Choose the indirect form of the following statement from the given options:
Mohan said to his sister,"Do not tell a lie."
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Mohan advised his sister not to tell a lie.
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| Mohan said to his sister, "Do not tell a lie." | Mohan advised his sister not to tell a lie. |
Imperative sentence in indirect speech:
- Reporting verb: a command, request or piece of advice is reported with a verb that shows its force: told / ordered (command), requested (request), advised (advice). Mohan is giving his sister moral advice, so "said to" becomes advised.
- Verb change: the negative imperative "Do not + verb" becomes not to + verb, and "do" is dropped: "Do not tell" → not to tell.
- Tense change: none; an imperative has no tense of its own, so nothing moves back.
- Pronoun changes: none are needed; "his sister" stays as the object of the reporting verb and the quotation marks go.
Example: The doctor said to me, "Do not skip your medicine." → The doctor advised me not to skip my medicine.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Mohan warned his sister for not to tell a lie. — Incorrect. The pattern is "warned + person + not to + verb"; the extra "for" makes the sentence ungrammatical.
Option 3: Mohan asked his sister about telling a lie. — Incorrect. "Asked about" reports a question on a topic; the original is advice, not a question.
Option 4: Mohan questioned his sister about telling a lie. — Incorrect. "Questioned" means interrogated; it suggests she has already lied, which the original does not say.