Choose the correct transformation of the given sentence in Indirect Speech:
The bank manager said to Mrs Pinto, “You should never share your OTP with anyone.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The bank manager advised Mrs Pinto never to share her OTP with anyone.
Changing advice into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to Mrs Pinto | advised Mrs Pinto | “You should” gives advice, so “said to” becomes “advised”. The person comes straight after “advised”. |
| To + verb | You should never share | never to share | “You should” is dropped. “Share” becomes “to share”, with “never” before “to”. |
| Pronoun change | your | her | Mrs Pinto is spoken to, so “your” becomes “her”. An OTP is a one-time password sent to a phone. |
| Full sentence | The bank manager said to Mrs Pinto, “You should never share your OTP with anyone.” | The bank manager advised Mrs Pinto never to share her OTP with anyone. |
Advice with “should not” is reported with “not to”. Example: Dad said to Mohit, “You should not skip breakfast.” → Dad advised Mohit not to skip breakfast.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: The bank manager advised Mrs Pinto never to share your OTP with anyone. — Incorrect. “Your” is not changed. Mrs Pinto is spoken to, so it must be “her”.
Option 3: The bank manager advised to Mrs Pinto never to share her OTP with anyone. — Incorrect. “Advised to Mrs Pinto” is wrong. “Advised” takes the person straight after it: “advised Mrs Pinto”.
Option 4: The bank manager advised Mrs Pinto that never share her OTP with anyone. — Incorrect. “That never share” has no subject. After “advised” + person, the advice takes “to” + verb.