Question

"Have you anything to tell me, little bird ?' asked Ulysses.

The young sparrow said, "Mother, what is that queer object?'

Then aloud he said, 'Tell me, boy, is the miller within ?'

'Who are you, sir, and what do you want ?' they cried.

"Dear bird, she said, stroking its feathers, 'have you come to comfort me in my sorrow?'

The Rajah was deeply grieved, and said to his wife, 'What can I do for you?'

When the sun got low, the king's son said, Jack, since we have no money, where can we lodge this night?'

She said to him, 'What is it that makes you so much stronger and braver than any other man?'​

Answer 1

Explanation:

The past tense is often used when it is uncertain if the statement is true or when we are reporting objectively.

If the reporting verb is in the Present Tense, the tenses of the Direct Speech do not change. For example, we may rewrite the above examples, putting the reporting verb in the Present Tense, thus:

He says he is unwell.

He has just said his master is writing letters.

He says he has passed the examination.

He says the horse died in the night.