interrogative
✅ 1. Model 1 (a)
Direct: They said, "Can he drive?"
Indirect: They asked if he could drive.
Type: Yes/No question (use if)
Tense: can → could (present to past)
Person: “he” stays same (3rd person)
🎯 “Can” becomes “could” because it’s past speech. The question becomes a statement.
✅ 2. Model 3 (d)
Direct: She said to me, "Did you have the money?"
Indirect: She asked me whether I had had the money.
Type: Yes/No question → use whether
Tense: did have → had had (past simple → past perfect)
Person: you → I (She said to me)
🎯 “Did you have” is past, so it becomes past perfect – “had had.”
✅ 3. Model 3 (e)
Direct: He said to me, "Why are you busy?"
Indirect: He asked me why I was busy.
Type: Wh-question → keep why
Tense: are → was (present → past)
Person: you → I
🎯 Wh-word stays the same. Just change the verb tense and pronoun.
✅ 4. Model Question 4 (c)
Direct: You said to him, "Don't I love you more than Rahman?"
Indirect: You asked him if you didn't love him more than Rahman.
Type: Yes/No negative question → use if
Tense: don’t love → didn’t love
Person: I → you, you → him
🎯 Even though it's negative, we treat it like a Yes/No question.
✅ 5. Model Question 5 (b)
Direct: She said to the guests, "What would you like to have?"
Indirect: She asked the guests what they would like to have.
Type: Wh-question → keep what
Tense: would → stays would (no change)
Person: you → they
🎯 "Would" does not change. We just change the structure and pronoun.
✅ 6. Model Question 5 (e)
Direct: I inquired, "Will you come back from London by next month?"
Indirect: I inquired if he would come back from London by next month.
Type: Yes/No → use if
Tense: will → would
Person: you → he
🎯 "Will" becomes "would" in reported speech.
✅ 7. Model Question 6 (a)
Direct: The chairman said to the members, "Are you satisfied with the decision taken in the
meeting?"
Indirect: The chairman asked the members if they were satisfied with the decision taken in the
meeting.
Type: Yes/No → use if
Tense: are → were
Person: you → they
🎯 "Are" becomes "were"; “you” becomes “they.”
✅ 8. Model Question 6 (c)
Direct: She said to me, "Can you accompany me to the market?"
Indirect: She asked me if I could accompany her to the market.
Type: Yes/No → use if
Tense: can → could
Person: you → I, me → her
🎯 Change pronouns carefully, based on who is speaking to whom.
✅ 9. Model Question 6 (e)
Direct: She said to her mother, "Is the food ready?"
Indirect: She asked her mother if the food was ready.
Type: Yes/No → use if
Tense: is → was
Person: none (subject is “the food”)
🎯 "Is" becomes "was" – the rest stays the same.
Assertive Sentences
✅ ✨ Rules for Changing Assertive Sentences (Statements):
🔹1. Reporting Verb Change:
"said to" → told
"said" (no object) → stays said
Use "that" after the reporting verb
🔹2. Tense Change (Backshifting Rule):
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
am/is/are was/were
will/shall would/should
may might
have/has had
do/does did
did had done
No tense change if the reporting verb is in present tense.
🔹3. Change of Time Words:
Direct Word Indirect Word
today that day
tomorrow the next day
next week the following week
yesterday the day before
now then
here there
📘 Sentence-by-Sentence Explanation:
✅ Model 1 (d)
Direct: He said to Ali, "You are a good boy."
Indirect: He told Ali that he (Ali) was a good boy.
Verb: said to → told
Tense: are → was (present → past)
Person: you → he (Ali)
Connector: use that
🎯 “He told Ali that he (Ali) was a good boy.”
✅ Model 2 (b)
Direct: He said, "I am visiting Cox's Bazar next week."
Indirect: He said that he would be visiting Cox's Bazar the following week.
Tense: am visiting → was visiting (present continuous → past continuous)
Time: next week → the following week
Person: I → he
✅ Model 3 (b)
Direct: He said, "Good-bye, my friends."
Indirect: He bade his friends good-bye.
This is a special case:
o “Good-bye” = used for parting/farewell
o “bade” = past form of bid (means to say good-bye)
🎯 It becomes: “He bade his friends good-bye.”
✅ Model Question 5 (a)
Direct: I said to my servant, "I may come late today."
Indirect: I told my servant that I might come late that day.
said to → told
may → might
today → that day
I → remains I
🎯 “I told my servant that I might come late that day.”
✅ Model Question 5 (c)
Direct: The soldiers said, "We shall do our best."
