Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
Mary said to Robert, “Let us leave before it gets dark.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Mary proposed to Robert that they should leave before it got dark.
Changing a "Let us" sentence into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to Robert | proposed to Robert | "Let us" puts forward a plan for both of them. So "said to" becomes "proposed to". Propose means suggest. |
| Joining word | " " (quotation marks) | that | "That" joins the suggestion. |
| Let us → they should | Let us leave | they should leave | "Us" means Mary and Robert together, so it becomes "they". A suggestion is reported with "should" + verb. |
| Tense change | gets | got | "Gets" is in the simple present. The simple present is formed with the base form (V1), or V1 + s / es with he, she, it. After the past "said" it becomes the simple past "got". The simple past is formed with the past form of the verb (V2). |
| Full sentence | Mary said to Robert, "Let us leave before it gets dark." | Mary proposed to Robert that they should leave before it got dark. |
"Suggested to" is used in the same way. Example: Arun said to his friends, "Let us play cricket." → Arun suggested to his friends that they should play cricket.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Mary proposed to Robert that they should leave before it gets dark. — Incorrect. "Gets" is still in the present. It should be "got".
Option 3: Mary told Robert that let us leave before it got dark. — Incorrect. "Let us" is kept as in the spoken words. A report changes it to "they should".
Option 4: Mary proposed Robert that they should leave before it got dark. — Incorrect. "Propose" needs "to" before the person: "proposed to Robert".