Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
Kriti said to her roommates, “Let us not order pizza again this week.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Kriti suggested to her roommates that they should not order pizza again that week.
Changing a “Let us not” sentence into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to her roommates | suggested to her roommates | “Let us not” puts forward a plan for the whole group. So “said to” becomes “suggested to”. |
| Joining word | “ ” (quotation marks) | that | “That” joins the suggestion. |
| Let us → they should | Let us not order | they should not order | “Us” means Kriti and her roommates together, so it becomes “they”. “Let us not” is reported with “should not” + verb. |
| Time word | this week | that week | The words are reported later, so “this week” becomes “that week”. |
| Full sentence | Kriti said to her roommates, “Let us not order pizza again this week.” | Kriti suggested to her roommates that they should not order pizza again that week. |
“Let us” without “not” becomes “should” + verb. Example: Nikhil said to his cousins, “Let us fly kites on the terrace.” → Nikhil suggested to his cousins that they should fly kites on the terrace.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Kriti suggested to her roommates that they did not order pizza again that week. — Incorrect. “They did not order” reports something that already happened. A suggestion needs “should not” + verb.
Option 2: Kriti suggested her roommates that they should not order pizza again that week. — Incorrect. “Suggest” needs “to” before the person: “suggested to her roommates”.
Option 4: Kriti suggested to her roommates that let us not order pizza again that week. — Incorrect. “Let us not” is kept as in the spoken words. In the report it becomes “they should not”.