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Zorluk: KolayDirect and Indirect (Reported) Speech

Consider the direct speech sentence: "I am writing my final examination today," the candidate told her mother. Which of the following options accurately converts this sentence into indirect speech?

  1. The candidate told her mother that she was writing her final examination that day.Cevap
  2. B
    The candidate told her mother that she is writing her final examination today.
  3. C
    The candidate told her mother that she was writing her final examination today.
  4. D
    The candidate told her mother that she writes her final examination that day.

Cevap

The candidate told her mother that she was writing her final examination that day.
The direct speech uses a past reporting verb ('told'), which necessitates backshifting the present continuous verb ('am writing') into past continuous ('was writing'), updating the first-person pronoun ('I') to third-person ('she'), and converting the time word ('today') to ('that day').

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Identify the reporting verb and tense
The reporting verb 'told' is in the past tense, requiring backshift of tenses and adjustment of time adverbs in the reported clause.
When the reporting verb is in the past tense, verbs in the direct quote shift one step into the past.
2
Backshift the verb tense and pronouns
'I am writing' changes to 'she was writing'.
First-person pronoun 'I' changes to third-person 'she' to match the speaker, and present continuous 'am writing' shifts to past continuous 'was writing'.
3
Adjust temporal adverbials
'today' changes to 'that day'.
Time expressions indicating present time in direct speech shift to corresponding past/distant time expressions in reported speech.

Anahtar Kavram

Backshifting tenses and modifying temporal adverbials in reported speech
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Konular

Direct and Indirect (Reported) Speech

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