Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
Nani said to Riya, “May God keep you safe in the new city!”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Nani prayed that God might keep Riya safe in the new city.
Changing a prayer into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to Riya | prayed | “May God ...!” is a prayer for someone’s good. So “said to” becomes “prayed”. |
| Joining word | May God keep ...! | that God might keep | The prayer becomes a statement joined by “that”. The subject “God” comes before the verb, and the “!” goes. |
| Tense change | may | might | The reporting verb is in the past, so “may” becomes “might” (might + base form (V1)). |
| Pronoun change | you | Riya | Nani spoke to Riya. So “you” becomes “Riya” (or “her”). |
| Full sentence | Nani said to Riya, “May God keep you safe in the new city!” | Nani prayed that God might keep Riya safe in the new city. |
A wish such as “May you ...!” is reported with “wished” or “prayed” and “might”. Example: Ma said to us, “May you pass with good marks!” → Ma wished that we might pass with good marks.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Nani prayed that God may keep Riya safe in the new city. — Incorrect. “May” is left unchanged. After the past reporting verb it becomes “might”.
Option 2: Nani said to Riya that may God keep her safe in the new city. — Incorrect. “That may God” keeps the word order of the prayer. In indirect speech the subject comes first: “that God might”.
Option 4: Nani prayed that God might keep you safe in the new city. — Incorrect. “You” is kept from the spoken words. Nani spoke to Riya, so it becomes “Riya” or “her”.