Question

III. Rewrite the following sentences in reported speech:
1. Sara said, "Franco, I cannot be your partner for the tennis match."​

Answer 1

Sara said to Franco that she couldn't be his partner for the tennis match.

• The given sentence is given in direct speech and we had to convert it into indirect speech or reported speech.
• If a sentence has to be written in reported speech then it must be written in such a way so that it seems to be said by a third person.
• The first step for converting a direct speech sentence into indirect speech would be to remove the double inverted commas and then proceed further.

Answer 2

Sara said, "Franco, I cannot be your partner for the tennis match."​

Sara said to Franco that she could not be his partner for the tennis match.

There are two kinds of speeches.

1. Direct Speech:

In Direct speech, we repeat the exact words by the speaker. Reporting speech is placed between inverted commas. For example, He said, " I have lost my pen".

2. Indirect Speech:

In Indirect Speech, we repeat in our own words what is said by the speaker. generally, we use "said that" in this speech. For example, He said that he had lost his pen.

When we change direct speech to indirect speech:

present simple changed to past simple

present continuous changed to past continuous

present perfect changed to past perfect.