Question

He says to me, "You are my friend."
(Choose the correct indirect narration)

• A. He tells me that I am his friend.
• B. He telling me that I will be his friend.
• C. He told me I am friend of his.
• D. He will tell me that I will be his friend.

Hint:

The tense of the reporting verb is the most crucial factor. If it's in the present tense (e.g., \textit{he says}) or future tense (e.g., \textit{he will say}), do not change the tense of the reported speech. Tense backshifting only occurs when the reporting verb is in the past tense (e.g., \textit{he said}).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question tests the conversion of a sentence from Direct Speech to Indirect (or Reported) Speech. This involves changing the reporting verb, pronouns, and tense of the reported speech according to rules.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
1. Reporting Verb: If the reporting verb (e.g., 'say', 'tell') is in the present or future tense, the tense of the reported speech does not change. 2. Conjunction: The inverted commas are removed, and the conjunction 'that' is usually added. 3. Pronoun Change: Pronouns inside the inverted commas change according to the subject and object of the reporting verb. (SON rule: S=Subject→1st person, O=Object→2nd person, N=No change→3rd person).
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
1. Analyze the Reporting Verb: The reporting verb is "says," which is in the simple present tense. Therefore, the tense of the reported speech ("are") will not change.
2. Change the Reporting Verb: "says to" changes to "tells". So, "He says to me" becomes "He tells me".
3. Change the Pronouns:
- "You" is a second-person pronoun. It will change according to the object of the reporting verb, which is "me". So, "You" becomes "I".
- "my" is a first-person possessive pronoun. It will change according to the subject of the reporting verb, which is "He". So, "my" becomes "his".
4. Change the Verb Tense: Since the reporting verb is in the present tense, the verb "are" changes to match the new subject "I". The correct form is "am".
5. Construct the Indirect Sentence: Combining these changes, we get: "He tells me that I am his friend."
Step 4: Final Answer:
The correct indirect narration is (A) "He tells me that I am his friend.".