Question

Rewrite the following sentence by changing into indirect speech:
The teacher said to me, "Your duty is to take care of your parents."

Hint:

When converting direct speech to indirect speech, always adjust pronouns and reporting verbs correctly, and remember that universal truths or duties retain the same tense.

Answer 1

Step 1: Identify the reporting verb.
The reporting verb is "said to," which should be changed to "told" in indirect speech for correctness.
Step 2: Change the pronouns.
In direct speech, "your" refers to me (the listener). Therefore, "your" changes to "my" in indirect speech.
Step 3: Check the tense of the reported speech.
The reported speech is in the present tense ("is to take care"), and since the reporting verb is in the past, the tense remains the same because it is a universal truth/duty.
Final Answer:
The teacher told me that my duty is to take care of my parents.