Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumDirect and Indirect (Reported) Speech

Direct Speech: "I have delivered the diplomatic dispatch to the minister today," the envoy stated.

Reported Speech: The envoy stated that he {{blank_1}} the diplomatic dispatch to the minister {{blank_2}}.

Which word forms correctly complete the reported speech clause above?

Answer:The envoy stated that he 【had delivered】 the diplomatic dispatch to the minister 【that day】.

Answer

The blanks should be filled with 'had delivered' for the first blank and 'that day' for the second blank.
When converting direct speech to indirect speech with a past-tense reporting verb ('stated'), the present perfect verb 'have delivered' backshifts to the past perfect 'had delivered', and the time adverb 'today' shifts to 'that day'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the tense of the reporting verb in the direct speech context.
The main reporting verb 'stated' is in the past tense, requiring all verbs within the reported clause to undergo backshift.
Past-tense reporting verbs mandate tense backshifting for reported speech in formal English grammar.
2
Apply backshift rules to the verb phrase 'have delivered'.
The present perfect construction 'have delivered' shifts back to the past perfect form 'had delivered'.
Present perfect tense in direct speech changes to past perfect tense in indirect speech.
3
Convert the temporal adverbial 'today'.
'Today' changes to 'that day'.
Adverbs of time referencing the current day must shift to indicate the reported context relative to the time of speaking.

Key Concept

Direct and Indirect (Reported) Speech Transformation
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Direct and Indirect (Reported) Speech

More questions from this topic