Question

Choose the correct indirect speech for:
He said, "I will help you tomorrow."

• A. He said that he will help me tomorrow.
• B. He said that he would help me the next day.
• C. He told that he would help you the next day.
• D. He told me that he will help me tomorrow.

Hint:

• Key changes in indirect speech: pronouns, verb tenses (backshift), and adverbs of time/place.
• "Said to [object]" often becomes "told [object]". "Said" can be used without an object.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

To transform direct speech into indirect speech, adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Reporting Verb: The reporting verb "said" is retained as is because no object is present.
2. Pronoun Adjustment: Pronouns are modified based on the speaker and listener. "I" shifts to "he," and "you" shifts to "me."
3. Tense Shift: The future tense "will help" is converted to "would help," following the established rules for tense backshifting in reported speech.
4. Time Reference Adjustment: The temporal expression "Tomorrow" is replaced with "the next day" to accurately represent the shift in time.

Consequently, the accurate indirect speech construction is He said that he would help me the next day.