Question 1

The teacher told the students that they (A) must submit / (B) had to submit / (C) have to submit / (D) would have to submit their assignments on time. Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb, modal verbs must also undergo backshift. 'Must' becomes 'had to' (or 'would have to') to reflect the past context. Since the reporting verb is 'told' (past), the modal must shift accordingly.

Question 2

The manager told his team that they (A) have worked / (B) had worked / (C) are working / (D) were working hard and would receive a bonus. Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('told'), a statement about a completed action in the past must use past perfect ('had worked'). The context suggests an action completed before the moment of speaking, requiring past perfect in indirect form.

Question 3

She said that she (A) doesn't like / (B) didn't like / (C) hasn't liked / (D) wouldn't like coffee. Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('said'), a statement about a habitual dislike or general preference must shift from present to past tense. 'Didn't like' is the correct past tense form for reported speech.

Question 4

Choose the correct indirect speech of the sentence: She said, 'I am very tired today.'

Accepted Answer

When converting from Direct to Indirect Speech, 'said' without an object remains 'said'. The pronoun 'I' changes to 'she' to match the subject. The tense shifts from Simple Present ('am') to Simple Past ('was'). The word 'today' changes to 'that day'. Therefore, the correct indirect speech is: 'She said that she was very tired that day.'

Question 5

She said that she (A) has completed / (B) had completed / (C) will complete / (D) completes the project by the deadline. Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

In reported speech (indirect speech), when the reporting verb is in past tense ('said'), the reported clause must shift to a past tense form. Since the original statement was about a completed action ('I have completed'), it becomes past perfect ('had completed') in indirect speech.

Question 6

He asked me whether I (A) will attend / (B) would attend / (C) am attending / (D) have attended the meeting tomorrow. Choose the correct option.

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('asked'), when referring to a future action, the modal must shift from 'will' to 'would'. The word 'tomorrow' indicates a future time relative to the past moment of asking.

Question 7

Choose the correct indirect speech for the sentence: He said, "I am working hard to pass the examination."

Accepted Answer

When converting present continuous tense ('am working') into indirect speech, it changes to past continuous ('was working'). The reporting verb 'said' has no reporting object, so 'said that' is used. The pronoun 'I' changes to 'he' to match the subject of the reporting clause. 'The examination' remains unchanged as it is a specific noun.

Question 8

He told me that he (A) will go / (B) would go / (C) goes / (D) has gone to the market tomorrow. No error

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('told'), a future action expressed in direct speech ('I will go') must be converted to conditional form ('would go') to maintain consistency in reported speech.

Question 9

She said, "I am writing a letter." In indirect speech, this becomes: (A) She said that she is writing a letter. / (B) She said that she was writing a letter. / (C) She said that she has written a letter. / (D) She said that she writes a letter.

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('said'), the present continuous 'am writing' must shift to past continuous 'was writing'. This maintains the sense of an ongoing action at the time of speaking while respecting the tense-backshift rule.

Question 10

The teacher asked the students, "Have you finished your homework?" When converted to indirect speech, this becomes: (A) The teacher asked the students if they have finished their homework. / (B) The teacher asked the students if they had finished their homework. / (C) The teacher asked the students whether they finished their homework. / (D) The teacher asked the students if they will finish their homework.

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech, a yes/no question introduced by 'asked' requires 'if' or 'whether', and the tense must shift backward. The present perfect 'have finished' becomes past perfect 'had finished' because the reporting verb 'asked' is in past tense.

Question 11

Direct: "I will meet you tomorrow," he said. Indirect: (A) He said that he will meet me tomorrow. / (B) He said that he would meet me the next day. / (C) He said that he would meet you the next day. / (D) He said that he will meet you tomorrow.

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech, the future tense 'will' becomes 'would' (tense backshift), the pronoun 'I' becomes 'me' (pronoun shift from speaker's to listener's perspective), and the time reference 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day' (time shift). Option B correctly applies all three rules.

Question 12

Direct: "Can you help me?" she asked. Indirect: (A) She asked if I can help her. / (B) She asked if I could help her. / (C) She asked whether I can help her. / (D) She asked if you could help me.

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech, the modal 'can' becomes 'could' (tense backshift), and pronouns shift: 'you' (addressing the listener) becomes 'I' (from the listener's perspective), and 'me' becomes 'her' (the speaker becomes the object). Option B applies all rules correctly.

