Free Direct and Indirect Speech MCQs with Answers
306 Direct and Indirect Speech MCQs from English, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
Direct speech gives a speaker’s exact words, whereas indirect speech reports the meaning without quotation marks. Questions cover reporting verbs, pronoun changes, tense backshift, time and place expressions, punctuation, and the transformation of questions, commands and requests, including cases where backshift is not required.
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306 questions · page 15 of 16
- A. (A) He said that I were ill.
- B. He said that he was ill.
- C. (C) He said that he is ill.
- D. (D) He said that I are ill,
Explanation: In reported speech, when reporting what someone said in the past, backshifting of verb tenses often occurs.
Correct answer: He said that he was ill.- A. she said that she was ill.
- B. (B) she said that she am ill.
- C. (C) she said that I am ill.
- D. (D) she said that I were ill.
Explanation: When reporting someone's words in the past tense, we usually change the present tense verbs in the reported speech to past tense.
Correct answer: she said that she was ill.- A. (A) She said to him that she was her friend.
- B. She said to him that he was her friend.
- C. (C) She said to him that he was his friend.
- D. (D) She said to him that she had been his friend.
Explanation: Option (B) provides the correct reported speech by correctly changing the pronouns to reflect the viewpoint of the speaker ("she") and the…
Correct answer: She said to him that he was her friend.- A. He told me that he will go.
- B. (B) He told me that he would go.
- C. (C) He told me that he would gone.
- D. (D) He told me that he had gone.
Explanation: The correct option is (B) "He told me that he would go."
Correct answer: (B) He told me that he would go.- A. He exclaimed sadly that he was undone
- B. He exclaimed sadly that he had been undone
- C. He exclaimed sadly that he will be undone
- D. He exclaimed sadly that he is undone
Explanation: He exclaimed sadly that he was undone correctly captures the speaker's exclamation, the sadness conveyed by "Alas!", and uses the past…
Correct answer: He exclaimed sadly that he was undone- A. He enquired where were we going.
- B. He enquired where we were going
- C. He suggested as if we were going
- D. He told where were we going
Explanation: "He enquired where were we going." This option is incorrect because it does not maintain the correct order of the reported speech.
Correct answer: He enquired where we were going287. He asked me _.
- A. How are you?
- B. How was l?
- C. How you are?
- D. How I was.
Explanation: 'How I was' is correct because in talking about something that happened in the past, past tense indicative is used i.e.( I was or…
Correct answer: How I was.288. She asked me _.
- A. Bring a glass of water for her.
- B. To bring a glass of water for me.
- C. To bring a glass of water for her.
- D. None of these.
Explanation: This is the has the most appropriately used vocabulary, hence it is correct.
Correct answer: To bring a glass of water for her.289. He asked me _.
- A. How are you
- B. How was I
- C. How you are
- D. How I was
Explanation: The key to solving these questions is to read this sentence in your head while filling each option in the blank.
Correct answer: How I was- A. He reqµested that let him go
- B. He shouted to let him go
- C. He shouted to them to let him go.
- D. He imported them to let me o.
Explanation: While converting sentences from direct to indirect speech, we must make sure to change all parts of the sentence, including changing the…
Correct answer: He shouted to them to let him go.- A. If he had been me, he would have protested
- B. He advised us to protest
- C. If he were me, he would protest
- D. If he had been I, he would have protested
Explanation: In converting direct speech to reported speech, pronouns and verb tenses must be adjusted.
Correct answer: If he had been me, he would have protested- A. She told him to remember to brush his teeth after dinner.
- B. She reminded him to brush his teeth after dinner.
- C. She advised him to remember to brush his teeth after dinner.
- D. She said to him to remember to brush his teeth after dinner.
Explanation: Indirect Speech = Reported SpeechIndirect speech differs from direct speech in that we DO NOT tell exactly what another person said.
Correct answer: She reminded him to brush his teeth after dinner.- A. I said to him whether he read that letter.
- B. I asked him if could he read this letter.
- C. I told him that he could read that letter.
- D. I asked him if he could read that letter.
Explanation: The correct answer is: I asked him if he could read that letter.When converting direct speech to indirect speech, questions are often…
Correct answer: I asked him if he could read that letter.- A. He said to me that may you succeed in life
- B. He prayed that I might succeed in life.
- C. He prayed that he might succeed in life
- D. He prayed that you may succeed in life
Explanation: The correct answer is Option B: 'He prayed that I might succeed in life.' In indirect speech, 'may' is often changed to 'might' to reflect…
Correct answer: He prayed that I might succeed in life.- A. She told that she had seen him yesterday
- B. She said that she had seen him the day before
- C. She told that she could see him the previous day
- D. She said that she would see him the day before
Explanation: Option (b), "She said that she had seen him the day before," is the correct choice.
Correct answer: She said that she had seen him the day before- A. She wanted to find a whether I have a computer
- B. She wanted to know whether I had a computer
- C. She wanted to know if I could use a computer
- D. She was interested to know about my computer
Explanation: Option (b), "She wanted to know whether I had a computer," is the correct choice.
Correct answer: She wanted to know whether I had a computer- A. He told me that he could visit Spain
- B. He told me that he has visited Spain
- C. He told me that he had been to Spain
- D. He told me that he has been to Spain
Explanation: Option (c), "He told me that he had been to Spain," is the correct choice.
Correct answer: He told me that he had been to Spain- A. He asked me why I had come late
- B. He asked me why I came late
- C. He asked me why I have come late
- D. He told me as to why I had come late
Explanation: Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken.
Correct answer: He asked me why I had come late- A. He prayed that that child may live long
- B. He prayed that that child will live long
- C. He prayed that that child might live long
- D. He said that that child might live long
Explanation: Option (c), "He prayed that that child might live long," is the correct choice.
Correct answer: He prayed that that child might live long- A. He exclaimed that I was very stupid fellow
- B. He told me that you were a stupid fellow
- C. He exclaimed that what a stupid fellow I was
- D. He did tell me that I had been a stupid fellow
Explanation: Option (c), "He exclaimed that what a stupid fellow I was," is the correct choice.
Correct answer: He exclaimed that what a stupid fellow I was