An Approach To English Grammar ।। Lesson XV : Reported Speech (Narration) Page No. 218

Page No. 226

EXERCISE

1. Change the following sentences into indirect speech

(a) He said, "I am 15 years old."

Ans: He said that he was 15 years old.

(b) She said, "I will be 16 years old tomorrow."

Ans: She said that she would be 16 years old the next day.

(c) Beena said to me, "I will go to Dibrugarh tomorrow.

Ans: Beena told me that he would go to Dibrugarh the next day.

(d) I said to Beena, "My brother will come to see me here."

Ans: I told Beena that my brother would go to see me there.

(e) The teacher said, "The Dikhow is a tributary of the Brahmaputra."

Ans: The teacher mentioned that the Dikhow is a tributary of the Brahmaputra.

(f) I said to the boy, "Milk is white."

Ans: I told the boy that milk is white.

(g) The old man said, "God helps those who help themselves."

Ans: The old man stated that God helps those who help themselves.

(h) He said to me, "I always go to bed at 10 o'clock."

Ans: He informed me that he always goes to bed at 10 o'clock.

(i) Reena will say, "I cannot tell a lie."

Ans: Reena will say that she cannot tell a lie.

(j) My brother said to me, "I lost my pen yesterday."

Ans: My brother told me that he had lost his pen the day before.

(k) "Last night I dreamt a strange dream", she said to me.

Ans: She told me that the previous night she had dreamt a strange dream.

(l) Dilip is saying to his mother. "I liked the picture very much."

Ans: Dilip is telling his mother that he liked the picture very much.

(m) The doctor said to me, "These medicines are needed urgently and you must buy  them now."

Ans: The doctor told me that the medicines were needed urgently and that I must buy them now.

(n) I said to him, "I will go to Mumbai next year."

Ans: I told him that I would go to Mumbai the following year.

(o) I said to him, "I visited Mumbai last year."

Ans: I told him that I had visited Mumbai the previous year.

(p) Dipak said to me, "I am looking at you and you are looking at me."

Ans: Dipak told me that he was looking at me and I was looking at him.

(q) The teacher said to the students, "Gold is the most valuable of all metals."

Ans: The teacher told the students that gold is the most valuable of all metals.

(r) I said to my sister, "You should not be so careless."

Ans: I told my sister that she should not be so careless.

(s) "I am not going home next week," Arun said to me.

Ans: Arun told me that he was not going home the following week.

(t) Geeta said to me, "The old man died a year ago."

Ans: Geeta informed me that the old man had died a year ago.

(u) He said to his friend, "If it rains this afternoon, I will not play."

Ans: He told his friend that if it rained that afternoon, he would not play.

(v) He said to me, "I have been working on this problem for two hours, but I have not been able to solve it."

Ans: He told me that he had been working on the problem for two hours but had not been able to solve it.

(w) The teacher said, "Tomorrow is a holiday.'

Ans: The teacher said that the next day would be a holiday.

(x) The villagers said, "We saw a tiger here yesterday but we don't see it now."

Ans: The villagers said that they had seen a tiger there the day before, but they did not see it then.

(y) The Head Master said, "The final examination will begin tomorrow morning."

Ans: The Head Master announced that the final examination would begin the next morning.

(z) He said, "I arrived here yesterday and I will leave tomorrow."

Ans: He told that he had arrived there the day before and would leave the following day.

Page No. 229

EXERCISE

Translate the following sentences into English using both direct and indirect forms of speech:

(a) মানুহে কয়, "সত্যৰ সদায় জয়।"

Ans: People say, "Truth always triumphs."

(b) তেওঁ কৈছে, "মই কাইলৈ ছিলঙলৈ যাম।"

Ans: He says, "I am going to Shillong tomorrow.

(c) ৰীণাই কৈছিল, “মই যোৱা বছৰ চেন্নাইলৈ গৈছিলোঁ।"

Ans: Reena said, “I went to Chennai last year.”

(d) মিনুৱে ক'লে, "এই কিতাপখন মোেৰ।"

Ans: Minu said, "This book is mine.

(e) মই কৈছিলোঁ, "যোৱা ৰাতি মই এটা সপোন দেখিছিলোঁ।"

Ans: I said, "I had a dream last night."

