Choose the correct reported construction of the given sentence:
It surprised us that he said, “I won't do it.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → It surprised us that he said that he would not do it.
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| It surprised us that he said, "I won't do it." | It surprised us that he said that he would not do it. |
Reported statement:
- Reporting verb: "said" stays; a statement is joined with that, and the inverted commas are dropped. The opening "It surprised us" stays as it is.
- Tense change: the reporting verb is in the past, so "won't" (will not) changes to would not.
- Pronoun changes: "I" is the speaker himself, so it becomes he; "it" stays.
- Words of nearness (time and place): the sentence has none (no now, here, this or today).
Example: She said, "I will help you." → She said that she would help me.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: We were surprised that he said he will not do it. — Incorrect. After the past reporting verb "said", "will" must change to "would"; the tense has not been changed.
Option 3: He exclaimed with a surprise that he will not do it. — Incorrect.
- It changes the meaning: it was we who were surprised, not he, and he did not exclaim.
- "Will" is not changed to "would", and "with a surprise" is not idiomatic.
Option 4: We looked with a surprise when he said he won't do it. — Incorrect.
- "Looked with a surprise" is not English and adds an action that is not in the original.
- It keeps "won't" from the direct speech instead of "would not".
Contrast: after a past reporting verb, "will" becomes "would", and "I" becomes the pronoun for the speaker ("he").