Select the option that best expresses the sentence in Direct Speech.
She bade her friends goodbye.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → She said, "Goodbye, my friends".
Bade goodbye in direct speech:
| Change | Indirect | Direct | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | bade ... goodbye | said, “Goodbye | “Bade goodbye” (past of bid) reports a farewell. In direct speech it becomes “said”, and the farewell itself goes inside inverted commas as the words actually spoken: “Goodbye”. |
| Pronoun change | her friends | my friends | The persons addressed (her friends) appear in the spoken words: “my friends”. |
| Full sentence | She bade her friends goodbye. | She said, “Goodbye, my friends”. |
Example: He bade us good night. → He said, “Good night, friends.”
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Goodbye, my friends, "She was saying to them" — Incorrect. The inverted commas enclose the reporting words instead of the spoken words, and the tense changes to "was saying".
Option 2: "I am bidding you goodbye", she said to her friends — Incorrect. People do not say "I am bidding you goodbye". The actual words of a farewell are "Goodbye".
Option 4: "I will see you later," she told her friends — Incorrect. "See you later" promises a later meeting. It changes the meaning of a goodbye.