Choose the correct transformation of the given sentence in Indirect Speech:
Ishaan said to his teammates, “Let us not practise here tomorrow because the ground will be waterlogged after tonight’s rain.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Ishaan suggested to his teammates that they should not practise there the next day because the ground would be waterlogged after that night’s rain.
Changing a “Let us not” sentence into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to his teammates | suggested to his teammates | “Let us not” puts forward a plan for the whole team. So “said to” becomes “suggested to”. |
| Joining word | “ ” (quotation marks) | that | “That” joins the suggestion. |
| Let us → they should | Let us not practise | they should not practise | “Us” means Ishaan and his teammates together, so it becomes “they”. “Let us not” becomes “should not” + verb. |
| Tense change | will be | would be | After the past “said”, “will” becomes “would” (would + base form (V1)). Waterlogged means so full of water that no one can play on it. |
| Time and place words | here, tomorrow, tonight’s | there, the next day, that night’s | The words are reported later, away from the ground. So “here” becomes “there”, “tomorrow” becomes “the next day” and “tonight’s” becomes “that night’s”. |
| Full sentence | Ishaan said to his teammates, “Let us not practise here tomorrow because the ground will be waterlogged after tonight’s rain.” | Ishaan suggested to his teammates that they should not practise there the next day because the ground would be waterlogged after that night’s rain. |
“Proposed to” is used in the same way. A plain “Let us” becomes “should” + verb. Example: Asha said to her sister, “Let us visit Nani today.” → Asha proposed to her sister that they should visit Nani that day.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Ishaan suggested to his teammates that they should not practise there the next day because the ground will be waterlogged after that night’s rain. — Incorrect. “Will” is left unchanged. After the past “said” it must become “would”.
Option 3: Ishaan suggested his teammates that they should not practise there the next day because the ground would be waterlogged after that night’s rain. — Incorrect. “Suggest” needs “to” before the person: “suggested to his teammates”.
Option 4: Ishaan suggested to his teammates that they should not practise here the next day because the ground would be waterlogged after that night’s rain. — Incorrect. The place word “here” is not changed. In the report it becomes “there”.