Choose the most appropriate reported construction of the following sentence:
The judge said to Ananya, “Bravo! You have sung the folk song beautifully.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The judge applauded Ananya, saying that she had sung the folk song beautifully.
Changing a “Bravo!” sentence into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to Ananya, “Bravo! ...” | applauded Ananya, saying | “Bravo!” is a cry of praise. So it changes into the verb “applauded”, and “saying” brings in the rest. To applaud means to praise someone warmly. |
| Joining word | “ ” (quotation marks) | that | “That” joins the statement after “saying”. |
| Pronoun change | You | she | Ananya is spoken to, so “you” becomes “she”. |
| Tense change | have sung | had sung | “Have sung” is in the present perfect. The present perfect is formed with has / have + past participle (V3). After the past “said” it becomes the past perfect “had sung”. The past perfect is formed with had + V3. |
| Full sentence | The judge said to Ananya, “Bravo! You have sung the folk song beautifully.” | The judge applauded Ananya, saying that she had sung the folk song beautifully. |
“Well done!” is reported in the same way with “praised”. Example: Papa said to Rishi, “Well done, you have fixed the fan!” → Papa praised Rishi, saying that he had fixed the fan.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: The judge applauded to Ananya, saying that she had sung the folk song beautifully. — Incorrect. “Applaud” takes the person straight after it, with no “to”: “applauded Ananya”.
Option 3: The judge applauded Ananya, saying that she has sung the folk song beautifully. — Incorrect. “Has sung” keeps the present perfect. After the past “said” it must become “had sung”.
Option 4: The judge applauded Ananya, saying that you had sung the folk song beautifully. — Incorrect. “You” is not changed. Ananya is spoken to, so it becomes “she”.