Indirect: The soldiers said that they would do their best.
shall → would
we → they
our → their
🎯 “The soldiers said that they would do their best.”
✅ Model Question 5 (d)
Direct: My parents said to me, "You have not come up to our expectations."
Indirect: My parents told me that I had not come up to their expectations.
said to → told
have not → had not
you → I
our → their
🎯 “My parents told me that I had not come up to their expectations.”
* Model 2 (c): Direct: "I might go to the cinema," he said.
Indirect: He said that he might go to the cinema.
🟣 5. Optative Sentences (Wishes & Prayers)
These sentences express good wishes, blessings, or prayers using "May" in direct speech.
May/long-that+might (no object)
Direct wish-object (no that)
✅ Model 1 (e)
Direct: He said to his friends, "May we pass the examination."
Indirect: He wished that they might pass the examination.
🟩 Explanation:
"May we..." = wish for themselves
"we" becomes "they"
Reporting verb → wished
"may" becomes might
✅ Model 2 (a)
Direct: Father said to me, "May you get a good grade in the JSC examination!"
Indirect: Father wished that I might get a good grade in the JSC examination.
🟩 Explanation:
Wish/prayer for someone
"you" becomes "I"
"may" becomes "might"
✅ Model Question 4 (d)
Direct: Mother said to the daughter, "May you be happy."
Indirect: Mother wished that her daughter might be happy.
🟩 Explanation:
Expresses a blessing
"you" becomes "her daughter"
"may" → "might"
✅ Model Question 4 (e)
Direct: The dervish said to us, "May you be great in life."
Indirect: The dervish wished that we might be great in life.
🟩 Explanation:
A kind prayer or blessing
"you" becomes "we"
"may" → "might"
Model 1 (c): Direct: They said, "Long live our leader."
Indirect: They wished that their leader might live long.
📌 Summary Rule for Optative Sentences:
Direct Speech Starts with Reporting Verb Changes in Indirect Speech
May you... wished may → might, person changes accordingly
May we... wished may → might, we → they
Great! Let's now go over these three sentences, confirm their sentence type, and explain each
one clearly.
🟡 Exclamatory Sentences (Strong Feelings or Emotions)
These express surprise, joy, anger, admiration, or sorrow.
In indirect speech, we usually use reporting verbs like exclaimed, exclaimed with joy,
exclaimed with sorrow, etc.
Question-How+adj+sub+v!
=sub+v+very+adj
How cute the girl is!
The girl is very cute.
Question-what+a/an+noun+s+v!
=sub+v+a great+noun
What a fool I am!
I am a great fool.
✅ Model 3 (c)
Direct:
He said, "What an idea!"(it is)
Indirect:
He exclaimed that it was a wonderful idea.
🔍 Explanation:
This is an exclamatory sentence expressing admiration.
“What an idea!” is changed to a statement: “It was a wonderful idea.”
Reporting verb “said” becomes “exclaimed”.
✅ Model Question 4 (b)
Direct:
She said, "By Jove! What a good news." (it is)
Indirect:
She swore by jove that it was a very good news.
🔍 Explanation:
This is an exclamatory sentence expressing joy.
“By Jove” is an old expression showing excitement or surprise.
We add “with joy” to clarify the emotion.
Sentence becomes a statement: “It was very good news.”
✅ Model Question 6 (d)
Direct:
He said, "How cruel of the king!"
Indirect:
He exclaimed that the king was very cruel.
🔍 Explanation:
This is an exclamatory sentence expressing shock or anger.
“How cruel…” becomes “was very cruel.”
“said” becomes “exclaimed” to show emotion.
🟠 Imperative Sentences (Commands, Requests, Advice)
Let-that
Others-to
🟠 Imperative Sentences (Commands/Requests/Advice) (9)
Model 1 (b):
Direct: I said to the man, "Please give me your pen."
Indirect: I requested the man to give me his pen.
Model 2 (d):
Direct: He said to me, "Friend, listen to me."
Indirect: addressing as his friend, He told me to listen to him.
Model 2 (e):
Direct: He said, "Now, listen to my children."
Indirect: He told his children to listen to him.
Model 3 (a):
Direct: Mother said to me, "Do not run in the sun."
Indirect: Mother advised me not to run in the sun.
Model Question 4 (a):
Direct: She said, "Let me have some more coffee."
Indirect: She wished that she might have some more coffee.
Model Question 6 (b):
Direct: He said to the servant, "Leave this room."
Indirect: He ordered the servant to leave that room.
