Choose the most appropriate reported construction for the given sentence:
“I will buy the flowers myself.” said Mrs. Kapoor
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Mrs. Kapoor said that she would buy the flowers herself.
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| “I will buy the flowers myself.” said Mrs. Kapoor | Mrs. Kapoor said that she would buy the flowers herself. |
Statement in indirect speech:
- Reporting verb: "said" stays, and the statement is joined with that; the quotation marks go.
- Tense change: the reporting verb is in the past, so will becomes would.
- Pronoun changes: "I" → she and "myself" → herself, as the speaker is Mrs. Kapoor.
Example: He said, "I will call you." → He said that he would call me.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Mrs. Kapoor said that she bought the flowers herself. — Incorrect. "Will buy" has become "bought", the simple past; this turns a promise about the future into a finished act. Reported speech needs "would buy".
Option 2: Mrs. Kapoor said will she buy the flowers herself. — Incorrect.
- It keeps "will" instead of "would".
- It puts the verb before the subject ("will she"), the word order of a question, and leaves out "that"; the original is a statement.
Option 4: Mrs. Kapoor told herself to buy the flowers. — Incorrect. It changes the meaning: Mrs. Kapoor said that she would buy the flowers; she did not give herself an order. A statement is not reported as a command with "told ... to".