Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct speech.

He said that he might change that format.

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

SSC Selection Post 2024 (Matriculation Level) Official Paper (Held On: 25 Jun, 2024 Shift 1)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Option 2.

Key Points

Indirect Speech: He said that he might change that format.
Key Conversions:
- "he might change" becomes "I may change"
  - Pronoun "he" is changed to "I" to match direct speech pronoun change.
  - Verb "might" is changed to "may", reflecting the potentiality in direct speech.
- "that format" becomes "this format"
  - The demonstrative pronoun "that" is converted to "this" to match the immediacy of direct speech.
- Reporting verb:
  - Indirect: "He said that"
  - Converted to: "He said," maintaining the reporting structure.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Additional Information

Option 1: "He told, “He may change that format”."
- The verb "told" is incorrectly used here; "said" should be used instead. Also, "told" typically requires an object.
- The pronoun “he” should switch to “I” to correctly reflect direct speech.
Option 3: "He said, “I will change that format”."
- The verb "will change" incorrectly changes the meaning from a potential future action to a definite future action.
Option 4: "He says, “He might change that format”."
- The reporting verb "says" incorrectly uses the present tense instead of the past tense "said".
- The pronoun “he” should switch to “I” to reflect the direct speech accurately.