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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- A. He said that I need some money.
- B. He said that he need some money.
- C. He said that he needed some money.
- D. He said that I needed some money.
Explanation: After “said,” the first-person subject “I” becomes “he,” and “need” backshifts to “needed.” Therefore, option c is the grammatically…
Correct answer: He said that he needed some money.- A. He said that I am studying then.
- B. He said that I was studying then.
- C. He said that he was studying then.
- D. He said that he was studying now.
Explanation: “I am studying” changes to “he was studying” because both the pronoun and the present continuous tense backshift after “said.” “Now”…
Correct answer: He said that he was studying then.- A. may
- B. will
- C. would
- D. shall
- E. none
Explanation: In reported speech, “will” commonly changes to “would” when the reporting verb is in the past, as in “informed.” The sentence therefore…
Correct answer: would- A. Sana said that she will do it now or never.
- B. Sana said that she will now or never do it.
- C. Sana said that she would do it then or never.
- D. Sana said that she would now or never do it.
Explanation: With a past reporting verb, “will” changes to “would,” “I” changes to “she,” and “now” changes to “then.” The correct reported form is…
Correct answer: Sana said that she would do it then or never.- A. He told the Judge that he did not commit the crime.
- B. He told the judge that he had not committed the crime.
- C. He told the judge that he had not committed that crime.
- D. He told the judge that he had not committed this crime.
Explanation: In reported speech, “said to” changes to “told,” the past tense usually backshifts to past perfect, and “this” changes to “that” because…
Correct answer: He told the judge that he had not committed that crime.- A. Sana said that she has already written a letter to her family.
- B. Sana said that she has already been written a letter to her family.
- C. Sana said that she had already written a letter to her family.
- D. Sana said that she had already been written a letter to her family.Everyday Science Quiz
Explanation: Because the reporting verb is in the past, “have written” normally backshifts to “had written”; “I” and “my” also change to “she” and…
Correct answer: Sana said that she had already written a letter to her family.- A. I said to him "Where you will stay ?"
- B. I asked him "Where will you stay?"
- C. I said to him "Where I will stay ?"
- D. I said to him "Where will I stay ?"Navigating Government Agency Resources
Explanation: When indirect speech is changed back to direct speech, “would stay” returns to the future form “will you stay?” The question must also use…
Correct answer: I asked him "Where will you stay?"- A. You said that they had busy the whole day.
- B. You said that they were busy the whole day.
- C. You said that they had been busy the whole day.
- D. You said that they have been busy the whole day.
Explanation: With the past reporting verb “said,” the past continuous “were busy” is backshifted to the past perfect “had been busy.” This preserves…
Correct answer: You said that they had been busy the whole day.- A. whether if he wants to join the course
- B. if he did want to join the course
- C. if he wants to join the course
- D. if he wanted to join the course
Explanation: After a past reporting verb such as “enquired,” the usual sequence-of-tenses rule changes “want” to “wanted”: “I enquired ...
Correct answer: if he wanted to join the course- A. if did he see
- B. if he had seen
- C. could he see
- D. that he had seen
Explanation: An indirect question uses normal statement order, so “if he had seen the keys” is correct.
Correct answer: if he had seen- A. would prefer
- B. prefer
- C. will prefer
- D. had prefered
Explanation: After the past reporting verb “said,” “will” normally changes to “would” in indirect speech.
Correct answer: would prefer32. I said to you,"What a nice scenery!"(Choose the correct indirect narration for the given sentence.)
- A. I exclaimed that it was a nice scenery.
- B. I exclaimed that it is a nice scenery.
- C. I told you that what a nice scenery.
- D. I told you that what was a nice scenery.
Explanation: To make an indirect narration of a sentence with an exclamation mark, change said to exclaimed.In other words, an exclamatory sentence…
Correct answer: I exclaimed that it was a nice scenery.- A. The doctor told to miss the medicine.
- B. The doctor forbade not to miss the medicine.
- C. The doctor asked to miss the medicine.
- D. The doctor forbade to miss the medicine.
Explanation: In reported speech, the verb "said" changes to a suitable reporting verb like "forbade" when expressing a prohibition or order.
Correct answer: The doctor forbade to miss the medicine.- A. The teacher said to us." Do not waste your time"
- B. The teacher asked to us." Do not waste your time"
- C. The teacher said to me." Do not waste your time",
- D. The teacher said to us." Do not waste his time"
Explanation: In reported speech, the reporting verb "advised" is correctly transformed to "said to" when expressing advice.
Correct answer: The teacher said to us." Do not waste your time"- A. He told me if I was interested in.
- B. He asked to me that I was interested in my work.
- C. He asked if I was interested in his book.
- D. He asked If he was interested in my work.
Explanation: In reported speech for a question, the reporting verb "said" changes to "asked." The correct option is: "He asked if I was interested in…
Correct answer: He asked if I was interested in his book.- A. My friend prayed for me that I might live long.
- B. My friend prayed for me that I might lived long.
- C. My friend forbade for me that I might live long.
- D. My friend wishes me that I might live long.
Explanation: The expression "May you live long" is a wish, and in reported speech, it is often transformed into a statement with a verb like "prayed…
Correct answer: My friend prayed for me that I might live long.- A. The nurse forbade me to get off the bed.
- B. The nurse asked me to get off the bed.
- C. The nurse forbade me not to get off the bed.
- D. The nurse advised me to get off the bed.
Explanation: In reported speech, a prohibition is often expressed using verbs like "forbade." The correct option is: "The nurse forbade me to get off…
Correct answer: The nurse forbade me to get off the bed.- A. He asked if I shall remember him.
- B. He advised if I shall remember him.
- C. He asked that I shall remember him.
- D. He asked that if I shall remember him.
Explanation: In reported speech, the reporting verb "said" changes to "asked," and when transforming a question, "will" changes to "shall." The correct…
Correct answer: He asked if I shall remember him.- A. My mother wanted for me that I might pass the examination.
- B. My mother prayed for me that I might pass the examination.
- C. My mother prayed for me that I might passed the examination.
- D. My mother prayed for me that I may pass the examination.
Explanation: The expression "May you pass the examination" is a wish, and in reported speech, it is often transformed into a statement with a verb like…
Correct answer: My mother prayed for me that I might pass the examination.- A. She said." I has a singer."
- B. She said." I am a singer."
- C. She said." I was a singer."
- D. She said, I was been a singer."
Explanation: The correct reported speech transformation for the past perfect tense "had been" is "was." The correct option is: "She said, 'I was a…
Correct answer: She said." I was a singer."