He said to me, "traitor".[Choose the correct indirect speech:]
Correct answer: C. He called me a traitor.
- A. He said to me that I was a traitor.
- B. He told me that I have been a traitor.
- C. He called me a traitor.
- D. He exclaimed with anger that I was a traitor.
Explanation
When transforming direct speech to indirect speech, if someone directly uses a word or term to refer to another person, we typically use "called" to report it. In this case, "He said to me, 'traitor'" directly implies that the speaker was called a traitor. Therefore, "He called me a traitor" accurately reflects the meaning and tone of the original direct speech while converting it to indirect speech format.
Last updated
About Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct speech gives a speaker’s exact words, whereas indirect speech reports the meaning without quotation marks. Questions cover reporting verbs, pronoun changes, tense backshift, time and place expressions, punctuation, and the transformation of questions, commands and requests, including cases where backshift is not required.
Practise Grammar
6,178 free Grammar MCQs from English, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.
Exams that ask English questions like this
English is on 83 papers prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for every one of them.
Related questions
Choose the correct form: He said that he ____ to Lahore the previous week.
Change to indirect speech: He said, "I am reading a book."
Change to indirect speech: She asked, "Where do you live?"
The traveler enquired to the farmer if he could tell him the way to the nearest inn.
Mother said, "Where are you going? "