(f) যদুৱে ক'লে, “মই এতিয়া খুব ব্যস্ত।”

Ans: Yadu said, “I am very busy now.”

(g) তাই কৈছিল, “মোৰ নতুন কলমটো হেৰাল।"

Ans:  She said, "I lost my new pen."

(h) মই তেওঁক কম, "মই আজি ফুৰিবলৈ নাযাওঁ।”

Ans: I will tell him, "I am not going for a walk today."

(i) তাই ক'লে, "গীতাৰ আজি গা ভাল নহয়।"

Ans: She said, "Gita is not well today."

(j) মই আপোনাক কৈছিলোঁ, "কাইলৈ মই আপোনালোকৰ ঘৰলৈ যাম।

Ans: I told you, "Tomorrow I will go to your house."

(k) তেওঁ কৈছিল, "ডাঃ দত্ত এতিয়া ঘৰত নাই।"

Ans: He said, "Dr. Dutt is not at home now."

(l) মই ভণ্টিক কৈছিলোঁ, "অক্সফোর্ড বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় ইংলেণ্ডত।"

Ans: I told my sister, "The University of Oxford is in England."

(m) শিক্ষকে কৈছিল, "অসমৰ পুৰণি নাম কামৰূপ।"

Ans: The teacher said, "The old name of Assam is Kamrup."

(n) মই তেওঁক কৈছিলোঁ, "তেতিয়া মই এখন কিতাপ পঢ়ি আছিলোঁ।"

Ans: I told him, "I was reading a book then."

(o) তেওঁ মোক কৈছিল, “মই ভালেমান দিন চিনেমা চোৱা নাই।"

Ans: He told me, "I haven't seen a movie in a long time."

(p) মায়ে মোক কৈছিল, "আবেলি বজাৰলৈ যাম।"

Ans: My mother told me, "I will go to the market in the evening.”

Page No. 236

EXERCISE

1. Report the following in indirect speech :

(a) "Don't tell a lie," said the father to the son.

Ans: The father advised the son not to tell lie.

(b) My friends said to me, "Let's go out for a walk."

Ans: My friends suggested to me that we should go out for a walk.

(c) "Brothers and sisters, stand together if you want to defend the country," said the Prime Minister.

Ans: The Prime Minister urged brothers and sisters to stand together if they wanted to defend the country.

(d) The shoemaker said to me. "If you come tomorrow I will repair your shoes"

Ans: The shoemaker informed me that if I came the next day, he would repair my shoes.

(e) Mother said to me, "May God bless you."

Ans: Mother wished that God might bless me.

(f) The girl said, "What a beautiful scene it is!"

Ans: The girl exclaimed that it was a beautiful scene.

(g) The beggar said to me, "Please give me something to eat. I am very hungry."

Ans: The beggar requested me to give him something to eat as he was very hungry.

(h) "Go and buy a ticket for me," said the mother to her son.

Ans: The mother instructed her son to go and buy a ticket for her.

(i) The teacher said to the students, "Please take down what I say."

Ans: The teacher requested the students to take down what she said.

(1) The players said, "Hurrah! We have won the game."

Ans: The players exclaimed with joy that they had won the game.

2. Turn the following direct questions into indirect ones:

(a) The stranger is saying to Rajen, "Where is the post office?"

Ans: The stranger is asking Rajen where the post office is.

(b) "Could you lend me some money?" he said to his uncle.

Ans: He asked his uncle if he could lend him some money.

(c) "Don't you know how to talk to your elders?" said the angry father to his son.

Ans: The angry father asked his son if he didn't know how to talk to his elders.

(d) Jadu said to his friend, "Can I borrow your pen?"

Ans: Jadu asked his friend if he could borrow his pen.

(e) Mother said to me, "When is the doctor coming?"

Ans: Mother asked me when the doctor was coming.

(f) "Is this the shortest way to the station?" asked the stranger to the passerby.

Ans: The stranger asked the passerby if this was the shortest way to the station.

(g) He said to me, "May I do anything for you?"

Ans: He asked me if he could do anything for me.

(h) "Why are you so angry?" asked my friend.

Ans: My friend asked why I was so angry.

(i) "What is the name of the place?" said the newcomer to me.

Ans: The newcomer asked me what the name of the place was.

(j) He said to me, "Have you any money now?"

Ans: He asked me if I had any money now.