| Connective | “ ” (inverted commas) | that | A statement is joined by that, and the inverted commas are removed. |
| Tense change | am | was | The reporting verb is in the past, so “am” becomes “was”. |
| Pronoun change | I | he | “I” becomes “he” (the defendant). |
| Full sentence | “I am guilty”, the defendant said. | The defendant admitted that he was guilty |
Example: “I broke the vase,” the boy said. → The boy admitted that he had broken the vase.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: The defendant accepted his guilt — Incorrect. It is a summary of what happened, not the reported form of the words spoken. The clause "that he was guilty" is lost.
Option 3: The defendant said yes he was guilty — Incorrect. The word "yes" is not in the direct speech, and the connective "that" is missing.
Option 4: The guilty defendant accepted his fault — Incorrect. It turns the speaker's words into a description ("the guilty defendant") and changes guilt into "fault". It is not indirect speech.