10th class,board examination, English grammar-practice of Indirect speech into Direct speech.
10th Class · English Grammar · Board Exam 2026
Each question carries 1 mark. No negative marking. Choose the correct Direct Speech form of the given Indirect Speech sentence.
Statement — Simple Past → Simple Present
Indirect: Ravi said that he was very tired after the long journey.
Q1. Choose the correct Direct Speech:
(A) Ravi said, "I am very tired after the long journey."
(B) Ravi said, "He was very tired after the long journey."
(C) Ravi said, "I will be very tired after the long journey."
(D) Ravi said, "I have been very tired after the long journey."
Statement — Past Perfect → Simple Past
Indirect: She said that she had finished her homework before dinner.
Q2. Choose the correct Direct Speech:
(A) She said, "I finish my homework before dinner."
(B) She said, "I had finished my homework before dinner."
(C) She said, "I finished my homework before dinner."
(D) She said, "I will finish my homework before dinner."
Statement — Would → Will
Indirect: The teacher said that she would return the answer sheets the next day.
Q3. Choose the correct Direct Speech:
(A) The teacher said, "I will return the answer sheets tomorrow."
(B) The teacher said, "I would return the answer sheets tomorrow."
(C) The teacher said, "She will return the answer sheets the next day."
(D) The teacher said, "I returned the answer sheets tomorrow."
Yes/No Question
Indirect: The doctor asked the patient if he was taking the medicines regularly.
Q4. Choose the correct Direct Speech:
(A) The doctor said to the patient, "Are you taking the medicines regularly?"
(B) The doctor said to the patient, "Were you taking the medicines regularly?"
(C) The doctor said to the patient, "Is he taking the medicines regularly?"
(D) The doctor said to the patient, "Did you take the medicines regularly?"
Wh- Question
Indirect: The officer asked the candidate where he had studied his graduation.
Q5. Choose the correct Direct Speech:
(A) The officer said to the candidate, "Where did you study your graduation?"
(B) The officer said to the candidate, "Where had you studied your graduation?"
(C) The officer said to the candidate, "Where he had studied his graduation?"
(D) The officer said to the candidate, "Where does he study his graduation?"
Command / Order
Indirect: The captain ordered the soldiers to march forward without any delay.
Q6. Choose the correct Direct Speech:
(A) The captain said to the soldiers, "Marching forward without any delay."
(B) The captain said to the soldiers, "March forward without any delay."
(C) The captain said to the soldiers, "You must march forward without delay."
(D) The captain said to the soldiers, "Marched forward without any delay."
Request
Indirect: The old man requested the boy to help him cross the road.
Q7. Choose the correct Direct Speech:
(A) The old man said to the boy, "Help me cross the road."
(B) The old man said to the boy, "You help me cross the road."
(C) The old man said to the boy, "Please help me cross the road."
(D) The old man said to the boy, "Would you help me cross the road?"
Exclamation
Indirect: The crowd exclaimed with joy that India had won the World Cup.
Q8. Choose the correct Direct Speech:
(A) The crowd said, "India had won the World Cup."
(B) The crowd said, "Hurrah! India has won the World Cup!"
(C) The crowd said, "Alas! India has won the World Cup!"
(D) The crowd said, "India wins the World Cup!"
Statement — Could → Can
Indirect: Meena told her friend that she could not attend the function that evening.
Q9. Choose the correct Direct Speech:
(A) Meena said to her friend, "I cannot attend the function this evening."
(B) Meena said to her friend, "I could not attend the function that evening."
(C) Meena said to her friend, "She cannot attend the function this evening."
(D) Meena said to her friend, "I would not attend the function this evening."
Universal Truth / Habitual Fact
Indirect: The science teacher told the students that the earth revolves around the sun.
Q10. Choose the correct Direct Speech:
(A) The science teacher said to the students, "The earth revolved around the sun."
(B) The science teacher said to the students, "The earth had revolved around the sun."
(C) The science teacher said to the students, "The earth revolves around the sun."
(D) The science teacher said to the students, "The earth will revolve around the sun."
✅ Answers with Explanation
| Q | Answer | Rule / Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (A) "I am very tired…" | Tense reversal: "was" (Simple Past) → "am" (Simple Present). Pronoun change: "he" → "I" (Ravi himself speaks). "that" is removed and inverted commas are added. |
| 2 | (C) "I finished…" | Tense reversal: "had finished" (Past Perfect) → "finished" (Simple Past). Pronoun: "she" → "I". Past Perfect in indirect becomes Simple Past in direct. |
| 3 | (A) "I will return… tomorrow." | Tense reversal: "would" → "will". Time word: "the next day" → "tomorrow". Pronoun: "she" → "I". "would" in indirect always becomes "will" in direct speech. |
| 4 | (A) "Are you taking…?" | Yes/No Question: "asked…if" → question mark, inverted commas added. Tense reversal: "was taking" → "are taking". Pronoun: "he" → "you". Reporting verb "asked" → "said to". |
| 5 | (A) "Where did you study…?" | Wh- Question: "asked…where" → question mark added, "where" begins the direct question. Tense reversal: "had studied" → "did study" (Simple Past with question structure). Pronoun: "he" → "you". Normal question word order restored. |
| 6 | (B) "March forward…" | Command / Order: "ordered…to march" → imperative form (base verb) in direct speech. Remove "to" and start with the verb. "ordered" → "said to". No subject in the direct speech — imperative sentence starts with "March". |
| 7 | (C) "Please help me…" | Request: "requested…to help" → "Please + base verb" in direct speech. Requests use "please" in direct form. "requested" → "said to". Pronoun "him" → "me". |
| 8 | (B) "Hurrah! India has won…!" | Exclamation of joy: "exclaimed with joy" → interjection "Hurrah!" in direct speech. Tense reversal: "had won" → "has won". Exclamation mark used. (Alas = sorrow; Hurrah = joy.) |
| 9 | (A) "I cannot attend… this evening." | Tense reversal: "could not" → "cannot" (can not). Pronoun: "she" → "I". Time word: "that evening" → "this evening". Reporting verb "told" → "said to". |
| 10 | (C) "The earth revolves…" | Universal Truth / Scientific fact: Tense does NOT change. The earth revolving around the sun is a permanent fact → remains in Simple Present even in direct speech. "revolves" stays "revolves". |
📌 Indirect → Direct Speech: Key Rules at a Glance
| Type | Indirect → Direct Change | Direct Reporting Verb |
|---|---|---|
| Statement | Remove "that" · Reverse tense · Change pronouns · Add inverted commas | said / said to |
| Yes/No Question | Remove "if/whether" · Restore question form · Add "?" | said to … (asked removed) |
| Wh- Question | Keep Wh-word · Restore question word order · Add "?" | said to … (asked removed) |
| Command / Order | Remove "to" · Use base verb (imperative) | said to |
| Request | Add "Please" before base verb | said to |
| Exclamation | Add Hurrah! (joy) / Alas! (sorrow) / Oh! · Add "!" | said / cried |
| Universal Truth | Tense does NOT change — stays Simple Present | said to |
🧠 Tense Reversal Table: was/were → am/is/are · had + V3 → V2 (Simple Past) · would → will · could → can · might → may · should → shall · Time: that day → today · the next day → tomorrow · then → now · there → here
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