Explanation

• He said that Honesty is the best policy.
• This sentence expresses a universal truth.
• In indirect speech, universal truths do not change tense.
• Only quotation marks are removed and “that” is added.
• The meaning remains exactly the same.

Last verified on 20-04-2026

Explanation

A mother told her son not to play in the sunshine and to sit under the tree shade. 

• Indirect speech reports what someone said without quoting them directly.
• The infinitive form (“not to play,” “to sit”) is used in reported commands or advice.

Explanation

Direct: She says, “She was playing.”

Indirect: She says that she was playing.

The reporting verb “says” is in present tense, so the tense of the reported speech does not change.

The pronoun “she” remains the same (assuming it refers to the same person).

Explanation

Direct Speech:

He said, “Hurrah! we have won the match.”

Correct Indirect Sentence

He exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.

• “Hurrah!” shows joy, so we use “exclaimed with joy”.
• “we” → “they” (pronoun change).
• “have won” → “had won” (present perfect → past perfect because the reporting verb is past).

Last updated on 06-March-2026

Explanation

•  In indirect speech, the imperative sentence "Don't sleep" is converted into "You are instructed not to sleep."
• The reporting verb "instructed" is used to convey the command.

Last verified on 04-02-2026