Question 13

She said that she (A) has completed / (B) had completed / (C) will complete / (D) completes the project by the deadline. No error

Accepted Answer

In reported speech (indirect speech), when the reporting verb is in past tense ('said'), the reported clause must shift to a past tense form. Since the original statement was 'I have completed the project,' it becomes 'had completed' in indirect speech to maintain tense consistency.

Question 14

The teacher asked the students whether they (A) have finished / (B) had finished / (C) are finishing / (D) finish their homework. No error

Accepted Answer

In indirect interrogative speech, when the reporting verb is in past tense ('asked'), the reported clause must undergo tense backshift. The original question was 'Have you finished?' which becomes 'had finished' in indirect form.

Question 15

She said that she (A) is / (B) was / (C) has been / (D) had been living in Delhi for five years. No error

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('said'), a present continuous action expressed in direct speech ('I am living') must be converted to past continuous ('was living') to maintain tense consistency.

Question 16

The manager said that the employees (A) have not submitted / (B) had not submitted / (C) do not submit / (D) will not submit their reports on time. No error

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('said'), a negative present perfect action expressed in direct speech ('have not submitted') must be converted to past perfect negative ('had not submitted') to maintain tense consistency.

Question 17

The manager said that (A) he would complete the project (B) by next Friday and that (C) all the team members are informed of the deadline. (D) No error

Accepted Answer

The error lies in part (C). When converting direct speech to indirect speech, tense consistency must be maintained. Since the main clause uses past tense ('said'), the subordinate clause should also follow the backshift rule. 'are informed' (present tense) should be changed to 'had been informed' (past perfect) to maintain consistency with the reporting verb 'said'. The phrase 'all the team members are informed' breaks the rule of tense backshift in indirect speech. Parts (A) and (B) are correct because the conditional structure 'would complete' properly reflects the future action reported in past time. Part (D) is not the answer because an error exists.

Question 18

The teacher said that the students (A) have completed / (B) had completed / (C) completed / (D) were completing their assignments before the deadline. No error / (E)

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech, when the reporting verb is in past tense ('said'), the reported clause must shift to a past tense form. Since the action (completing assignments) happened before the reporting moment, past perfect ('had completed') is required to show the sequence of past events.

Question 19

The manager instructed that all employees (A) must submit / (B) should submit / (C) would submit / (D) had submitted their reports by Friday. No error / (E)

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech expressing a command or instruction, the modal 'must' in direct speech becomes 'should' in indirect speech. This maintains the imperative force while following the rules of reported speech.

Question 20

She asked him whether he (A) will attend / (B) would attend / (C) attends / (D) has attended the conference that was scheduled for next month. No error / (E)

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('asked'), a future action must be expressed using conditional 'would' rather than simple future 'will'. The phrase 'next month' (relative to the past reporting moment) requires 'would attend' to maintain tense consistency.

Question 21

The witness stated that the accused (A) has confessed / (B) had confessed / (C) confesses / (D) would confess to the crime when the police interrogated him. No error / (E)

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech, when the reporting verb is past ('stated') and the reported action occurred before the interrogation (which itself is in the past), past perfect ('had confessed') is required to establish the correct sequence of past events.

Question 22

She said that she (A) has completed / (B) had completed / (C) will complete / (D) completes the project before he arrived. No error

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech, when the reporting verb is in past tense ('said'), the reported clause must shift to a past tense form. Since the action (completing the project) happened before another past action (his arrival), past perfect ('had completed') is required.

Question 23

He told me that he (A) would have finished / (B) will finish / (C) would finish / (D) has finished the work by the time I arrived. No error

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb, when the reported clause refers to an action that would be completed before another past event, the conditional perfect ('would have finished') is required to show the sequence of past events.

Question 24

She remarked that she (A) would rather go / (B) would rather have gone / (C) would rather went / (D) would rather to go to the cinema if she had more time. No error

Accepted Answer

The phrase 'would rather' in indirect speech requires the base form of the verb ('go'), not the infinitive with 'to' or other forms. The structure 'would rather + base verb' is fixed and does not change in indirect speech.

Question 25

He told me that he (A) has been working / (B) had been working / (C) is working / (D) was working in that company for ten years. No error / (E)

Accepted Answer

In indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('told'), a present perfect continuous action becomes past perfect continuous. The phrase 'for ten years' indicates a duration extending from a past point, requiring 'had been working' to show the continuous nature of the action in the past.

SSC CHSL Direct & Indirect Speech

SSC CHSL Direct & Indirect Speech — Past Exam Questions

Direct & Indirect Speech— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

Exam-Specific Tips

60-Second Revision — Direct & Indirect Speech