Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct speech.

Veena told him that she might turn down the job offer.

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

OSSC Excise SI (Mains) Official Paper (Held On: 17 Oct, 2024 Shift 2)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Option 1.

Key Points

Indirect Speech: Veena told him that she might turn down the job offer.
Key Conversions:
- "she might" becomes "I might"
  - The pronoun "she" changes to "I" as Veena is speaking directly.
  - "might" remains consistent, indicating a possibility.
- "told him that" becomes "said to him"
  - "told that" in indirect speech is replaced by "said to" in direct speech.
Punctuation and Format:
- Direct speech is enclosed in quotation marks.
- The sentence maintains the original tense and meaning.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 1.

Correct Sentence: Veena said to him, "I might turn down the job offer."

Additional Information

Option 2: Veena says to him, "I might turn down the job offer."
- Incorrect tense. "Says" does not match the past tense "told" in the original sentence.
Option 3: Veena said to him, "I must turn down the job offer."
- Incorrect modal verb. "Must" changes the meaning to a necessity, while the original sentence suggests a possibility with "might".
Option 4: Veena said to him, "She might turn down the job offer."
- Incorrect pronoun. "She" is used instead of "I", which is necessary for direct speech.